View Full Version : Did you have a nick name?
When I was watching Band of Brothers, I wondered how "Shifty", "Popeye" got their nick names. What was yours and how did you get it? :icon_salut:
Michael Tompkins
05-27-2012, 10:22
I was called "AAK" at Delta Battery. ("All American Kid" 'cause I had such a baby face and stayed squeaky-clean) and "Gumby" at the 503rd 'cause I was thin and flexible. Mike
My nick name is what I use on the forum (why I do not capital it). I was in service and met a bunch of guys and we ran around for 8-9 months. Lot of bar hopping, one of the group seemed drunk all the time, could not remember my first name. He called me Dave and when I finally called him on it he said 'well your last name is Davis, right?' And so it stuck! Saw the guy 20-30 years later in a resturant in Chicago and went over to say hello. I had the name right but he did not remember me or several of the names of the group I mentioned. Guess he was drunk all the time!!
At the time I was on active duty there was a major league baseball player with the same last name that went by the nickname "Doc" so a few people called me "Doc" (we were military police, not medics - that are all universally called "Doc" because of their function)
The First Sergeant of the cavalry troop in which I was the XO (and later when we were assigned to the Division G-4 shop) frequently called me "Daiwie", which I believe is a Vietnamese term of respect, at least I hope it was! I never heard him use the term on anyone else.
Ron James
05-27-2012, 07:01
My last name being James I quickly picked up the nick name " Jessie" , because I was more or less the front man for my friends, when ever a difficult task needed to be done it was always " go get the James gang ". Meant faster promotion for all of us but it got old after a while. For the rest of my career, I could arrive at a new station and with in days I was being called Jessie. In fact quite a few people thought that was my legal name:)
Dan Shapiro
05-27-2012, 07:41
"Crash" for short. "Crash and Burn" when being formal.
Not much to do in off hours during the winter months in Germany. So I wandered down to the crafts shop and ended up buying a balsa wood, gas-powered F4U Corsair. Spent about 3 months slowly putting it together.
Came the spring and the snow melted. Saturday morning half the barracks was watching as I took it off for the first (and last) time. Made about 12 loops, when suddenly a puff of smoke came from the cowling area. Then more smoke. Then A LOT OF SMOKE. Then flames. The plane pitched upwards, then slowly fell over on it's back and nose dived into the ground.
I got a standing ovation and a nick name. :eusa_wall:
Hap Rocketto
05-27-2012, 07:55
"The First Sergeant of the cavalry troop in which I was the XO (and later when we were assigned to the Division G-4 shop) frequently called me "Daiwie", which I believe is a Vietnamese term of respect, at least I hope it was! I never heard him use the term on anyone else."
I presume you were a captain at the time as "Dai Uy" is captain in Vietnamese.
I got two nick-names in basic training, first was "Dead" 'cause I slept quite soundly on my back with my hands folded on my chest. Then, some of the guys started calling me "Prof" or "Professor" because of those ugly black RPG glasses the Army issued. Don't recall being called anything but my last name or "Steve" at duty stations... Well, perhaps a curse word or two from time to time... :)
Griff Murphey
05-27-2012, 09:21
A lot of the platoon leaders and captains in BLT 1-4 called me "Combat Dentist" - presumably a tip of the hat for winning the 3rd Mar Div rifle and pistol intrmural, not for actually engaging IN combat!
My college ROTC rifle team coach~'68 was an Army Captain, had Texas plates "Dai Uy" on his Vette; liked to be called that. Wound up being so addressed myself, by Vietnamese refugees in '75, due to Naval LT RR tracks.
I never had a nick name (that I knew of) but when stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina in the early '60's we had a fellow in the barracks known as Bear. He was a heavy set fellow who on Friday evening, would drag up a case or two of beer next to his bunk and spend the entire weekend drinking beer and watching a B/W TV or sleeping (hibernating).
