Aft Behind, or to the rear.
AFVAB Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery. A series of screening tests that determines the recruits’ aptitude for particular skill fields (ratings) in the Navy.
AROC Assistant recruit chief petty officer. The acronym is a carryover from a previous title, assistant recruit officer in charge.
ASMO Assignment memorandum. The form on which setback to a junior division is recorded. A fate worse than death for the average recruit, since it significantly adds to the stay in boot camp.
Attention on Deck The traditional Navy alert that an officer is entering the space.
Battle Flags Competitive flags won by a division. They include Drill, Academic, STAR (Compartment Readiness), Athletic, and so forth.
Below In civilian terms, “downstairs.”
Berthing Space Sleeping quarters.
Black Flag Day A day when weather conditions are so bad as to preclude any outdoor activity.
Boondockers Navy work boots. About the closest civilian approximation would be a pair of reinforced, steel-toed Wellington boots.
Bravo Zulu The traditional naval commendation of “well done.” From the signal flags B and Z, hoisted to send this message to the fleet.
Brother Division Two divisions at RTC are always linked, and complete all training events together. Divisions 005 and 006 were brother divisions.
Bulkhead A wall or partition.
Cadence Numerical beats, sung to keep a marching unit in step. At Great Lakes, the “official cadence” approximated “1, 2, 3, ah, 4” with alternate sequences ending on a rising, and then falling, note.
Camp Moffett The area of RTC north of Illinois Route 137. It houses the in-processing, confidence course, fire department, and swimming facilities.
Camp Porter The area south of Illinois Route 137. It houses the recruit living areas, schoolhouse, galleys, and three of the four drill halls. Linked to Camp Moffett by an underpass called The Tunnel.
Caterpillars A division not yet commissioned. So named for the tightly bound guidon and ship’s flag, which look like antennas, leading 160 legs, which sometimes are even in step.
Chant Cadence call other than the official “1,2,3, ah, 4.” Generally called by the AROC, a good chant relieves the drudgery of long, boring marches.
Chit A small slip of paper, giving permission to attend a certain function, or noting a deficiency. Chits of all sorts keep the Navy afloat.
Chow Navy food. Remarkably good, sometimes, too.
Chuckhugger One who coddles recruits or is overly sympathetic to their problems. The worst pejorative in the mind of an RDC.
Chuckle RDC slang for recruits. Rarely heard from recruits themselves, who prefer to call themselves “Rickys.”
C.O. Commanding officer. Informally, the Skipper, but never addressed that way by his juniors.
Compartment A room. “The Compartment” usually refers to the barracks space where the recruits live.
Cookie The enamel medallion worn on the left breast pocket by each RDC.
Corpsman Hospital corpsman; in other services, a medic.
CPO Chief petty officer. Incapable of error when confronted with contradictions, chiefs simply belay orders and act on information newly received. The human race at its best. Honest.
CS Gas O-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile, a common, nontoxic tear gas or harassing agent. Hard to spell or pronounce, and worse to inhale.
Cumshaw To beg, borrow, or steal. Similar to promote in the other services. Usually pronounced “comm-shaw.”
Cutlass A short, curved ceremonial sword; the badge of office of the RPOC.
Deck The floor.
DEP Delayed Entry Program. Individuals can enlist in the Navy and remain at home for up to a year, to complete school, work with recruiters, and so on.
Ditty Sock A sweatsock, into which recruits stuff wallet, watch, and other valuables when exercising. Knotted, it’s worn tucked into the waistband.
DMT Director of military training, third in command at RTC. This officer has the unfortunate duty to be the “bad cop” to recruits; the very initials send chills of fear throughout a division.
Dog Song A chant that begins, “My dog is a vegetable, now he’s in the hospital.” Beloved by the recruits, loathed by some of their superiors.
Drifty Spaced-out, or nonprofessional. From adrift, as in “gear adrift.”
Dropped Made to do pushups, ad infinitum—or, often enough, ad nauseam.
FFD Fit for full duty. You may still feel terrible, but the corpsmen say you’re ready for action.
Forward Ahead, toward the front; opposite of aft. The forward watch is usually the recruit upon whose unfortunate head the wrath of the FQA inspectors or the roving OOD usually falls. Not an enviable position to hold.
Forward IG Forward instructional guidance. Recruits are mustered in the forward half of the compartment and sit on the deck, legs crossed, for periods of RDC instruction.
FQA Fleet quality assurance; senior petty officers who ensure that RTC is operating as intended. The name strikes even greater terror into the hearts of recruits than that of the DMT, to whom they report, mainly because there are more of them.
