DAY 28: Air Force vs. Army

Fri, 23 September 2005
My entire military career has been spent in the Air Force with assignments on Air Force bases. While this sounds completely logical, my former job as a weatherman had a better than 50% chance of getting an Army assignment since there were no Army weather folks. This deployment is the first time that I’ve been assigned to an Army post. So, how different are things you ask? Just ask any former or current military member and they’ll mention the different attitudes, lifestyle, acronyms and even lingo. Yes, a different language for the same basic principle. So, what brought this up? I guess it was my first Information Management Officer (IMO) meeting with the Army folks today. There were just two of us Air Force guys in a sea of Army green within this conference room. Naturally, the entire discussion focused around Army terms, lingo and acronyms. I get bits and pieces and the jist of the conversation. Given my experience down under, for all I know these guys could have been the Aussies! Okay, some differences between us flyboys in the Air Force and the grunts in the Army:

Same concept, but different word:
AF Base vs. Army Post
AF Wing vs. Army Brigade
AF Squadron vs. Army Battalion
AF Flight vs. Army Company
AF Airman vs. Army Soldier
AF BX (Base Exchange) vs. Army PX (Post Exchange)
AF AFSC (AF Specialty Code) vs. Army MOS (Military Occupation Specialty)
AF WGM (Work Group Manager) vs. Army IMO (Information Management Officer)

Same word, but different concept:
AF Billets (carpeted room with bed, couch and TV) vs. Army Billets (bare room with 4 walls and a bed)
AF Camping (tents with air conditioning) vs. Army Camping (field conditions in a sleeping bag)
AF Pilots (Officers O-1 thru O-9) vs. Army Pilots (Warrant Officers WO-1 thru WO-4)
AF Master Sergeant (E-7) vs. Army Master Sergeant (E-8)
AF Staff Sergeant (E-5) vs. Army Staff Sergeant (E-6)
AF Private (means do not enter) vs. Army Private (means a low-ranking soldier)
After all that is said and done, ultimately we’re here to support one another in this harsh climate and dangerous situation. Our combat rescue mission focuses on recovering any friendly forces in trouble and in dire need of emergency medical attention – this includes our Army brethren. When things get tough, we all put away our differences and jump in to assist a fellow American – because THAT’S the bottom line for all of us.

Combat Rescue Saves #13 and #14