List of U.S. Army acronyms and expressions

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The U.S. Army, like any bureaucratic organization, produces its own acronyms, which often come to have meaning beyond their bare expansions.

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Official acronyms and initialisms

  • 5-Ton - Refers to any tactical truck with a Gross Vehicle Weight of 5 tons.
  • AAM - Army Achievement Medal.
  • AAR - After Action Review (formerly: After Action Report)
  • ABN - Airborne
  • ACU - Army Combat Uniform.
  • AIT - Advanced Infantry Training; Advanced Individual Training (specialty training post-BCT).
  • ALICE - All-Purpose Lightweight Carrying Equipment.
  • AO - Area of Operations.
  • APC - Armored Personnel Carrier.
  • APFT - Army Physical Fitness Test
  • ARCAM - Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal.
  • ARCOM - ARmy COMmendation medal.
  • ASOC - Air Support Operations Center
  • ASW - Anti-Submarine Warfare
  • AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave (ie. not at one's place of duty, and not authorized to be absent)
  • BAH - Basic Allowance for Housing (formerly BAQ)
  • BAQ - Basic Allowance for Quarters
  • BCD - Bad Conduct Discharge (slang for Bad Conduct Discharge = Big Chicken Dinner)
  • BDU - Battle Dress Uniform
  • BCT - Basic Combat Training (familiarly: Basic Training or Basic), Brigade Combat Team (see also HBCT, IBCT, SBCT)
  • BEQ - Bachelor Enlisted' Quarters
  • BOQ - Bachelor Officers' Quarters
  • BX - Base eXchange: Air Force name for a PX (see below).
  • CASEVAC - CASualty EVACuation
  • CIB - Combat Infantryman Badge
  • CO - Commanding Officer (also: conscientious objector)
  • COB - Close Of Business - the end of the day or duty shift. Meaning; by the end of the duty day. Usage: "Get that to me by COB today!!!"
  • CONUS - CONtinental United States
  • CQ - Charge of Quarters, an overnight desk duty.
  • CWO - Chief Warrant Officer
  • DA - Department of the Army
  • DCU - Desert Camouflage Uniform (not official)
  • DD or DoD - Department of Defense
  • DFAC - Dining Facility (Mess Hall or Cafeteria)
  • DX - Direct Exchange (of damaged equipment)
  • ETS - Expiration of Term of Service (scheduled date of separation from active duty).
  • FARP - Forward Area Refuel/Rearm Point/Position
  • FEBA - Forward Edge of Battle Area
  • FTX - Field Training Exercise.
  • GCM - Good Conduct Medal
  • HBCT - Heavy Brigade Combat Team
  • HE - High Explosive
  • HEMTT - Heavy Extended Mobility Tactical Truck.
  • HMMWV Humvee - High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle
  • IAW - In Accordance With
  • IBCT - Infantry Brigade Combat Team
  • IED - Improvised Explosive Device
  • IG - Inspector General
  • IRR - Individual Ready Reserve
  • KIA - Killed in Action
  • LBV - Load Bearing Vest, for carrying ammunition, water, and other tactical loads while in the field, or during an assault
  • MEDEVAC - MEDical EVACuation to an aid station or field hospital, usu. by air ambulance
  • MIA - Missing in Action; missing in a battle situation, not known if alive or dead.
  • MLRS - Multiple Launch Rocket System
  • MOAB - officially, Massive Ordnance Air Blast (slang: mother of all bombs)
  • MOS - Military Occupational Specialty—formal job classification, usually expressed as a number or number/letter combination—e.g., 11B Infantryman.
  • MOPP - Mission-Oriented Protective Postures
  • MP - Military Police.
  • MRE - officially, Meal Ready to Eat; (slang: Meal Rejected/Refused by Ethiopians or: Meal Rejected by the Enemy)
  • NCO - Non-Commissioned Officer: an enlisted person with command responsibility over soldiers of lesser rank; a corporal (grade E4) or any grade of sergeant (grades E5 - E9); see also Specialist.
  • NBC - nuclear, biological, chemical
  • O/O - order of operations
  • OCONUS - Outside CONtinental United States, includes Alaska and Hawaii
  • OCS - Officer Candidate School
  • OLC - Oak Leaf Cluster (signifying subsequent awards)
  • OPORD - Operations order
  • OSUT - One Station Unit Training; combination of BCT and AIT where the soldier remains in the same unit for both training portions
  • PCS - Permanent Change of Station, reassignment, usually to a different duty station
  • PERSCOM - PERSonell COMmand, short for United States Army Personnel Command. Now known as HRC, or the Human Resources Command
  • PIR - Parachute Infantry Regiment.
  • PLF - Parachute Landing Fall
  • PMCS - Preventive Maintenance, Checks and Services
  • POV - Privately-Owned Vehicle, a soldier's personal automobile.
  • POW - Prisoner of War
  • PW - Prisoner of War
  • PT - Physical Training. Used in the plural (PT's), it refers to the PT Uniform.
  • PX - Post eXchange. A multipurpose store which usually includes a barber shop and a convenience store.
  • RPG - Rocket Propelled Grenade
  • ROTC - Reserve Officer Training Corps, often pronounced ("ROT-SEE")
  • SBCT - Stryker Brigade Combat Team
  • SOCOM - Special Operations COMmand
  • SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
  • STRAC - STRategic Army Corps; STRAC units were those designated to be on high alert to move anywhere in 72 hours or less; as slang, tight, together, by the book or when said with sarcasm by a combat unit about a REMF unit it refers to stupid troops running around in circles
  • SITREP - SITuational REPort
  • STX - Situational Training Exercise
  • TC - Tank Commander
  • TDY - Temporary Duty
  • TF - Task Force
  • USAREUR - US Army Europe (HQ: Heidelberg)
  • UXO - UneXploded Ordnance
  • XO - Executive Officer (officer second-in-command to the CO)
  • V/R - Very Respectfully. The standard closure line on official mail/e-mail
  • VBIED - Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device
  • WO - Warning Order
  • WP - White Phosphorous
  • ZI - Zone of Interior, the United States. See also CONUS, which is more commonly used
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Slang acronyms

