HOOAH!

I’ve never served in the military, but when I was a little girl, during World War II,
my Father was a Chaplin at The Army/Air Force Base in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. When the jeep picked him up at our home, I’d go along for the ride. My Father said that my presence would help the morale of the soldiers who missed their own children. For me, it was lots of fun, and I learned early on that the military has its own creative language called, “Military Slang.” It is filled with acronyms and insider phrases that aren’t usually understood by civilians or— for sure— little girls.

Recently, I discovered a 400 page dictionary of military terms. One of the reasons that the military has its own lingo is probably in part because of the thousands of acronyms that the Department of Defense foists on its employees. Some of these military words or phrases have gotten into the vernacular partly because of Hollywood.  For instance, What’s with “Chow?” Why can’t a solider just say, “Food?” Maybe it’s because “Chow” is a better term when you are standing in line at the “Mess Hall” and the server throws tapioca pudding on top of your mashed potatoes. The “Scuttle butt” is that the brown baseball on your plate is meatloaf.

Most of us have heard the terms: “Boot” (recruit in Boot Camp), “Grunt” (Infantryman in the U.S. Army or Marine Corps), “Leatherneck” (Marine or John Wayne),or “Dear John Letter”(a sad letter to end a relationship).  One of my favorites is “Snafu” (situation normal: all f’ed up).
But, perhaps you have never heard, “Susfu Situation”(situation unchanged: still f’ed up) or
“Tarfu”( totally and royally f’ed up.)

Just for fun, I’ve chosen some PG Rated Military Slang Sayings for your enjoyment.
When he was a “Boot,” my husband, Warren had to pass a marksmanship test, and it was required that he hit all of the bullseyes..far, far away. Unfortunately, marksmanship was not his strong suit, but friendship was, so he hit more bullseyes than the number of rounds in his rifle. Happily, he was not a “Bolo” (someone who can’t pass marksmanship training). He also learned not to be an “Oxygen Thief” ( a recruit who talks too much.)

“Dynamited Chicken” is Navy slang referring to Chicken a la King. “Fangs” is a Marine Corps term for teeth, and “Five-Sided Puzzle Palace” is the Pentagon. Ribbons and medals worn on uniforms are “Chest Candy,” and maps presented by Military Intelligence are “Comics.”

Acronyms are invented to drive people insane. However, those serving in our military deal with them with alacrity. “PMS” is Professor of Military Science, and Marine Corps Planning Process depends on how you say it “MC—pee pee.” A “Rain Shower” is a shower, and a “Sky Blossom” is a parachute.

So much creativity…So little time, but when I came to ICBM, I decided not to touch that one with a six foot pole.

Esther Blumenfeld