Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas away from Home.

Before I start this, I would just like to say Merry Christmas Eve to everybody.

This year is a lot different than last year. This is mine and Jeff's second Christmas together, but this time we are on the other side of the world, with oceans between us, and 6 hours time difference. I look out of my window and I see palm trees and mountains. It's paradise for the next person. However, it's extremely difficult for me to think of Hawaii as paradise today. I skyped with one side of my family, and I couldn't hold it together. My family is so very important to me. Growing up Christmas Eve with the family was the best, and it was my favorite holiday. It's the one time a year where family from all over get together and just laugh and have a great time. Seeing how big my cousins are getting, how much my brothers and sister are growing up, it kills me. I miss the feeling of a hug from my dad. I miss the laughter, and everyhing.

But, I have to be strong. I'm where I am because I WANT to be. I chose this life style when I said "I do." I should be thankful my husband isn't deployed this Christmas. I should be thankful for the life I live, the people in it, etc. I am. So before I keep rambling and rambling I'm going to get off of here and try to enjoy my holiday. It's a happy day.






Happy Birthday Jesus.

Monday, December 12, 2011

HI Life.

ALOHA readers! I need to stop slackin' and get writin'! I'm warning you now though, this blog is going to be random and really jumpy.

Hawaii is wonderful. We moved into our house October 4th. This is our first time living on a military post and I couldn't be happier. The location of our home is perfect. It's country, but not cow country. When you pull into our community, the mountains are on your left and the beach is in plain sight. I love it.

Since we've been here, we've gone to the beach, A LOT. We also went to our first luau! It was so amazing to see. We got to experience all cultures that made/make Hawaii what it is.

Thanksgiving passed. We invited some people over from Jeffy's company, and some friends we have made here on the island. It turned out to be a huge success. Jeff deep fried a turkey for the first time and I was terrified it would turn out to be like something from a Chevy Chase movie. But it was absolutely fantastic.

I don't really know what to write about now, but I will when I can think of something. I just wanted to update all of you! :]

Peace, Love, HI life. <3

Thursday, November 10, 2011

What a civilian family should know about a Military family.

There are a few things that "civilian families" don't understand about the lifestyle. I thought it would be nice to have a blog about some information that might be helpful for the families.I will add more on eventually, but so far here are just a few things.





1. Soldiers are not made of money.

Though soldiers have a steady paycheck and wonderful benefits, they get paid less than your average teacher. For a two person family, a soldiers paycheck is enough to pay bills, groceries and have a little spending money. Most families I have met at both duty stations are extremely cautious with their spendings. Do not ask us to go home all the time. Chances are, you probably make more than the soldier. He doesn't complain about it because he's doing what he loves BECAUSE of you and FOR you.

2. Don't expect us to go everywhere on Leave.

It is super nice to be able to go home and see friends and family whenever we have a chance too. It is not however, nice when we go home and we have to go see everyone. We spent enough money making the trip home, it'd be nice to have you pick us up or meet us somewhere.


3. You are not forgotten.

The military lifestyle can be hectic. It is solely (from my experience) the wife's job to keep in contact with everybody back home. It can sometimes be a pain remembering to call everybody all the time. I didn't forget about you. I'm not trying to be one of those "convenience" friends...That's what makes facebook and other social networks so awesome. Just remember, a phone works both ways.


4. Remember OPSEC.

This is probably the most important thing you need to know in order for you soldier, sailor, airmen, etc to be safe. Do NOT post any dates/locations of any movement. See "OPSEC Policy" tab on the top of my page.

(...to be continued)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Remembering 9/11..

Each generation has one major event that they can pin point exactly where they were and what they were doing when that event happend. The traumatic event that happend in my generation was 9/11. The only thing my generation and the generations after me know, is war.

