6 Easy Military Phrases 99% of Civilians Won’t Know

Military phrases and abbreviations are in pretty much all daily life without us knowing. From army TV shows to warzone video games – these phrases have a habit of weeding their way in without us knowing.

But do you actually know what they mean? We’ve put together 6 of our favourites to test your military knowledge. Comment how many you knew before reading the answers!

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance, or more commonly penned as “recon,” is the standard military practice of gathering crucial information about enemy activities. There are special units that go out and conduct missions to watch the enemy, collect data on them and their daily activities and check out the surrounding areas ready for potential attack.

This phrase is pretty common in video games like Call of Duty.

AWOL

AWOL stands for ”Absence Without Leave”, and refers to any military personnel leaving their duty without authorisation. So, essentially, running off without telling anyone. It’s punishable by disciplinary action ranging from verbal warning to reprimands to more severe courses of action.

UAV

UAV stands for ”Unmanned Aerial Vehicle”, which refers to an aircraft or drone that can be flown without any humans or soldiers on board. Typically, UAV’s are used for surveillance but they can be used to engage in combat.

POG

POG stands for ”Person Other than Grunts”, with ”grunts” meaning any military personnel that aren’t in combative roles, which contrasts infantry squadrons. This isn’t a formal term and is used as slang amongst military personnel, which is why it feels a tad offensive.

Examples would include administration roles, HR or intelligence roles. Still incredibly valued and important military roles but commonly referred to as POG’s as they aren’t doing the combat work.

MEDEVAC

A MEDEVAC, or Medical Evacuation, is when you have injured military personnel on a battlefield who need immediate evacuation for medical treatment or intervention. This is dealt with by a dedicated and highly trained evacuation team with their own aircraft.

This may be plane or helicopter and almost always requires swift and rapid movement to aid a full recovery to injured combat soldiers.

Answer Time

How many did you already know without having to read through? 5 out of 5? Or a little less? Let me know in the comments and throw some of your own favourite military phrases or abbreviations to test other readers!