Military Experience

[Raellus]

This is a bit of a rehash of a rehash but the issue has come up again in my PbP campaign and I'd like to revisit it here. I also think it's worth making the distinction between being a veteran of the military and being a combat veteran of the military.

I have never served in the military. I come from a military family. My grandfather was a USN captain in WWII. My father served as an FO during the Korean War. My brother is currently a Lt. Commander in the USN. I have a bachelors in history and I have read well over a hundred books about combat by historians, journalists, and veterans. I feel like this gives me a better foundation that the average Joe but I know full well that no amount of book learning or Call of Duty or paintball or whatever can ever come even remotely close to helping me understand what it is really like to serve under fire in real combat.

Veterans bring valuable RW knowledge and experience to a game like T2K. This can really add to the level of realism upheld by a game and a veteran's knowledge can really benefit those of us who don't have that RW experience.

On the other hand, veterans can really kill the enjoyment factor of a game like T2K if they deliver that RW knowledge in a heavy-handed or patronizing way.

I'm really interested in what your experience has been, both playing and/or reffing T2K, in groups containing veterans. Has it been a blessing or a curse? Can veterans and non-veterans play T2K together in harmony or is this like trying to mix oil and water (or nitroglycerin)?