  • AWR - (Alpha Whiskey Romeo) Allah's Waiting Room. When engaged, [insurgents] have a tendency to flee to the same building (the AWR), at which point the troops radio in an air strike.
  • ATFU - Ate the Fuck Up. When someone/thing is not up to the Army standard.
  • BCG - Birth Control Glasses. Refers to the standard issue eyeglasses, generally not known for being exceptionally stylish.
  • BOHICA - Bend over, here it comes again
  • BTDT - Been There Done That
  • DAT - Dumb Ass Tanker
  • FIGMO - Fuck It, Got My Orders (aka "Short-timer's Disease")
  • FNG - Fucking New Guy - soldier coming to a unit straight from AIT
  • FTA - Fuck The Army
  • FUBAR - Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition/Repair
  • GI - Government Issue; originally used for government supplied equipment, often used by Soldiers to refer to themselves.
  • KP - periodic one-day duty assignment for lower grade soldiers to do mess hall work, ranging from helping to prepare food to cleaning out the grease traps (literally "Kitchen Patrol" or "Kitchen Police").
  • LPCs - Leather Personnel Carriers, or combat boots. Generally used when describing a mode of travel (ie. "we'll be taking our LPCs over to the range")
  • NCO - No Civilian Opportunities. This is a jab at NonCommissioned Officers who are said to stay in the Army because they couldn't get another job, not because they want to be soldiers or are good at their job.
  • PLF - Parachute Landing Fall.
  • REMF - Rear-Echelon Mother Fucker (ie. someone in the supply line who doesn't give a damn about how his actions mess up life for those at the sharp end)
  • ROAD - Retired On Active Duty (ie. "ROAD warrior)
  • SNAFU - Situation Normal: All Fucked Up
  • SOS - Same Old Shit; Shit On a Shingle: creamed chipped beef on toast/biscuit, a breakfast staple
  • SSND - Same Shit, New Day
  • SST - Slang for the vehicle used to remove human waste from the Port-A-Johns meaning "Shit Sucking Truck"
  • SWAG - Scientific Wild-Ass Guess. A close approximation
  • WOJG - Warrant Officer, Junior Grade. Informal reference to lowest grade of Warrant Officer (WO1). Also called "spot" or "crouton" because of the insignia of grade (a single black square on a silver bar).
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Non-acronym slang and expressions

