Navy Names

When I was in the Navy...on my first boat... my "handle" was Frenchie. Since "Boisvert" is a French name, someone thought it would be a good name to refer to me by.  I think that practice is mostly in the Navy, because I asked my son Frank what his Air Force handle was... he gave me a blank stare and just kind of stared at me. I suppose giving friends unusual names (Lick, Buck-Buck, Chico, Pollack and Duffus) are too infantile for the "grown-up" Air Force.