September 11, 2001 started off like any other day. I was in seventh grade. Ms. Jankowski's english class. The final bell had just rung so we were all getting settled into our seats and talking amongst ourselves. The teacher goes to her podium to get her attendance sheet when the phone rings. We all watch because we're thinking "Oooh who got in trouble now!?" She takes her glasses off her face and puts her hand over her mouth. Just like something devastating just happend and she can't believe what she's hearing. She hangs up immediately and turns on the television to the news. There were two really tall buildings in New York City. One of them looks like a bomb had went off. Then they replayed a video. It was an airplane. Everyone in that class was in shock. We didn't speak, just sat there in awe. A few of us started to cry. I didn't because I still didn't fully understand what was happening or why it happend. I didn't even know what those buildings were. Throughout the day, other students were got picked up from their parents because there were "terrorists" all over the country crashing planes. After the first plane hit, another hit the second tower. After that one, a plane crashed in Pennsylvania. And after Pennsylvania, a plane or something hit the Pentagon. Were they really going to come to Michigan and try to kill us too? Who was doing this and why?? I got home from school that day and my mom is sitting on the couch with her phone in her hand and her face is all puffy likes she's been crying. I ask her, "Mom did you see what happen?" She just nods her head. My brother who was eight or nine at the time ran up to me and says "Amanda guess what!? Jon went to NYC to help!" Jon is my stepdad. But he raised me as his own, and he is my dad. I start remembering the images I saw earlier that day with all the dust, the smoke, the missing persons signs. "Yeah, right" was my first response. Then my mom chimes in.."No really, he's on his way right now". I just remember standing in the door way of the kitchen and living room crying my eyes out. People were dying in the rubble. So much was going on. The days after the 9/11 events were even more horrible. The death toll was over 3,000 and hundreds of people were missing. I remember the President going on TV and saying that we were going to war. That whole month of September was just sad. It affected everybody regardless if they knew someone in the attacks or not. We are a nation, and together we can do anything. Remember those who were lost. Take pride in your country. Live and Love each day like it were your last. And you can NEVER say I love you too much.

For those that still fight, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifices, you are NOT forgotten.


Monday, August 22, 2011

ALOHA!....ugh.

Eight plus long, exhausting hours later, we made it to Hawaii. It is absolutely gorgeous here! My husband and I are currently living in a hotel and have been for the past 2 1/2 weeks. Holy cabin fever batman. I never thought I would miss cooking so much. And I miss my couch. The first week here was probably the most fun but also the most difficult. Jeff and I were at each others throats almost everyday. I don't even remember why. I guess I can try the best of my ability to remember the first couple days...

Day before departure:

We drove out to Raliegh, NC. Car packed up to the window, dog on my lap. We stayed at a really nice hotel that was dog friendly right outside of the airport. Since I took care of most of Bella's stuff, the only thing I was worried about was if they were going to keep her on the same flight because it's been so hott. I decided to call the cargo people at American Airlines to find out information on Bella's flight so we could have a back up plan. They told us that if the temperatures in NC, TX, or HI are 85 or above she can not fly. I got off the phone, checked weather in all places. We were fine except when we would land in TX, it was 90 something degrees. So I called back, talked to this really awesome woman. At first she didn't know how to help. So since I was already worked up, I started balling my eyes out. To my advantage, it worked. The lady could schedule Bella on a flight that left a half hour after us and went to Chicago instead of TX. Score.

D-DAY:

We woke up at about 4am. Got our things together and was out the door at 5. We had to take Bella straight to some cargo place. We filled out some paper work, paid her ticket, and then had to take her into this back room. Which actually ended up being a very VERY large backroom. It was picture a Home Depot minus everything in there. We had to put Bella in the kennel and then weigh her. The guy told us we could leave her there and they'd make sure she got on the plane. Jeff says "See ya Bella" and walks off. I sit there, start crying, Bella starts crying and I say, "It's ok baby girl, mama loves you. I'm so sorry you're scared. I'll see you in a little bit. Stay strong." Don't laugh, I freaking love my dog. It was depressing and I was an emotional wreck. We left cargo and Bella...and went to our terminal and got ready for the most excruciatingly longest flight of my life.

Arrival:

We arrived in Hawaii too many hours later. It was really neat flying over the mountains and the ocean. I was waiting for them to play the Jurassic Park theme song, but they never did. So Jeff and I sat in the middle of this aircraft and hummed it. Once we landed we got all of our baggage together and he had to go check in with his "Army Folk". After all that the hotel we were supposed to stay at apparently didn't have a room, even though I called months in advance to book it. So they gave us some other hotel in Honolulu. And by the way people. Honolulu is actually pretty ghetto. For my folks back home, picture Detroit with palm trees. Anyways, we unload all of our stuff, and head over to where we were supposed to pick up Bella. We pick her up, and holy crap...This place was like the pound. I am SO glad we did not quarantine her. Her kennel was filthy and she reeked of pee. Nothing is more embarrassing than having your new friends that you hardly know pick you up from the airport with your dog that smells like pee in a brand new scion. So we get to her house all the way on base because thats where Bella was going to stay. Then we get a call saying that the hotel on base DOES have a room for us. So Jeff had to drive all the way back to Honolulu reload our stuff, cancel that room and drive back. We didnt get to bed that night until after 11. It felt like I pulled an all nighter at this point. And then the next morning since I'm not used to the time difference, I woke up at 6am. I continued to do so for the whole week.

Day 1 up to now:

Things are going a lot more smooth now. I met a lot of awesome people. Jeff and I have a house. We move in at the end of September. Its very cute. Two story, two bedroom, one and a half bath, and a fenced back yard. We like going to the beach. I'm a little sketchy about going in the water, but I still love it. The scenery is amazing. The air smells clean and fresh. People here are happy. I can definatly call this place home for the next three years of my life.


