MIL SLANG - FUBAR, SNAFU and all those other MIL Terms we use

Like any Veteran, I use quite a bit of Military terms in my daily discussions with others.  I have been the butt of jokes because I usually answer questions in the affirmative with a " Roger That ".

It really got me in trouble once when I was talking with Mrs. Middleboro Jones at bedtime one evening as we were falling off to sleep.... she leaned over and told me she loved me and I absentmindly answered "Roger that..." which caused her to say " WHAT did you say???"

I was jolted out of my half-sleep with a "what's wrong??" and she stated " I just said " I love you" and you answered " Roger that???"  Her tone let me know I was in a whole lot of trouble unless i chose my next words carefully.  Luckily, I had just come off a three week field exercise and when I made my lame excuse of being over tired, etc., she let me off the hook.

I wanted to share some of my favorite MIL Slang as it is a major part of our language and you'll be surprised how many of these you actually hear in non-military discussions as it has creeped into our everyday lexicon.

A word of warning - This list is definitely NSFW ( Not Safe For Work) as we veterans, especially Sailors & Marines have a penchant for swearing.....after all " Swearing like a Sailor" is part of our traditions.

MIL SLANG

Ali Baba
(UK, US and Iraq) During the Iraq war, name for insurgents, local thieves and looters.

Alpha Mike Foxtrot
(Infantry) "Adios Mother Fucker" abbreviated using the phonetic alphabet. When used in garrison it is a friendly farewell. When used in combat situations it generally means that the person on the other end of the barrel is being wished a not-so-kind farewell.

Anchor Clanker
(USMC) Reference to US Navy sailors (pejorative).
(USN) Any Chief Petty Officer, whose insignia is an anchor.

bag nasty
(US) The name given to the fast food options in chow halls, ie; hot dogs and hamburgers. Also common reference for MRE's. In the Air Force, commonly a reference to pre-packed Flight Lunches intended for aircrew or personnel whose duties do not allow them to go to the chow hall to eat their meals.

BFE or Bum Fuck Egypt
(US) An isolated deployment, or any other extremely isolated or distant location; pejorative. Used mostly about the disgust at the distance or remoteness, but also implies that there could be little worthwhile in such an isolated place. The variants "Big Fucking Empty", "BFN" or "Bum Fuck Nowhere" are used in the same sense.

Big Chicken Dinner
(US) Bad Conduct Discharge, the less severe of the two types of punitive discharge that may be awarded by court martial (the more severe being a dishonorable discharge).

"Big Dick Contest"
(US) An argument that amounts to who's done or experienced more in terms of training or combat.

BOHICA
"Bend over, here it comes again." Used when wearily contemplating idiotic or malicious decisions by higher-ups.

Bravo Zulu
(Worldwide Navies) Means 'Well Done'. Comes from the Allied Naval Signal Book, conveyed by flag hoist or voice radio.

Clusterfuck
A disastrous situation that results from the cumulative errors of several people or groups. In semi-polite company this is referred to as a Charlie Foxtrot (from the NATO phonetic alphabet) . Also used as a slang term to describe the area effect nature of artillery or cluster bombs.

DILLIGAF
(US, Canada) Does It Look Like I Give A Fuck?! Usually a reply in Boot Camp when given a lame excuse for not being able to perform a duty or follow an order.
(Aus) Do I Look Like I Give A Fuck? Similar as above

fashion show
(USN) A punishment where the service member, over a period of several hours, dresses in each of his uniforms (work, dress, summer dress and summer work) to be inspected. Designed to prevent the punished from going on liberty for most of a day.

FIDO
"Fuck It, Drive On". i.e. What to do following a Charlie Foxtrot.

FIGMO
(US) "Fuck it, got my orders". "Finally I got my orders" Exclamation by one who is scheduled to leave a duty post.

fobbit
(US) Fairly new term used to describe soldiers who do not go outside their Forward Operations Base (FOB) in Iraq, or a soldier stationed in Iraq who has not seen combat. Derived from J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit, a creature that didn't like to leave the safety of their homes or "The Shire."

FTN
(US Navy) "Fuck the Navy" - common graffiti, also spelled out as a spoken epithet. Usually used in a simple game of "hide & seek" - FTN can usually be found in obscure places (like inside machinery) and the discovery of which usually pisses-off higher-ranking people and 'dig-it's.