  • 11 body bag, 11 bullet catcher, 11 bang bang - pejorative term for MOS 11B, Infantry rifleman. Usually used by 11C's (mortarmen)
  • 4th point of contact - As in "you guys had better get off of your 4th points of contact ..." Reference to the buttocks, which impact the ground following the feet, calf, and thigh when properly executing a Parachute Landing Fall (see PLF, above). Term comes from Airborne units, but is understood by all
  • ... and a Wake-up - the day you leave an ongoing duty assignment; usu. in conjunction with leaving a combat zone or leaving the service. Used as a means of counting down to the transtition. For example, if today is Monday and you leave the service on Friday, if someone were to ask when you get out, the answer would be "three days and a wake-up." (Tuesday to Thursday, with Friday being "the wake-up")
  • Ate up - something that's messed up or not up to the standard.
  • Battle Rattle - Full combat gear.
  • Bennie - benefit, a good surprise
  • Bird Colonel - a full colonel, from the eagle insignia of grade, to distinguish from the one-grade-lower Lieutenant Colonel, whose insignia is a silver leaf. Also known as a "Full Bird" Colonel, or simply, a "Full Bull."
  • Blast - a parachute jump. First parachute jump after Parachutist (Jump) School, i.e the sixth parachute jump, is a "Cherry Blast." A person qualified to wear the Master Parachutist Badge is a "Master Blaster." "Hollywood Blast" is a parachute jump, usually done simply for pay purposes, without all the emcumbering equipment necessary in real or simulated airborne assaults.
  • Black Hat - airborne instructor
  • Blanket party - the act of beating someone sensless in their bunk after lights out by throwing a blanket over their head so they can not identify the perpetrators.
  • Blue Falcon - someone that screws others over for their own comfort or convenience. A more acceptable way of calling someone a "buddy fucker"
  • Bo-Koo - a lot (from French beaucoup)
  • Brass - Colonels and generals
  • Bravo Foxtrot - Phonetic spelling used to discribe a "buddy fucker" or someone who does things to screw over fellow soldiers.
  • Brown Hat - Drill sergeant
  • Brown Round - Drill sergeant's hat
  • Buck Sergeant - Sergeant (E5)
  • Buddy Fucker - Someone who does things that either intentionally or unintentionally get other soldiers harmed in some way.
  • Bugout - a hasty retreat
  • Bunk - Bunkbed
  • Butter Bar - the insignia for a Second Lieutenant; from the appearance of the individual yellow bars on each shoulder or lapel.
  • Cannon cocker - artillerymen
  • Cannon fodder - (what cannons eat), infantry
  • Chair-borne - a paper-pusher with jump wings
  • Chief - unofficial form of address for any Warrant Officer (WO1 to CW5)
  • Chow - food, or "breakfast/lunch/dinner". Example: "Is it time for chow yet?"
  • Class A uniform - the dress uniform (jacket and tie) sometimes worn in office-type work, always when wearing a uniform on leave.
  • Cluster fuck - an unorganized group of soldiers
  • Class 1 Download - Taking a shit.
  • Cock Holster - term used to refer to someone's mouth. "Shut your cock holster."
  • Combat - Used in leau of a soldiers name to get their attention. i.e. "Hey Combat, get over here."
  • Cookie - mess sergeant
  • Cracker box - ambulance mounted on a pick-up truck frame
  • Cunt cap - garrison cap, due to its shape
  • DA Form ID-10T - snipe hunt for new soldiers. New soldiers are told to get a DA Form ID-10T from an NCO. Invariably, the soldier says he/she doesn't know what that is, and is told to just write it down, and show an NCO. The new soldier usually doesn't realize he has written "IDIOT" and procedes to show it to an NCO and asks where he can find one.
  • Dash Ten - an operator's manual for any piece of military equipment, vehicle or aircraft
  • Deuce - common utility truck (2-1/2 ton truck—from "deuce-and-a-half") Same as "six-by"
  • Dickskinner/Dickbeater - term for your hand
  • Digitals - the new ACU and MARPAT digitial camouflage uniforms, which consists of a pattern of pixelated squares
  • Doc - any medical professional from doctor to medic
  • Down range - any active combat zone
  • Drill - Drill sergeant
  • Enlisted personnel [man] [woman] - Generic term for anyone who is not a warrant officer or commissioned officer.
  • Farmer armor - see Hillbilly armor
  • Fatigues - archaic term for the work/combat uniform
  • Fatigue Jacket - the shirt of the fatigue uniform. The outer jacket is called a Field Jacket.
  • Field-grade (officer) - the ranks of major, lt. colonel, and colonel
  • First Lieutenant, Second Award - a Captain, so named because the insignia of grade consists of two parallel silver bars
  • First Shirt - First Sergeant
  • Flak Jacket - A vest first introduced in WWII for bomber crews, designed to protect the torso against shrapnel.
  • Front-Leaning Rest - the push-up position
  • Full Battle Rattle - The complete set of combat gear.
  • Getting a range named after you - This is usually used sarcastically to discribe someone who trys to be a hero. This is because rifle ranges are often named after soldiers who get killed in combat or Medal of Honor winners. Can be used like this- "Don't you go trying to get a range named after you."
  • GI Party - after hours barracks cleaning detail
  • Gig line - a straight line on fatigues formed by the fatigue jacket (actually a shirt), the belt buckle, and the fly of the fatigue pants
  • Gold Brick - someone who habitually avoids work details
  • Gore-Tex - the camouflaged, hooded outer jacket which has largely replaced the traditional field jacket, so named because of the material used in construction
  • Grade - pay grade of a soldier, currently E1-E9 for enlisted soldiers, W1-W5 for warrant officers, O1-O10 for officers. Each grade may translate to several ranks; i.e., Grade E4 may be a corporal (command position) or specialist (non-command).
  • Greenie Beanie - Green Beret
  • Ground pounder - see Grunt
  • Grunt - an infantryman. Historically associated with the sound a Soldier makes when shouldering his field pack. Grunts takes immense pride in the nickname. To non-infantrymen grunts are often referred to as "Crunchies," "Nugs," or "Ground pounders." The last three are never used self-referentially by grunts.
