351^st Military Police Company

Here is a list of ARMY acronyms, ranks and other random jargon you may find in a blog and need a normal English explanation for:

Ranks:

Officers:

• GEN – General
• COL – Colonel
• LTC – Lieutenant Colonel
• MAJ- Major
• CPT – Captain
• 1LT – First Lieutenant
• 2LT – Second Lieutenant

Non Commissioned Officers:

• CSM – Command Sergeant Major
• SGM – Sergeant Major
• 1SG, Top – First Sergant
• MSG – Master Sergeant
• SFC – Sergeant First Class
• SSG – Staff Sergeant
• SGT – Sergeant
• CPL – Corporal

Lower Enlisted Soldiers:

• SPC – Specialist
• PFC – Private First Class
• PV2 – Still Just a Private
• PVT – Private

Acronyms:

RKG-3 – These are hand held thrown grenades that have been known to do considerable damage.
IED – Improvised Explosive Device, can be anything laying around or home manufactured that will explode
RIP – Relief In Place, this happens when a unit comes to replace your unit, it is approximately a week or so process.
TOA – Transfer of Authority, on the last day of your RIP you transfer all authority over to the new unit, and you leave theater the next day or two weather permitting, this is a great day.
AO – Area of Operations
AQI – Al-Qaeda in Iraq
CO – Commanding Officer; Company Commander
FOB – Forward Operating Base
IA – Iraqi Army
IP – Iraqi Police
NCO – Non-commissioned officer; general term for all sergeants’ ranks
COP – Combat Outpost
OPSEC – Operational Security
PL – Platoon Leader
PLT – Platoon
PSG – Platoon Sergeant
TOC – Tactical Operations Center
SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
QRF – Quick Reaction Force
EOD – Explosive Ordinance Disposal
OER – Officer Evaluation Report
NCOER – Non-Commissioned Officer Evaluation Report
JOC – Joint Operations Command Center
PTT – Police Transition Team

General Military Jargon:

Terp - Interpreter, usually a local national.
PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
CAB – Combat Action Badge, This is received when your element has received “contact” such as small arms fire, grenade attacks, EID attacks, ect.. from the enemy. To date, all of second platoon has earned one, just saying.
Combat Stress – A condition and more importantly a place on base to go get meds to help you sleep in this place
OPTEMPO – The speed at which things move in and around warfare.
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.
fobbit -
“fob-bet”
– Noun
1. A military member who works primarily on a Foward Operating Base and who never leave the wire
2. A military bureaucrat concerned with style over substance
3. Douchebag, who will never live it down when we get back to the states

aka: FOB Goblin, TOC Goblin, TOC Monkey

Jody – The non-military guy who is back home with the military guy’s wife/girlfriend. Jody leads a simple, soft life, and vengeance upon him will be swift and merciless.

Dear John letter- A tradition as long as warfare itself: the physical manifestation of every soldier’s worst fears. They vary in form and are sometimes riddled with excuses and rationalizations, but all essentially say the same thing: “Hey G.I., while you’re at war, I got other things going on, because I’m not willing to put my life on hold for you. Loyalty is better served as a puzzle answer on Wheel of Fortune.” Bitterness is a common emergence post-Dear John.