Army Acronyms and Whatnot Vol. 1

18MAR2021; 0205, THU

This story right here has a ton more of brooding and brainstorming than my previous 59 all put together. Suffice it to say that this may very well be another trilogy, which prayerfully places in the (Un)common Knowledge challenge.

At any rate, I'm finna get right to it seeing as I have to clock back in from lunch in almost exactly 45 min. Without further ado:

Almost everyone has seen the black POW/MIA "You Are Not Forgotten" flags at some point or another, and that seems a decent point as any to kick this piece off. In short, Prisoners Of War and Missing In Action service-members are undoubtedly the hardest for the victims' families; seeing as there's no shortage of palpable uncertainty, debilitating stress, and sincerest regrets, or so I'd imagine.

Just to emphasize the significance of the matter, POWs are often tortured for info and/or used as "bargaining chips". Also, we were told that the only info that we can offer our captors was our name, rank, and social (security number).

Keeping in line with the triple letters, next up is KIA and WTB. When one of the military's serving men/women fall due to the enemy, they're considered Killed In Action; and injured soldiers or those nearing their ETS (Expiration Term of Service) date often go to a unit known as a Warrior Transition Battalion.

More triples—POV and my personal fav, ETA. When you're riding in your Privately Owned Vehicle to link up with the homies, if/when the pandemic is eventually over, it's common sense to call/text with an Estimated Time of Arrival in general; but especially when running behind schedule.

Just about every BAMF (Bad Ass Mother F****r) who's been sworn in at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) owns/has owned at least one IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit). Nuff said.

Just about every sniper worth his weight in the extremely valuable commodity known as TP (Toilet Paper) has practiced TD (Target Detection) and generally likes to keep their SA (Situational Awareness) about them. Need I say more?

Sometimes when you are on KP (Kitchen Police) duty at the DFAC (Dining Facility/Cafeteria), you may have to help people scan their CAC (Common Access Card) card (sic). In addition, when PMCSing (Preventative Maintenance Checks and Servicing) your LT (Lieutenant)'s, XO (Executive Officer)'s, and /or CO (Commanding Officer)'s HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle)—Humvee—you may be directed/ordered to go top it off with JP8 (Jet Propellant 8).

And heaven forbid that the MPs (Military Police) catch you driving a military vic without your VC (Vehicle Commander)! You're gonna have "some splainin' to do!"

Speaking of which tho, if you're ever a driver while deployed, you wanna definitely be on the lookout for IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), EFPs (Explosively Formed Projectiles/Explosively Formed Penetrators), and VBIEDs (Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices). Lucky soldiers like SF (Special Forces) and CAG (Combat Application Group [aka Delta {Force}]) that get to perform "snatch and grabs" on HVTs (High Value Targets) just gotta be on the look for HBIEDs (House Borne Improvised Explosive Devices) for the most part.

That reminds me that even the most poorly trained Grunt (General Recruit, Untrained), or soldier with an Infantryman MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), will have practiced EBCR (Enter Building, Clear Room) at least 89 times and/or on 89 different instances. Same goes for the POGs (Personnel Other than Grunts) who aspire to earn a CAB (Combat Action Badge), more or less.

On a similar note, any soldier can earn and be awarded the Medal Of Honor (MOH). However, only Grunts can wear the EIB (Expert Infantryman Badge) or CIB (Combat Infantryman Badge), after earning them of course.

That reminds me, why in the world do Bn (Battalion) and Bde (Brigade) commanders of Infantry units choose POGs to be their RTOs (Radio Telephone Operators) and de facto PSDs (Personal Security Details [glorified bodyguards])? Does not compute.

If you're leaving the FOB (Forward Operating Base) or COP (Combat Outpost), do you really want the means to call QRF (Quick Reaction Forces) and/or a JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition [aka a really big smart bomb]) to rest in the hands of someone who doesn't live and breathe for PT (Physical Training)? I know that if I needed help ASAP (As Soon As Possible) and my AO (Area of Operations) was expansive, I would want my ASIPs (Advanced System Improvement Program radios), SINCGARS (Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems), and MBITRs (Multi-band Inter/Intra Team Radios) to be under the care of a fellow Grunt.

In any event, DEERS (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System), PCS (Permanent Change of Station), and TDY (Temporary Duty orders) are a few acronyms that I know next to nothing about thankfully. Although, I know that they're extremely important essentially, much like ILM (I Love Me) folders.

At any rate, please believe that if American forces ever get hit with an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) and/or a soldier gets caught trying to sell his/her NODs (Night Optic Devices), the PNN (Private News Network [aka the rumor mill]) will have picked up on the story and get carried away with it almost immediately! Last but certainly not least, soldiers that suffer from TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injuries) are supposed to have similar brain functions to those with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), who likely remember a bit more from the debrief/AAR (After Action Review).

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Hopefully someone somewhere gets something from this post; and if that son of a gun is you, please don't be afraid to Like/Tip/Share. Thx In Advance (TIA).