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Are we there yet? Ultimate blog for your PCS move.

If you're a first time reader or if you don't know me at all, my husband and I are PCSing to Hawaii. For all you non military folk out there, PCS is a permanent change of station. Basically when you hear a soldier say "Oh, I'm stationed here." The process of getting to that station is a PCS. There are hundreds upon hundreds of duty stations for US soldiers all over the world. My husband and I were lucky enough to get Hawaii. You call it lucky, I'll call it headache. Dont get me wrong, I am excited, but the process of actually getting there is a lot more stressful than I had imagined. As I'm sitting here yet AGAIN, in an empty (for the most post) home, I'm going to take you through all the steps we've gone through to make this move possible.




Step 1: Get Orders.
My Husband found out we got Hawaii in January of this year. We were ECSTATIC. We started googling Hawaii, buying movies made in Hawaii, looking at fun things to do, etc. Daydreaming basically. The only thing I knew right away about things to get done was that if you have a pet, it has to be quarantined for 120 days. Thats like four months! Anyway, at this time we didn't have "orders" we just knew thats where we were going, we had no idea when. So we wanted to take care of Bella first.

Step 2: Take care of your pet.
Hawaii is a rabies free state/region whatever, so your animal has to be up to date on their vaccines. They also have a quarantine law. Your animal must be quarantined for 120 days. I called the vet right away. We scheduled an appointment for Bella to be seen. She needed her rabies shot, a micro-chip, and an overall exam. We had to wait I want to say 90 days (I may be wrong) to take her back. When we took her back again, they took some of her blood (FAVN test) and sent it to a lab in Kansas. The day the lab got her blood her quarantine started. Animals can do a quarantine here on the "main land" they just shouldn't really be around other animals. If you arrive in Hawaii before the quarantine is up, your pet has to stay at the Quarantine station (a kennel) for the remainder time. Also, before you leave you must get a copy of your dogs health certificate from a vet and a hundred copies of her rabies vaccine just to be sure.

Step 3: Levy briefing and other crap the soldier has to do.
I'm honestly not sure what a levy briefing is because I didn't go. Its mainly for the soldier but the spouse may go if they wish. Its basically a meeting where they talk to you and other soldiers that are PCSing overseas. They talk about what you have to do before the move, how you schedule the movers, etc.

Step 4: Your medical shiz.
Make sure that you have an up to date "annual exam" and you get a check up. I don't like going on post to the doctor because it makes me feel weird so I went to planned parenthood and got raped by a woman. Not really, but it sure didn't tickle. After you get that, make sure you schedule an appointment for EFMP. (Exceptional Family Member Program). EFMP is usually just for people who have medical conditions that need treatment so I really don't know why I had to do it. Also, the spouse gets put on the husbands orders. If you are NOT on his orders, you have to fly separately and you have to pay for your own plane ticket.


*******NOTICE!! If you live off post, be sure to give copies of orders to your landlord and give them 30 days notice!!*******

Step 5: Scheduling the movers.
I honestly don't know how we did this either because Jeff took care of it. We didnt get our movers until today. (Two days before we leave).

Step 6: Shipping your vehicle.
We had to drive all the way to Charleston, SC to drop off our car. From Fayetteville, that is like three hours. Talk about long drive. Make sure you know people that can go with you so you don't have to rent a car like us and pay $500 for three days. For this you need 4 copies of orders and some other junk. Side note: after you get orders, make sure you print off literally about 30 copies, just to be safe.

Step 7: Let it go.
About a week before the movers come, start going through your stuff. Start throwing away stuff you don't need. Remember that you can always buy more. Yesterday we were going through stuff and Jeff wanted to keep a box of q-tips. Don't be afraid to just let it go.


Thats all the steps I can think of at the moment, I'm sure I am forgetting something. It doesn't seem like a lot but it's a lot more stressful than what I wrote. When clearing post and trying to schedule things, you have to work around the army. We did everything last minute and I was ready to go on a rampage. Jeff and I were/are at each others throats. We just have to keep thinking that in two days we will be in paradise for three years. I'm really excited and things seem to be finally falling into place. The only thing I'm nervous about right now is getting the dog on the plane. I'm praying and praying that everything works out. So cross your fingers for me.


Words of wisdom:
When you feel like taking your wrath out on your husband, take it out on idiot drivers on your way back from shipping your vehicle.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Prepare Yourself.

