Army Acronyms and Whatnot Vol. 8

26OCT2021; 2111, TUE

It's another 2Pac and Taco TUE today in these uncertain and unprecedented times. With that being the case, I figured why not hammer this out now in case I don't wake up tomorrow morning (Heaven forbid).

On a slight tangent: How did I type up three previous volumes on Tuesdays and completely fail to reference the aforementioned weekly observances? Don't be like me!

Seriously tho, last tidbit before we dive in: Jamming out to this classic Kanye (which would've never been a thing without Pac) and looking at the time that I started this piece sincerely reminds me of the Before Times. I'll never again be able to listen to "Spaceship" without thinking about my stint in retail; wherein, "I been working this grave shift, and I ain't made [expletive]..."

I digress. Without further ado:

Almost anyone who's seen a spy movie knows what an "infil" or infiltration (sneaking into a place/area) is, hands down. Her lesser known sister is "exfil", or exfiltration/extraction; which may require one to "pop smoke" (or set off a smoke grenade), so as to provide concealment where there's little to no cover avail. for retreating behind, or what have you.

If you're planning some cold weather ops, you're gonna want a waffle shirt/pants (thick thermals), silk-weights (thin ones), a "woobie" (poncho liner), and/or a field jacket liner. Word to the wise: Piss poor planning and a lack of hydration will lead to you being a heat casualty.

Speaking of which tho, if you have some equipment/gear that you need to destroy quickly for whatever reason, your commanding officer may order you to toss an incendiary (super heat emitting grenade) onto it. Of course, that's likely gonna be a major Frago (or Fragmentary Order); which is a fancy way to say "audible" (for my football stans reading this), or "change of plans" to the original op(eration[s]) order.

When you finally decide that the "health & welfares" (or random inspections) are too much to be a "lifer", then you will refuse to re-up (or re-enlist). On the flip side, if you can't get enough of the trips to the armory (or weapons storage), and you're rocking a "tab" (special indicators on our uniforms that must be earned; such as "Ranger", "Special Forces", "Airborne", etc.), then you can surely expect to be regularly watching your six (o'clock [or your back]) and that of those who deploy/train with you.

Back in my day, after using the latrine (or restroom), we would often have to make judgment calls on whether to "notionally" clean our hands afterwards, or if an actual quick warm water and soap scrubbing was the best course of action. I imagine that it's slightly different now, what with The Rona and all.

In any event, a rendezvous and a RallyPoint (sic; shout out to that social media platform which is for current and former U.S. military personnel only) are very similar. The key difference being that rally points are always pointed out during a patrol or op, whereas a rendezvous is almost like a blind date: Everyone knows the when and where, even if no one has laid eyes on the spot yet.

Also, if you've been "counseled" (or chastised) for EO (Equal Opportunity) violations, such as racist sexist jokes, you run the risk of being "chaptered" out of the military even if you're an "eagle eye" (or a perfect shooter at "quals" [weapons qualification range assessments]) if you don't "adjust azimuth" (or alter your ways and means). Nevermind adding "booga suga" (or Columbian bang bang [cocaine]) to the mix!

That last term put me exactly at the bare minimum for word count and I have a very early First Call (or "wake up"), so I'm gonna have to leave it at that for now. As the cool kids say these days, "Don't at me!"

Just as an aside: The next installment to this series will most likely be the capstone (or "grand finale") of this saga. As the classic '98 Gang Starr album (Rest In Power, Guru) featured on the outro of a song: "Before I slide I'mma leave you this jewel, even mechanics walk around with they tools."

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Prayerfully, someone somewhere gets something pertinent (re: useful) from this post. If that somebody's you, then please think about considering a Like/Tip/Share/Sub, and/or checking out some of my other posts.

Also, if you're in the market for an article of clothing or two, there's a link in my bio. Please don't think for a minute that I will be unappreciative of any all who "look out for the cookout".

TIA (Thx In Advance). Peaceful Tidings.

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