# "U.S. soldiers upset over decision on (Chinook) nose art"



## The Bread Guy (1 Aug 2010)

> U.S. chopper pilots are calling an order to paint over the nose art on their Chinook helicopters a blow to their artistic freedom, but their commanding officer insists it's little more than a tempest in a paint pot.
> 
> Nose art emerged during the First World War as a way to tell friend from foe during fierce dogfights, but the paintings evolved into a true art form a quarter-century later, when the noses of U.S. military aircraft were adorned with pin-up paintings, cartoon characters and rolling-dice logos.
> 
> ...



Since the reporter didn't seem to ask what the art to be covered over was, some examples of what appear to be similar art in question from F Co. 159 Aviation are attached.  

BTW, here's the B Co 5-158 Aviation unit patch:


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## Good2Golf (1 Aug 2010)

The 5th of the 158th tends to be a bit straight-laced.   The 10th, 82nd, 101st and 159th are all pretty good players, and have nice individual aircraft art augmenting the Unit's identification art.  Were there any pictures of the 5-158's art prior to removal?


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## Michael OLeary (1 Aug 2010)

> Nose art emerged during the First World War *as a way to tell friend from foe during fierce dogfights*, but the paintings evolved into a true art form a quarter-century later, when the noses of U.S. military aircraft were adorned with pin-up paintings, cartoon characters and rolling-dice logos.



Huh?  I guess the type of aircraft, colour of the wings and fuselage and great big roundels or black crosses weren't enough, some painting of a dog or pinup girl was the only way to tell if a aircraft was friend or foe?    :

One more reporter than needs to learn to do basic research:

http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/militarynoseart/overview3.htm



> Living in uncertainty and tension, wartime servicemen found value in naming their aircraft. During World War II, the practice evolved into creating an image to accompany the name. Two of its benefits were self-pride and psychological fortification. Since men's lives depended as much upon a well-functioning airplane as upon able fellow crew members, it is easy to understand why they personalized these inanimate machines. Gary Valant writes, "The difference is not in the tail number.... The difference is in the imagination and talent of the crew. Few crew members would talk about 24763 or 34356, but many tales would be told about 'Sack Time' or 'The Dragon Lady'" (Valant, p. 9). World War II veteran and psychologist George R. Klare notes that the ground crew, as well as the air crew, identified with a ship as they would another human being, because they felt responsible for its performance (Ethell, p. 13).
> 
> Nose art has been credited with increasing morale in dismal times. Men in combat found security in attaching the name and image of a well-known personage such as Rita Hayworth, or a protective symbol such as mother to the machines that carried them in to danger. The choice of ferocious or protective names and decoration -- Brute Force, Sioux Warrior, Hellsadroppin, Ragin' Red, & Rolling Thunder -- as well as the Flying Tigers' shark toothed mouths, is a ritual to guard against bad luck and to strike terror in the heart of the enemy (Ethell, p. 14). At its best, the art is the crew's expression of self-pride, a release from the anonymity and uniformity of military life, and an antidote to the dehumanization of war. The images are personal icons for servicemen (Cohan, p. 70).
> 
> Part of aircraft art's attraction for crews has been its slightly illicit nature. For the most part, even though nose art may be unofficially condoned, it was undertaken with the knowledge that there are regulations against decorating military equipment with anything but officially sanctioned markings. Official markings include national insignia (the white star within the blue circle denoting the American Army Air Force), service and squadron icons such as a coiled cobra, and unit insignia, such as the black crow insignia of the Army Air Corps 27th Pursuit Squadron (Dorr, pp. 9-13). According to Robert Dorr, it was always "a struggle between uniformity and individualism," a battle between the pilot who wanted to identify his plane and the "Top Brass" who wanted conformity to signify precision and discipline (Dorr, p. 9). Not just nose art, but even some squadron icons such as the skull and crossbones of the "Jolly Roger" VF-17s went against orders (Dorr, p. 13).



All good reasons, but nothing to do with identification in combat.