  • Gut Truck - food vendor on wheels, esp. in training areas
  • High Speed - a squared-away and highly motivated soldier. Often used sarcastically when a Soldier is motivated but doesn't really know what he's doing. As in "Slow down High Speed." Often used in conjunction with "Low Drag," essentially meaning the same thing.
  • Hillbilly armor - aka Farmer armor. Improvised vehicle armor.
  • Hurry Up and Wait - Discribes the hurry to get ready and the early wake up times that lead to sitting around for hours with nothing to do. Many times the waiting is caused by "the word" not coming down from command. SEE ALSO: The Word
  • Klicks - kilometers; .6214 mi each
  • John Wayne - (1) the act of improperly wearing a helmet with the chinstrap unfastened, (2) a can opener, (3) Someone who trys to be a hero. (4)Shooting a rifle from an the hip
  • John Wayne Bar - Chocolate and toffee candybar found in C-Rations/MREs
  • Jump boots - Combat boots with a "toe" and no treads, worn in Airborne units instead of "low quarters" with Class-A uniforms
  • KEVLAR/K-Pot - the ground troops ballistic helmet, so named because it is made of Kevlar material
  • Kill Zone - An area that can be fired upon, but commonly used to discribe an area that lower enlisted troops are not supposed to be. i.e. on a floor that is highly waxed and not supposed to be walked on.
  • Leg - derogatory term used in Airborne units meaning a person or a military unit that is not qualified for parachute operations. The "sanctioned" term is NAP (Non-Airborne Personnel)
  • Lifer - Career military person.
  • Light Colonel - A Lieutenant Colonel; see Bird Colonel above.
  • Ma Deuce - the Browning .50 caliber machinegun, a staple of U.S. forces since WWII. Comes from the weapon's actual designation, the "M2."
  • Mess - meal
  • Mess hall - dining facility
  • Mickey Mouse Boots - Inflatable black rubber boots used for very extreme cold weather mostly in Ft. Carson, in Germany, and in Korea.
  • Monkey Butt - Raw skin on the butt or inner thighs caused by long runs or road marches.
  • Mosquito Wings - E-2 rank insignia (one stripe)
  • Mud Puppy - military policemen
  • Muzzle Monkeys - perjorative term for artillerymen; derived from the fact that artillerymen would sometimes have to hang from the howitzer barrel as a counterweight so the gun could be turned. Usually used by infantrymen.
  • Orderly Room - Administrative centre of the unit, controlled by the Chief Clerk, First Sergeant/CO's offices are normally close by
  • Pisser - urinal
  • Platoon Daddy - Sergeant First Class who is the lead NCO in a platoon
  • Poge - pronounced with a long "o". Derogatory term - A soldier who spends all his time back at camp and never on maneuvers. Alternately, any non-combat arms soldier, and to infantryman, any one who isn't infantry. Variation: POG - Permanently On the Ground, used esp. by aviation personnel for those who do not fly. The term POG also is used as People Other than Grunts by the infantry to discribe anyone who is not an infantryman.
  • Pogey Bait - snack food
  • Quarters - (a) military family housing, or (b) doctor's direction to stay home from work, i.e. "he went to sick call and got quarters."
  • Rank - named title of soldier with a particular grade and responsibility, such as Private, Specialist, Staff Sergeant, Captain, etc. See also grade.
  • Rack - Bed
  • Rack Out - To go to sleep.
  • Re-up - to reenlist (officers don't reenlist, they do the opposite, they resign)
  • Real World - return to civilian life; or: return to USA from overseas
  • Recruit - new soldier in training; esp. basic training. Once the description of the lowest rank, which is now simply Private.
  • Round Brown - A Drill Sergeant or his/her hat.
  • Sandbox or Box - training area
  • Sergeant Major - the First Sergeant's wife
  • Shadow Clerk - a non-clerk serving unofficially as a company clerk
  • Shamming - goofing off, feigning illness
  • Sham Out - To goof off. i.e. "We are going to sham out for awhile."
  • Sham Shield - Specialist rank insignia
  • Shitter - toilet
  • Shitbag - used very commonly to discribe a slacker or a Buddy Fucker.
  • Short Colonel - Older referance to a Lt. Colonel, especially when causally discussing Unit Organization.
  • Short/Short Timer - soon to be released from service; usually 90 days or less (ie a 'two-digit midget')
  • Shower shoe - a Soldier who has just come to the forward unit from boot camp. Essentially the modern equivalent of "FNG/Fucking New Guy"
  • Side-Straddle Hop - jumping jacks
  • Smaj - Sergeant Major
  • Soup Sandwich - When something is messed up or not to standard. Ex: "This formation looks like a soup sandwich
  • Sparky - radio operator
  • Stir-fried Shit - When something is very unclean or unorganized
  • Tanker Boots - Combat boots that close with straps and a buckle instead of laces
  • The Word - Used to discribe commands from higher, usually in a durogatory way. It is joked about being the one thing all soldiers (E-1 to E-4) look for on a daily basis but never actually find. Common usage: "I am waiting on the word." SEE ALSO - Hurry Up and Wait.
  • Top - First Sergeant
  • Top Kick - First Sergeant
  • Trooper(s) - Used in lieu of "Soldier" when referring to Airborne Soldiers or Cavalrymen
  • Tube Steak - hotdog (or penis)
  • Turtle-head - New recruit; still in training
  • Turtle-shell - A recruit in basic training who has not qualified with their weapon yet. This refers to troops being able to put on the camo cover for their helmets after they qualify and the turtle-shell like appearance of the helmet without the cover.
  • Un-ass the AO - to quickly leave the immediate area
  • Un-fuck - To fix something or someone.
  • Willie Pete - white phosphorous, used to generate smoke in smoke grenades and cannon shells
  • Wolf Pussy - the description for strong body odor, specifically after P.T. or a field exercise. Ex: "It smells like wolf pussy in here."
  • Wub/Wubbie - A poncho liner often used as a blanket.
  • Yard Bird - (Original meaning: chicken) a soldier without direction or motiviation
  • Zoomie - Pilot, ground support, usually A-10
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Field Slang (esp. Iraq usage)

