USNA slang

One in my Company, actually the year before I was a Plebe. Company Dining In , my 2nd class (then a Youngster) , got into the grog a little too much and ended up passed out on the 'Dants front yard. ( In retrospect, his Classmates in the Company probably should have gotten fried for leaving him behind, but I suspect that none of them were making good decisions that night).

Pretty safe to say that alcohol played a role in many of the stories from my day. I'm not sure if its better or worse now in today's age where alcohol use seems to be demonized. Probably easier to get Fried , and harder to be retained.
 
Capt MJ said:
...Intrepid group of night raiders moved the markers on Worden Field, removing one company marker from each regimental side, precisely re-siting all other markers. At next day’s p-rade, two companies had no place to go, and it wasn’t pretty. The guilty parties came forward when the Supe locked the entire Brigade down and cancelled the next holiday leave...
Click to expand...

Those are the ingredients for making a proper soup sandwich. Classic.
 
Story 1: During my plebe year, cars were only allowed for firsties and for them it was after Thanksgiving. Yes, from graduation until Thanksgiving, there were no midshipmen at USNA that were authorized to own/operate cars. The Brigade Sub Commander was driving his convertible with the top down on Main St in Annapolis when he was spotted by the Commandant himself. Seventy Five demerits and two months restriction (Didn't use to be 100 demerits) quickly followed along with immediate demotion from five stripes down to the single stripe of a Midshipman in Ranks.
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Story 2: During his first class year, a team captain was class A'd for a team party where plebes were drinking freely which was this team captain's second Class A after having received one during 2nd class year for fraternization with a female plebe (first year of women at USNA). Fast forward twenty five years and that former team captain is wearing one star and is briefing the four star who had been the USNA Conduct Officer for the first of his two Black N's. Yes, the four star did remember their prior encounter.
Full Disclosure: The team captain was my Roommate when we were Ensigns and best man at my wedding. I was also a staffer for former conduct officer who knew of our connection.
 
kinnem said:
Just a guess but I think "Red Mike" is a reference to "Red Mike Edson". See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merritt_A._Edson
I would take it to mean what the user thinks about someone else's likeliness to succeed. Since it seems to make sense to me, I'm sticking with that theory.
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My dad's entry in the Lucky Bag reads, in part -

"He is not a Red Mike in spite of the fact that he
never drags. The women couldn't help falling for
his wicked line and his catching smile if he gave them
a chance but he hasn't any Turkish tendencies in his
nature."

"Red mike" indicates a guy who is uncomfortable with women, so disses them to prove he doesn't care. "Never drags" means that he never tries to pick women up.

So the entry means that, even though he never tries to hustle women, he likes them just fine.
 
None of the slang listed is used today. Very few mids would have ever heard of those terms. "Wife" and "Sandblower" are probably the most common from the past in that list, but I don't see many references using it past the Vietnam era. I suspect women arriving at the academy in 1976 helped to change the term "Wife."

Edit: Most mids who are aware of those kind of terms probably found them in a book along the lines of "Sense of Honor" or "The Recipient's Son"
 
kinnem said:
Just a guess but I think "Red Mike" is a reference to "Red Mike Edson". See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merritt_A._Edson
I would take it to mean what the user thinks about someone else's likeliness to succeed. Since it seems to make sense to me, I'm sticking with that theory.
Click to expand...
A "Red Mike" is a guy who puts women down because he's uncomfortable around them and afraid they won't like him.

My father's entry (1921) in the Lucky Bag reads, in apart -

"
He is not a Red Mike in spite of the fact that he
never drags. The women couldn't help falling for
his wicked line and his catching smile if he gave them
a chance but he hasn't any Turkish tendencies in his
nature."

IOW, although he doesn't try to pick women up [never drags], that doesn't mean he's uncomfortable around them or puts them down.
 
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