We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:17:31 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:59:18 -0600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90044 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90044 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:09:04 -0600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90035 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90035 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:46:41 -0600
I'm weighing in late on this, but had to give this serious matter some serious thought. 

USA No.:  Whatever rings your bell, your faithful correspondents have made some good suggestions.

Bumper No:  Your plan is a big negatory.  This is an historic vehicle and deserves historically accurate bumper numbers.  What were you thinking?  In view of your interest in a local connection to your vast estate, I suggest that you use the designation for the artillery battery that manned the nearby Nike site.  The proper period would be 1957-1960, so that would be before the split between Air Defense and Field Artillery which should assuage your bent against duck hunters in favor of cannon cockers.  At that time, they were Redlegs all.

Now, I don't know what unit might have manned said battery, but a quick trip to the CAC Library should provide an answer.  The BC would of course be assigned HQ - 1 and you are all set.  Ensure that you use proper colors, stencils, etc. - you cannot drive some jakeleg poser in a Veterans Day parade.
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90034 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90034 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:23:26 -0600
Don't remember the logic for the other staff weenies, but we exercised both official and unofficial call-signs. As Battalion and DIVARTY S-4, I took whatever vehicle the Motor CWO assigned me.  Bad COMSEC, I know, but hell, Ivan knew where we were and who we were anyway.

For external radio traffic, we used the daily CEOI assignments.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90028 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90028 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:27:29 -0600 ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90021 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90021 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:03:17 -0600
j. The vehicles will be numbered as indicated below.
(1) This marking is the sequence number of the vehicle in the normal order to march within the unit to which it is assigned.
(2) Vehicles assigned to any headquarters will be numbered with the vehicles of the appropriate headquarters unit, and will be given the lower sequence numbers used therein.
(3) Vehicles assigned to transportation motor pools may be assigned numbers in any appropriate sequence.

Sometime during the Vietnam adventure, probably due to radio callsigns, 6 got fixed as the commander's vehicle in many units.  I know it was in all the units I served in - except when I commanded HHB, then, because the DIVARTY Cdr already had HQ6, my truck was HQ66.

Good thing I didn't have yet another subordinate commander....]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90020 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90020 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:46:50 -0600
I can't recall ever seeing anything except HQ 1 parked in front of the Orderly Room.

http://www.lonesentry.com/panzer/jeep-markings.html

]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90018 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90018 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:50:01 -0600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90013 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90013 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:31:25 -0600
Number should read "1369007".]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90011 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90011 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:58:29 -0600
Can anyone explain the origin of using "6" as the commander's call sign? 

Did it have anything to do with the late 1960's TV series "The Prisoner"?  The hero of the story was "Number 6".

Our mech batallion adopted BOHICA as our internal call sign (for various reasons) and our internal call signs were BOHICA-6 (Bn CDR), BOHICA-3 (Bn S3), BOHICA-A6 (Alfa Company Cdr), etc.

There must be a story behind it somewhere.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90010 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:55:33 -0600
Ancient languages, speaking, reading and writing was a part of my job spec. It's no big deal when you compare it with your background, even the stuff you figured was not worth the effort to remember. 

@Fishmugger, You wrote, "I can see where this is going, and I will not lower myself to partake in such perfidy." Now you wrote that you would not lower yourself to that point, Are sure you don't mean raise raise yourself to that very same point? Join the rest of us, *SNARK*! Don't worry, you'll still be a "Total failure at being a pompous A$$."

@John, all of that *and* common sense! My father always paraphrased Voltaire. I believe it is quite appropriate here. The paraphrase sounded like this, "Common sense ain't all that common."]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90008 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90008 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:24:28 -0600
I got rolled in a Thing when I was in college.  Not sure I want to give one another chance to kill me...

We are going to kit it out with a pintle-mounted machine gun.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90004 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90004 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:46:55 -0600
A R T I L L E R Y = 192933597

Just don't forget...the meaning of life is 42.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90003 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90003 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:45:13 -0600 I suggest tricking it out like the jeeps on the television show, "The Rat Patrol", and then you could get an old vehicle named, "The Thing", and turn it into a German desert car.  The VW Thing is pretty close to the old German vehicle used during the war.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90002 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90002 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:21:14 -0600 I can see where this is going, and I will not lower myself to partake in such perfidy. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90001 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90001 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:36:02 -0600
And, as I've just demonstrated, I don't know my Greek alphabet very well.  For the record, I swiped it from Chuck Z's email sig, where the second word is in lower case.

Since I do intend to run this in parades and such, I'm thinking the "know your mother in an excessive and socially unacceptably way" offerings are probably not going to make the cut.  I can just see me explaining the bumper markings to a curious onlooker there with his or her children.

Snafu and fubar can work, as "fouled" can be substituted for the Anglo-saxon pressure release.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90000 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-90000 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:35:58 -0600
US Army
105155203

I know...rather mundane and obscure.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89998 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89998 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:23:14 -0600
   There's also the various standard acronyms.......

   SNAFU-6;    FUBAR-6;    FYBIJAR-6;    FYBIRA-6;    FYBING-6,

   or my favorite:  FYBIBM-6  (as in eff you buddy, I bayoneted mySELF 6.

    Personally, anyone who bayonets himself is seriously hardcore in MY book.  :)

   heh
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89997 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89997 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:07:20 -0600
Just curious, in your comment, #3, you write,

"Or to get *really* obscure - M(Lambda, lower case Greek 'L')-6"

Now, if you wanted to go to the upper case  of the same letter, to do the upper case of that letter in the Greek, just do an inverted "V".

Have some fun!
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89996 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89996 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:49:43 -0600 faux marble background -- or frame it between a pair of Mi-2s and get *really* obscure...
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89995 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89995 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:41:26 -0600
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89993 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89993 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:15:54 -0600
Or to get *really* obscure - Μλ-6]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89992 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89992 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:35:13 -0600
Or maybe BAMF-6:  "Bad @$$ MoFo-6".  LOL]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89991 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89991 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:59:08 -0600 ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89990 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/kicking_around.html#comment-89990 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:57:02 -0600