I made mine for a gamertag. Me being me, I wanted something I would use for a long time, that would represent me to a lot of other people, to say something about who I am. Part of my nickname stems from the fact that I am the descendant of a Confederate veteran, have read quite a bit on the subject, and feel that is a part of who I am. It's not just about "Southern Pride" (that overused, now-trash catch phrase), but about my actions reflecting my morals and ethics, and "rebelling" against the trends of the crowd. It reflects my fight to retain my individuality, and is probably why I've had few people I could really call friends. "rah" is just "rebelatheart." It's not meant to be badass, because I'm not. It's merely an expression of who I am.
"45" is an allusion to the American-developed and American-used caliber of ammunition. It alludes to the 1911 design that helped keep us free for over a century, and is still rockin' and rollin'. It's symbolic of the ability of Americans to be self-reliant and take care of our own. It's is not because I think it is the uber-caliber, as most of you know I own a 9mm (one day I'll get a .45 - money issues).
Anyway, that's my unexciting story.
WhiteWolf, yours is badass. I bet you have that memory in your head like a movie, dude. Must have been scary and awe-inspiring at the same time. You can't buy moments like that, the ones that help you to define who you are.