Call Signs

[Optigirl]

My mom and dad are both pri-military (USMC)

 

They typicaly invite friends over from time and use there call signs.

 

My dads call sign is Cap-Ass, lol, a tail rotor cap assembly reached out and smacked him a few times from what mom tells me.

 

Now I was just thinking about where and who started this Call-Sign name thing.

I know it dates back a way.

 

~LD

[permison]

My mom and dad are both pri-military (USMC)

 

They typicaly invite friends over from time and use there call signs.

 

My dads call sign is Cap-Ass, lol, a tail rotor cap assembly reached out and smacked him a few times from what mom tells me.

 

Now I was just thinking about where and who started this Call-Sign name thing.

I know it dates back a way.

 

~LD

 

From Wikipedia

 

Aviator call signs nearly always must come from a member of the aviator's squadron, training class, or other coworker. It is considered bad form to try to give oneself a callsign. It is common for newer aviators to be initially assigned a fairly derogatory callsign, with the expectation that the new member will work hard enough to earn the respect of their community, and with it a better (and usually permanent) callsign. Some stick with the aviator forever, while in other cases an aviator might have a series of call signs throughout his or her career.

 

I don't know why it started but I know the practice was in use before the 2nd world war. Mine was "Wrong Way" in the Army. I never grew out of it.

 

You might also enjoy the following

http://www.clydepark.com/callsigns.htm

 

Permison

[doanut99]

I don't know why it started but I know the practice was in use before the 2nd world war. Mine was "Wrong Way" in the Army. I never grew out of it.

Permison

 

HAHA. I hope you weren't shooting in the wrong direction!

[permison]

HAHA. I hope you weren't shooting in the wrong direction!

 

Worse....I was reconnoissance

[Wally]

Capitalization makes all the difference-

 

A "Call Sign" is a controlling authority assigned designation, sometimes very official- "Air Force One", for instance. The FAA assigns them as well as the military. "In country", I was "Devil 49", and in those days the numeric portion of the call sign was frequently, but not always, shorthand for who you were, ie "Devil 6" was the CO, "5" the XO, and down the roster of staff assignments. When my call sign was assigned, I was the junior pilot in the 4th platoon, so I got the last number in the decade.

Certain missions had asigned calls. I flew "Phantom 2" and then "Phantom 3", missions. The same mission profile, but the initial call sign assignment reflected that it was through S-2, and then S-3 offices. That call sign was mission specific, some weren't. "Firefly" was the local flare and light bird, wherever that was. "Dustoff" was medevac, and the unit assigned Dustoff Call Signs.

 

A "call sign", as it were, is your nom de guerre, a nickname assigned by your brothers, and usually used in the unit, on the radio and in person. You don't pick'em, you live with'em. The military isn't unique in this, social groups of all sorts use nicknames- "street names" for instance.

Some that stick in my mind:

"Number 10", VietNam pidgen for very, very bad, the worst possible thing; and also his Call Sign "Satan One-Zero";

"Ralph", (eponymous?) for the noise made the morning after his "Welcome, FNG!" party;

"White Rabbit", same-same, except he was pale and shakey. So pale his light blue eyes looked blood-shot;

"Bear" short "Dancing Bear". The less said the better, sometimes appropriately "Dancing Bare". You couldn't take him anywhere;

"Toad", derned if I know.

 

Permison: Your last name isn't Corrigan, is it? If so, your call sign's shared with a famous aviator, ancestor?

Edited August 30, 2007 by Wally