[2020] explain your forum pic, im bored tonight !

Aloha,

When I was selected to be a Chief Petty Officer I had a Chief order me to have any and all digital avatars changed to this:

As I was in much better shape (pre-back/neck/knee/shoulder injuries). I was a gym rat and worked out 2-3 hours a day every day, kept a clean shaven head and smoked a pipe.... And when you are going through "Chiefs season" when a Chief gives you orders.... you well, follow them!

And this one just stuck for me and ever since then, it has been my avatar. I have used some sort of rendition of this image throughout my various gaming profiles since.

Mahalo,

-Hapa

I was in the US Navy, so, I decided to go with the Navy symbol.

"On a circular background of fair sky and moderate sea with land in sinister base, a three-masted square-rigged ship underway before a fair breeze with after topsail furled, commission pennant atop the foremast, National Ensign atop the main, and the commodore's flag atop the mizzen. In front of the ship, a Luce-type anchor inclined slightly bendwise with the crown resting on the land and, in front of the shank and in back of the dexter fluke, an American bald eagle rising to sinister regarding to dexter, one foot on the ground, the other resting on the anchor near the shank; all in proper colors. The whole within a blue annulet bearing the inscription "Department of the Navy" at top, and "United States of America" at the bottom, separated on each side by a mullet and within a rim in the form of a rope; inscription, rope, mullet, and edges of annulet all gold.

Land in the design would symbolize the Navy's supporting shore facilities as well as the fleet's amphibious strike capabilities. Since the wording "Navy Department," used on earlier seals, had generally come to signify only the headquarters activities in Washington, the inscription was changed to "Department of the Navy" in order to embrace the Navy's total worldwide operations afloat, in the air, and ashore."

My explanation is pretty simple. I want to say it was my first week of working for Wargaming (or close to it) and @Chobittsu asked if he could draw me as a Russian commander. So of course, I agreed to it and couldn't possibly think of a better avatar to use. (Let's also not ignore the fact that I am the resident weeb of the NA office)

That being said, one of the best parts of the job is collecting all the small tokens of appreciation from you guys! I actually have a shelf full of random things players who have attended our Anchors Away events have given me, and I cherish each and every one of them. <3

Mine is from a moderately successful online naval combat game which i worked on as a producer, so they put my face in as a commander when we negotiated with the Polish Navy Museum to put the Błyskawica in the game.

Mine matches my nickname - Mikhail Boyarsky, a famous Soviet actor well known for playing daring swashbucklers in adventure films of late 70s and 80s. On this pic he acts as D'Artagnian in Three Musketeers (1978).

Ahoy!

My avatar is the squadron patch for Marine Strike Fighter Squadron 312. https://www.mag31.marines.mil/MAG-31-Units/VMFA-312/About/

This was one of the tenant squadrons of F/A-18 Hornets based out of MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina where I had my first assignment fresh out of The Basic School as a legal officer/investigator.

“Show me a hero and I'll show you a bum.” - Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, United States Marine Corps

#semperfidelis

#usmcaviation

#anchorsaweigh

Some of y'all explanations are hilarity!

Mahalo,

-Hapa