Freakin’ The most profane word permitted of RDCs. “Freakin’ knucklehead!” bawled out by an irritated RDC is a sure precursor of bad things to come.
Galley Mess hall. Technically, the galley is the kitchen area of the mess hall, but the term is used loosely to describe the entire building, including the dining areas.
Gedunk Junk food, and the place or machine that sells it.
Gig Line The straight line formed by the buttons of a recruit shirt, a tie (if worn), and the edge of the belt buckle.
GQ General quarters. At RDC recruits stand at attention at the foot of their racks when GQ is called.
Grinder Large open areas (paved at Great Lakes) where drill is performed and where cars are parked during public access periods.
Guidon Small, blue flag with white numerals, the “license plate” of a division.
Gundecking To claim to have performed a task or duty without having done so. Equivalent of “pencil whipping” in the other services. The term takes its origin from the gundeck of sailing ships, where young midshipmen used to stand in inclement weather while claiming to take star sights by sextant. One cannot see the sky from the gun deck, but one can see the navigator’s signal of the noon position transmitted from the flagship.
Heads Restroom facilities, including showers, sinks, and toilets.
Hooligans From “Hooligan’s Navy.” Navy term for the U.S. Coast Guard. (Coast Guard slang for the Navy is unprintable.)
House Recruit term for the compartment. Officially discouraged by RTC staff, the term is used by everyone, including RTC staff.
Integrate/Deintegrate To move the male and female elements of a division together, or to separate them. In most cases, only sleeping and hygiene functions require deintegration of the division.
ITE Instructional training exercises. A very energetic workout, used to discipline or motivate recruits. To be avoided at all costs.
Johnny Cash Navy slang for the attractive and comfortable winter working uniform. Black, with a narrow tie, it resembles the famous country singer’s outfit.
Knucklehead The second worst pejorative permitted to the RTC staff, second only to “freakin’ knucklehead.”
Ladder The staircase. Recruits usually wait under the main staircase when summoned to the LCPO’s office. Not an enviable place to be.
LCPO Leading chief petty officer. An E7, E8, or E9 chief petty officer, second in command to the ship’s officer. If you want something done, see the LCPO.
Liberty Freedom to leave the base, at least for a short period.
Liberty Cuffs Officially forbidden by uniform regulations, these ornate dragons, snakes, or—for the truly daring—naked images are sewn into the inside cuffs of the dress blue (crackerjack) uniform. Junior sailors think the cuffs make them look salty, senior sailors think they make the juniors look silly.
LLD Light or limited duty. Not sick enough for SIQ but not well, either.
1MC The general public address system in the barracks. The term is taken from the circuit designation for the general all-hands intercom aboard ship.
MAA Master at arms. The internal police force of the Navy. While there is now a formal rating for masters at arms, in many cases it is a temporary, out-of-rating assignment. The MAA is responsible for maintaining good order and discipline. The recruit MAA is generally chosen for size, strength of personality, and common sense.
Mainside That part of the Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, not occupied by recruits. Service School Command, the Naval Hospital, and the administrative offices of the base are all located at Mainside, east of Sheridan Road, about two miles east of Recruit Training Command.
Master Chief Senior enlisted E-9 rating. The best of the best.
MCPON Master chief petty officer of the Navy. The highest ranking enlisted member of the U.S. Navy. Serves as the enlisted adviser to the chief of naval operations. MCPON Hall is the visitors’ center at RTC Great Lakes, named in honor of these extraordinary sailors.
MEPS Military entry processing station. One of sixty-five joint service processing centers located in major cities.
Muster Roll call. To “make muster” is to be where you need to be, when you need to be there. Also used in the sense of “to gather” as in, “Hey, Chief, muster your recruits, so that the LCPO can talk to them.”
NEX The Navy Exchange System. Similar to the PX in other services.
NQS Nonqualified swimmer. One who has not yet passed the third-class swim test.
OBA Oxygen breathing apparatus. A fire-fighting appliance with a self-contained oxygen generator and face mask.
OOD/JOOD Officer of the deck or junior officer of the deck. At RTC, the ship’s OOD is a rotational assignment for RDCs; the JOOD watch is manned by recruits.
Passageway A corridor or hall. In speech, often abbreviated to “P-way.”
Petty Officer Enlisted member, in pay grades E-4 through E-6. The petty officer is a noncommissioned officer, similar to a sergeant in the other services; the backbone of the Navy.
PL 105 Public Law 105, which mandates gender integration of many military functions, including recruit training.
PT Physical training, or exercise.
Push To lead a division of recruits. Used as a verb and as a noun. Each RDC is expected to complete nine “pushes” before leaving RTC.
