military ties?

[wooly]

Can anybody help me understand the relationship between our heroes and the rest of the military? (if any exists)

In a recent episode (18-1?) I think it was Michael who mentioned something to the effect that it might not be a good idea to wear his uniform during the search for other survivors.

Why?

Is he afraid of recriminations from other survivors since the military couldn't protect them? Wary of being accused of being a deserter since he has made no effort to contact or locate any surviving military units?

I don't get it. Maybe I need to re-listen to it.

[HaveCrowBarWillTravel]

One thing is that it makes him a target and another is false hope. You'll notice that each time they went out in uniform, the first question was: Where are the rest of you? That was followed by the giddy feeling that rescue was coming... and it wasn't.
Mike, Angel and Saul are reservist. On a good day, they're cut off from normal day to day military operations.
That's my guess as to why only the 3 of them made it there. Everyone else lived too far out during the telephone recall.

[nikvoodoo]

It was in 17-2 around the 12:00 mark.

There can be any number of reasons Michael would want to keep his military status on the DL now. Both your theories are valid. I'll add to it that if he's wearing a uniform it might imply that he has some where safe to go back to with his unit and people may not believe him when he tells them. Remember how many times people asked Michael, Angel and Saul in the beginning "where are the rest of you?" The same thing might still happen and people would expect more from him.

There's also the authority figure issue. If you wear a uniform, there also comes an expectation of authority....and everyone left out there are "Aggressive assholes" who wouldn't deal well with authority beyond what's kept them alive since the outbreak.

[cPT.cAPSLOCK]

In their current situation, you can't know for sure if other survivors are trustworthy.

If they see you in an uniform, they'll know you've (at least) had basic training and they'll know you pose a risk. Therefore, they'd be more alert.
Not wearing an uniform will cause potential human enemies to underestimate you, which is in your advantage.

[Cabbage Patch]

Being in uniform also carries a risk if you were to run into a functioning military unit, or a remnant of the government. A civilian might, or might not be allowed to go their own way, but a soldier, in uniform, is likely to find themselves drafted back into service.