Rainbow Sideboys

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Sailors who work on the flightdeck of an aircraft-capbable ship in the US Navy wear colored jerseys to identify their job/role on the flight deck:

  • Red - Ordnance and Crash/Salvage
  • Purple - Aviation Fuel
  • Green - Catapult and Arresting Crews
  • Blue - Aircraft Handling/Chock Crewman and Elevator Operators
  • White - Safety. Land Signal Officers, Plane Inspectors, and Medical
  • Yellow - Handlers, Shooters, and Plane Directors
  • Brown - Plane Captains

When a Distinguished Visitor (DV) arrives on the ship by air, a call to "Muster the Rainbow Sideboys" is made. Typically two of each colored jersey stand opposite each other in front of the entrance to the ship to render honors to the DV. These sailors in their colored jerseys are referred to as "Rainbow Sideboys"