Red Tag Bastard

From USAFA Folklore

Red Tag Bastard refers to a USAFA graduate from a class with the class color of red. The name originated with the first class with red as their class color. It refers to the red tag that is used to mark dysfunctional parts of an aircraft. The upperclassmen used this term to refer to the four degrees and "bastard" was added on later.

1 Accounts of the first Red Tag class
- 1.1 The Redtag Ramble
- 1.2 What makes us Redtags?
2 Other Notable Exploits of RTB classes
3 See also

[edit] Accounts of the first Red Tag class

I was in the Class of 1963. Ours was the first class to attend all four years at the new academy site at Colorado Springs. We were the first "full" class with 755 appointed. The classes in residence were 1960 - 317 appointed, 227 graduated; 1961 - 314 appointed, 217 graduated; 1962 - 465 appointed, 298 graduated, 1963 - 755 appointed, 499 graduated. So, the entire cadet wing was about the size of one and a half of today's classes. Our class was a gold class, the color of 1959 that had graduated just before we arrived. Of course, we had it "easier" than the first four classes. The class of 1962 was a red class. The class of 1962 was a group of people with "attitude". I do not know why; I do not know where it came from, but it was there. The other classes began to call them the "Red Tag Bastards" and they took to the name with pride. Evidently it continues to instill pride in the red classes. The final act of "attitude" for 1962 came at graduation. In a perfectly kept secret, each member of the class had obtained a red rain cap cover and carried it inside the breast of the parade uniform. During the prayer at the end of the ceremony, each one unbuttoned his uniform (the parade uniform is the one with two rows of buttons down the front) and slipped the red cover on his white wheel hat. By tradition, the hats are thrown at the end of the ceremony and --shock and awe! -- the air was filled with red hats instead of white hats. Those red tag bastards!

[edit] The Redtag Ramble

As the legend goes, the Class of 1962 started out just like the first three doolie classes did. We reported in to Lowry AFB and spent Doolie Summer there. After our end-of-summer encampment, we marched from the North Gate to the new facilities at the permanent site near C Springs. (Somewhere along the way we were issued RED Name Tags!)

When the academic year started, our football team started its first season in NCAA Division 1 competition. Because we had no stadium at the Academy, Denver Stadium became our home stadium. After home games, we were given Open Post in Denver, of all places, until midnight. The first three classes didn't have the same kind of free time that we had. So we got used to upperclass-like privileges at an early stage in our harsh training regimen. It was darn good. Why, we even got to travel 20 hours by bus to Ames, Iowa, for a big football game. At Christmas, we stayed at the Academy for less than two weeks. Our holiday break ended with an overnight train ride to Dallas to march on to a mud-soaked field as the Falcons played in the Cotton Bowl.

In February, we took a two week field trip to California to see first hand what the working Air Force does. We also demonstrated to the working Air Force what a Redtag does. Someone reported that at morning coffee breaks we trampled innocent bystanders to reach the donuts. Others said that we left our barracks after Taps and went out and had a good time and got caught an awful lot of times. The word about our activities spread to the upperclassmen all over the country while they were doing Operation 3rd Lt and other field trips. So when we returned to the Academy, still smiling over our good times, we were greeted by an angry mob of mean-spirited upperclassmen who didn't seem to appreciate our humor. The upperclassmen said that they would delay our Recognition until we could show further proof that we should be recognized.

We had heard stories about the field trips that the first three classes had made. Our activities seemed to fit right in line with what they had done. The only thing slightly different was that we got caught. And when you think about it, it makes sense. The first three classes had active duty junior officers act as their upperclassmen and train them for their field trips. We had the first three classes train us. Not enough experience and cunning there. So who blamed us because we were ill-trained? The first three classes, our trainers.

The harsher treatment went on for several weeks as the upperclassmen shaped us up. One anonymous upperclassman even was so bold as to rename us Redtag Bastards, RTB's. It had a certain flair and ring to it, so we adopted it with great zeal. That period of stricter discipline was not accepted well by many of us. Many thought that it was going too far. Many thought it was undeserved. Many thought that the entire class was being blamed for the behavior of a few. And so it turned into "Us" against "Them." The Redtags were going to show them that we could take anything they could dish out. So we encouraged and supported each other. Sometimes we got back at "Them" with sneaky pranks.

Eventually we bonded into a very close class. It was the stricter discipline, the extra push-ups, the extra sit-ups, the extra weekend hikes, the extra uniform formations, the extra torn-up rooms, the extra in-your-face chewing-outs that provided the cohesion that moved the letters R and T and B together permanently.

[edit] What makes us Redtags?

RTB First, we were a clearly definable group, the Class of 1962.
RTB Second, we went through a period of adversity together.
RTB Third, we formed a team that supported each other to the maximum.
RTB Fourth, we survived and came out as better persons.

So we owe a great deal to the first three classes for providing the opportunity to us. But we also owe ourselves a great deal for bonding together, instead of debonding. That unique situation back in 1959, helped us make the jump from Redtags to Redtag Bastards. It has stood the test of time. We live with pride to be known as the original RTB's, Redtag Bastards.