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GLOSSARY
This Glossary is intended to cover both the Air Force Sweetheart Series and the L. J. Steven Series. The absolute need for this Glossary was quietly pointed out to us by Red MacDonald who provided many of the abbreviations, words, phrases or TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) which are shown below.
This Glossary is not all inclusive and if there are other confusing usages in those two story series that any of you would like to see defined, please let us know and we will (attempt) to provide appropriate (1960 to 1970) definitions for them.
Renae Dumas
EDIT: Sorry. Discovered I used a faulty name for the file. This one seems to work.
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Comments
Acronyms
The Navy had their own acronyms and used some of the other services also. I am not going to go into them but the Department of Defense seems to work with acronyms more than not. Our own government has more acronyms than one could imagine. I'm not sure why you chose sixties to seventies for the Air Force when all branches of the DOD were involved in Viet Nam.
I will say they did leave out a lot of the acronyms that were profane.
Jill Micayla
Be kinder than necessary,Because everyone you meet
Is fighting some kind of battle.
Simple, really
The timeframe of the various stories is in the '60s to '70s; and look at the original story title, which is Air Force Sweetheart. This covers the most commonly used acronyms in the stories, along with a pinch of Army to take care of Lynn's early days. The Navy doesn't figure prominently in the stories, so can safely be ignored.
It is ironic in a way, the dirty words being masked are likely now in common street usage. But we still use the acronyms, such as FUBAR instead of the more earthy original language for example.
What I find amusing is the way the Military/industrial complex will contort the name of a project or piece of equipment just to have a catchy acronym. The acronym is 50% of any project, the actual purpose of the project is secondary.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Thanks, That Helps
The software ate my comment, but it really wasn't worth retyping!
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Two items
1. Dustoff was usually only used for requesting a medical emergency evacuation (in Vietnam a VERY hazardous position)
2. There were only 5 Five Star Generals ever in the U.S. Army. This position was instituted in the later part of WW II because of the British Rank of Field Marshall, especially due to Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery. The last Five Star to die was Gen. Omar Bradley who died the year I joined the U.S. Army in 1981.
As a historical footnote, Gen U.S. Grant was referred to as General of the Armies when he was put in command of the Army of the Potamic but at the time the highest rank in the U.S. Army was 3 Stars which is Lt General.
Another....
Another "General of the Armies" was BlackJack Pershing... And, until '75 I think... He was the highest ranking Army officer ever in the US. (In '75ish, George Washington was promoted to General of the Armies - with Seniority over Pershing.)
Annette
Passing side note
the use of acronyms is fine, and they have their places but get them right, no not you, the movie industry. Every time I hear the name of the seals/Ben-laddan movie "Zero dark thirty" I feel a grating in my jaws, I don't know if I have it wrong but it was always "oh" dark thirty. The "oh" sound was both faster, and clear in the saying. Many acronyms were made so to get an idea across in the fewest sounds needed.
It didn't...
It didn't bother me, but yeah. I've never heard a "person" say "zero dark thirty" but "oh dark thirty" was (and is) a common phrase. (I'd interpret zero dark thirty as 12:30 or 2 bells.)
Annette
With bells on...
ahem, wasn't that one bell? As eight bells was a full four hour watch turn?
Yes...
Yes.. Typo on my part.
Renae Dumas,thanks, but
I cant access it with this computer.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Specialist "Person (enlisted)
Specialist
"Person (enlisted) with a technical training specialty.
During the 1960's these persons received the same
pay grade as their “hard†grade compatriots. The
Ranks SP-4 to SP-7 matched pay to those E-4 to E-
7 but they held rank (command authority) equal to a
Corporal (E-4) unless there was an emergency in
their specialty at which time they could command
higher ranking enlisted personnel for the duration of
the emergency. As there was a great deal of
confusion concerning this, sometime later their
command authority was limited to that of a
Corporal regardless of pay grade."
Wording on this is a bit confusing, A Specialist 4th class IS an E-4, as is a Corporal, a Spec-7 IS an E-7, as is a Sergeant First Class. The "E" grades are the enlisted pay grades, "O" Grades are for officers, Rank, is what you are in the command structure. I was for a time An E-4, which is normally a spec-4 or corporal, but I was appointed to the Rank of Sergeant, as we were short NCO's and I was otherwise qualified(promotable). the term when I was in (80's and 90's) was called an "Acting jack"
Spec 4
When I went in during the 80's you hardly ever saw a real corporal. Almost all E-4's were Spec 4's. Since I was in an Intell MOS I was promoted to Spec 5 instead of Sergeant. I think it was in the mid-80's they made the decision to get rid of the Specialist ranks above E-4. I received a lateral promotion to Sergeant. As you say many were leaving the service giving a shortage of NCO's.
At the end of my second enlistment I'd had enough and I got leaned upon to re-enlist. Within weeks of my end of term of service I got sent to the promotion board although I vigorously protested it was a waste of everyone's time since I was outa thare. I don't thing anyone expected me to really leave. Maybe they thought I was playing hardball for the re-enlistment bonus thing.
Hugs
Grover