Military Terminology
CO | Commanding Officer
XO | Executive Officer
HQ | Headquarters
HHC | Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Hq. Co. | Headquarters Company
QM | Quartermaster
Ordnance | Branch responsible for weapons and elated equipment
Eng. | Engineers
Med. Det. | Medical Detachment
S-1 | Personnel staff section
S-2 | Intelligence staff section
S-3 | Operations and training staff section
S-4 | Supply and logistics staff section
APO | Army Post Office
AWOL | Absent Without Leave
TDY | Temporary Duty
ETO | European Theater of Operations
PTO | Pacific Theater of Operations
CONUS | Continental United States
A cantonment is a permanent or temporary military base, station, camp, or residential quarter where troops and their families are lodged.
Solders Terminology
Barracks | Buildings where enlisted personnel lived
Mess | Facility where soldiers ate meals
Latrine | Military term for a toilet facility
Reveille | Signal to wake up and begin the day
Retreat | End-of-day ceremony traditionally associated with lowering the flag
Taps | Evening bugle call associated with lights-out
Sick call | Time when soldiers reported for medical attention
KP (Kitchen Police) | Assigned kitchen or mess-hall duties
Pass | Permission to be away from one's duty station for a limited period
Furlough | Authorized leave, often for a longer period than a pass
Rations | Food issued to military personnel
Muster | An official assembly or accounting of personnel
Formation | An organized gathering of troops
Reassignment | Transfer to another unit or duty
Inspection | Examination of personnel, equipment, weapons, or facilities
G.I. | Common term for an American serviceman; also associated with government-issued equipment
Doughboy | Traditional nickname for an American infantryman
Dogface | Informal nickname for an infantry soldier
Butter Bar | A nickman for a new 1st Lieuntenant
MP | Military Police
KIA | Killed in Action
WIA | Wounded in Action
MIA | Missing in Action
POW | Prisoner of War
Other Terms
Basic training: Initial instruction in military discipline, physical fitness, weapons, and soldiering.
Maneuvers: Large-scale field exercises simulating combat operations.
Field exercises: Practical outdoor training in military tasks and tactics.
Live-fire exercise: Training using ammunition fired from actual weapons.
Hand-to-hand combat: Fighting at close quarters using unarmed techniques or weapons.
Bayonet drill: Training in the use of a bayonet attached to a rifle.
Foxhole: A small defensive position dug into the ground.
Field fortifications: Trenches, fighting positions, obstacles, and other defensive works.
Reconnaissance: Gathering information about enemy forces or terrain.
Patrol: A small military force sent out to observe, scout, or conduct an operation.
Flanking maneuver: An attack against the side of an enemy position.
Ambush: A surprise attack against an unsuspecting force.
Withdrawal: An organized movement away from an enemy.
M1 Garand: Standard U.S. Army service rifle during WWII.
M1 Carbine: Lightweight firearm used by many officers and support personnel, among others.
M1911: Standard U.S. military .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol.
M1 helmet: Standard American steel combat helmet.
BAR: Browning Automatic Rifle.
M1919: Browning machine gun used in several configurations.
Mortar: U.S. 60-mm infantry mortar, or 81-mm heavy mortar
Bazooka: Shoulder-fired rocket launcher used against armored vehicles and other targets.
Grenade: Explosive device thrown by hand.
Pack or haversack: Equipment carried by a soldier to transport supplies.
Field gear: Personal equipment carried or worn by soldiers.
Motor pool: Area where military vehicles were stored, serviced, and maintained.
Half-track: Armored or unarmored vehicle using front wheels and rear tracks.
Jeep: Lightweight military utility vehicle.
Deuce-and-a-half: Common nickname for a 2½-ton military truck.
DUKW: A 2½-ton military truck that can swim in water and drive on land.