Call Signs

[Guest deweygcc]

You arent given a life long callsign. It can change, if you do something more stupid or develope a callsign worthy habit it will change.

For instance, Ghost or phantom is a CS USUALLY given to a guy that is "seldom seen" as in never around whether it be for the "nightlift" or just never spending anytime.

With the above exception I agree with Whacker, there arent Mavericks etc that I have seen.

[Beaver]

Callsigns can change, but if you have combat time with a callsign, it will usually stick with you as you change assignments. At least that's how we do it in our squadron.

[Guest Hoser]

We had one guy in our squadron, callsign Duck when another Duck PCS'd in. The mayor called them Old Duck and New Duck.

Like Beaver said, once you get combat time with a callsign, it's preaty much yours for the rest of your career.

Hoser

[ 19. October 2004, 19:50: Message edited by: Hoser ]

[airdawg83]

I've completed the obligatory 0.69s search through the forum and could not find any threads related to stories of how you all got your call signs. If I simply didn't read the memo regarding the restriction on asking this question, I'll go back to filing my TPS reports.

I don't have a call sign yet as I am a casual APT and have not yet been to the show, but some in the squadron have taken to calling me E Lo because I share a last name with that terrible actress/singer with a big @$$. How about the rest of you?

[drewpey]

typically takes lots of beer and trust to get the stories behind callsigns. Even then many are reluctant to talk about them!

[Beaver]

I was the fifth guy to get named at a looong drunken naming ceremony. I hadn't done anything especially noteworthy in MQT and my name doesn't really lend itself to ridicule. Our old crusty DO at the time thought I looked young, so he suggested Beaver, like the TV show. Once Beaver becomes a name option you're pretty much done for. "Who likes Beaver?" Crowd erupts, name sticks.

[Guest Hydro130]

For a callsign to be "official", there is a naming ceremony involved. Not every MWS does them (herbs typically don't); you'll learn more when you get to your first MWS.

Cheers, Hydro

[Mambo]

For a callsign to be "official", there is a naming ceremony involved. Not every MWS does them (herbs typically don't); you'll learn more when you get to your first MWS.

Cheers, Hydro

AWACS do official naming ceremonies mostly for the backenders (no STS)... flight deck guys at my old squadron tried to protest the 'ness by boycotting but were forced to go...so we sent minimal people to represent.

As Hydro said, not everyone does them, I think it's mostly a pointy nose thing...as it should be (they do alot of things I don't understand or care to). It just got tiring to watch the backenders try and pretend we were a fighter squadron.

[ClearedHot]

I recall one WS callsign night when I determined walking in the front door of the club that one of the WUGs would leave with the callsign "Gherkin".

At my old age it was a bit of a feat to drink a shot with each nomination, but I did manage to nominate every single WUG with the callsign Gherkin...and it finally stuck to one. He reminded me how much he hates me for that at dinner this past Saturday night.

[Guest rumblefish_2]

Back on topic...we've got an O-6 that insists on nominating VBF as a possible name for every punk since his naming back in the 80s. He also puts a number after it to denote how many times he's tried. I think we're up to VBF 37 for the next guy...

[brabus]

Rumble...what's the obsession with VBF? When I was a casual, that was always one of the options for every guy. And this wasn't a viper unit, so it seems VBF is CAF wide. Any story or do dude's just put it up for nomination just b/c it's funny/always is done?

[Guest rumblefish_2]

Don't know. Some squadrons do Shaved Dog's Ass, some, Two Dogs. The funniest one I've ever heard threatened was Sperm-Burping Terd Burglar...

[Hacker]

Here are a few constant naming ceremony options:

Vaginal Blood Fart (VBF)

Sperm-Burping Gutter Wench (SBGW)

Triple-Ripple Butt Plug

Shaved Dog's Ass (SDA)

...and my favorite...

Asshole + peg number (e.g. Asshole 25, Asshole 18, etc)

I have tried to name a guy FCO, pronounced 'fucko', for dating Fat Chicks Only. Didn't make it past the hordes, though.

[Toro]

In addition to Hacker's, here are a couple more that get tossed out, but never seem to stick (though we have given these names to B coursers)

"Blood Soaked Frozen Tampon Popsicle"

"(Insert name of chubby guy in squadron) Ate Me, $hit me out, and he's still fat"

"(Insert name of somebody in squadron)'s b!tch f***er"

DABOR - Dumb As a Bag Of Rocks

STUFR - Stop Talking U F***ing Retard

FANSONG - For having an SA of 2

Other names I've seen that go along with the last name -

"Goblin" Cox

"Slip" Sen

"Clint" Torres

"Parrot" Estes

It's always fun to explain those to little kids and old ladies at airshows.

[EvilEagle]

A few more standards:

MONKEY..... VULVA!!!

Wedge (simplest tool known to man)

Shithead (pronounced Sha' THe-edd)

[Scooter14]

A Marine buddy of mine spoke of two FNG's in his Cobra squadron named "Chin Nuts" and "Dog Balls." Those have a ring to 'em

[Guest CSpearsFly]

I'm enlisted so if it's inappropriate for me to post, please delete. There was a pilot in my first command that had the callsign "FRIBAT". Flew Right Into Big A$$ Tower. Guess it did some pretty good damage to the jet. There was also an NFO in Turkey that had the callsign "Brownie". I guess his lunch decided to exit his body before his mission was over and he could make it to the nearest bathroom. Oops!

CSpearsFly

Edited June 4, 2008 by CSpearsFly

[stract]

one of my IPs at UPT (A-10 driver) was named FLAPWHEL (######ing Lied About Pickling With His Elbow).

[Toasty]

Doesn't seem like the Herk community does the "official" callsign thing, exception being the WIC guys, whose callsign originations are only known between 3 other people and God (hence, no fun).

Any ideas why?

[afnav]

AWACS do official naming ceremonies mostly for the backenders (no STS)... flight deck guys at my old squadron tried to protest the 'ness by boycotting but were forced to go...so we sent minimal people to represent.

As Hydro said, not everyone does them, I think it's mostly a pointy nose thing...as it should be (they do alot of things I don't understand or care to). It just got tiring to watch the backenders try and pretend we were a fighter squadron.

Flight deck guys didn't have callsigns in the mid to late 90s. That was strictly goat shit. We also proudly wore non-graduate FWS patches.

They also played crud at the O'Club, with their scarves wrapped around their heads so we never went. We never wore scarves, either.

My flight commander bailed me out for my callsign in BUFFs. I could have ended up with one a lot worse.

[itsokimapilot]

How about "BODA" Big Ole Dumb Ass. I'm surprised Flounder hasn't been mentioned....Why not

[Bergman]

Chick at UPT a few classes behind me....BALD-D: Banging a lawn dart driver.

[itsokimapilot]

Guy at SOS I knew went by WAIST, Why Am I Still Talking. It kinda fit him.

[Guest Ikarus]

Enlisted here too, but I'm viper avionics, and we're next to an A-10 squadron. Anyway, one of our guys was "Cinder" Vella, and one of the A-10's guys (I heard - could be BS) was called "OnStar" because he called Ops for directions one night.

I worked avionics for the F-16 WS at Nellis before this place, and one of our pilots there was "Stinky" Colon.

[Guest LocoF16]

I think call signs and naming ceremonies are actually a fairly recent thing, relatively speaking. I was talking to our OG the other day and he said that naming ceremonies (as a standard) didn't really come about until after Desert Storm. Can any of you old farts verify this?