Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. Whether you’re riding on a jet ski or are an Air Force aircrew flight equipment journeyman, life vests are part of protocol. During World War II, life vests were nicknamed “Mae Wests” after the popular 1930s and 40s actress Mae West. Could you guess why? Linguist and author Henry Alexander explains that members of the Royal Air Force and Army Air Forces who were issued flight gear began calling their life vests — manufactured by Peter…
Browsing: Here’s Why
Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. Back by popular demand, this “Here’s Why” ran in the Oct. 8, 2012 issue of Air Force Times, with a few additions: When frustrated with another person, you may be inclined to throw up one of the most famous gestures of all time, otherwise known as “flipping the bird.” Skepticism remains about its origin, but scholars and historians say it actually has a military ancestry. In “Digitus Impudicus: The Middle Finger and the Law,” author and…
Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. Sharpshooter: a marksman, or one skilled in shooting. This label has carried through each war, even into present day. The term became well-known for Alexander Gardner’s photograph, “Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter,” photographed in July 1863 (right). The image depicts a man lying dead between two rocks. “The sharpshooter had evidently been wounded in the head by a fragment of shell which had exploded over him, and had laid down upon his blanket to await death,”…
Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. Stiff upper lip: Not just an AC/DC album, but also a term meaning “to exercises great self-restraint in the expression of emotion.” The traditional term originally described the characteristics of military officers during the two world wars, according to Judy Parkinson, author of “Spilling the Beans on the Cat’s Pajamas.” She writes: Officers’ “upper lips were frequently concealed with a mustache, which perhaps became fashionable because it could conceal any uncontrollable trembling reflexes at the wrong…
Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. When you hear “foo fighter,” most may think of the rock band. But a “foo fighter” has its origins way back during World War II. Why? The term was used by Allied aircraft pilots who had seen unidentified flying objects as they traveled through German airspace, with some occurrences in the Pacific theater. According to Jo Chamberlin, author of “The Foo Fighter Mystery” they were “described as ‘balls of fire’ which followed them, [and] occasionally came…
Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. “Quit being such a basket case.” “Keep it together, you’re being a basket case.” Whenever you’re having a moment where you just lose it, the phrase “basket case” is sure to follow. Surprisingly, its origin stems from the military, and was never intended to define a crazy moment. So where did it come from? According to Judy Parkinson, author of “Spilling the Beans on the Cat’s Pajamas,” the derogatory slang term normally used to describe a…
Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. As the 460th Space Wing at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., said farewell to Col. Dan Dant and welcomed Col. Daniel Wright III as the new commander, the military tradition of “pass in review” was upheld during the ceremony. What is this and where does it come from? Senior Airman Marcy Glass writes that the tradition of “pass in review” has roots that date back to Alexander the Great. He would walk the lines inspecting his…
Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. The façade of the Supreme Court. The Taj Mahal. The Leaning Tower of Pisa. All iconic landmarks. All composed of marble. An iconic building to military personnel and the world’s largest office building — the Pentagon — could have been made out of marble, but building planners said, “No way.” Why? According to the Pentagon tours website, the Pentagon has no marble because “it was built during World War II, and Italy, the source of marble, was…
Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. Use a parachute? There’s a club for that. Burned during battle? There’s a club for that. Walk back from behind enemy lines? No worries, there’s a club for that too. Wonder why? Like secret societies, troops from Allied armies formed several, somewhat exclusive clubs to show one another “they made it.” Author Cate Lineberry writes that although these clubs were unofficial, hundreds participated. And they had proof. According to Lineberry, there was the Caterpillar Club, the…
Taking our “Here’s Why” from the paper to the blog. An explanation for why something is the way it is in the Air Force/military. The protocol for pilots who’ve been shot down has changed from one war to the next: In Korea and Vietnam, for example, a pilot would most likely use Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE), an Air Force program best known to provide any military member with the skills to evade capture, survive, while remaining under the military code of conduct. It even proved useful for fighter pilot Scott Francis O’Grady, who used the skill for six…