  • Blue Canoe - a portable (chemical) toilet
  • Down Range - physically in a combat zone, it is also used to describe an imaginary place all soldiers are headed to but never actually reach
  • FOBbit - a soldier who doesn't leave the Forward Operating Base (var. of "Hobbit")
  • Hooch - soldier's dwelling in-country, from hut to barracks (originated in Vietnam)
  • Hajji - an Iraqi (Literally means a Muslim that has gone on the Haj but US Soldiers use it for all Iraqis in general)
  • In-Country - physically in a combat zone, see also "Down Range"
  • Rock Eaters - Term used by troops during the Balkan missions to discribe locals. It comes from the locals teeth decay, which was explained by saying that they ate rocks making their teeth fall out.
  • The Sand Box - Iraq, particularly the southern part
  • Spoon - a cook or someone who serves food as their job
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Nicknames for Army posts and units

  • Fort Drunk - Fort Drum in the 1990's, due to the high level of alcohol related incidents
  • Fort Knocks - Fort Knox
  • Fort Lost in the Woods - Fort Leonard Wood, due to its remote location
  • Fort Puke, Fort Poke, Camp Swampy - Fort Polk, due to name or location
  • Fort Silly - Fort Sill
  • Fort Useless - Fort Eustis
  • Puking Buzzards - 101st Airborne Division, from "Screaming Eagles" motto
  • Choking Chickens - 101st Airborne Division, from "Screaming Eagles" motto
  • Great Beret Give-Away - 82nd Airborne Division. Light infantry units typically used this, because previous to the army switching to berets, this was the only division-sized unit that wore berets. Infantrymen thought it insulting that even admin clerks in the 82nd wore berets.
  • Leaning Shithouse - 1st COSCOM units, due to the unit patch, an arrow pointing to the 10 o'clock position [1]
  • Relaxin' Jackson - Fort Jackson
  • The Bro - The Big Red One or First infantry Division.
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References

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See also

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External links

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