A Few Navy Flight Suit Nametags

[VP_Association]

Here are a few USN flight suit nametags that I accumulated over the course of my career.

[VP_Association]

 

This is the velcro-backed leather nametag that I was issued to put on my flight suit when I earned my aircrew wings with VP-8 during 1980 or 1981. I was a non-acoustic sensor operator on Lockheed P-3B Orions at that time. Among the sensors that I was responsible for was the radar, thus I was given the nickname "radar rider" by some of the other guys on my crew (the movie "Heavy Metal" had just come out and was very popular).

[VP_Association]

 

This is the first style of nametag that I was issued when I reported to the Patrol Squadron Master Augment Unit (VP-MAU) at NAS Brunswick, Maine during January 1984 after I left VP-8 and active duty to attend college. This nametag originally had "AW2" stamped in gold leaf in the lower left hand corner but I later changed it to "AW1" with gold paint a few years later after I was promoted.

[VP_Association]

 

For a very short time during the mid to late 1980s Navy patrol plane crews were issued blue flight suits. We only wore these things for a couple of years before we went back to wearing sage green. I kept one of the blue flight suits and still have it. We were all issued blue nametags for our flight suits at that time. I was still a member of VP-MAU Brunswick at that time. Unlike the black and brown ones, which were made of leather, the blue ones were made of a vinyl-like upholstery material. The PRs and AMEs in the parachute loft cut them out of large rolls of fabric by hand as required.

[VP_Association]

 

Every SELRES (selected reservist or part-time reservist) in the VP-MAU was assigned to augment a specific regular Navy squadron based at NAS Brunswick in the event of mobilization. My entire flight crew (CAC-1) was assigned to augment VP-10. We often trained with VP-10 personnel on drill weekends and we normally went off to wherever VP-10 was deployed to during our two-week annual training period. VP-10 treated us just like members of their squadron when we were with them and they issued us squadron nametags to wear on our jackets and flight suits. My wife was in the VP-MAU with me. I can't find my own VP-10 nametag, but it was like her's, which is pictured here. The only difference between hers and mine, other than the name, is that mine had naval aircrew wings while her's had her aviation storekeeper's rating insignia on it.

[VP_Association]

 

Here's the leather nametag that I was issued when I first reported to VP-92 based at NAS South Weymouth, MA during December 1990. By this time I was flying P-3Cs. A non-acoustic sensor operator ran the radar, IFF, ESM, MAD, IRDS, and depending upon the aircraft's configuration the electro-optics system too. Despite this, we were all called "radar operators", which is why my nametag has "radar" printed on it.

[VP_Association]

 

During the mid-1990s the traditional leather flight suit nametags went out of style and all the squadrons started getting fancy embroidered ones with bright colors that included the squadron's insignia. By this time the Navy was calling P-3 non-acoustic sensor operators EWOs (electronic warfare system operators). This is the first style of embroidered VP-92 nametag that I obtained around 1995 or so. Note that I wrote "obtained" and not "issued". The leather nametags were produced within the squadrons by the PRs and AMEs in the parachute loft. We got them for free, although it was sometimes necessary to provide a six-pack of beer if the people in the parachute loft were "busy". The embroidered nametags were custom-ordered from an outside company through the squadron's geedunk and you had to pay for them. As I recall, they cost $12 each and since I was finishing up graduate school at that time and on a tight budget I only bought one of them.

[VP_Association]

 

A few years later, after the BRAC decided to close NAS South Weymouth and VP-92 moved to NAS Brunswick, I bought a few more of these embroidered nametags. By that time the squadron had changed vendors and the later nametags were a little bit different. Compare this one to the one presented above. Everything is basically the same and in the same place but the sizes and proportions are different.

[Sandlapper]

My uncle was a P-3 pilot from the late 70s to the mid 90s. I know at one point he was stationed in New Brunswick with VP-8, I know he went to Japan for a while too and finally ended his career in the USNR at JAX. I love P-3s!

[hink441]

Those are some really nice tags. I have picked up a few here and there. I hope you don't mind if they are added to your post.

 

 

[hink441]

During my wanderings, I will pick these up if I stumble across them. Here are some more;