Yeah...I noticed that. Not sure what called it to to my attention today, but something did.
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The Neverending Callsign thread (Best/Worst/Funniest and where they came from)
- Thread starter Kyle McWhirter
- Start date
Probably "White Eyes".
Wow, didn't know this interesting thread existed until the 'Gade quoted a 4+ year-old post today. That was posted just prior to my joining AW.
In my experience (waaay back in the day), RR callsigns were coined by Squadronmate concensus, under the radar, & and it stuck...recipient liking it or not. They arise from a great variety of 'sources': physical features, play on names, habits, events, screwups, traits, shortcomings, etc. ad infinitum. In some cases, they changed by Squadron, some remained career or lifelong.
I was tagged in my first Nugget Squadron VA-94, as "Bingo....obviously, for my adroitness during my first few night CQ sessions in a jet. Luckily, my 'light' finally came on, but the c/s stuck. My second & final fleet call was in my combat Sqdn VA-146. They dubbed me "Slugger"! not for bar-brawling or baseball prowess. One of my S'Mates was scanning a C/S Pub & came across a CTF-77.XX? C/S of "Slugger Magee", my surname. Their search was over!
A few other 146 S'Mates were "Leprechaun","BooBoo", "Masher", & "Prince Henry" (the navigator, after he headed his strike division toward a feet dry on Hainan Isl.
thinking it was N. Vietnam, almost opposite direction)!
Any other unique C/S stories? Does it work the same today? I am aware they are closely monitored today for PC purposes. My AW name "Busy Bee" was the radio C/S of VA-146. They are today VFA-146, changed their C/S to "Blue Diamond".
BzB
In my experience (waaay back in the day), RR callsigns were coined by Squadronmate concensus, under the radar, & and it stuck...recipient liking it or not. They arise from a great variety of 'sources': physical features, play on names, habits, events, screwups, traits, shortcomings, etc. ad infinitum. In some cases, they changed by Squadron, some remained career or lifelong.
I was tagged in my first Nugget Squadron VA-94, as "Bingo....obviously, for my adroitness during my first few night CQ sessions in a jet. Luckily, my 'light' finally came on, but the c/s stuck. My second & final fleet call was in my combat Sqdn VA-146. They dubbed me "Slugger"! not for bar-brawling or baseball prowess. One of my S'Mates was scanning a C/S Pub & came across a CTF-77.XX? C/S of "Slugger Magee", my surname. Their search was over!
A few other 146 S'Mates were "Leprechaun","BooBoo", "Masher", & "Prince Henry" (the navigator, after he headed his strike division toward a feet dry on Hainan Isl.
thinking it was N. Vietnam, almost opposite direction)!Any other unique C/S stories? Does it work the same today? I am aware they are closely monitored today for PC purposes. My AW name "Busy Bee" was the radio C/S of VA-146. They are today VFA-146, changed their C/S to "Blue Diamond".
BzB
Met an F-14 pilot when I was in High School at the Cleveland Air Show (former F-8) with the callsign "LeTorch" because he lit himself on fire doing a flaming shot in a bar in Paris. (He was also flying the Gypsy Tomcat for the Raytheon photo shoot carrying 6 AIM-64s)
BZB: Get yourself a large cup of coffee or a big, icy cold Martini and read these fascinating 6 pages. Bottom line: it works exactly the same as in your day! I liked both the "Bingo" and "Slugger" stories. Be well, you high-falutin', gun-shootin' Air-By Gawd-Warrior! Hope you can make it to the Miramar O'Club this Thursday to salute an even earlier "Air Warrior"...and former "Death Rattler".
Cheers, Spike
You guys too, eh?..... & "Prince Henry" (the navigator, after he headed his strike division toward a feet dry on Hainan Isl.
BzB
We also had an Alpha Strike do the same thing, until some JO abaft the beam of the strike group said, "Hey, WTF?!"
It was an early morning strike, so I guess the strike lead "had the sun in his eyes" going east instead of west, and thus couldn't read his compass.
VA-95 circa 1995
"Spicoli" - LCDR still driving his '77 Firebird ENS-mobile
"Bun Bun" - make sure the wife covers the phone before yelling for you when SDO calls your house.
"Stiffy" - believe he was a Harvard grad
"Boner" aka "Dabone"
"Meat"
"Big" - last name Johnson but he was also 6'4"
"Lick" - last name Mawhinney, also had "Spank" in the past
I flew with "Big" and "Lick" quite a bit so the briefing board would have a crew of "Big/Meat" or "Lick/Meat".
What was the Navy going to do, decommission us? Oh wait, they did.
