Harry's Army Surplus Blog

Posts Tagged ‘military wife’

Being a military wife, I have had many conversations at the dinner table where I find myself asking, “What does that mean again?” a million times. Anyone who has watched a movie based on the military, have friends in the military, or have even served in the military themselves will say that they have the military has it’s own language, made up of many different acronyms.

Having lived on a military base, it’s a wonder I made it home those first few days after I moved there. Lucky for me, they actually labeled secure zones “Restricted area” and there were guards who were quick to point you on your way if you drove to a spot where you were not allowed access. Most places allowed civilians if you knew what the acronyms stood for, NEX also known as the Navy Exchange is a great place for tax free shopping!

Some of these more common military acronyms will help you keep up during your next chat with your military friends.

-AD: Active Duty

-APO: Army Post Office

-AWOL: Absent Without Leave (I think this one is self explanatory, you DON’T wanna go AWOL)

-BDU: Battle Dress Uniform (Working Uniform)

-CO: Commanding Officer (Also known as the “boss”)

-CONUS: Continental United States

-DOD: Department of Defense

-LES: Leave and Earning Statements (Military pay stub, this requires a degree in military language to read)

-MP: Military Police

-OCONUS: Outside Continental United States

-PCS: Permanent Change of Station (Moving time!)

-USA: United States Army

-USCG: United States Coast Guard

-USMC: United States Marine Corps

-USN: United States Navy

If you have a military member to grab a gift for, be sure to stop by Harry’s Military Gifts section!