A lot of pride and love comes along with being a military wife. There is no way you can prepare yourself for the hardships you will face. Since the Army's motto is "Hurry up and wait", the only thing you can really do is just take things how they are and take them a day at a time. I am prepared for next deployment because I have been through one. I KNOW that my husband may have to stay at work a few days or weeks at a time while he should be home. I KNOW the army comes first. I had expectations that some things would happen. Having somebody tell me to my face that my husband and our fellow soldiers are just overseas killing women and children...I did not expect. Maybe if we were still in the middle of Vietnam I could expect that, but not in today's day.
The media doesn't show everything. The media only shows the attacks, the deaths, and the bad things happening. In war people die. Civilian and military. I don't know what Afghanistan or Iraq is first hand, but I live with a man who experienced it. The year he was in Afghanistan, he did not fire his weapon once. (I'm not by any means saying that there is no killing going on because there is.) What most of America DOESN'T know, is that Afghanis and Americans are working TOGETHER to help build a better nation. They DO want us there. Below are some pictures my husband took during his tour. You can be the judge of the pictures if you think that those people hate us. Just the other day an insurgent (sp?) killed a young child because they told the father that if he didn't supply them with a vehicle and weapons, they'd kill his son. We are doing what we can to STOP those evil people and to help those children live better lives so they can grow to be successful and NOT terrorists.
One thing I will always live by now, is if you don't like this great nation we live in, please feel free to live. We are not a communist nation and nobody is making you stay here. Ask yourself what you are contributing to the country. If you can't think of one thing, I feel bad for you.

Talk to a soldier, be in his/her shoes. Thank them. You have the right to your opinion about this war because of them.




Sunday, May 29, 2011

Memorial Weekend 2011.

Hardiness , valor,strength, and bravery, peace and honesty, Vigilance, Perserverance, Justice, truth, and loyalty. What do those those words represent? If you're completely puzzled or you think you have an idea, they represent the colors of the American Flag. Good Ole Red, White, and Blue.

Growing up, I've always been patriotic. Being an Army Wife I feel even more empowered to express the way I feel about our country. Yesterday, Jeff and I went downtown to the Special Operations museum where they had 700 flags put out to represent some people in the service. The ground leading up to the museum had engravings of servicemen who had died protecting our flag, our country, us. One of these engravings in particular hit something deep down that filled me with emotion. I just wanted to break down and cry. I don't remember what his name was...but he had died in a Black Hawk crash in 1993 in Somalia. When we came home later that day we popped in the movie "Black Hawk Down." Seeing an actual memorial for this brave man and watching the movie to see what he went through was devastating. War in general is always devastating. Being stuck home on the sidelines when something is going on, we try not to think about how horrible our husbands, our brothers, or even our sisters go through or witness. I know it's nothing compared to the "real" thing but it really made me think. It also made me appreciate our troops even more. Back home there would always be parades and festivities going on to celebrate these men and women. Back home there is no active military base or "military towns". People show their appreciation however they can but it's completely different than being in a military town. In the museum a good majority of the volunteers were veterans. The Vet that I had spoken to, I shook the man's hand and told him "Thank you". I try to thank veterans when I can, I do it because I mean it. After yesterday, I think the Veteran had know I meant it because a whole lot of emotions came with it. After you thank a Vet, the expression you see on their face is always timeless. The world stops and you can feel the joy that they feel.

When Jeff was deployed, my mom had put a single candle in the window so that he could find his way home safely. I ask all of you to please do this until tuesday morning so that all of our soldiers still deployed find their ways home safely. I also ask you to do this for all the brave men and women who have fallen. They gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Please remember the true meaning of Memorial Day and show your patriotism by thanking a veteran.
God Bless the USA.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Make A Wish

For those of you that know me, I've always been really big on helping people. I started doing volunteer work at the age of 13. It was mandatory at my high school in order to graduate. But the more I did the work, the more I appreciated doing it. It makes you feel good and it makes you feel like you accomplished something. People are always talking about change and making a difference. You can make your difference TODAY.

Christmas Eve five and a half years ago, my cousin James was born. He was a great baby, but something wasn't right. After multiple doctors visits, they diagnosed James with Pompe's disease. For those of you that don't know what Pompe's disease is here is a little information:

Glycogen storage disease type II (also called Pompe disease or acid maltase deficiency) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder[1] which damages muscle and nerve cells throughout the body. It is caused by an accumulation of glycogen in the lysosome due to deficiency of the lysosomal acid alpha-glucosidase enzyme. It is the only glycogen storage disease with a defect in lysosomal metabolism, and the first glycogen storage disease to be identified, in 1932.
The build-up of glycogen causes progressive muscle weakness (myopathy) throughout the body and affects various body tissues, particularly in the heart, skeletal muscles, liver and nervous system. (Wikipedia)


James has been in and out of the hospital every since he was a baby. Doctors told my family that it is very rare for children with Pompe to live past the age of three. James will be six this winter. This child has showed everyone in my family what love really is. I look up to my aunt and uncle so much. It takes two very strong people to raise a child with a disability. The strength these two have is amazing and unbelievable. I hope and I pray to God that I can be as strong as them both. Enough with the mushy stuff. James gets to go to school, he gets to play with his brothers, and he has one heck of a personality. He can't walk, but he makes you appreciate the small things in life. One of his favorite things to do right now is to go for walks. My family takes turns pushing him in his chair around his house. James will put his little hand out and knock all of the magnets off of the fridge. It's cute and you can see how much joy he gets out of that. The smallest things.