FUBAR
(US) Abbreviation for "Fucked up beyond all recognition (or repair)." Sometimes "FUBER" for "economical repair". See "SNAFU", below.

FUBIJAR
(USMCR & USNR) "Fuck you Buddy, I'm just a reservist".

goat rope/ing
A useless, futile, or foolish activity. A waste of time directed by higher authority.

goat locker
(US Navy, US Coast Guard) Room or lounge reserved for Chief Petty Officers (E-7 and above). Those who are E-6 and below would do well to steer clear unless expressly permitted inside. Also used to refer to the Chief Petty Officers assigned to one command.

Grinder
(USN) The outside tarmac, asphalted area or courtyard normally adjacent to a barracks which is used to perform musters, drilling, and sometimes "cycling" of recruits in boot camp.

grunt
(US) Originally, a derogatory term for Army or Marine infantrymen (referencing the sounds made by men carrying heavy gear). This term has become more acceptable over time, and today, most, if not all, infantrymen are proud to be "grunts," as opposed to other MOSes in the military. Also known as "Ground Pounders." Although "grunt" is not an acronym, common acronyms include: "Ground Replacement Unit, Not Trained" or "Ground Replacement, Usually Not Trained."
(Canada) Government Reject Unfit for Naval Training, usually refers to infanteer/combat arms.

GTFO
(US) Pronounced "GIT-foe". Acronym of "get the fuck out", nonspecific utilization in training/combat.

Guardian Angel
(US) A soldier or Marine placed in a high position in urban warfare to provide overwatch and cover to friendly units moving below.

Gucci
(US, UK & Canada) Hi tech/Non-issued kit or equipment bought by the soldier. " His gear is all Gucci'd up"

Hadji/Haji
(US) A general term used to describe Middle Easterners during the first Gulf War and subsequently during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (usually describing a friendly Iraqi/Afghan). Same as Habib--refers to people native to the Middle Eastern countries, India, and Egypt. Somewhat pejorative or dismissive. Considered by some as a racist remark, and has thus fallen under scrutiny. Also used to refer to local markets where servicemen can acquire cheap goods, possibly of dubious authenticity. Originates from an Arabic term of honor for a Muslim who has completed the Hajj to Mecca. Possibly from the Indian character Hadji in the 60s adventure cartoon "The Adventures of Jonny Quest"

hooah
(US Army/Canadian Army Infantry) A spirited cry, which can mean nearly anything positive. Exact origins are unknown. Paratroopers claim it as originating from the involuntary grunting sound one makes on contact with the ground during a parachute landing. Others claim that it is an acronym for "Heard, Understood and Acknowledged." Used normally in group instruction as acknowledgement of understanding rather than in one on one situations with an officer where "Yes Sir, understood sir" is still preferred. Pronounced "Who-Ah" in one short syllable by Rangers. In the Regiment ( 75th RGR ) , depending on its placement in the sentence or its inflection and tone, Hooah can an affirmative, a negative, a Verb, and or curse word. Its usage in the Canadian Army is somewhat debated, however, "seen" is used as the prefered affirmative. See also, HUA.

jacked up
(US) Screwed up, ruined, in trouble. "Jackness" is the quality of being in a jacked-up state; can also refer to a hapless individual: "Get over here, Jackness."
(Canada) - Used as a verb - to "jack someone up" refers to the process of remotivating an individual with often humourous content.

Man jammies
(US, Canada) Nickname for the traditional knee length button shirt worn by Afghanistani males.

Marine Proof
(US) - An overly simple task or way of doing things. Stems from the stereotype that Marines are slow-witted or unable to handle complex operations. Slightly perjorative.

"Operation Golden Flow"
The joy of visiting the health and wellness center to provide a urine sample for drug screen. Also known as " The Whiz Quiz"

Oscar-Mike
(US) On the Move, from the phonetic alphabet.

O silly hundred hours
(UK) Very early in the morning.
O Dark Thirty
(US Military) Very early in the morning
O Dark Stupid
(Can) Very early in the morning.

Overhead
(US Navy, Marines) The deck above you while aboard a ship; used ashore to refer to the ceiling of a room, as well.

Powerpoint Commando
A briefer notorious for producing overly complex briefs in Powerpoint that are too long and use too many effects, such as animations and sounds.

