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| You probably cannot see me in this photo because I am wearing camouflage. |
ARMY JARGON 101
1) Hooah: defined as “anything and everything except
no.” This is the all-purpose Army filler word. It can mean anything
from “I absolutely agree, you are so right!” to “What you just said was asinine, but I acknowledge that you said it.”
2) Jacked up: An adjective describing things that are
not the way they are supposed to be. A good example would be the appearance of
my uniform the first time I put it on: “Lieutenant, your uniform is jacked up!
3) Squared away: indicates a person who is not jacked
up. It is high praise to say of
someone, “that is a very squared away soldier.” The opposite of squared away is a “soup sandwich.” (Think about it.)
4) Counsel: A verb describing having a talk with a
subordinate soldier to “educate” him about something he did wrong or to let him
know you noticed something good he did. Most of the time getting counseled is bad, but not always. You should stand at
attention while being counseled unless you are told to be “as you were.”
5) Accountability: Taking attendance. Whenever we go anywhere, we budget extra time for this. For example, if we are supposed to be on the PT field by 0430 (o dark thirty), we will be required to arrive by 0415 or even earlier so that the student leadership can make sure that we are all there. Our squad leaders report to the platoon leaders who report to the company leaders who report to the battalion leaders that we are all here. There is lots of saluting involved as well.
5) Accountability: Taking attendance. Whenever we go anywhere, we budget extra time for this. For example, if we are supposed to be on the PT field by 0430 (o dark thirty), we will be required to arrive by 0415 or even earlier so that the student leadership can make sure that we are all there. Our squad leaders report to the platoon leaders who report to the company leaders who report to the battalion leaders that we are all here. There is lots of saluting involved as well.
6) Being pissed: having a urine drug test. Here at
officer training, they told us we were going to a “leadership class” and then
surprised us with a drug test. In a normal platoon, 10-20% of people are randomly
chosen to be pissed on a rotating basis. Can also be used as a transitive verb, as in “they pissed us.”
7) B.L.U.F.: “bottom line up front.” You are supposed to do this when you give a brief to a superior officer. It is a beautiful idea and I wish they would apply it to everything.
8) Tracking: Means that you are aware of something or that you get the speaker's drift. Often used in a call and response format. Examples: “I am tracking a problem with blahblahblah.” or “Are you tracking?”
9) High speed: This is an adjective meaning that something is cool, high technology, or fancy. Can also refer to a person who is really competitive. Does not have anything to do with rapidity of transport. Example: “Those new tanks have all the high speed gadgets on the dashboard.”
10) Battle buddy: This is broadly applied and can refer to the person you are currently walking or sitting next to, any person in your unit, or your best friend. In the field, this person holds your gun for you while you use the latrine since you cannot go anywhere without your weapon.
DISCLAIMER: The picture of me in uniform does not imply US Government/DoD/Army endorsement of this blog or any of the opinions or Mollies herein.7) B.L.U.F.: “bottom line up front.” You are supposed to do this when you give a brief to a superior officer. It is a beautiful idea and I wish they would apply it to everything.
8) Tracking: Means that you are aware of something or that you get the speaker's drift. Often used in a call and response format. Examples: “I am tracking a problem with blahblahblah.” or “Are you tracking?”
9) High speed: This is an adjective meaning that something is cool, high technology, or fancy. Can also refer to a person who is really competitive. Does not have anything to do with rapidity of transport. Example: “Those new tanks have all the high speed gadgets on the dashboard.”
10) Battle buddy: This is broadly applied and can refer to the person you are currently walking or sitting next to, any person in your unit, or your best friend. In the field, this person holds your gun for you while you use the latrine since you cannot go anywhere without your weapon.
