Ancient Order of Turtles
Encyclopedia
The Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles ("Worldwide Fraternity of Turtles", "International Turtles Association," "Turtle Club," or similar title) started as an informal "drinking club" between World War II
pilots, self-described as "an honorable drinking fraternity composed of ladies and gentlemen of the highest morals and good character, who are never vulgar."
To gain admission, one must answer four from a list of about twenty-five qualifying questions. Each question suggests a vulgar, lewd, or salacious answer, but the actual correct answer is rather innocuous. Once inducted, a member must reply to the question, "Are you a turtle?" with "You bet your sweet ass I am". Otherwise, the member must buy the questioner a drink. It is assumed that all prospective turtles own a diabetic donkey, or one of a sweet and kindly disposition, which is the reason for this password. If the member is unable or unwilling (perhaps because of the restriction on vulgarity) to provide the correct answer, he or she owes to each other turtle present a drink of the recipient's choice.
The Supreme Imperial Turtle (Emeritus) of the "Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles", Denis P. McGowan, says that his father was one of the originators of the tradition. Other groups claim an earlier origin, but none have provided believable documentation.
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His father, the late Captain Hugh P. McGowan, U.S. Army Air Corps/U.S. Air Force Reserve (Ret.)and several pilots of the U.S. Army Air Corps 8th Air Force founded the Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles in an officers' club while stationed in England during the Second World War: "We were flying daytime bombing missions over Hitler's Third Reich. We just wanted a little fun. We had seen a sign showing that the 'Ancient Order of Foresters' and the 'Royal Antedeluvian Order of Buffalos' would meet in the local pub, so I devised the name 'Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles' for the fun of it. It was not meant to be serious, it had no constitution or by-laws, and was a relief from the horrors and dangers we saw every day on our missions. It spread after the War through the VFW and American Legion posts, and eventually, to Masonic groups, colleges and even to the high schools of the U.S.A."
s: Each of them suggests a vulgar or lewd answer, however the candidate has to provide a completely innocuous answer to the same question.
A popular example would be the question:
The obvious answer to this question would be "pee" or "urinate", but the correct answer to is "shake hands" (as western etiquette demands that a man needs to rise from his seat to shake hands, while a woman needs not).
A candidate must answer four from a list of twenty-five of such questions. While there is a traditional set of questions, some modern clubs also make a up new initiation questions along the same lines.
mission (part of the United States
space program), astronaut Wally Schirra
was asked by a ground controller whether he was a turtle. Not wanting to use vulgar
language while his communications were being broadcast worldwide, he temporarily stopped transmitting while he gave the required response.
Deke Slayton, a mere 3 minutes into Sigma 7's flight, came on the radio, which was open for everyone to hear, and asked, "Hey, Wally, are you a turtle?". Schirra switched his mike from live to record and uttered the appropriate response. On the open line, he said, "Rog."
Later, on board the USS Kearsarge (CV-33)
, in front of Slayton, Walt Williams and the other astronauts, Walt Williams demanded to know how Schirra replied to Deke's question. Shirra played the recorder. "Hey, Wally, are you a turtle?" followed by the proper response. This incident is also recounted in Tom Wolfe
's book The Right Stuff
.
Wally Shirra's membership in the Ancient Order of Turtles came up again during Apollo 7, which was captured by the in-flight recorder
:
President Kennedy was allegedly asked if he was a Turtle at a press conference, to which he replied, "I'll buy you your drink later".
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
pilots, self-described as "an honorable drinking fraternity composed of ladies and gentlemen of the highest morals and good character, who are never vulgar."
To gain admission, one must answer four from a list of about twenty-five qualifying questions. Each question suggests a vulgar, lewd, or salacious answer, but the actual correct answer is rather innocuous. Once inducted, a member must reply to the question, "Are you a turtle?" with "You bet your sweet ass I am". Otherwise, the member must buy the questioner a drink. It is assumed that all prospective turtles own a diabetic donkey, or one of a sweet and kindly disposition, which is the reason for this password. If the member is unable or unwilling (perhaps because of the restriction on vulgarity) to provide the correct answer, he or she owes to each other turtle present a drink of the recipient's choice.
The Supreme Imperial Turtle (Emeritus) of the "Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles", Denis P. McGowan, says that his father was one of the originators of the tradition. Other groups claim an earlier origin, but none have provided believable documentation.
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History of the Order
According to McGowan, the Order of Turtles began among World War II pilots as a way to amuse themselves while relaxing with a cool drink between missions.His father, the late Captain Hugh P. McGowan, U.S. Army Air Corps/U.S. Air Force Reserve (Ret.)and several pilots of the U.S. Army Air Corps 8th Air Force founded the Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles in an officers' club while stationed in England during the Second World War: "We were flying daytime bombing missions over Hitler's Third Reich. We just wanted a little fun. We had seen a sign showing that the 'Ancient Order of Foresters' and the 'Royal Antedeluvian Order of Buffalos' would meet in the local pub, so I devised the name 'Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles' for the fun of it. It was not meant to be serious, it had no constitution or by-laws, and was a relief from the horrors and dangers we saw every day on our missions. It spread after the War through the VFW and American Legion posts, and eventually, to Masonic groups, colleges and even to the high schools of the U.S.A."
