The following are Common Acronyms that you will see at one point or another. These are not something that you have to learn, you will as time goes by, but it is more for you to just read and have an idea of what they mean.
Common Acronyms
ACU – The new Army Combat Uniform; in the process of replacing the BDU.
AIT - Advanced Individual Training (specialty training post-BCT for your MOS).
ASAP - As Soon As Possible (pronounced "Ay-Sap"; sometimes as initials). Meaning: "Now, dangit!"
AWOL -
Absent Without Official Leave. More commonly known today as UA ( Unauthorized Absence )
BDU - Battle Dress Uniform; standard, camouflage, everyday uniform.
BCT - Basic Combat Training (familiarly: Basic Training or Basic)
CO - Commanding Officer
CQ - Charge of Quarters, an overnight desk duty (at basic training, your platoon will have CQ duty if your DS has CQ duty).
DA - Department of the Army
DCU - Desert Camouflage Uniform (not official)
DD or DoD - Department of Defense
DFAC - Dining Facility (Mess Hall or Cafeteria)
DS - Drill Sergeant; an NCO that teaches new recruits in Basic Combat Training; only the most qualified NCOs are chosen to attend Drill Sergeant School.
FTX - Field Training Exercise.
IBA - Individual Body Armor; Kevlar vest
LBE or LCE - Load Bearing or Carrying Equipment; refers to the harness-like belt system used to carry ammo pouches, canteen, etc.
MOS - Military Occupational Specialty—formal job classification, usually expressed as a number or number/letter combination—e.g., 11B Infantryman.
MP - Military Police.
MRE - Meal Ready to Eat; portable meals in a plastic bag, made to last for years without going bad; consist of about 1500-3000 calories; some are better than others.
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);
NBC - Nuclear, Biological, Chemical
OBC - Officer Basic Course
OCS - Officer Candidate School
OSUT - One Station Unit Training; refers to a combined basic training and advance individual training at one training post (i.e., infantry (MOS 11B) does a 14-week OSUT at Ft. Benning that combines both).
POV - Privately-Owned Vehicle, a soldier's personal automobile.
PT - Physical Training. Although in the plural (PT's), it means the PT Uniform.
PX - Post eXchange. A multipurpose store which usually includes a barber shop and a convenience store.
UA - Unauthorized Absence
WOFT - Warrant Officer Flight Training
XO - Executive Officer (officer second to CO)
Slang Acronyms
BCG - Birth Control Glasses/Goggles. This acronym refers to the standard issue glasses.
ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival
SNAFU - Situation Normal, All Fouled Up
FUBAR – Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition
Non-Acronym Expressions
Ate up - something that's messed up or not up to the standard (“You're all ate up, soldier!”); also known “chewed up” or “jacked up”.
Blue Falcon - someone or something that screws others over to elivate themself.
Cadre - a small group of trained professionals that is the nucleus of a larger group; in basic training parlance it generally refers to the drill sergeants of a training company.
Chow - food, or "breakfast/lunch/dinner". Example: "Is it time for chow yet?"
Class A's - a more formal service uniform that consists of the Army green, single-breasted, 4-button coat; Army green trousers; an Army green shade 415 (a lighter shade of green) short- or long-sleeved shirt; and a black four-in-hand necktie.
Class B's - a less formal version of the Army green service uniform that consists of the Army green trousers and Army green shade 415 short-sleeved shirt without the coat and tie.
Dress Blues - Light blue pants with dark blue jacket, used for balls and formal events.
Fireguard - overnight desk duty for your bay (the room where your platoon sleeps in the barracks); generally an hour in length and rotates among the men; an historical term that described the duty assigned to soldiers to maintain and keep an eye on the campfires while the rest of the men slept.
GI - Government Issue; originally used for government supplied equipment, often sardonically used by soldiers to refer to themselves.
Gig line - visual straight line on fatigues formed by the fatigue jacket (actually a shirt), the brass belt buckle, and the fly of the fatigue pants
Grade - pay grade of a soldier, currently E1-E9 for enlisted personnel, W1-W4 for warrant officers, O1-O10 for commissioned officers. Each grade may translate to several ranks; i.e., Grade E4 may be a corporal (command position) or specialist (non-command).
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."
Klicks - kilometers; .6214mi each
Latrine - Army term for bathroom.
Mikes - common term for "minutes"; taken from the phonetic word for "M" ("My ETA is 15 mikes.")
Rank - named title of soldier with a particular grade and responsibility, such as Private, Specialist, Staff Sergeant, Captain, etc. See also grade.
Real World - return to civilian life; or: return to USA from overseas
Ruck - shorthand for ruck sack; the Army version of a backpack
Top - first sergeant; head sergeant in unit
The Sand Box - Iraq, particularly the southern
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