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(Navy) Belt buckles that you might not want to be caught wearing


PhilippineBuckles
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PhilippineBuckles

Here's a belt buckle for the USS WASP CVS-18 from sometime between 1956-1972 that has been modified to show the WASP sinking. I wonder if it was one of the crew's way of saying it was time to decommission the ship. The WASP was launched in 1943, decommissioned in 1947, recommissioned in 1951, reclassified from CVA to CVS 1 November 1956, and then decommissioned for good on 1 July 1972. Thoughts?

 

If you have any other buckles that you think might get a sailor/soldier in trouble wearing, I'd love to see them.

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PhilippineBuckles

The reason I was interested in the WASP buckle is because I saw a 1988 Philippines made engraved Belt Buckle with a similar "scene". The website I saw the Enterprise buckle which says "Sink the Pig" and "Splash" was http://www.mooj.com/rxdept_page13.htm but the site is no longer there. I recall the site having pages and pages of Nuc engineering stories (I believe for the Enterprise). I wish I had saved them all. I did save a photo of the buckle and some of the story. Enjoy!

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KRIS FORD

AHahaha..yeah that's funny..never saw anything like that, but the GW, CVN-73 was brand spankin' new when I reported aboard, missing commissioning by 6 months..

 

I could however how imagine seeing someone sweating and stammering to the Command Master Chief or XO, or even the CO as to why they thought it was funny for an aircraft carrier to sink. I could see a regret that would last a lifetime after THAT A$$ chewing!! ;)

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This was actually very commonly done with this type of buckle. The ships tended to pop off, so you would Take them to the HT shop and they would solder them back on like this. I used to have one just like this for USS Bradley. No one ever said anything about it.

 

I was on a DDGonce, that was universally hated by the crew. They had to give away patches and belt buckles as prizes to get them out of the ships store. They got a shipment of Zippo buckles that had a Typo on them. Instead of DDG, they were stamped DOG. They sold out in 2 days! ?

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PhilippineBuckles

@sigsaye -- Thanks for the funny story!

 

Here's a buckle that I saw sell on ebay in 2015. It may be an Air Force buclkle as it was sold with a 133 mobile aerial port squadron patch and an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award ribbon.

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PhilippineBuckles

Here's another Philippines made buckle. I can imaging someone wearing this to the bars, but I'm not sure I'd want to be caught wearing it while on duty.

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The Up Yours buckle was very popular in the mid-late 1970s. Saw quite a few of them. These buckles were made specifically for military web belts. I dont recall anyone wearing military belts ashore in those days.

 

Remember, this was the Pacific Fleet Navy of the 1950s-1980s. No one concerned themselves with this sort of thing. We Shined our scruffy boon dockers with gloss black spray paint. I had a San Miguel Beer Bottle patch, a 500 Missions over Sh*t River Bridge patch, and a Dodge Super Bee patch in my working jacket, along with a ships patch and cruise patch.

 

Now, they did, also make civilian belt buckles with most of the same designs. I had 2, one with a fully rigged sailing ship and one with my wifes name. Still have them somewhere.

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PhilippineBuckles

@sigsaye -- Thanks for sharing your memories and putting the buckles in perspective.

 

Here is an example of a Philippine made Civilian buckle (rather than a military web buckle) with a marijuana leaf. The seller told me he bought it in 1975.

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PhilippineBuckles

Here's a Philippines made buckle with aviation wings with a peace sign engraved at the center along with "Augie Dogie" engraved on in.

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KRIS FORD

Aww man..some guys had all the fun..we, being brand new, were kinda stiff in our regs..

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I remember the Endless Life image on buckles but with different messages. I have to ask one of my friends if he still has his "Smiles" buckle (a work of sheer craftsmanship, mind you) that he wore every day aboard ship. The 80s Navy was the tail end of these sorts of free-spirited creations as the Tailhook fallout of the early 90s drastically changed these perspectives.

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PhilippineBuckles

@67Rally -- Would love to see your friend's "smiles" buckle if he still has it. Can you describe what the image was? Is it a happy face "emoji" or something totally different?