This past April, Make a Wish foundation paid for James to go to Disney with his family. He has a blast!! His favorite ride was the Jaws ride. I've always heard really great things about make a wish, but seeing what it can do for a family is totally different. There are hundreds of thousands of children with disabilities and diseases that Make a wish helps every day. I think it's time for us to show our appreciation. This summer, my Uncle Rick is doing the "Make a Wish ride". It's a bicycle marathon that will probably end up with hundreds of people breathless and puking their brains out. Just kidding. Ha. Anyways, below is a link. Please check it out. Any donation helps, whether it's one dollar or twenty. "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Donate to Make a Wish!!!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Homesick.

The last couple days I've been pondering what I should write about next. The only suggestion I recieved from people was to write about how REAL army life is different from the tv show. Well, this is about to be as real as it gets...



I'm sitting here listening to "Home" by the Foo Fighters crying like a baby. My husband and I PCS to Hawaii in 10 weeks. He started clearing the other day and things are finally starting to move along. Now that everything is in the works and we have the paperwork, it feels real. It feels real and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I miss home. When will I see home next?
I haven't seen my dad since christmas (he does work in Alabama, so he's not home much). My mom is visiting in just a couple weeks. I don't know what all started this mood though. It could be my little sisters birthday thats coming up. She's going to be twelve. I remember being twelve. It was the most difficult age I had to deal with. I lost a lot of my self esteem when I was that age. I felt the lowest of lows. I don't want that to happen to her. I want to be there to protect her. I want to be there for all my siblings. I used to protect my brothers. Now they are all bigger than me and they try to protect me. I love them all to death. I miss weekends with my mom. All the kids would be gone and it'd be just her and I. We'd watch movies together and just talk about everything. I miss random days with my dad. He'd come home from work early and he'd take me shopping. It's the little things. I feel like I took those for granted. Kids growing up always talk about how they can't wait to get out of the house. We want to be able to feel that freedom. The freedom is great. But I constantly feel like a huge chunk is missing out of my heart. I grew up being so close with my family...after Jeff and I leave I dont know when I will be able to see them again. Three years. A lot can change in three years. 15, 17, 20, 21. Thats how old my siblings will be when we get back to the states. I wont be able to buy my oldest brother his first beer. I won't be able to take my other brother to get his first tattoo. I wont be able to take that first drive with my youngest brother. And I wont be able to take homecoming pictures with my sister. It breaks my heart. I have to keep telling myself that I KNEW what I was getting into.

There you have it. Real live Army wife life. It's time for me to put my big girl panties on now.

Monday, April 25, 2011

First holiday away from "Home."

Easter 2011 was my first holiday away from everything I've known. Growing up, my siblings and I would wake each other up at the crack of dawn just to find our easter baskets. Mom was always great with holidays. It was always too cold for her to hide the eggs, so she would make do with the plastic eggs hidden around the house. After we would go through our baskets, we would get dressed in our best and go to church. Then around noon we would head to my grandma's house and spend Easter with the rest of our ginormous family.




This year since it was just myself, Jeff, and the dog, I had bought a couple baskets and some little gadgets from the dollar tree. I had to play bunny this year. I hid Bella's basket and let her find it. It was so cute. Jeff and I got ready for the day and went to church. It was a beautiful service. Afterwords we got some lunch at Golden Corral (I had never been), it was amazing! We also decided to go for a drive. So we took the dog and went to a couple lakes on post. It was a beautiful day and it was just filled with love, even though it was only the three of us. When we got home, our neighbors came over and we all watched "Passion of the Christ." I had seen the movie before but I was a child and I never really understood. After watching it again, I feel like I found the true meaning of Easter.



Life is beautiful. Life is short. Jesus died for my sins, and yours, whether you believe or not..

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Twister..in real life.

As most of you have heard by now, yesterday 16April 2011, tornados ripped through the east coast. North Carolina got hit really badly. As of right now there are 22 confirmed casualties and many many injured. The whole state is under a state of emergency. I decided that tomorrow I am going to red cross and am going to volunteer as much time as I can to help these victims.