Rat Fuck
(US) Term used for the action of going through a MRE box before chow time selecting the best meal for oneself. Also used to describe taking prefered items out of MRE's. Could also be used to describe a random mess.

Screw the pooch
(US Military and civilian) To badly err or mess up.

screwed, blued and tattooed
(US Navy) Used to describe common liberty activities in some ports. Getting "Screwed, blued and tattooed" can imply a fun liberty, one where someone got in trouble for various reasons, or one where the sailors simply saw everything there was to see in a given port.

scrounge
(US Navy) A sailor who does not keep his body clean. (US Army) A very important member of a unit, a soldier who can obtain any materials and/or equipment, usually by other than normal channels.

scuttlebutt
(US Navy) Rumor or gossip, deriving from the nautical term for the cask used to serve water (or, later, a water fountain). See scuttlebutt.

seabag
(USN/USMC) Issue green canvas or cordura bag used to transport personal effects.

seabag drag
(USN/USMC) Routine of travel referring to the waiting period often encountered when transferring flights or waiting assignment to flight manifest.

Sea lawyer
(US Navy, Coast Guard, RN) A sailor, probably too smart for his own good, who thinks he knows all of the regulations and quotes them to get out of either work or trouble. Other US and UK military equivalent is "Barrack Room Lawyer" (UK), and "Barracks Lawyer" or, more crudely, "Shithouse Lawyer" (US).

Sierra Hotel
1. Shit's Hot- Refers to actions that are particularly awesome or high-speed. Used as a compliment when someone is doing well.
2. The NATO phonetic alphabet abbreviation for Shit Hot. It is considered high praise and is the pilot's favorite and all-purpose expression of approval. For example, "That Sierra Hotel pilot just shot down six MiGs and an ICBM!" This is the "polite" military way to say that something is very impressive, and has come into use outside the military.

Sierra Tango Foxtrot Uniform
Shut The Fuck Up (military phonetic alphabet).

SNAFU
(US) Acronym for "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"; dating probably before World War II, Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "an expression conveying the common soldier's laconic acceptance of the disorder of war and the ineptitude of his superiors" [5]. It began to enter the everyday American lexicon shortly after the war. It also spawned other acronyms denoting increasing states of "fucked up":
FUMTU: Fucked Up More Than Usual
TARFU: Things Are Really Fucked Up
FUBB: Fucked Up Beyond Belief
FUBAR: Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition (or Repair)
JANFU: Joint Army-Navy Fuck-Up

snake eater
(US Army) Special Forces

soup sandwich
(US) Insult often used in Basic Combat Training, referring to an action, uniform or task done inefficiently or improperly. Example: "Your uniform is all messed up, looking more screwed up than a soup sandwich."

squid/squiddly
(US) A US Navy sailor. Often used with derogatory intent. Inspired naming of the cartoon character Squiddly Diddly, a squid in a sailor suit. Squidward has also been used in recent years, lifted from the name of a character from the Sponge Bob Square Pants cartoon.

suck, the
(US) The field, bad conditions, rotten duty, used to describe the military as a whole. One might say "embrace the suck" to tell someone to stop complaining and accept the situation.

Trigger puller
(US) A soldier or Marine who is regularly involved in actual combat. I wouldn't want to be out in the shit without the trigger pullers with us.

Turtle fuck(ing) (US Marines) Striking a Marine on his helmet with another helmet. The clunking of the two kevlar helmets sounds like two empty shells hitting. Sometimes done deliberately among friends, but often as a joke to an unsuspecting trooper.

Twentynine Stumps
(US Marines) Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Often simply referred to as "the Stumps."

Letter from an airline pilot

Having worked for an airline, one that was not very well managed, I can tell you that there are many hard working people staffing the airlines, dealing with millions of passengers who need to fly each day.

Here's a letter from a Pilot that shows how they take extra care when it really matters.

Letter from an airline pilot:

He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. On this flight." (H.R. Stands for human remains.) "Are they military?" I asked.

'Yes', she said.

'Is there an escort?' I asked.

'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.

'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early," I said..

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.

'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,' he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our pre-flight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia .

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do. 'I'm on it', I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a
Secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft.
The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans.. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told
that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the co-pilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to
make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'
We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was
clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane.

They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.
Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA

Foot note:

I know everyone who has served their country who reads this will have tears in their eyes, including me.

