Army Dictionary
Have you ever wondered what all these three letter acronyms meant? Or what the heck anything in this silly toon means? It’s possible that you don’t understand because it simply isn’t funny. On the other hand, “Joe” does speak in a cryptic half language.
We have provided the list below for those of you who don’t speak fobbitish/gruntling (Army talk).
- PVT, PV2
- Private (E1,E2 the lowest form of life in the Army)
- PFC
- Private First Class (E3)
- SPC
- Specialist (sham shield, E4)
- CPL
- Corporal (sham shield in line to be E5)
- SGT
- Sergeant (E5)
- SSG
- Staff Sergeant (E6)
- SFC
- Sergeant First Class (E7)
- MSG
- Master Sergeant (E8)
- 1SG
- First Sergeant (E8)
- SGM
- Sergeant Major (E9)
- CSM
- Command Sergeant Major (E9)
- SMA
- Sergeant Major of the Army (E-gads!)
- W-1
- Warrant Officer 1
- W-2
- Chief Warrant Officer 2
- W-3
- Chief Warrant Officer 3
- W-4
- Chief Warrant Officer 4
- W-5
- Master Warrant Officer 5
- 2LT
- Second Lieutenant (O1 & the officer version of a private)
- 1LT
- First Lieutenant (O2)
- CPT
- Captain (O3)
- MAJ
- Major (O4)
- LTC
- Lieutenant Colonel (O5)
- COL
- Colonel (O6)
- GEN
- Oh my, they’re full of stars
- ANOC
- Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course
- AO
- Area of operations
- AQI
- Al-Qaeda in Iraq
- BNOC
- Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course
- BRM
- Basic Rifle Marksmanship. Fundamental shooting skills.
- CBED
- Car Borne Explosive Device
- CHU
- Containerized Housing Unit (home – sweet-home)
- CIF
- Central Issue Facility. The CIF mission is to stock, issue, exchange, and process turn-ins of designated items authorized by CTA 50-900, Appendix A.
- CO
- Commanding Officer; Company/Troop Commander
- COIN
- Counter Insurgency
- CP
- Check Point (used to screen vehicles & people … sometimes called a “control point” though not often)
- EOD
- Explosive Ordnance Disposal
- EPW
- Enemy Prisoner of War
- FOB
- Forward Operating Base
- IA
- Iraqi Army
- IED
- Improvised Explosive Device
- IP
- Iraqi Police
- JAM
- Jaish al Mahdi
- JCOP
- Joint Combat Operations Post
- NCO
- Non-commissioned officer; general term for all sergeants’ ranks. Enlisted leaders.
- NCOIC
- NCO In Charge
- NFG
- New F#@$in Guy
- NFG errands
- Useless jobs given to NFGs to keep them out of your way. Send them to look for some flightline or some propwash. Have them test a vehicle’s armor for soft spots.
- OP
- Observation Post
- OPSEC
- Operational Security
- PL
- Platoon Leader
- PLT
- Platoon
- PSG
- Platoon Sergeant
- QRF
- Quick Reaction Force
- SOFA
- Status of Forces Agreement, official name: “Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq” but ABUSARIOTWUSFIOTADTTPII was too long to remember
- SOP
- Standard Operating Procedure
- TA-50
- Table of Allowances 50. Army-issued individual equipment
- The Wire
- Security perimeter around a FOB
- TOC
- Tactical Operations Center
- XO
- Executive Officer
- Jody
- The non-military guy who is back home with the military guy’s wife or girlfriend.
- Fobbit
- A term used to describe soldiers who never leave the wire, also known as the FOB. Originally used as a derogatory term, it has evolved into a term most often used by fobbits themselves. Go figure.
- POGUE
- Person Other than Grunt which is what nearly all non-infantry folk are called by infantry folk.
- Terp
- Interpreter
- 9 – Line
- Nine line MEDEVAC (MEDical EVACuation) the format used to call in an injury requiring one be removed asap to a medical facility.
- General Order No. 1
- The base order for all deployed military personnel in Iraq that bans alcohol use, pornography, and a litany of other vices. Thanks a lot, Vietnam. You had to ruin the fun for everyone.
- Frago
- A fragmentary order; the ever-evolving update and change to mission that serves as the ringmaster to the Army’s circus.
- Charlie Mike
- Continue mission
- Mikes
- Army cool-guy speak for minutes
- Oscar Mike
- On the Move
- Tango
- Terrorist
- Delta Tango
- Dead Terrorist (the best kind)
- Pop Smoke
- To leave … fast.