When I lived in Honolulu, my then-wife’s company had a Halloween party downtown at a restaurant near the Aloha Tower.
She went dressed as a stereotypical Witch (not the Wiccan kind), while I was dressed as a US Navy Captain.
I had taken the extra step of purchasing a custom made black-with-white-lettering name tag to be worn over my right chest pocket of the uniform, adding to the authenticity of the costume.
What I didn’t know at the time, but found out to my amusement later, was that the uniform was indeed identical to that of a real Naval Captain, and as I and my wife were strolling around downtown Honolulu that evening, I was the recipient of salute after salute after salute, from genuine US Navy personnel, who were on Shore Leave from their ships that were docked nearby.
All night long, it seemed, Swabbies and lower-grade officers would approach me, salute, and say, “Good Evening, Capt. Adams!” or “Hello, Sir!” proving that I was definitely convincing, if nothing else.
Yes, I’d smartly return their salutes and say, “Carry on!” or “As you were!” and continue with our walk. My wife struggled very hard (by biting the inside of her cheek or tongue) to force herself not to laugh out loud.
Waiters gave me and my wife the best tables in the establishments we visited, and I remember turning to her and saying, ”R H I P, right?” She nodded.
When we got home, I said, “You know something? I’m not returning this, tomorrow. I’m just gonna go back there an exercise their ‘purchase option’.”
My wife got a very serious look on her face and said, “Sweetheart, you are not Tony Curtis, and it may be acceptable to pretend to be a Naval Captain on Halloween, but any other time that you might do so, you’ll probably be arrested for some sort of crime, so just return the uniform, OK?”