 

 

The Old Guard stays at Tomb of Unknowns while Hurricane Sandy raged on

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
― George Orwell

Thank God for our servicemen and women.  Guarding their resting place at Arlington National Cemetery is a solemn and honorable privilege. 

Old Guard stays at Tomb of Unknowns in superstorm

Associated Press – Mon, Oct 29, 2012

 

Enlarge Photo

Associated Press/Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.,/U.S. Army Photo - This handout photo provided by the us Army shows Spc. Brett Hyde, Tomb Sentinel, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), keeping guard over the …more Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Hurricane Sandy, at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. Just like the Sentinel's Creed says "Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability." (AP Photo/Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.,/U.S. Army Photo) less

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — In the face of Hurricane Sandy, the Army continued to guard the Tomb of the Unknowns on Monday but not with the familiar, choreographed 21 paces that the public typically sees.

 

A photo that went viral on social media of three soldiers from the Army's Third U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, keeping watch over the tomb was actually taken during a September rainstorm. The Army became aware of the photo and said on its Twitter account and to media that it was from September.

The Army handed out a photo that was taken Monday morning before Arlington National Cemetery closed because of the storm. Afterward, when morning funerals were completed, the Old Guard soldiers were still on duty but had moved into an enclosure covered by a green awning known as "the box," about 20 feet away from the tomb, according to regiment spokesman Maj. John Miller.

He said if the weather becomes intolerable, the tomb can also be guarded from a room inside a nearby amphitheater. But no such order was given on Monday afternoon

Boston salutes the USS CONSTITUTION and all the men who sailed her

She is the flagship of  the US NAVY.  I was privleged to be a member of her crew in 1997 when she went undersail (untethered) for the first time in 116 years.

The ship and the men who sailed her are united in history with their ship.  The staff of the USS Constitution Museum have made an extraordinary effort to bring the history of the crew to life. 

I salute these brave men as the ship is majestic but she was only able to be the success she was because she was manned by men who knew their duty and served on her decks, in peace and war.

BRAVO ZULU to the crew and captains of the USS CONSTITUTION - You made her proud.


Majesty and history
Constitution's forgotten crew and the War of 1812
 By Peter Schworm
 Boston Globe Staff / July 1, 2012

Undefeated in battle, a wooden vessel so stalwart it became known as Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution is perhaps the nation’s most famous warship, an abiding symbol of national pride and naval might.

Yet for two centuries, the hundreds of ordinary sailors who served aboard the great frigate during its most famous victories have been forgotten by history, with little known of their lives or sacrifice. They were celebrated in their day, honored with parades on their triumphant returns to Boston. But as the ship’s legend grew, they faded to obscurity.

Now, as Boston joins the nation in commemorating the bicentennial of the War of 1812, their stories are finally being told.

After a decade of poring over archives here and abroad, researchers at the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown have pieced together the lives of hundreds of seamen and Marines who served on the Constitution during the war. Among the many characters are James Bennett, a freeborn black man who plugged holes from enemy shot and was later killed in the Battle of Lake Erie, and Asa Curtis of Scituate, the ship’s gunner, who was “weatherbeaten and scarred from many years at sea.”

Often starting with little more than a name, researchers spent long hours combing through pension applications and military documents, personal correspondence, and British prisoner-of-war records, to compile profiles of the sailors and provide a fuller picture of the ship’s history.

“It’s always been the missing piece of the story,” said Anne Grimes Rand, the museum’s president, as she walked through an exhibit that highlights individual sailors and the experience of life at sea.
It was a daunting task, one that scholars warned was nearly impossible given the passage of time. But the museum staff, joined by a host of volunteers, pursued the project with a sense of obligation, determined to give the men their due.

“The Constitution is talked about as if it’s its own agent,” said Sarah Watkins, the museum’s director of collections and learning. “We wanted to tell the story of the men who sailed, who steered, who fought.”

Armed with a solid list of crewmen, researchers began searching through archives for leads, relying heavily on pension records and protection certificates that seamen used as proof of citizenship.
“It was like a passport of the day,” said Lauren McCormack, the museum’s bicentennial programs coordinator. “And in the pension records, you really had to tell your story.”

Those archives often provided a foothold that led researchers to other documents — marriage and death records, wills, and census records.

