Monday, April 4, 2016

Military Definitions - C


A to Z Blogging Challenge.  My topic is MILITARY DEFINITIONS.

C Charlie
morse code dash dot dash dot
Camo camouflage.  Disguising military personnel, equipment, and buildings so they blend in with the environment.  Used to confuse or evade the enemy. 

Cannibalize taking workable parts of one item and using them in another. 

Captain's mast non-judicial punishment. 

Chaplain a member of the clergy [any religion] attached to a secular organization such as a military battalion.  They are normally officers, and provide pastoral, spiritual and emotional support for service personnel, including conducting religious services at sea, on bases, or in the field. 

Charlie Foxtrot commonly used expression stands for clusterf***. 

Chest Candy slang for ribbons and medals worn on a uniform. 

Coast Guard established in January 1915.  Unique among the U.S. military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission (in both domestic and international waters) and a federal regulatory agency mission. It operates under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during peacetime, and can be transferred to the U.S. Department of the Navy by the U.S. President at any time, or by the U.S. Congress during times of war.   Responsible for maritime safety and security.  Performs search and rescue operations. 

Constructionman Navy personnel like my son who have construction jobs and are part of construction battalions [Seabees CBs], are not called sailors but are called constructionmen. 

Cover any military head gear.


15 comments:

  1. It always strikes me as odd when someone replaces one word/phrase with another that is LONGER. So why is it easier to say Charlie Foxtrot versus clusterf***?

    I understand shortening for brevity. It's a whole lot easier to say snafu than situation normal...

    But to say, "It's a real Charlie Foxtrot in there" doesn't seem to help the sentence much. On the other hand, it's kinda fun! So I'm left arguing with myself... again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My guesses are (1) it doesn't sound like you're cussing all the time, and (2) using inside lingo is usually more fun. So arguing with yourself isn't such a bad thing!

      Delete
    2. Those are two excellent guesses, Dena. I can't argue with either one. I lean more toward #2: everybody loves to subtly divulge that they have inside information.

      Delete
    3. Because if your mother hears you say cluster-you-know-what she's liable to wash your mouth out with soap. Charlie Foxtrot sounds like you're dancing with a cute guy.

      Delete
  2. Charlie Foxtrot is an interesting word :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Charlie Foxtrot...been there a time or two.

    And good on your son. I really am loving these definitions, especially the more colorful ones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tried to include as many "colorful" definitions as I could. It did get interesting with some of them.

      Delete
  4. John is right that it's odd for an abbreviation to be longer than the word it's replacing! I figure it's for mostly emotional effect. Lots of times when swearing people will throw in extra syllables for emphasis: not just What the h*ll, but What in the blinking blue depths of h*ll!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds like another good reason to do that! Thanks.

      Delete
  5. Cannibalize... my brother and I used to do that with toys when we were kids. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have always heard of Charlie Foxtrot but had no idea what it meant. I love your theme!

    I am visiting from the A to Z Challenge.

    Shelly @ http://hangryfork.com

    ReplyDelete