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Military Culture

Dad kissing baby out of bus with mom

Some people have compared military culture to landing in a foreign country without a guide book. Fortunately, many books and websites have been created on military culture and how to navigate it. This section will try to provide some basic information to help make the "foreign language" a little less foreign.

Phonetic Alphabet

A - Alpha	J - Juliet	S - Sierra
B - Bravo	K - Kilo	T - Tango
C - Charlie	L - Lima	U - Uniform
D - Delta	M - Mike	V - Victor
E - Echo	N - November	W - Whiskey
F - Foxtrot	O - Oscar	X - X-ray
G - Golf	P - Papa	Y - Yankee
H - Hotel	Q - Quebec	Z - Zulu
I - India	R - Romeo

Military Time

Military time uses a 24-hour clock. For any time before 10:00 am add a zero before the hour - 9:00 am would be written 0900 and spoken, "zero nine hundred." Any time from 10:00 am to noon would be 1000, 1100, or 1200. Any time after noon should add 12 to the time - 5:00 pm would be written 1700 or said, "seventeen hundred."

Terms and Acronyms for Beginners

ACS	Army Community Services - provides support services to active duty, reserve components, their families and survivors
AFRC	Airmen and Family Readiness Center - provides support services in the Air Force to active duty, reserve components, their families and survivors
AGR	Active Guard and Reserve
Allotment	Deduction from a service member's pay - designated by the service member for a specific purpose such as a mortgage or a savings account
BAH	Basic Allowance for Housing
BAS	Basic Allowance for Subsistence (food) - only paid for service member, not for family
BX	Base Exchange - Air Force term for a military department store
Benefits	Provided by the Services, such as medical, retirement, commissary and exchange privileges
Chain of Command	Hierarchy of authority - who reports to whom
CDC	Child Development Center
C-Store	Marine Corps term for a liquor store
Class 6 Store	Army and Air Force term for a liquor store
Colors	National and unit flags
Commissary	Grocery store, often located on base
CONUS	Continental United States
COLA	Not soda, but cost of living allowance
Cover	Hat
Dependent	Family member, which is the preferred term
DITY	Do It Yourself move
Exchange	Term for a military department store
FFSC	Fleet and Family Service Center - provides support services for Navy active duty, reserve components, their families and survivors
FRG	Family Readiness Group (also know as Family Support Group)
LES	Leave and Earnings Statement (i.e. pay stub, but it's electronic)
Leave	Approved time away from duty
JFTR	Joint Federal Travel Regulation
MCCS	Marine Corps Community Services - provides support services for Marine active duty, reserve components, their families and survivors
MCX	Marine Corps Exchange - Marine Corps term for a military department store
MWR	Morale, Welfare and Recreation
NEX	Navy Exchange - Navy term for a military department store
OCONUS	Outside the Continental United States
Package Store	Navy term for a liquor store
PCS	Permanent Change of Station (i.e. orders)
PX	Post Exchange - Army term for a military department store
SGLI	Servicemembers Group Life Insurance
Social Security Number	They're not asking for yours, they're asking for your sponsor's
Space A	Space available
Sponsor	Your service member
TAD	Temporary Additional Duty, a short assignment, usually to a school
TDY	Temporary Duty, a longer assignment often to another unit
TSP	Thrift Savings Plan
Title 10	Federal orders to deploy
Title 32	State orders to mobilize