- - - - Call Sign Irks Naval Aviator (title edited by subby)

Deadspin.Com ^ | 8/10/10

[llevrok]

Here's a pretty amusing story from "After Action: Your Military Sports Report, " where one young aviator becomes saddled with the call sign "Romo's Bitch" due to his Cowboy fandom. He is not amused.

Ensign Steve Crowston filed a complaint with the naval inspector's office thanks to some of the other suggested call-signs his squadron suggested for him ("Fagmeister" and "Gay Boy"), stating the bawdy nicknames were "workplace harassment." "Romo's Bitch" was chosen, which, limits his purported homosexual tendencies to the Cowboys quarterback. Regardless, Crowston's pissed:

"I was like, wait a minute? What the hell? You think I'm gay? What a way to tell me that," said Crowston, a limited duty officer who was previously a chief.

[Jacquerie]

Those who flare to land, squat to pee.

[GATOR NAVY]

I’ve known a few. Most are good guys. One good buddy of mine who made CPO with me is now an O-5. Not too many LDOs at that level.

[windcliff]

Mr. Pink

[dcwusmc]

Naval ping...

[Francis McClobber]

No kidding. Obviously a Fighter Attack Guy LDO.

There are usually two ways of getting a callsign. One is for doing something stupid in front of your squadron mates. The other is for physical attributes.

The more you complain about your callsign, the harder it sticks.

[Vanders9]

Agree. They were wrong to foist a nickname on him like that, and he was wrong to complain about it like that. ~OTOH, what with all the current controversy about "gays in the military", I wouldn't have thought his commanding officers would be all that pleased.

I don't know enough about this aspect of US Air culture - are the callsigns always chosen by your squadron mates, or do you have any say in it at all?

[fredhead]

I spent 20 years in the Navy as an electronics tech....worked for both regular officers (college grads) and mustangs (LDO’s). Most of the regular officers don't know “sh#t from shinola”, the LDO’s had been there and knew what they were talking about. As far as respect, and LDO Ensign's opinion maybe carries about a much weight as a regular Lieutenant Commander.

[Ronin]

I am a Navy Vet myself and have known more than a few LDOs, but in my experience, Chiefs usually considered themselves to be a superior life form and it still seems kind of odd that one would voluntarily demote himself to Ensign.

Most of the LDOs I remember made the switch from PO2 or PO1.

That being said, you are right, of course. Mustangs usually make better officers than NROTC types because they have more experience and have already been educated by the Chiefs. Academy grads are either extremely cool or total dickheads.

[ryan71]

“This guy makes it to Chief Petty Officer and then turns around and takes an LDO commission to become an Ensign?”

“And he wonders why people think he’s gay?”

The best officer I knew in the Navy was an LDO ensign, formerly a Master Chief EW. His station during General Quarters was Tactical Actions Officer (TAO). He was responsible for fighting the ship. Aboard an aircraft carrier filled with senior officers, this ensign was chosen to be TAO.

[ryan71]

And he retired as a Commander.

[xone]

They were wrong to foist a nickname on him like that,

It was just selected from the available choices, and one that wouldn't get squashed.

he was wrong to complain about it like that

This is true, and now any and all 'negative' callsigns will be attached to this whiner like they were etched on his skeleton. What a wimp. (substitute any other noun, but this is a family website)

are the callsigns always chosen by your squadron mates, or do you have any say in it at all?

Real callsigns are assigned by someone else. I've seen guys check into the RAG out of flight school with "Ace' or 'Mustang'. Dopes like that ended up with the least admirable callsigns which would stick unless and until they did something great or stupid to distinguish themselves.

[Unrepentant VN Vet]

A callsign coming out of Training Command?

I guess I’m REALLY Old School, but the people graduating from Kingsville while I was there didn’t even think about that. Callsigns were only for people actually smellin’ the smoke and chasing the elephant.

Tom Cruise really [******] up a bunch of stuff with that movie, didn’t he?

[19th LA Inf]

I'm not a Navy veteran, but I have absorbed a lot of the history over the years. Before WW2 when we only had a couple of real carriers, VF2 was the "Flying Chiefs" and the insignia was actually a CPO patch. I think the sections were led by officers. They flew Grumman F3F biplanes or F2A Brewsters. Some got commissions, some continued as Chiefs even after the war. The history of enlisted pilots goes back to about the first World War.

A couple of the VT-8 pilots who died at Midway were chiefs too, I believe.

[Vineyard]

Of course - there are some other ways to get a call sign.

I attended an All-Service Academy Ball (WA State) - and the first guest speaker was a LCDR aviator ...call sign “TESS”. He gave a wonderful speech about his transition from “just being there” to “GETTING IT!!!”. Very motivational.
His name ...LCDR Stickles.
So ...the inspirational speech by LCDR “TESS” Stickles.
(read that one Fast!)

An OBTW ...the second guest speaker was the local Navy Flag - who remarked that he wanted to give his aide a hard time for letting him be scheduled to go AFTER the LCDR (because it became a hard act to follow!!)

[xone]

Got no problem with the rank or source of any Naval aviator, my observation is that whiners about things like callsigns, end up being pussies in others as well to the detriment of the unit and mission.