How To: Military Jargon

If anyone’s spent a few hours around the military, they’ve likely discovered that it’s filled (and I mean FILLED) with special jargon and acronyms. Similar to regional lingual differences, the military has added its own specialties to the English language. Sometimes, it can be really awkward (especially as a military brat) to not know what a word means…

As for friends and community members of military families: hopefully this helps you understand some more of what’s going on around you!

**Note - This is a general and simple starting point.

Branch of Service: The military has six different subdivisions - the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. Two additional branches, the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, are part of the Reserve (essentially, it's a part-time military job).

(O)CONUS: This is referring to location! OCONUS means “outside the continental United States,” and CONUS means “the continental United States.” I’ve stayed entirely CONUS, but I know plenty of people who have moved OCONUS.

PCS and Permanent Party: PCS is “permanent change of location” - it’s a move. For bases with a school environment (basic/advanced courses, war colleges, etc), a family is permanent party if they are not in the student population.

TDY and Deployment: Both of these refer to the service-member going away from home, with TDY (temporary duty) typically being for a shorter period of time than a deployment.

Military time: The military uses a 24-hour clock. Single digit hours (1:00am to 9:00am) become 0100 to 0900. 10:00am to 12:00pm (noon) just have their colon erased: 1000 to 1200. For the rest of them, just keep counting. 1:00pm becomes 1300, 2:00pm becomes 1400, and so on (9:00pm = 2100, 11:00pm = 2300)! Instead of saying “nine o’clock in the morning,” you would say “zero nine hundred.” “Eleven o’clock at night” becomes “twenty-three hundred.”

The PX and Commissary: These are the two main stores on a military base! I’m an Army brat, so we use PX, or “post exchange” (some places call it a BX, “base exchange”). This is where clothes, shoes, electronics, etc are sold - essentially the military’s version of Walmart. The Commissary is a grocery store, similar to Dillon’s/Kroger/Publix.

DoDEA School: This is a school typically in an OCONUS location. It’s on-post, classes are offered in English, and the material follows the United State’s curricula. The acronym stands for “Department of Defense Education Activity.”

Reveille, Retreat, and Taps: On some military bases, you might hear a short bugle song played over loudspeakers. “Reveille” is played in the morning to signify the beginning of PT (physical training) or the duty day. Most people don’t show honor during this song. “Retreat” is played at 1700 (5:00pm) to show the end of the duty day, and respect is required. You turn to face the flag and hold your hand over your heart. “Taps” is played at 2100 (9:00pm) to honor service members’ sacrifices, and respect is typically given through stopping your activity and standing. You only show respect when outside and not under a roof. There may be other bugle calls throughout the day, but you don’t need to show honor during them.

Ranks and Jobs: There is a rank system in the military, with each branch having its specific structure. There are also a plethora of jobs with weird acronyms - a word of advice is to accept a simple description of the job and move on… I don’t even fully understand my dad’s current job.

Military vehicles: Some common military vehicles include HUMVEEs (high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles, which are sadly being replaced), tanks (the vehicles with the HUGE turrets), Blackhawks and Apaches (helicopters), chinooks (helicopters with two sets of blades), and Bradleys (they have smaller turrets but can hold more people than tanks).

Motor pool: This is where all those vehicles park!

ROTC: To become a commissioned officer (as opposed to enlisting), the most popular path is to go through either a military academy or an ROTC (reserve officer training corps) program in college. JROTC adds “junior” to the beginning; this program is in high school and does not have the mission of directly recruiting people.

As a seasoned military brat, I still ask questions about specific jargon and acronyms; an article to showcase it all would take hours to read. What’s explained above will get you through the first layer, but don’t be afraid to explore and ask questions! I love sharing my culture to civilians… err… those not in the military.