We all know the Military is a culture in and of itself. With that comes their own language of sorts... and no I'm not talking about the infinite supply of 4 letter words those guys always seem to use. Hopefully this list will help everyone out with a few of the most common abbreviations
1LT- First Lieutenant (Black Bar; O-2, usually attained 18 months after the start of active duty as a 2LT)
2-2 IN - Andrew’s Battalion (said: two-two Infantry)
2LT- Second Lieutenant (Gold Bar; O-1; Andrew’s Current Rank)
AAFES - Army Air Force Exchange Store
ACU- Army Combat Uniform
AO - Area of Operations
APFT- Army Physical Fitness Test (Push-ups, sit-ups, 2 mile run)
BAH- Basic Allowance for housing
BN - Battalion
BOLC II- Basic Officer Leadership Course (Andrew had this in Fort Benning starting in Nov. 09. A seven week course that no longer exists where 2LTs from all branches who are newly commissioned learn the basics of being an Officer in the United States Army)
CDR - Commander
CIB- Combat Infantry Badge
COF- Company Operations Facility
DFAC- Dining Facility
DITY- Do it Yourself (usually refers to a move or relocation within the Army)
FOB- Forward Operating Base
FRG- Family Readiness Group
HME - Homemade explosives
IBOLC- Infantry Officer Basic Leadership Course (The next step after BOLC II, but officers are divided up by branch. A thirteen week course in Fort Benning, GA that Andrew started in January 2010)
IDF - Indirect Fire
IED - Improvised Explosive Devise
KIA- Killed in Action
LNO- Liaison Officer
LTO -Lieutenant Transition Office
MIA- Missing in Action
MOLLE- Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment
MOS - Military Occupational Specialty
MRE- Meals Ready to Eat (A meal in a sack, full of calories and transfats- the only food group for a Ranger Student, also used on missions and in training)
MWR- Morale, Welfare, Recreation (Place for Internet, TV, and Books)
OCP- (nobody knows what this stands for… but it’s the official name of the new Camouflage the Army is using: commonly referred to as MultiCam)
OPSEC- Operational Security
PCS- Permanent Change of Station (Moving to a new duty station)
PERSEC- Personal Security
PL - Platoon Leader
PLT – Platoon
POW- Prisoner of War
PRT - Provincial Reconstruction Team
PT- Physical Training
PX- Post Exchange (Tax-free shopping center on post)
QRF - Quick Reaction Force
ROTC- Reserve Officer Training Corps
RPFT- Ranger Physical Fitness Test (More gruesome than the APFT; Push-ups, sit-ups, 5 mile run, pull ups- Each Ranger candidate must pass this on Day 1 of Ranger School)
RTB- Ranger Training Brigade
SAF - Small Arms Fire
SIGACT - Report of any unit in our AO that takes contact
SF- Special Forces
TF - Task Force
TF WE- Task Force White Eagle (Polish Task Force out of Andrew’s FOB that he works with on a regular basis)
TRADOC- Training Doctrine (Soldiers currently in any Army School fall under TRADOC; different leave rules and pay rules apply to them)
Ranks:
An officer always outranks an enlisted soldier, no matter the rank, or time in service. The two are completely separate career tracks. To become an officer, one must either complete an ROTC program in college; or (after serving some time as an enlisted soldier) attend OCS (Officer Candidate School). All officers start at O-1; just as all enlisted soldiers start with basic training as an E-1.
Officer Ranks:
O-1: Second Lieutenant (2LT)
O-2: First Lieutenant (1LT)
O-3: Captain (CPT)
O-4: Major (MAJ)
O-5: Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)
O-6: Colonel (COL; Full-bird Colonel)
O-7: Brigadier General (BG; One Star General)
O-8: Major General (MG; Two Star General)
O-9: Lieutenant General (LTG; Three Star General)
O-10: General (GEN; Four Star General)
O-11: General of the Army (GOA; Five Star General)
Enlisted Ranks:
E-1: Private (PVT)
E-2: Private (PV2)
E-3: Private First Class (PFC)
E-4: Specialist (SPC)
E-5: Corporal (CPL)
E-6: Sergeant (SGT)
E-7: Staff Sergeant (SSG)
E-8: Sergeant First Class (SFC)
E-9: Master Sergeant (MSG)
E-10: First Sergeant (1SG)
E-11: Sergeant Major (SGM)
E-12: Command Sergeant Major (SCM)
E-13: Sergeant Major of the Amry