Growing up in Michigan, we do get tornados every now and then. However, none are really "deadly." Michigan does a test every first saturday of the month with the "tornado sirens." I didn't hear this down here. Yesterday morning and Friday evening everyone kept talking about how horrible and severe this storm was going to be. Myself along with others didn't think anything of it because back in the fall, we were supposed to get hit with a hurricane. The end results in this hurricane was sprinkles and sunshine. The weather yesterday was kind of over cast, the sun peaking out here and there and pretty humid. It started sprinkling a little bit and Jeff and I had decided to go to Sonic because I am completely obsessed with Route 44 sweet teas..extra ice. As soon as we pulled into the sonic booth, the power went out. Oh great, I thought. I looked behind me to look at the major road, all the traffic lights were out. We decided to leave and head home. Within the .2 miles of driving back home we saw almost two accidents. We get home and sit on the porch because it starts thundering a little bit. The neighbor had her little boy out playing in the rain with his spiderman rain boots and yellow poncho. Then is started to pour cats and dogs, and when I say cats and dogs, I mean elephants and velociraptors.  (Oh yeah and we lost our power too at this point) So we're sitting out on the patio, and we hear this loud thunder that didn't stop for almost 20 seconds. It was loud and kind of sounded like a train. I don't know if this was the tornado or not. But it scared the heck out of me! We went back inside, the power turned back on and the sun was out. The crap? I get online as fast as I can and I hear about two tornados. One in Fayetteville/Ft Bragg and one in Sanford which is like twenty minutes from me. I thank God that this thing passed us. I see pictures, watch the news, see videos, and hear stories and it breaks my heart. I haven't volunteered in a very long time so tomorrow my goal is to get down to red cross and do WHATEVER I can.

Those of you that are in any of the areas that got affected by these tornados, God bless you and your family.
For information on how you can help visit: Highland Hills Red Cross


Sunday, April 10, 2011

Tell time like a soldier.

I hate using military time, being around so much it sort of starts to grow on you. Here's a little help on learning military time.

If it's past noon, add 1200 to it. Example: (1:00pm)  1+1200= 1300

If you watch the show Army Wives, they're not 100% right on everything. If it's before noon, it's ZERO and then the time and not OH. Example: 8am...0800 (Zero eight hundred)

Talk like a soldier.

I recently had a poll on which topics I should discuss in my next entry. Military Jargon was tied with skype dates. So I figured why not do both. I'm the kind of wife that makes sure my husband doesn't bring work home with him, and I try not to get involved with the army because I'm not a soldier. However, at times, you can't really help but to want to know what's going on. Like, who the heck is Roger, and why are we still talking about Charlie? I've only been a wife for six months, but I'm SLOWLY learning the jargon. One weekend, Jeff and I went camping and I told him, "My goal for this weekend is to learn the army alphabet." "You mean the phonetic alphabet?" He says. "Well yeah, same difference." Sure enough, by the end of the weekend I could recite the whole alphabet. It wasn't too hard but certain letters were a little tough. I started thinking of way to remember them. Example, L is for Lima. I only remember that because that's the town the show Glee takes place. Hah. Anyways, below is the complete alphabet for you ladies, and a little extra on the jargon. :]

Phonetic Alphabet:


A....ALPHA
B....BRAVO
C....CHARLIE
D....DELTA
E....ECHO
F....FOXTROT
G....GULF
H....HOTEL
I....INDIA
J....JULIET
K....KILO
L....LIMA
M....MIKE
N....NOVEMBER
O....OSCAR
P....PAPA
Q....QUEBEC
R....ROMEO
S....SIERRA
T....TANGO
U....UNIFORM
V....VICTOR
W....WHISKEY
X....X-RAY
Y....YANKEE
Z....ZULU

Other Jargon you may or may not find useful. :]


---A---
AAA - Anti-Aircraft Artillery
AAFES - Army Air Force Exchange System
AAR - After Action Report
ABN - Airborne
ACAP - Army Career and Alumni Program (helps soldiers separating from the military)
ACP - Access Control Point
ACS - Army Community Services (provides family services)
ACU - Army Combat Uniform
AD - Active Duty
ADA - Air Defense Artillery
AER - Army Emergency Relief (emergency funds for families and soldiers)
AFN - Armed Forces Network
AFTB - Army Family Team Building (teaches dependents about military life)
AG - Adjutant General
AIT - Advanced Individual (or Infantry) Training
ALC - Advance Leadership Course (same as BNCOC, Army renamed it)
AOB - Armor Officer Basic
ANCOC - Advanced Noncommisioned Officer Course (needed to make E-7)
ANG - Air National Guard
AO - Area of Operations
APC - Armored Personnel Carrier
APFT - Army Physical Fitness Test
APO - Army Post Office
AR -Army Regulation
ASAP - Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program
ASU - Army Service Uniform (Class A's)
ATC - Annual Training Conference
AWOL - Absent Without Leave

