Hey Vets Do You Remember FIGMO?

L

Lon

Well-known Member
Location
Central California
When we were waiting to go home from over seas or awaiting reasignment there was a attitude that we adopted and we called it FIGMO

There was a different and not very nice word that many used instead of toilet or tissue paper. Remember it?
 
Lon said:
When we were waiting to go home from over seas or awaiting reasignment there was a attitude that we adopted and we called it FIGMO

There was a different and not very nice word that many used instead of toilet or tissue paper. Remember it?
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Yeah, Lon, your mention of FIGMO (FYIGMO?) is bringing up some long forgotten memories. I was in Japan in USAF for two years ('63-'65). Most 4 year enlistees were up for discharge on return to the States and FYIGMO was a big deal with us. We also had a FYIGMO chart of squares on a calendar overlayed on a beautiful Japanese josan's form so we could mark off the last 30 days. And there was the envy-provoking custom of wearing the Seagram's VO ribbon by one's name tag to designate you as a short-timer. Returning home I can't ever remember seeing a sweeter sight than that of flying low over San Francisco en route to Travis AFB. Can't remember if we had a GI designation for TP.
 
Falcon said:
I must be dense. I never heard of it and can't figure out what it means.
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F______ you, I've got my orders. We even had one squadron commander (Lt. Col.) who threw a FYIGMO/retirement party for himself, all troops and all ranks invited. The beer flowed! Our unit in Japan kind of resembled *MASH* the TV show. The "Book" was invoked rarely and only when absolutely necessitated....unlike the SAC squadron I spent the prior 18 months in.
 
FUBIS=

F U Buddy I'm Short.

At Cam Rahn we used to refer to our unit, the 483rd USAF (US Air Force Hospital) as The United States of American Fing Hospital.
 
Lon said:
There was a different and not very nice word that many used instead of toilet or tissue paper. Remember it?
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We just called it "Shit Paper." Was there something worse?

When I was in basic there was a rumor going around that we were only allowed one sheet per person, per day and that if we used more, we would run out of our ration and not have any for the rest of basic. It was a lie.
 
Ha, when I worked the jails here in San Bernardino County some tightwad brain surgeon had the idea to limit the inmates access to toilet paper. Naw, just let 'em keep their butts clean, OK?

The county can save money some other way, like initiating a 3 1/2% pay cut for employees. Yea, that was warm & fuzzy. : p
 
Trade said:
We just called it "Shit Paper." Was there something worse?

When I was in basic there was a rumor going around that we were only allowed one sheet per person, per day and that if we used more, we would run out of our ration and not have any for the rest of basic. It was a lie.
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I know that you Nam Vets had it way worse but my biggest and baddest memory of overseas service was the lack of basic privacy. Our barracks were prior WWII Japanese army/air force and consisted of 4 huge bays with each bay housing about 20 guys (yeah, just like Basic). We were stacked like sardines. The latrines had open toilets with no partitions and no privacy - I never used them, crapped at the BX or bars downtown. The whole barracks used the same huge groupie shower which was located downstairs a half mile away from my bunk. Mornings were chaotic in that place. On the upside we had houseboys who did all the work usually associated with military life (for $3 each per troop per month) and we were pretty much spoiled playboys in our off-duty hours. Compare that with the USAF-Yokota AB that I witness today on the Web videos. High rise barracks with small private rooms for all, beer vending machines in the barracks and fast food establishments on and off Base. Down-town Fussa-machi is up to date modern and the infrastructure seems to be better than here in my home town. Been thinking about visiting the recruiter.
 
My Dad told me that when he was in WWII, they were only allowed two sheets per day. I never knew whether to believe that or not. When he told me that for the first time, I told him that I thought his company must have smelled really ripe.
 
I remember us being in the s__t for 3 hours one night. After the smoke cleared and things settled, I think we all lined up at the latrine. Most of us were still wired when one of the guys standing in back of me said loudly that he hoped we had plenty of bark. I turned around and said "Bark? What do you want bark for?" He said, You know, toilet paper. What do you think it feels like?" Then he said, "That paper we have had to have been made from the tree bark." It kind of gave us just a moment of normalcy.
 
johndoe said:
What was your DROS? Mine was 21AUG68.
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We called it DEROS. Date of Estimated Return from Overseas.

Mine was 18 August 1971.

But when I got my orders my flight out of Danang was for 15 August.

So I got a 3 day early out!

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