Other classics:
"FISH" - F***, Is She Huge (big female ECMO)
"Boom-Boom" - Setting the parking brake on the cat will not stop you from launching but will require two new main mount tires when you land.
"Hot Wheels" - Hot brakes in an E-6B (npot an EA-6B) are a big problem.
"Spicoli" - LCDR still driving his '77 Firebird ENS-mobile
"Bun Bun" - make sure the wife covers the phone before yelling for you when SDO calls your house.
"Stiffy" - believe he was a Harvard grad
"Boner" aka "Dabone"
"Meat"
"Big" - last name Johnson but he was also 6'4"
"Lick" - last name Mawhinney, also had "Spank" in the past
I flew with "Big" and "Lick" quite a bit so the briefing board would have a crew of "Big/Meat" or "Lick/Meat".
What was the Navy going to do, decommission us? Oh wait, they did.
Other classics:
"FISH" - F***, Is She Huge (big female ECMO)
"Boom-Boom" - Setting the parking brake on the cat will not stop you from launching but will require two new main mount tires when you land.
"Hot Wheels" - Hot brakes in an E-6B (npot an EA-6B) are a big problem.
+1 Steve, neat post. It'll be interesting to guess, as we see some of these 'nicknames' from the past, how many would have been OB today? Or to have your "Boom Boom" introduced to our ""Boo Boo" at happy hour (Boo Boo was built like a Bear, but gentle as a Lamb).
BTW, I cruised with VA-95 aboard (in CAG-9) when they had Spads, and RonDebMar was a Green Lizard w/ Skyhawks in 'Nam. Did they have Intruders in '95? Was C/S still "Fortress" then?
*A-6 fans: Military Channel's An Officer & a Movie weekly movie will show Flight Of The Intruder this Saturday, one of my all-time favorites, along with Toko Ri!
BzB
My callsign in the Navy was benign. At an LMET course just out of the FRS, we had to write our names on a piece of paper, fold it and put it on the desk. I went by my middle name, but was sometimes required to include my first initial to avoid confusion. My nme tag said "L. Robert". Everyone knew me as Rob or Bob, so I picked up the callsign "L Bob". At a few years, it became more proper and became "El Bob". Kind of a lame story, but better than some callsigns.
Another guy in the same LMET class was named "Digger". Yes, as someone else pointed out, do not pick your nose in front of your peers.
In the Army, the only guy with a callsign around here is a guy we call "Anti-Poon". He's a good guy, but due to his home schooling was a bit socially awkward. He evidently could say and do things that would make women run in the other direction. He also fell in "love" with a stripper. Thankfully it didn't last long before she dumped him.
Another guy in the same LMET class was named "Digger". Yes, as someone else pointed out, do not pick your nose in front of your peers.
In the Army, the only guy with a callsign around here is a guy we call "Anti-Poon". He's a good guy, but due to his home schooling was a bit socially awkward. He evidently could say and do things that would make women run in the other direction. He also fell in "love" with a stripper. Thankfully it didn't last long before she dumped him.
Had a guy in a sister Squadron who had the same habit...surname initial Pxxxxxx, only one nickname really fit: "Pickett"! Chuckled every time I saw it painted under the canopy.....except when manning up for a night launch, shitty WX, pitching deck, max gross tanker.....then nothing was funny!
BzB
MasterBates
Well-Known Member
dUPLO (put a backwards P in place of the P)
Guy has what looks to be lego hair. And was almost always out of regs. One day DCAG told him to change out his lego hair for a smaller one.
NFO asks the question "what are the big retarded legos?"
Answer was DUPLO.
ShamWOW! Guy sweats more than me in divorce court.
MIAMI - Missing In Action, Maybe Intoxicated. An "elder" JO went missing on a Key West det. Was found housed later in the day.
Diva - Standard PC callsign for the only chick NFO we had at the time.
HoneyBadger - JO who smokes, dips, drinks, and generally does not give a shit. (see: honey badger meme video on youtube)
CC - New pilot who LOVES fat women. Seriously. He would text all JOPA fat chick porn. And not as a joke.
Guy has what looks to be lego hair. And was almost always out of regs. One day DCAG told him to change out his lego hair for a smaller one.
NFO asks the question "what are the big retarded legos?"
Answer was DUPLO.
ShamWOW! Guy sweats more than me in divorce court.
MIAMI - Missing In Action, Maybe Intoxicated. An "elder" JO went missing on a Key West det. Was found housed later in the day.
Diva - Standard PC callsign for the only chick NFO we had at the time.
HoneyBadger - JO who smokes, dips, drinks, and generally does not give a shit. (see: honey badger meme video on youtube)
CC - New pilot who LOVES fat women. Seriously. He would text all JOPA fat chick porn. And not as a joke.