Slowly, breakthroughs came, and lives came into focus. As researchers learned more, they were drawn into the stories, forging bonds with the figures from long ago.

“They started out as names, and they evolved into individuals,” Watkins said. “For us, it’s not just an intellectual pursuit, it’s an emotional connection.”

The bond was particularly strong with David Debias, a freeborn black from Beacon Hill who was just 8 when he joined the crew, becoming a servant for a master’s mate.

Debias was among the crew chosen to sail on the HMS Levant after it was captured by the Constitution. That vessel was in turn seized by the British on its return to the United States. He was imprisoned in Barbados for a few months before being sent home to his family.

He was discharged in 1815, earning $32 for his seven-month stint.

But Debias was soon back on the seas again, joining the merchant fleet and then reenlisting on the Constitution. In 1838, he left his ship while it was docked in Alabama and was seized in Mississippi as a runaway slave.

Researchers found a letter that a lawyer for Debias wrote the secretary of the Navy, asking for proof of his military service. But they couldn’t find a response and worried the path had gone cold.
“We all wondered, ‘What happened to David?’ ” Watkins said.

Then one day, the National Archives called, saying they had tracked down the Navy’s response affirming his military service. When the news came, yelps of delight filled the museum’s library. They never found out whether he regained his freedom. But there was hope.

Another riveting, if tragic, story was that of Philip Brimblecom. Born in 1786 in Marblehead, he grew up fishing cod, and in 1809 he sailed on his uncle’s schooner to Spain. But the ship was taken off the coast of Spain and impounded by the French government. Brimblecom went to work aboard a French merchant ship, but then it was seized, and Brimblecom was jailed in England.

He eventually escaped and found an America-bound ship. But by this point the war had begun, and Brimblecom was captured again. In September 1812, he was exchanged as a prisoner of war.
Undeterred, he signed up for the Constitution the same month. During a battle in December 1812, a cannonball took away his arm at the elbow.

“Everything bad that can happen in seafaring happened to him,” said Matthew Brenckle, the museum’s research historian.

He could not find work, and wrote the Navy seeking a job and increase in his $6 monthly pension.
Brimblecom was given a job in the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1816, but later wrote and asked them to “look after a poor distressed crippled sailor.” He died at 38.

Such stories show the dangers and unforgiving nature of life at sea, and the sacrifice of those who served during what many consider the country’s second war of independence.

Yet hundreds of crew members remain just names on a muster, and researchers say their work is far from done. As word of the project has spread, descendants of sailors have contacted the museum with potential leads, and researchers are hopeful they will continue to make progress.

“We find out more practically every single day,” Brenckle said.

Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com

Dog Tags at Old North Church in Boston

Located on the south side of the Old North Church, Boston, stands a small area set aside to commemorate the soldiers lost in Afghanistan and Iraq. Hundreds of dog tags representing the fallen hang closely together. When the wind blows one can hear the distinctive metal chimes as they clang together to make their eery music.

When I see this, I think that the original Patriots of the American Revolution who were from Boston, and though the loss of any Soldier/Sailor/Marine/Airman is difficult to bear, as Americans we have always been willing to provide whatever is needed to ensure our Liberty.

" Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

President John F. Kennedy

Supporting the Troops.....more than just a slogan

BRAVO ZULU to Ms. Kayyem for putting this issue on the radar screen for those who don't have a family member who has served and for anyone else who needs some perspective.


A soldier’s money
From health care to finances, we should protect those who protected us
By Juliette Kayyem - Boston Globe
July 25, 2011

LAST WEEK, 650 troops quietly left Afghanistan, beginning the long slog home as part of President Obama’s drawdown. At the same time, General David Petraeus, the architect of the surges in both Iraq and Afghanistan, formally resigned from the military to take over as director of the CIA. The timing was coincidental, but not without meaning: The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now simultaneously moving to a close.

Petraeus handed his Afghanistan command to Marine Lieutenant General John Allen, who will oversee further troop departures. He also symbolically handed over some measure of responsibility for those troops’ future well-being to his wife, Holly Petraeus, who represents a rare growth industry in government: protecting and providing to our returning service members and veterans.

As a nation, we are simply unprepared for the numbers of returning troops we now face. The wars of the last ten years have created over 1.1 million veterans; another 2.4 million men and women are on active, National Guard, or reserve duty. This class includes soldiers who have served in combat longer than any in US history. Of the nearly 400,000 who have seen combat duty, more than 13,000 have spent at least 45 months - nearly four cumulative years - in combat.