---B---
BAH - Basic Allowance for Housing (money for rent for soldiers with dependents)
BAS - Basic Allowance for Sustinence (money for food for soldiers with dependents)
BCT - Basic Combat Training (formerly known as Boot Camp)
BDE - Brigade
BDU - Battle Dress Uniform (old camouflage uniforms)
BOGINT - Bogus Intelligence
BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again
BOQ - Bachelor Officer Quarters
BN - Battalion
BNCOC - Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course (needed for promotion to E-6)
BRAC - Base Realignments and Closures

---C---
CAC - Community Action Counsel
CG - Commanding General (in charge of the base or post)
CDC - Child Development Center
CENTCOM - Central Command
CIB - Combat Infantry Badge
CID - Criminal Investigation Division
CO - Commanding Officer
COB - Close of Business
COLA - Cost of Living Allowance (given in Hawaii, Alaska and overseas)
CONUS - Continental United States
CPS - Child Protective Services
CQ - Charge of Quarters
CY - Calendar Year

---D---
DA - Department of the Army
DCU - Desert Camouflage Uniform
DeCa - Defense Commissary Agency (run grocery stores on base or post)
DEERS - Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System
DEROS - Date of Estimated Return from Overseas
DFAC - Dining Facilities Administration Center (or known as the Mess Hall/Cafeteria)
DFAS - Defense Finance Accounting System (in charge of our pay)
DI - Drill Instructor
DITY - Do It Yourself (in relation to moving)
DLA - Dislocation Allowance (money to help with the cost of moving)
DoD - Department of Defense
DOR - Date of Rank
DPP - Deferred Payment Plan (military credit card, now called the Star Card)
DPW - Directorate of Public Works (maintains the base or post)
DSN - Defense Switched Network (secured communication lines)

---E---
EEO - Equal Employment Opportunity
EER - Enlisted Evaluation Report
EFMB - Excellence in Field Medicine Badge
EFMP - Exceptional Family Member Program (helps with special medical needs)
EIA - Excellence in Armor
EIB - Excellence in Infantry Badge
EM - Enlisted Member
ERB - Enlisted Record Brief
ETS - Estimated Time of Separation (date that you may leave the military)
EWC - Enlisted Wives Club

---F---
FAC - Family Assistance Center/Family Advocacy Commitee
FAQ - Family Advocacy Program
FCP - Family Care Plan
FDU - Full Dress Uniform
FLO - Family Liason Officer
FM - Field Manual
FORSCOM - Forces Command
FRG - Family Readiness Group (provides support to families)
FRO - Family Readiness Officer
FSA - Family Separation Allowance (paid to married soldiers gone for 30+ days)
FTX - Field Training Exercise
FY - Fiscal Year (begins 1 Oct and ends 30 Sep)

---G---
GO - General Officer
GS - General Schedule (pay schedule for civilian employees)

---H---
HFP - Hostile Fire Pay
HHC - Headquarters and Headquarters Company
HHT - Headquarters and Headquarters Troop
HQ - Headquarters
HQDA - Headquarters, Department of the Army
HS - Home Station

---I---
IE - Initial Entry
IET - Initial Entry Training (basic training)
IG - Inspector General (investigates questionable situations on base or post)
ITO - Information Travel Office

---J---
JAG - Judge Advocate General (military lawyers)
JUMPS - Joint Uniform Military Pay System

---K---
KIA - Killed in Action
KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
KP - Kitchen Patrol

---L---
LES - Leave Earnings Statement (Military Pay Stub)
LN - Local National
LOD - Line of Duty
LZ - Landing Zone

---M---
MACOM - Major Army Command
MEDDAC - Medical Department Activity
METL - Mission Essential Task List
MI - Military Intelligence
MIA - Missing in Action
MILPO - Military Personnel Office
MOS - Military Occupational Specialty (Job Title)
MP - Military Police
MRE - Meal Ready to Eat (Food that's vacuumed sealed)
MTF - Military Treatment Facility (Military Hospital)
MWR - Morale, Recreation and Welfare

---N---
NBC - Nuclear Biological Chemical
NCO - Noncommissioned Officer
NCOER - Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report
NCOIC - Noncommissioned Officer in Charge
NG - National Guard
NPD - No Pay Due

---O---
OBC - Officer Basic Course
OCONUS - Outside Continental United States
OCS - Officer Candidate School
OD - Officer of the Day
OER - Officer Evaluation Report
OIC - Officer in Charge
OPSEC - Operational Security
OWC - Officers Wives Club