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From 1973-1983, I spent so much time in Subic, I actually used the address of one of the bars there as a leave address! But, I used to love hanging out in the shops that made the buckles. They had boxes of blank buckles. The Craftsman would clamp one in a vise, coat it with (what looked like to me), liqued white shoe polish. Then, with a pencil, draw the design. These designs were mostly standard rating insignia. Custom work was drawn out on pieces of paper. Once the design was finished, they would start Tinking away with a small hammer and chisel set. Used to fascinate me. That and the tailor shops where they made patches. Loved that stuff.

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The custom work often became standard, meaning, they would produce several, leaving off names. If you took them a picture, they would draw it out until you were happy with it. Then they would draw it, to scale, in a space the size and shape of the buckle you wanted (uniform buckle, round or square civie buckle). Once you approved, you paid them and they went to work.

 

I had 2 different size uniform buckles. One came with a cloth belt, you could get them blue or white. These buckles were too narrow to fit a standard web belt. As I recall, the uniform buckles with standard rate insignia were around 20 Pesos. Add name, 25P. Custom made 30-35, depending, never any price tags, just what they thought they could get. In those days, the Philippine Peso fluctuated between 12-22 Pesos to the US Dollar. So, you can see, Back in the Day, these were pretty cheap. I have 4 of these buckles. My first was the narrow with the blue cloth belt. It has my original rate (ASE). Then I goy a large square with a square rugged ship and my name with scrolling around the edge. Then I got a standard uniform buckle with my new rate (SM), and a large square buckle with my wifes name in gothic script. Oh yeah, my civie buckles came with tooled leather belts that I still use, almost 40 years later. I wore my SM uniform buckle on dungarees, whites, blues and khakis from SM3, to SMCS at retirement. Loved them.

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PhilippineBuckles

@sigsaye --Thank you for describing the making (and the cost) of the Philippine buckles. I always wanted to hear a detailed first hand account of them being made.

 

Here is a buckle that was sold on ebay in 2015, which I would love to know the story behind: Engraved Pilot Wings with the engraved words "CHARLIE BROWN" "NO WINGS" "OR V.P. S HIT"

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@67Rally -- Would love to see your friend's "smiles" buckle if he still has it. Can you describe what the image was? Is it a happy face "emoji" or something totally different?

 

I reached out to him to ask for photos. He is digging out his box from storage as soon as he has the opportunity.

 

This was well before emojis.

If I recall correctly, it had a side-view illustration of a guy seated with...well, you know...happening beneath a table and he was using his hands to keep from smiling (link to the non-family-friendly Urban Dictionary reference, in case you don't know what "Smiles" is).

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PhilippineBuckles

@67Rally -- Thanks for description and the urban dictionary link. I definitely learned something new today. I hope your friend finds his buckle! I really want to see this "work of sheer craftsmanship"....

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

The reason I was interested in the WASP buckle is because I saw a 1988 Philippines made engraved Belt Buckle with a similar "scene". The website I saw the Enterprise buckle which says "Sink the Pig" and "Splash" was http://www.mooj.com/rxdept_page13.htm but the site is no longer there. I recall the site having pages and pages of Nuc engineering stories (I believe for the Enterprise). I wish I had saved them all. I did save a photo of the buckle and some of the story. Enjoy!

here is a link to an archived version of the site: https://web.archive.org/web/20170316091155/http://www.mooj.com/rxdept_page13.htm

 

great topic, I had no idea there would be this many buckles!

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  • 7 months later...
PhilippineBuckles

I learned a new saying (after looking it up on Urban Dictionary) yesterday.

"No Muff To Tough. We Dive For Five" on a buckle with Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) symbol

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Salvage Sailor

What does We Dive For Five mean?

 

Motto of the Muff Divers Assn.

 

Also part of a SEAL oath

 

I’M A LOVER A FIGHTER A NAVAL UDT-SEAL DIVER THAT’S A ROOTIN TOOTIN SHOOTIN LOOTIN PARACHOOTIN DOUBLE CAP CRIMPIN DEMOLITION FROGMAN NO MUFF TOO TUFF WE DIVE FOR FIVE, WINE DINE ENTERTWINE HOGSTYLE DOGSTYLE ANYSTYLE, MASTERBATE, EJACULATE COPULATE AND DRIVE NAVY TRUCKS. THAT’S 2X’S, 4X’S, 6X’S AND THOSE BIG MOTHER :)ERS THAT BEND IN THE MIDDLE AND GO SHSHSH … AND LADY IF YOU DON’T LIKE MY FACE YOU CAN SIT ON IT

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