We know so little about the magnitude and the depth of the issues they will be facing in health care, employment, and education. All they want is to go back to normal lives. And that too is a challenge.

Holly Petraeus will help wage a small piece of this upcoming war. She runs the Office of Service member Affairs for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the entity conceived and established (but not to be run) by Elizabeth Warren. Her statutory mission, authorized to begin just last week, is to provide financial education for service members. Many are “young and inexperienced, with twice-a-month guaranteed paychecks, who move to areas in the country where they have never lived before and try to make ends meet,’’ she told me in an interview. Outside many military installations in the United States are strips of storefronts offering too-good-to-be-true deals: buy this, buy that, pawn this, cash that.

Service members are stressed, in difficult situations, and money is often tight. A survey of US military personnel showed that 25 percent have over $10,000 in credit-card debt; only 50 percent have any sort of rainy day fund for financial emergencies.

Today, the number one reason for a service member to lose security clearance is not loose lips, or drugs, or espionage. It is failure to show good financial standing because they simply can’t get ahead of their bills.

The blame isn’t just with shifty car dealers and pawn brokers. Earlier this year, JPMorgan Chase violated the Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act, which gives mortgage relief to deployed personnel, by overcharging thousands of clients and even foreclosing on 14 houses.

Financial woes may turn out to be the least of returning service members’ problems. At the highest levels of the Pentagon, there is a dawning recognition that we as a nation have no idea how the impact of excessive redeployments and the guerrilla nature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will affect soldiers and their families. The end of war has been marked by celebration in the streets, as in World War II, or a hurried helicopter ride, as in Vietnam. This time, it must be marked by a much greater effort to adapt to the needs and aspirations of those returning home.

We are now ending the longest volunteer-only military effort since the American Revolution. And because there has been no draft, the divide between the US military and citizens who were asked to sacrifice little has grown. “Supporting our troops’’ has become a cliché with no meaning. We have learned to love our troops - often for selfish reasons, such as avoiding a draft - without really knowing them. Service members represent just 0.8 percent of the population.

In the months and years to come, we will be welcoming home and into society a population the likes we have not seen in our lifetime; the sheer numbers who have seen combat over and over will change the nature of the moral duty we owe those who fought voluntarily. And it will begin to change us. Ask Petraeus. Either one.

Juliette Kayyem can be reached at jkayyem@globe.com.

Objection noted.....

Objection noted and we heartily agree with this Sailor's Point-of-view.....

SAILOR SPEAK

Here's a list about common words/phrases that Sailors use which may not translate well to those not in the Navy.

Just as a Caveat, there may be harsh language contained in these definitions, but then again, we sometimes swear like Sailors. Figure out where that one came from....

SAILOR: Kiss my ass
ENGLISH: Roger, I'll be happy to do that for you

SAILOR: F&%king waaaaaa
ENGLISH: I'm sorry to hear about your problem, any way I can help?

SAILOR: Head
ENGLISH: Bathroom

SAILOR: Scuttlebut
ENGLISH: Drinking fountain or a rumor

SAILOR: Deck
ENGLISH: Floor

SAILOR: Overhead
ENGLISH: Ceiling

SAILOR: Bulkhead
ENGLISH: Wall

SAILOR: Are you f&$king serious?
ENGLISH: So you knew this was due today 4 days ago? No problem, I'll get on it.

SAILOR: I'm going to choke the s&%t out of you.
ENGLISH: Perhaps I wasn't clear, let me explain further and answer your question.

SAILOR: Who puked in the warming trays?
ENGLISH: Wow, dinner looks interesting.

SAILOR: Come here, turn around, and let me slap you in the back of the head.
ENGLISH: You're assertion is wrong, let me correct you.

SAILOR: Five and dime
ENGLISH: Watch schedule consisting of 5 hours on watch, 10 hours off watch.

SAILOR: Port and Stupid
ENGLISH: Watch rotation consisting of 6 hours on watch, 6 hours off watch.

SAILOR: Port/Starboard
ENGLISH: Left/Right respectively

SAILOR: Soup Sandwich
ENGLISH: Out of standards, substandard

SAILOR: All f&%ked up.
ENGLISH: Out of the norm, most Obama supporters.

