Military Acronyms

[Retired W4]

A friend of mine who never served is amazed and confused (at times) by my use of acronyms. I just can't help it. Some were covered briefly in the Sgt. Mike thread, like BOHICA, SNAFU. Then there are the more mundane ones.

DEROS, was very important over in the RVN or other parts of SEA, just like ETS and R&R. Some guys got to ETS when they DEROSed. ETS should not be confused with ETA/ETD or ETE. Don't forget to stop at the PX/BX for some Class VI supplies. The U. S. Army (Uncle Sam Ain't Released Me Yet) is pretty much ate up with acronyms like SOCOM,FORSCOM,USAEUR, JSOC, JOTC, JRTC, CONUS, OCONUS. The Navy has the longest acronyms, I believe, but we have MILPERCEN and ARPERCEN and all the other CENs. Then there is NG and USAR stuff like MUTA and AFTP.

I can understand why my friend stops me and says What are you talking about? Of course MILAIR and civilian aviation has a whole host of acronyms that could be added to the list.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Been retired for 21 years. Don't use acronyms any more.

Here's the funny part: somehow I recognized all the ones you used.

 

[SMSgt]

Been retired for 30 years. When I stopped hearing them, I stopped using them. Few apply outside the military. Well, SNAFU still applies everywhere, particularly in congress.

 

[AJ]

B= Bend
O= Over
H= Here
I= It
C= Comes
A= Again

 

[doublesharp]

dilligaf

 

[AJ]

dilligaf

If you are going to post it, please let folks know what it means for the uninitiated.

 

[sigp220.45]

While I was busy flunking out of USAF navigator school I asked an instructor how some gizmo worked. He said it ran on PFM, which translates as Pure Magic.

 

[Rustyt1953]

In 1975 the military told me they no longer needed my input so we have been out of touch since then.

 

[irish132]

Don't forget TARFU: Totally And Royally "Fouled" Up.

And for those in the NG we have: FUBIJAGG=F U Buddy, I'm Just A Guard Guy.
Been retired 15 months, got lots of strange looks from civie co-workers when a random military acronym popped out.

If you ever have a chance to watch the old SNAFU cartoons they are awesome! Still relevant in today's OPSEC training. Same creator as Bugs Bunny but made for the troops in WWII.

 

[Sistema1927]

If you didn't know your acronyms you were often SOL.

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[dsf]

Well after my time, but I hear there's actually equipment or supplies that go by the acronym PORN? True, or is someone just screwing with me?

 

[dsf]

Having a Mom raised in England having learned to cook just before WWII I thought SOS was the greatest thing on Earth. Was in college before I learned chickens didn't come in a can.

 

[Onomea]

I was in a business meeting, high level corporate, now, maybe 30+ years ago, with my boss, a former Army Col and VN vet. I was low man on the totem poll, sitting around the table, and when I noticed an inaccuracy in one of the exec's statements, I passed a note to my boss, explaining that the senior exec was wrong.

My boss looked at the note, scribbled something on it, and passed it back: DILLIGAS?

Took me a while to figure it out. He was a lot more politically astute than I was.

 

[Rudi]

My dad, a Navy vet, loves SOS. But he calls it DVOT, dog vomit on toast.

 

[Absalom]

I'm surprised nobody has posted this classic yet

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wXlvy3sTTBk[/ame]

 

[swsig]

When I was a kid growing up in San Diego, I knew a lot of the Navy's acronyms, but I've not kept up. One that always impressed me was "ComCruDesPac" (Commander, Cruisers & Destroyers Pacific) in very shiny letters attached to a very shiny admiral's barge moored at the fleet landing.

Sometimes acronyms are not well thought out. The original acronym for the Navy's top admiral, the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet, was CINCUS (say it out loud). It was quickly changed to COMINCH.

I prefer ***** ("Fouled" Up Beyond All Recognition) to SNAFU, because in my experience, most SNAFUs are *****.
BTW, did you know that the Forum's software will not let you type *****?

 

[fordson]

Not an acronym but slang. It's been 21years retired for me but I still use a lot of our slang. Ones that really annoy the wife are
"what's for chow?"
"I'm departing the patten"
"Pull chocks"
And her all time favorite
"Roger that, wait one"

An actual acronym- LPOD (Last Plane On Deck). If you were, you bought the drinks…….

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

When I went through BCT in the Summer of 1967 I went through BRMC and CBR, then MOS training. In Jump School the first thing you learn to do is a PLF.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

If you didn't know your acronyms you were often SOL.

Perhaps in the Army, but not so often in the Navy - you could just look them up in your DICNAVAB if you had one.