Rodeo 2000: Rodeo traditions
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POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (USTCNS) --- The cowboy has his trusty horse Trigger. Lone Ranger has his friend Tonto. Buffalo Bill has his Wild West Circus. And Rodeo 2000 has its trading, whether its pins, hats, scarves ... just about anything is negotiable some say.
Pin trading is one of the more popular traditions, and whether it's your first Rodeo or your 15th, the key to pin trading is to bring plenty of them!
"We have these little C-9 medevac pins and each of us brought 20," said Staff Sgt. Jason Robbins, 932nd Airlift Wing (Reserve), Scott AFB, Ill. "You definitely need to give a pin to get a pin with us ... there's just so few of them left now. But, we'll trade a pin for a cool patch, stickers ... even underwear, but we haven't gotten any of those yet."
Some folks, however, will give the pins away, perhaps if you ask nicely, but bartering remains the staple of pin trading. Finding a cool hat to put the pins on is another Rodeo tradition and some teams seem to have that down to a science. There are hats that look like the flag, others bear unit symbols or sayings.
Others actually bring cowboy hats and leading that charge is Rodeo's own commander, Maj. Gen. Silas "Si" Johnson, who sports a white cowboy hat with a bullet hole in the back.
"The last time we came to Rodeo, our unit wore these green Australian outback hats, and it was a popular item," said Staff Sgt. John LaCroix. "People keep wanting to trade hats, but I think we'll be keeping our hats."
Also helping this team to stand out are blue and black name tags, which makes people come up closer to you, he said.
"If we see a cool patch, we'll definitely trade our name tag ... we've got plenty of those ... you may not get the right name, but it's one of our patches."
Speaking of "wrong names," will the real "Dick Gabe" please stand up? Apparently, several team members from the 934th Airlift Wing (Reserve), Minneapolis ARS, Minn., wanted to be just like their team chief, Maj. Richard Gabe, so they opted to go with his name on their bright purple and yellow name tags.
Another urge that's hard to resist is for team members to place stickers on the giant scoreboard, the Pope Rodeo commander's humvee and just about anything else that doesn't move.
Some traditions are not so visible, as Canadian team member, Mike Toth, said their "long and varied tradition, of which they proudly bring to Rodeo, is to be the unit that has the most fun."
Still, there are tents decorated in Dodge City with hula-hoops, inflatable swimming pools, Christmas lights, parachutes, foosball tables and more.
"The host unit usually has the best tent," said Toth. "That's where everyone likes to hang out."
But, the internationals hold their own with the Turkish contingent bringing along a mini market, complete with trinkets native to their homeland and plenty of music, while the French sporting their own cafe of fine cheeses and meats.
If that's not enough to make for friendly conversations, there's always teams who try to boast the most such as the 615th Air Mobility Operations Group, Travis AFB, Calif., who claim, "We are the 'mojo.' There is none other."
"It's all in good fun," said Staff Sgt. Doug Murphey. "We've got to talk it up so we can be competitive and really focus. But, in the end, we're here to have a good time." (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
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