SAILOR: Sloppy bag of guts
ENGLISH: Overweight

SAILOR: Mandatory Fun
ENGLISH: Recreational event in which attendance is required, not optional.

SAILOR: Climb in my tree for a few
ENGLISH: Go to sleep for a while

SAILOR: Down for maintenance, In the bag, In the pit, 10 toes vertical
ENGLISH: Asleep

SAILOR: Who's dumbass idea was that?
ENGLISH: Well maybe there's a better way.

SAILOR: Did your parents have any children that lived?
ENGLISH: Your idea/performance could be improved.

SAILOR: Tag, you're it
ENGLISH: The responsibility is now yours.

SAILOR: You better remember who you're talking to ass wipe.
ENGLISH: Your tone could be more respectful when dealing with a Senior.

SAILOR: Piss poor planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on mine
ENGLISH: Perhaps you should have thought of this sooner, now I can't help.

SAILOR: Go ahead and give me your chit so I can wipe my ass with it.
ENGLISH: Perhaps this document will not be approved and your request is denied.

SAILOR: Liberty
ENGLISH: Time off

SAILOR: Cover
ENGLISH: Hat

SAILOR: Go pi$$ up a rope
ENGLISH: I can't do that for you

SAILOR: Aloft
ENGLISH: Working in an elevated position

SAILOR: Stand by for incoming fire
ENGLISH: I'm now going to correct you in a loud tone of voice

SAILOR: JP-5
ENGLISH: Jet fuel, also can describe coffee that's a bit strong

SAILOR: This is a f&%king catastrophe
ENGLISH: We are all out of coffee at the moment

SAILOR: Scuttle
ENGLISH: To sink a ship, also an emergency hatch

SAILOR: Monkey s&%t
ENGLISH: Sticky substance used to make seams water tight

SAILOR: Deck Ape
ENGLISH: A Boatswain's Mate. A person responsible for lines, rigging, painting, and maintaining the deck equipment and exterior of the ship.

SAILOR: Pecker Checker
ENGLISH: Ship's medical personnel

SAILOR: Ladder
ENGLISH: Stair well

SAILOR: Line
ENGLISH: Rope

SAILOR: Rope
ENGLISH: Steel braided cable (figure that one out!!)

SAILOR: What the hell are you babbling about?
ENGLISH: I never got the document/message in question

SAILOR: This s&%t is like herding cats
ENGLISH: You're performing in a disorganized manner

SAILOR: Heave out
ENGLISH: Get out of bed

SAILOR: Bilge Rats
ENGLISH: Personnel working in engineering/propulsion spaces

SAILOR: Stupid Ground Pounders
ENGLISH: US Army personnel (sorry honey!)

SAILOR: Jarheads
ENGLISH: Marines

SAILOR: Chair Force
ENGLISH: Air Force

SAILOR: Squid
ENGLISH: Sailor, this is actually complimentary if WE use it on each other

SAILOR: Thanks, you just torpedoed my ass
ENGLISH: You've ensured I'll receive all the blame

SAILOR: Butt Shark
ENGLISH: Kiss up

SAILOR: Get out of my kool aid if you don't know the flavor dumb ass
ENGLISH: If you aren't sure what I'm referring to, perhaps you can abstain from the conversation.
'
SAILOR: Smokers
ENGLISH: Boxing on the flight deck, good way to get rid of stress

SAILOR: POD
ENGLISH: Plan of the day, we call it Plan of Deception because it's NEVER right

SAILOR: Chief
ENGLISH: 1 step below God in the US Navy

SAILOR: Ensign
ENGLISH: Lowest ranking officer, or the American Flag when flown on a ship

SAILOR: Captain
ENGLISH: The CO of a ship (regardless of rank) or an officer of the O-6 paygrade, equal to a Colonel in the Army.

