Military Sayings

[Don]

Let me get this straight - you just said that Don is USAF - but I thought this was about the military?

BWAH HAH HA!!! <fake laughter>

(My last five years, I worked for the Army or the Navy. At the time I retired, my supervisor was Army; his supervisor was Navy. And they took better care of me than the Air Force did)

My contribution: ROAD (retired on active duty)

Red-line (if you got your PCS orders canceled, they'd use a big red marker to X-out your paper copy. They'd use it as a threat: "Shape up, or we'll red-line those orders," meaning they'd keep you around for another couple of years, because we all know the worst base you've ever been assigned to is the one you're currently at, while the best one was the one you were at just before this one....).

 

[TCassidy]

I'm so short, I can walk underneath the door

Wearing an Abe Lincoln hat!

 

[Bro. Curtis]

Vertical replenishment = vert-rep

Underway replenishment = un-rep

We could vert-rep AND un-rep at the same time.

 

[TCassidy]

In the USAF, a slick sleeve was some one who was still in basic training with the rank of E-1 Airman Basic. When a person held the rank of E-1, he had no chevrons on the sleeve of his uniform, thus he was a "slick sleeve."

The same was true in the Army (back in the day). Neither an E-1 nor an E-2 had rank insignia so a "slick sleeve" was a Private E-1 or E-2. The PFC stripe with rocker came along in May of 1968 after I already had about 3 years in.

 

[Sapper Woody]

The same was true in the Army (back in the day). Neither an E-1 nor an E-2 had rank insignia so a "slick sleeve" was a Private E-1 or E-2. The PFC stripe with rocker came along in May of 1968 after I already had about 3 years in.

OK, so "slick sleeve" isn't new then. It's definition has just changed.

 

[Don]

How about JEEP? (junior enlisted experimental personnel ... although there are a couple of other meanings as well)

 

[padredurand]

Back in the day I worked on M60 tanks. There would always be a 'cruit on the crew. We'd tell the 'cruit he had to keep track of how many times they traversed the turret to the left. Seven times to the left and it would unscrew and he'd have to explain to the TC why the turret fell off.

Newbies were sent to shop supply for a 100 yards of flight line or a can of track tension.

US Army - Uncle Sam Ain't Released Me Yet.

Marine = My Anatomy Really Is Navy Equipment

 

[Don]

Back in the day I worked on M60 tanks. There would always be a 'cruit on the crew. We'd tell the 'cruit he had to keep track of how many times they traversed the turret to the left. Seven times to the left and it would unscrew and he'd have to explain to the TC why the turret fell off.

Newbies were sent to shop supply for a 100 yards of flight line or a can of track tension.

US Army - Uncle Sam Ain't Released Me Yet.

Marine = My Anatomy Really Is Navy Equipment

One of our favorites for AF security guys sitting in front of planes was to drive up and ask them if they got the keys to the plane from the guard they'd relieved. The look of utter confusion on their faces....

...but the absolute best was the day we told two new guys on the same vehicle patrol to report to the Alert Aircraft desk and pick up some fallopian tubing. The Alert guy just looked at them for a few moments, then told them they had to get that from the medical clinic. So we hear them over the radio request a swap-out with an exterior patrol so they can retrieve the fallopian tubing. The area security controller relayed the request to the area security supervisor, who granted the request.

Don't know what the med clinic told them. Just know those two guys weren't happy with us when they got back.

Man, Sapper, the memories you're dredging up....

 

[Salty]

1) For those of us in many years ago, we would always ask a newbie if he knew where the 5th wheel on a jeep was.

2) Do you know your 6 ( or 8 ) digit grid?

 

[Sapper Woody]

1) For those of us in many years ago, we would always ask a newbie if he knew where the 5th wheel on a jeep was.

2) Do you know your 6 ( or 8 ) digit grid?

I love giving new guys 7 digits and see them try to figure it out. They're almost always afraid to ask for help. It's hilarious.

We told a new guy to get an exhaust sample from the LMTV. He went and started it, and then got a trash bag and held it over the tail pipe. When he took it to the mechanics, the NCOIC said, "You idiot! You used the wrong bag!"

 

[Tom Bryant]

"butter bars" - newly minted lieutenant

"I've got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that if you graduate from this, you will never have to prove anything to anyone again. The bad news is that you have to prove it to me." Jungle warfare school instructor

 

[JonC]

We'd have our new lieutenants checking for soft spots in the APCs [emoji28].

Then they'd get back at us by making bad decisions we'd have to accomplish [emoji35]

 

[Salty]

Are you in a TOE or TDA unit?

 

[Carolina Baptist]

US Coast Guard: Uncle Sam's Confused Group

 

[padredurand]

Are you in a TOE or TDA unit?

DAT= Dumb Anatomy Tankers

Artillery = Gun Bunnies, Cannon-cockers

S&T (Supply and Transportation) Shinola and Trash

O'Dark Thirty: any time after midnight

 

[Bro. Curtis]

NAVY- Never Again Volunteer Yourself

Midwatch - the 23:45 to 03:45 sentry.

 

[RLBosley]

"Lock it up!" Heard endlessly in basic, usually accompanied with a hand pointing in your face or the edge of the instructors hat pressing into your forehead.

"Puddle Pirates" Affectionate name given to our Coastie friends.

"Push dirt" Do pushups.

...but the absolute best was the day we told two new guys on the same vehicle patrol to report to the Alert Aircraft desk and pick up some fallopian tubing. The Alert guy just looked at them for a few moments, then told them they had to get that from the medical clinic. So we hear them over the radio request a swap-out with an exterior patrol so they can retrieve the fallopian tubing. The area security controller relayed the request to the area security supervisor, who granted the request.

Don't know what the med clinic told them. Just know those two guys weren't happy with us when they got back.

A buddy of mine told me the exact same story from when he was an NCO.

 

[padredurand]

I was in Germany from 1981 -84. (Ray Barracks Freidberg 2d Brigade 3d Armored Div). The new guys always came to the unit on a Monday. Armed Forces Network carried a Monday night football game that was a taped game from Sunday afternoon. It wasn't uncommon for someone to get trash talking with the newbies about the game and talk them into a bet on the Monday night game.

Two games that were always live were the Army/Navy game and the Super Bowl. The duty day started at noon on the Monday following the Super Bowl.

 

[Serving Him]

USMC - Uncle Sam's Misguided Children