---P---
PAO - Public Affairs Officer
P-38 - Small can opener for C-Rations
PAM - Pamphlet
PCS - Permanent Change of Station (moving time)
PERSCOM - Army Personnel Command (in charge of promotion, movement, etc.)
PERSEC - Personal Security
PFU - Physical Fitness Uniform
PLDC - Primary Leadership Development Course (needed for promotion to E-5)
PLT - Platoon
PM - Provost Marshall
PMOS - Primary Military Occupational Specialty (primary job)
POA - Power of Attorney
POC - Point of Contact
POV - Privately Owned Vehicle
POW - Prisoner of War
PT - Physical Training
PX - Post Exchange (store on base or post)
PZ - Primary Zone (in reference to promotion)

---Q---
QM - Quarter Master

---R---
R&R - Rest and Recreation
RA - Regular Army
RC - Reserve Component
RCP - Retention Control Point (gives cutoffs for promotion)
RD - Rear Detatchment (soldiers who stay behind from a deployment or exercise)
RDC - Rear Detatchment Commander
RDF - Rapid Deployment Force
REG - Regulation
RIF - Reduction in Force

---S---
SBP - Survivor Benefit Plan
SCO - Squadron Commanding Officer
SDNCO - Staff Duty Noncommissioned Officer
SDO - Staff Duty Officer
SGLI - Soldiers Group Life Insurance
SIDPERS - Standard Installation/Division Personnel Reporting System
SMO - Squadron Maintnence Officer
SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
SRB - Selective Reenlistment Bonus
SSI - Single Soldier Initiative
SSN - Social Security Number
STRAC - Skilled, Tough, Ready Around The Clock
SZ - Secondary Zone (in reference to promotion)

---T---
TDY - Temporary Duty Assignment
TIG - Time in Grade
TLA - Temporary Living Allowance
TLE - Temporary Lodging Expense
TM - Training Manual
TRADOC - Training and Doctrine Command

---U---
UCDPP - Uniform Clothing Deferred Payment Plan (military credit plan for clothing)
UCMJ - Uniform Code of Military Justice (military law)
USAR - United States Army Reserve
USARC - United States Army Reserve Command
USAREC - United States Army Recruiting Command
USMA - United States Military Academy
USO - United Service Organization
UTA - Unit Training Assembly

---V---
VA - Veteran Affairs
VHA - Variable Housing Allowance

---W---
WMD - Weapons of Mass Destruction
WO - Warrant Officer
WOAC - Warrant Officer Advanced Course
WOC - Warrant Officer Candidate Course
WOCS - Warrant Officer Candidate School
WOSC - Warrant Officer Senior Course

---X---
XO - Executive Officer



Numbers
4-F - Classification given to those deemed unfit for military service
50-cal -.50 caliber machine gun
51-cal - heavy machine gun used by the enemy
79 - an M-79 grenade launcher
82 mm - a mortar used by the enemy
105 - a 105-mm howitzer
201 file - a US Army personnel file

Terms
Alert - call to be ready on short notice
Allotment - deduction from pay to bank or individual
Allowance - special pay or compensation
Article 15 - punitive action
Blanket Party - unofficial punishment of company goof off
Billets/Barracks/Dorms - where single soldiers live
Brownnoser - person who sucks up to seniors
Cherry- Soldier fresh out of basic and ait
Chit - paper given by medical to be excused from certain types of work or exercise
Chow hall - dining facility (AKA mess hall)
CQ - 24hr watch over the barracks
Dependent - family member entitled to military benefits
Detail - job or assignment
Dining in - social gathering for soldiers only
Dining out - social gathering for soldiers and spouses
Dog And Pony Show - doing something for the Brass or the public
Fartsack - Sleeping bag
Full Bird - Colonel
Garrison - post or community
GI Party - cleanup duty
Grade - pay level
Guidon - unit flag
Grunt - Infantry Soldier
Hash marks - stripes on uniform to show time in service
Hoo ah - slang meaning something is acknowledged and understood
Insignia - indicates branch of service
Jody call - cadence
Klick - slang for Kilometer
Latrine - restroom
Legs - Non-Airborne Soldiers
Motor pool - area where vehicles are kept and maintained
Orderly room - company office
Orders - written or spoken directive
Organization day - outing that is usually mandatory for soldiers and optional for families
Poge - non-combat MOS
Police call - cleanup duty
Puss Pad - the little pad used for sleeping on
Rank - official title of the service member
Re-up - reenlist
Reveille - bugle call at the beginning of the day
Retreat - bugle call at the end of the day
Sick call - where soldiers go for medical treatment
Short timer - someone who is about to leave the military
Short tour - unaccompanied overseas tour
Staff Duty - 24 hour watch over the unit area
TA50 - field gear
Tricare - our medical insurance
United Concordia - dental insurance for family members
Zero Dark Thirty - very early in the morning








80% of information is from bragg wives page on facebook.