It wasn't until I left the AF that I realized I didn't know his real name. He was just.... Bear......
Hal O'Peridol
05-29-2012, 02:22
Sasquatch. I'm 6'4" and was, at the time, 215 pounds. And wore size 10 1/2 EEEE boots. Tallest guy in every unit I was in. Was ALWAYS right guide for every friggin parade.
Nickname was Big Al, I guess because I was 6'3" and my last name is Allen.
I wish I still had a 32" waist.:)
Hecklerusp45
06-01-2012, 05:07
When I was watching Band of Brothers, I wondered how "Shifty", "Popeye" got their nick names. What was yours and how did you get it? :icon_salut:
I asked "Shifty" face to face how he got the nick name. He gave me some weak story about how it had something to do with the way he played basketball. I could tell he was putting me on. I really wanted to know where it came from, so I eventually asked his son. He said it had more to do with his "woman chasing" then basketball. I never knew "popeye" so I can't help there.
Ron James
06-02-2012, 03:18
Most in service nickname's had to do with the last name ( it was always visible ) or some physical factor. Paterson was "Pat", James was " Jessie ". " Man Mountain " was 6'5. " Alphabet " had a Polish name that no one could pronounce or even spell." "Snake" was a Ex green beanie, Thissen was " Big T ", "Farmer" was, well, tall, lanky and couldn't march at all and came from a farm in Wisconsin.Many times you could know a person for quite a while and never learn their real first name. There were some nicknames that were given to the officers that were never spoken out loud if they were with in a mile of the area, and never in their presence. Other officers had nicknames that were fondly given by the enlisted and the officer's were proud of them, such as " Red Bul or just Bull " or " Fireball " and the "Red Baron " {Who was a hell of a pilot ).
Michael Tompkins
06-03-2012, 05:31
Some of the nick-names that I remember for some of the other guys were "Popcorn" for Procopio. There was "Tiny" for 6'6" Shoemake. "Rat Salad" for Randy Soma. "Charlie Tuna" for Chuck Taylor. Guy from Texas was "Shorty". Torruella was "Trucker". "Everclear" for Holiday because he ALWAYS had a canteen with grape Kool-ade and Everclear. Haines was "Burn-out Bud". Brice was "Spider Monkey". SSG Aikens and SFC Payne were collectively known as "Aches and Pains". Brisbane was "Pizza Face". Plues was known as "Father Plues". James Collins was "Bootsy". WO 3 Mr. Leon was known as "Lightning Leon". SGT Calhoun was "Shakey". SFC Willams was "Sgt Wee" because he always chopped off the ends of hiwords while speaking and SSG Boller was "Dick-head". Mike
Not one I can repeat in front of respectable people. I guess it's ok for you guys though. I got called "the cock" for a long time after one of my airmen found out both my ex wives still slept with me after the divorces.
Ben Hartley
06-06-2012, 09:47
At the time I was on active duty there was a major league baseball player with the same last name that went by the nickname "Doc" so a few people called me "Doc" (we were military police, not medics - that are all universally called "Doc" because of their function)
The First Sergeant of the cavalry troop in which I was the XO (and later when we were assigned to the Division G-4 shop) frequently called me "Daiwie", which I believe is a Vietnamese term of respect, at least I hope it was! I never heard him use the term on anyone else.
"Dai-uy" is Vietnamese for "Captain."
We had a guy called "Bear". This was in Zumwalts navy when you could grow beards. Just a big old country boy that looked like Grizzley Adams.
I showed up at the bowling alley one Sat. morning for cokes with some buds. My ol' Texas buddy drawled, dam Nielsen, you like like a dam Grubworm(hadn't shaved that morning). Grubworm to this day to the Texan whom I still write to.
"alphabet" Reminded me of two guys from supply at one of my bases. One was named something like Guetsenlechtersen and one was named something like Goetsenlechtens.
They called one G-16 and the other G-14 because their names were a G, then 16 letters or 14 letters.
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