Turtle Creed
Turtle Rank
Various offshoots of the original club may vary but the founder established the following:- Candidate - Someone wishing to become a member of the Order.
- Turtle - Any Brother or Sister Turtle initiated into the Order through the initiation and interrogation ceremony.
- Snapping Turtle - A Brother or Sister who has initiated at least 25 new Turtles into the Order.
- Grand Snapping Turtle - A Brother or Sister who has initiated at least 50 new Turtles into the Order.
- Imperial Turtle - A Brother or Sister who has initiated at least 100 new Turtles into the Order.
- Past Imperial Turtle - A Brother or Sister who has initiated at least 150 new Turtles into the Order.
- Master Imperial Turtle - A Brother or Sister who has initiated at least 500 new Turtles into the Order.
- Supreme Imperial Turtle Emeritus - this title is held by the successor to the founder (currently held by Bro. Denis P. McGowan, son of founder Hugh P. McGowan.)
Qualifying questions
A large part of the tradition of the order involves the qualifying questions that prospective members have to answer. These fun questions are actually small riddleRiddle
A riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and...
s: Each of them suggests a vulgar or lewd answer, however the candidate has to provide a completely innocuous answer to the same question.
A popular example would be the question:
The obvious answer to this question would be "pee" or "urinate", but the correct answer to is "shake hands" (as western etiquette demands that a man needs to rise from his seat to shake hands, while a woman needs not).
A candidate must answer four from a list of twenty-five of such questions. While there is a traditional set of questions, some modern clubs also make a up new initiation questions along the same lines.
Historical references
During the Mercury-Atlas 8Mercury-Atlas 8
Mercury-Atlas 8 was an early manned space mission, part of NASA's Mercury program. Astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Jr., orbited the Earth six times in the Sigma 7 spacecraft on October 3, 1962, in a nine-hour flight focused mainly on technical evaluation rather than on scientific experimentation...
mission (part of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
space program), astronaut Wally Schirra
Wally Schirra
Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. was an American test pilot, United States Navy officer, and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project Mercury, America's effort to put humans in space. He is the only person to fly in all of America's first three space programs...
was asked by a ground controller whether he was a turtle. Not wanting to use vulgar
VULGAR
Vulgar is the fourth studio album released by Dir En Grey on September 10, 2003 in Japan and on February 21, 2006 in Europe. A limited edition containing an additional DVD was also released. It featured the video of the song "Obscure", albeit a censored version...
language while his communications were being broadcast worldwide, he temporarily stopped transmitting while he gave the required response.
Deke Slayton, a mere 3 minutes into Sigma 7's flight, came on the radio, which was open for everyone to hear, and asked, "Hey, Wally, are you a turtle?". Schirra switched his mike from live to record and uttered the appropriate response. On the open line, he said, "Rog."
Later, on board the USS Kearsarge (CV-33)
USS Kearsarge (CV-33)
USS Kearsarge was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the third US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for a Civil War-era steam sloop. Kearsarge was commissioned in March 1946...
, in front of Slayton, Walt Williams and the other astronauts, Walt Williams demanded to know how Schirra replied to Deke's question. Shirra played the recorder. "Hey, Wally, are you a turtle?" followed by the proper response. This incident is also recounted in Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
's book The Right Stuff
The Right Stuff (book)
The Right Stuff is a 1979 book by Tom Wolfe about the pilots engaged in U.S. postwar experiments with experimental rocket-powered, high-speed aircraft as well as documenting the stories of the first Project Mercury astronauts selected for the NASA space program...
.
Wally Shirra's membership in the Ancient Order of Turtles came up again during Apollo 7, which was captured by the in-flight recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
:
- CAPCOM radioed, "Just a minute, Wally. Let's see. Oh, it's a little message to Deke Slayton. A little bit closer Wally. Kind of looks like something about - 'Are you a, are you a—" Schirra acknowledged, "That's right." CAPCOM continued, "Looks like it says, 'Are you a turtle, Deke Slayton?"
- Schirra confirmed, "That's right." Eisele added, "You get an A for reading today Jack." Swigert continued, "Here comes another one. Walt, oh, that-a-way, that's the way to turn it. It says, 'Paul Haney, are you a turtle?'" Cunningham radioed, "You'll get a gold star. Perfect score!" Swigert reported, "And there is no reply from Paul Haney there." Cunningham asked, "You mean he's speechless?"
- A short while later, CAPCOM Cernan informed Schirra, "Wally, this is Gene. Deke just called in, and we've got your answer, and we've got it recorded for you return." Schirra acknowledged, "Roger. Real fine."
- Shortly thereafter, Schirra asked CAPCOM Swigert, "Have you got Haney's answer yet?" Swigert replied, "No, Haney's isn't talking, Wally." Swigert then added, "Somebody tells me he isn't talking, but just buying." A pleased Schirra responded, "He is buying. Thank you very much. Very good."
- This exchange about turtles was a reference to the notorious Turtle's Club drinking club of which Wally Schirra held the title of a Grand Potentate. During Schirra's Mercury flight Deke Slayton had radioed up to Schirra asking Schirra if he was a turtle.
President Kennedy was allegedly asked if he was a Turtle at a press conference, to which he replied, "I'll buy you your drink later".