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## gaspasser (1 Aug 2010)

I'm reminded of Marlon Brando's line in Apocalypse Now..
"we train young men to drop fire on people, but thier commanders won't let them write  {bad word} on the aeroplanes because....it's obscene"


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## pdjanerio02 (16 Aug 2010)

Some of B co 5/158th "Big Windy" current surviving nose art.  I am new to forums, so I hope the pics attached.


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## Good2Golf (16 Aug 2010)

Looks pretty much like nose art did 65 years ago when the bombers were flown by those as young as 18-20 years old, into the heat of battle.  

G2G


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## HItorMiss (16 Aug 2010)

G2G

You know the CoC, if there is too much morale it must squashed! This is the Military it is not supposed to be fun darnit!


 :


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## Good2Golf (16 Aug 2010)

True, BM.  Although that said, our nose art has a little less leg...more hockey sticks and helmets!  ;D


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## 67u20 (26 Nov 2013)

Regarding the header of, "U.S. soldiers upset over decision on (Chinook) nose art" 
I believe this was a quote from J. Brenners book on nose art. Being in the Americal '70/1 when the 'Pinkville Massacre" became a National issue. We were ordered to remove ALL non-military markings from Everything. From the various support shop logos and the Nose Art to latrines and revetments. Even though 99.9% of the men and women in the Division were not in country at that time, it was considered as retribution for acts by others. 
  As well, for those who have never been an active combat zone, G.I. art work is a form of escape to the reality of War, and leaves in the minds eye a more pleasant connection with those times and places, simple as that. (and it was a form of Psyops on the Enemy) Then too, one could refer to a ship by the SOP of the last three digits of the tail number or by the name/art applied to it which made it easier to spot in the flightline. When referred to as Snoopy, Virgin Hunter or Foxy Lady you were reflecting a connection with the assigned crew of that ship rather than a 'number'.
Moving on... it was several months later after much cajoling of 'The Brass' and their apparent recognization of the morale decline, 'they' relented and allowed 'tastefully done artwork' to be reapplied to the ships, etc. However most of the removed art from most everything else wasn't resurrected... 
  My only regret is that through the decades most of the photos I took of the various art works, the negatives and prints became so deteriorated, for several reasons, as to be useless to reproduce.


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## pbi (19 Dec 2013)

I recall being told by the CO during one overseas op deployment in FRY that the soldiers in my company had to stop painting vehicle names on the side plates as it was "unprofessional".

Yes...all those "unprofessional" Canadian tankers in WWII. Sllly them...they should have known better!

There runs in the military a certain stream of pedestrian, narrow-minded, humorlessness that hides its dismal self behind the word "professional". Humour to these people is like a crucifix to a vampire.

They are normally bloodless gits, and sadly a good number of them get into positions of authority.


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## Franko (19 Dec 2013)

I guess Esprit de Corps wasn't his strong suit.

Regards


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## Jed (19 Dec 2013)

pbi said:
			
		

> I recall being told by the CO during one overseas op deployment in FRY that the soldiers in my company had to stop painting vehicle names on the side plates as it was "unprofessional".
> 
> Yes...all those "unprofessional" Canadian tankers in WWII. Sllly them...they should have known better!
> 
> ...



I like that, is this from a Kipling novel or something?


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## OldSolduer (19 Dec 2013)

pbi said:
			
		

> I recall being told by the CO during one overseas op deployment in FRY that the soldiers in my company had to stop painting vehicle names on the side plates as it was "unprofessional".
> 
> Yes...all those "unprofessional" Canadian tankers in WWII. Sllly them...they should have known better!
> 
> ...



well said.


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## pbi (20 Dec 2013)

Jed said:
			
		

> I like that, is this from a Kipling novel or something?



No, it's me, but........hmmmmmm........maybe there's a second career in plagiarizing dead Victorian Brit poets..... >


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## pbi (20 Dec 2013)

Nerf herder said:
			
		

> I guess Esprit de Corps wasn't his strong suit.
> 
> Regards



Good call. There were a lot of other morale issues throughout the unit.


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