Quarterdeck A sacred, ceremonial space found on all navy ships and stations. Usually highly polished, and surrounded by naval artifacts.
Quartermaster Enlisted member responsible for the navigation of a ship at sea, and not for the issuance of stores, as in other services. (Storekeepers handle material issue in the Navy.)
Rack Bunk or bed.
RDC Recruit division commander.
Red Rope Another name for the RDC, from the red aiguilette worn on the left shoulder.
Rick on a Stick Injured recruit using crutches.
Ricky Recruit nickname for anything recruit-related. Probably from the name “Ricky Recruit,” often used as an exemplar for filling out forms, chits, and so forth.
Ricky Bug Juice Kool-Aid, or something similar. The chemical composition is unknown, and unknowable.
Ricky Crud Anything that ails you in boot camp. May be as mild as a case of the sniffles, or as severe as double pneumonia.
Ricky Heaven The branch NEX, off limits except to the liberty party after pass-in-review. By extension, any place in the known universe other than RTC, Great Lakes.
Ricky Lawnmower Fingernail clippers, the utility of which is amazing. They are used to trim threads, cut dog-tag chains, and for a host of other applications never envisioned by the inventor.
Ricky Ninja A mythical character who invades berthing spaces after Taps and creates havoc. Well, maybe not so mythical.
Ricky Sunday Relaxed routine from 0600 to 1300 on Sunday and holidays. By long established custom, RDCs do not visit the berthing spaces during this time, except under extraordinary circumstances.
Roadguards Recruits, wearing bright orange fluorescent vests, who stand on either side stripe of a crossing zone, to further protect recruits as they march in formation across the street.
RPOC Recruit petty officer, chief. A recruit, selected for leadership ability, who acts as an assistant to the RDCs and serves as a surrogate leader in those rare times when an RDC is not present.
RTC Recruit Training Command, an element of the Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois.
Scuttle A small hole in a bulkhead, deck, or hatch, used as a pass-through.
Scuttlebutt A drinking fountain, after the “water butts” used on sailing ships. By extension, rumor or gossip, which usually had its origins while sailors were standing around the scuttlebutt.
Seabag Same as duffel bag or barracks bag in the other services. Formerly carried by sailors on the left shoulder, it now sports two arm straps, and is worn like an oversized backpack. The old way was saltier.
SEALs The Navy’s elite Special Forces Branch. Recruits are screened for SEAL, Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), and other special units while in boot camp.
Senior Chief Chief petty officer in the E-8 rating. Everything defined about chief petty officers is doubled for senior chiefs.
Service Week Generally, the fifth week of training. Recruits are assigned to assist in various jobs required to keep the base operational. Also, a generic term for those who are in their fifth week of training; e.g., “Chief, ask your Service Week to make copies of these documents, please.”
Ship RTC’s preferred word for barracks. While each is named after a famous warship, most are referred to by their number, with Ship One at the northernmost end of Camp Porter, and Ship Fourteen at the south. Ship Fifteen, the special programs barracks, is located at Camp Moffett.
Ship’s Crew Each division assigns about five recruits to the maintenance of common areas within the ship. Ship’s crew act as watchstanders, handle mail, perform maintenance, and also shovel snow when needed.
SIQ Sick in quarters. Ill or injured recruits who are confined to bed in the barracks.
Skivvies Underwear. The Navy issues six pairs to each male recruit; female recruits bring their own from home.
Small Stuff Small cotton rope (line), the uses of which are infinite. The Navy’s historical answer to duct tape.
SMART Card Combination identification and debit card, carried by every recruit in a shirt pocket during boot camp.
Smurf Newly arrived recruit, from the blue sweatsuit issued immediately upon arrival. Named from the resemblance to the 1980s cartoon characters.
Special Boats The extraordinarily courageous special assault teams that man small, fast watercraft to deliver SEALS on their missions. Descended from the heroic Riverine Patrol Forces in Vietnam.
TAD Temporarily assigned for duty. A short assignment to complete a specific task away from one’s home unit.
Topside Upstairs.
UA Unauthorized absence. The Navy equivalent of AWOL (absent without leave). Thirty days of UA equate to desertion, a federal crime.
Watch A particular duty. “On watch” equates to “on duty” in the other services. At RTC, each berthing compartment has two watchstanders at all times, one to guard the front door, and one the back.
Watch Cap Navy-blue knit cap, worn during cold weather. Replaced, during really bad weather, by a navy-blue ski mask.
XO Executive officer, second in command.
Yeoman Navy clerical rating. Equivalent to “writer” in the Marine Corps. Division 005 was blessed with an extraordinarily efficient yeoman, who, strangely enough, was then assigned to electrician mate’s school upon departure.