TTT: Army Phrases

I recently bumped into a blogger who listed her Top Ten Navy Phrases. So of course I started thinking of the military terms we use around here. Not only is hubby active duty Army, but I served in the military myself, so we get it double duty, so to speak ;-)


Hang out with us long enough, and it becomes clear that we are a military family...

Here are our 'Most Used Army Expressions':

10. Parade Rest

~~ we used this phrase most when I had young kids grabbing stuff at the check-out lane. Parade rest is when you stand with your feet shoulder length apart and your hands are clasped behind your back. You are not allowed to move freely at this position ;-)

9. The Push Up

~~ you will hear this in our home when children need to calm down quickly. Our children will most often do 10 push-ups just before sitting down for devotions at night.

Image from bhonniepascua

8. Hoo-ah

~~ this is an all purpose word, mostly used for the affirmative "I have heard you", though around here it has been used in lieu of "good job".

7.  We leave at 1400!

~~ the military 24hour time is used in our home. This helps avoid the confusion of AM versus PM. All clocks, including the family vehicle, run on this time. It throws folks off when we are in the stores and the kids ask about things in military time, hahahaha

 6. Rally up

~~ you really have to see this one in person to fully understand, but it's a hand signal that is used to round people up when they are too far away to holler at. The signal is raising your arm directly above you head and moving your hand in a circular motion. I will holler out our name and signal, the children come running from wherever they are at the park. So very useful :-)

5. Suck it up and drive on

~~ it means "get over it" and we use it a lot around here for all whining instances.

4. Calling cadence

~~ at basic training, when you are running in formation, calling cadence is the tactic used to keep your mind off the miles you are pounding. It also helps controlling breathing and this is necessary when running long distance. One person makes a statement and then pauses while the rest of the formation repeats the phrase. Our kids know several cadences, all of which were cleaned up for our children ;-) The other day, when the kids were cleaning up the main floor, I heard them singing this one:

When I get to heaven,
St Peter's going to say,
"How'd you earn your living boy?
How'd you get your pay?"
I replied with a voice full of anger,
I MAKE MY LIVING AS AN AIRBORN RANGER

a truly amazing sight! chutes popping behind a C-130

Hubby walking with Josh at Sicily Drop Zone, Ft. Bragg

3. Pound sand

~~ this basically means "start walking". It is usually used in response to a snarky comment of negativity by a child. The response "you can always pound sand."

2. PCS

~~this is a Permanent Change of Station, it means a military relocation. You can tell we have moved A LOT in our short stint in when we have been here in Alaska less than a year and they are asking "So when do you think we will PCS next?" "Where will we PCS next, mom?"

Source: Uploaded by user via Tia on Pinterest

1. Roger that!

~~ this is a radio term meaning "message received". I was in the signal corps and I will use it when discussing things with my hubby and just recently I have heard my kids use it when responding to me. I still prefer "yes ma'am" but I do think it's pretty cool when my kiddos say "roger that" while they run off to do what they were asked to do :-)

Are you a #militarywife, do you have a favorite military term?