SAILOR: Death by Power Point
ENGLISH: Instructional class room presentation

SAILOR: Avast
ENGLISH: Stop

SAILOR: Deployment Queen
ENGLISH: A woman who is much more attractive than normal simply because you're out at sea (normally ugly)

SAILOR: Get out of my f%&*ing sight
ENGLISH: Perhaps you should go elsewhere for the moment

Been Busy / Harsher measures to follow

Been busy...time goes by when you're having FUN - and our FUN METER has been pegged here in AFGHN

Time to allow the words of another to fill the void - Good Gouge from Neptunuslex.com

This is the logical outcome of having Men & Women serving together in close quarters in isolated areas ...These notes are from a guy who knows the "lay of land" and what the real issues are...as a sailor with a heart of oak, hoary, stout and old, I have learned early on to avoid the issues that he details, if nothing but for self preservation sake.... Got the feeling that upon return to homeport, the deeds would be written on my face as sure as if it had been put there with a Black Sharpie Marker.

Harsher Measures to Follow

As the operations officer of the world’s finest warship, I had a number of fine young officers working for me. One of whom was an unusually fetching lass who – prior to completing her degree and intelligence officer school – had taken a rather non-traditional route to commission as an aromatherapeutic massage technician. Late one night at the end of a seemingly endless number of days at sea I was sitting alone in my office hoping to noodle through the immensity of all that we were trying to accomplish when I looked up to see her standing at the door, having something or other official to report. I took her report, asked in an off-hand way how she was bearing up in her first deployment and – duties official and formulaic completed – looked back to my desk at the egregious load of 3M documentation requiring my review and signature, and myself an FA-18 pilot for heaven’s sake.

A moment or two passed and I looked up again to see the young lady – she really was very pretty – still casually standing there, her head laying on an arm propped on the door frame in such a carefully calculated pose as made evident the graceful line of her neck as it joined her shoulder, as well as the non-naval curvatures of her frame. The moment stretched nearly as much as her protesting blue coveralls, and her penetratingly blue eyes looked into my own with a half-smile playing on her lips.I blinked twice while my mind raced quickly through various courses of action, most of which were swiftly rejected as much for mere survival as for any conscience thought of duty or even morality, before finally asking in my most neutrally official tone of voice, “Was there something else?” That challenging half smile was replaced by a frown, a different kind of light came into her eyes and she replied, “No, sir,” before spinning on her heel and striding out of the office, leaving me feeling both sadly older and wistfully wiser.

Now, all sailor men have hearts of oak, but while some of us are hoary, stout and old, others are yet saplings, liable to sway in a stiff breeze. And of saplings we had no few, to such an extent that a few months later, the ship’s senior intelligence officer had the sad duty to inform me that our graceful young lieutenant junior grade was with child. The actual fracking war being but a few weeks away, this news was both unwelcome and untimely, and it fell to me to inform the carrier’s commanding officer that unless certain provisions were made the ship would soon have its very own “son of a gun.” Or daughter, maybe. Depending on the breaks.

The Old Man was driving himself to the brink nearly of exhaustion ensuring that his old ship would complete her assigned duties with honor, and I did not relish adding to his burdens. “Skipper, I’ve got some bad news.” “What is it,” he asked tiredly.“LTJG ——– is pregnant.”With a shocked look, he asked further, “Are you the father?”“No, of course not!” I replied with as much heat and indignation as I could in good conscience muster. Which, truth be told, was no very great quantity.

Being as much conscious of relief as otherwise, and the awareness of having averted catastrophe by margins whose width or narrowness did not bear scrupulous contemplation. Which we had been at sea a very long time, and I wasn’t so old or wise as all that. Walking back down the many ladders to my office, I had a few thoughtful moments to consider the CO’s second question, wondering whether it reflected some hidden opinion on my character, before cutting us both a break: The loss of one lieutenant junior grade was certainly unfortunate, but really “bad news” would have been the loss of the ship’s operations officer right before the war kicked off. We went, did our duty and came home of course. But the army is still over there, and one senior officer has had quite enough of it all:

A US Army general in northern Iraq has defended his decision to add pregnancy to the list of reasons a soldier under his command could face court martial. It is current army policy to send pregnant soldiers home, but Maj Gen Anthony Cucolo told the BBC he was losing people with critical skills…It is the first time the US Army has made pregnancy a punishable offence…“I’ve got a mission to do, I’m given a finite number of soldiers with which to do it and I need every one of them.” “So I’m going to take every measure I can to keep them all strong, fit and with me for the twelve months we are in the combat zone,” he said.

A two star general officer is as much – if not more – above my retired pay grade as I was above that libidinous LTJG. But he reports to a four star, who reports to the president and Congress, and it will be interesting to see where this policy goes.
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