I just saw this thread so I hope no one is bothered that I'm resurrecting it with a new post. A rather long time ago when I was going to school to get my FAA license I took a job at a huge and fascinating used book store in Burbank Ca. The first day there Mitch, one of my coworkers, overheard me using the phonetic alphabet during a phone conversation with a customer. When I got off the phone he asked if I was ex-military. Of course I am and it turns out he was as well and had been a Cav Scout. We became fast friends and from that day on he only addressed me as Tanker. I don't recall him ever using my actual name. Shortly before finding this site I got a call from a mutual friend that Mitch was in a VA hospital with advanced cancer and likely wouldn't be with us much longer. In our many conversations since my move to Pittsburgh Mitch had never said a word about this, so I was beyond shocked at the news. I flew out to L.A. to see him the next day but was too late. He had passed away the night before I got there. He is the reason I went with Tanker.
