Commonly Used Terms
**This following alphabetical listing provides the correct style for commonly used terms within DoD captions. The list is by no means comprehensive; if a term does not appear below, refer to The Associated Press Stylebook or Webster’s New World College Dictionary for the appropriate style and spelling. You can also refer to our AP Stylebook quick reference or the Defense of Defense Visual Information Style Guide for supplemental guidance on spelling, grammar, puncutation and general style outline by AP.
A
abbreviations/acronymsOnly use abbreviations on second reference. The abbreviations should be established on first reference, preferably without using parenthesis: Soldiers should check their Leave and Earnings Statement, known as an LES, to ensure the changes were implemented. active duty (noun) active-duty (compound modifier)Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: He was active duty before becoming a reserve Soldier. He was an active-duty Soldier before becoming a reserve Soldier. African American (noun) African-American Soldier (adjective)Black is the preferred adjective according to AP style. all hands (noun) all-hands (adjective/compound modifier)Hyphenate when used as an adjective/compound modifier: The commanding officer called all hands to the meeting. The Sailors attended the all-hands call. American flag, U.S. flagLowercase flag.
C
career branchesCapitalize when referring to a specific branch: Infantry, Armor, Field Artillery, Signal, Public Affairs, Medical Service. Lowercase when referring to a job title: infantryman, paratrooper, military police. cavalryLowercase unless it is part of a unit name. Do not confuse with Calvary, which is a religious term. change of command ceremony (compound modifier)Do not hyphenate. civilian titlesDo not use courtesy titles such Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. unless requested by the named person. Other formal titles such as Dr., Sen. or Gov. should be used where applicable. Do not use such titles on second reference unless necessary to differentiate two people with the same last name. civilian (generic reference)Lowercase unless referring to Department of the Army Civilians (proper noun). citizen-SoldiersLowercase citizen. colorsThe preferred style is American flag or U.S. flag. Do not use in reference to flags of other nations. Acceptable when referring to unit flags and guidons. The battalion colors were furled during a transfer of authority ceremony. commander in chiefDo not hyphenate; lowercase unless it appears before a name. congressionalLowercase unless part of a proper name: congressional salaries, the Congressional Quarterly, the Congressional Record. contingency operating baseLowercase unless it accompanies the name of a specific location. COB is acceptable on second reference. corpsLowercase, shortened reference to units as a stand alone, except when referring to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. CorpsCapitalized refers to the U.S. Marine Corps. counter improvised explosive deviceDo not hyphenate or capitalize. Counter IED is acceptable on second reference.
D
deminingDo not hyphenate. Dr.Using the title before a name is OK. This differs from AP Style. DODAbbreviation for Department of Defense. All caps. DOD is acceptable on first reference.
E
emailAcceptable in all references for electronic mail. Use a hyphen with other e-terms: e-book, e-business, e-commerce. exercisesCapitalize uniquely named exercises, but only capitalize the descriptive word exercise if it is part of the official title of the exercise. Lowercase generic descriptors for exercises: operational readiness exercise, joint task force exercise, composite training unit exercise. explosive ordnance disposalLowercase, unless part of a unit name or operation name. EOD is acceptable on second reference.
F
FamilyCapitalize when referring to Army Families (AR 360-1, para. 13-12b). Family namesCapitalize words denoting family relationships only when they precede the name of a person or when they stand unmodified as a substitute for a person’s name: “I wrote Grandfather Smith. I wrote Mother a letter. I wrote my mother a letter.” female engagement teamLowercase unless writing about a specific team. firefighterOne word. FortDo not use Ft. Lowercase unless it precedes the name of a specific fort. forward operating baseLowercase unless it accompanies the name of a specific location. FOB is acceptable on second reference. fromDo not use from to describe a Service member’s affiliation with a military unit. Use with, assigned to or attached to. The term from implies hometown or native country. “U.S. Army Spc. Joe Snuffy is an infantryman assigned to the 1st Battalion, 333rd Infantry Regiment.”
I
IEDAbbreviation for improvised explosive device. IED is acceptable on first reference.
J
jointLowercase unless used as a proper noun as part of a unit.
L
landing zoneLowercase unless it accompanies the name of a specific location: U.S. Soldiers gather their gear after parachuting onto Landing Zone Tombstone. The landing zone was not cleared. LZ is acceptable on second reference. landing craft, air cushionSingular and plural. Lowercase unless identifying a specific numbered LCAC: Landing Craft, Air Cushion 8. LCAC is acceptable on second reference. landing craft utilityLowercase unless identifying a specific numbered LCU: Landing Craft Utility 1627. LCAC is acceptable on second reference. live fire (noun) live-fire (adjective/compound modifier)Hyphenate when used as an adjective/compound modifier: The practice range was for shooting blanks only; it did not allow live fire. The live-fire exercise lasted all day.
M
mass casualty/mass casualty exerciseDo not hyphenate. Medal of HonorThe nation’s highest military honor, awarded by Congress for risk of life in combat beyond the call of duty. Use Medal of Honor recipient or a synonym, but not winner. There is no Congressional Medal of Honor. MedEvacAbbreviation for medical evacuation. MedEvac is acceptable on first reference. military operations on urban terrainMOUT is an out-of-favor term; the preferred term is urban operations (UO). The term MOUT is still in limited use and may be used when referring to a specific MOUT city or MOUT site, but should not be used in the following senses: “... train for military operations on urban terrain ...” or “... conducts military operations on urban terrain training.” MIA/POW(s)Abbreviation for missing in action/prisoner(s) of war. MIA/POW is acceptable on first reference. This differs from the AP Stylebook.
N
nationLowercase. national anthemLowercase. But: “The Star-Spangled Banner.” NCOAbbreviation for noncommissioned officer. NCO is acceptable on first reference. noncommissioned officer in chargeDo not hyphenate. Lowercase unless it appears before a name. NCOIC is acceptable on second reference.
O
officer in chargeDo not hyphenate. Lowercase unless it appears before a name. OIC is acceptable on second reference. OrganizationsCapitalize the full names of organizations and institutions. Some are widely recognized by their abbreviations, refer to abbreviations/acronyms entry: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the proper organizational name. USACE is acceptable on second reference. Do not use corps or any unofficial abbreviations, such as ACOE, USA COE, COE.
P
pass in reviewNot pass and review. paratrooperLowercase. PentagonUse WASHINGTON in dateline; use Arlington, Virginia, to describe the location of the Pentagon, if the location is relevant to the story. POW(s)/MIAAbbreviation for Prisoner(s) of war/missing in action. POW/MIA is acceptable on first reference. This differs from the AP Stylebook.
R
rappel, rappelling/repel, repellingTo rappel is to use ropes to lower oneself from a high place, such as a cliff, building or helicopter. To repel is to fend something off. ReserveCapitalize when referring to U.S. Army Reserve (not Reserves). Lowercase in reference to members of these backup forces: reserve Soldiers. Only use the term reserves when referring to the reserve components collectively. Do not use the term reservist. RetiredDo not use (Ret.) when describing a retired service member. Capitalize the word Retired and place it before the service (if applicable), rank and name: Retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Smith, left, delivers a speech. rifle saluteA salute to the deceased at military funerals, usually by seven riflemen each firing three shots in unison. Do not confuse this with a 21-gun salute.
S
Sept. 11When referring to the terrorist attacks of this day, use Sept. 11 attack or Sept. 11 terrorist attack, or 9/11. Use 2001 only if needed for clarity. service memberTwo words; lowercase: U.S. service members help clean up in New York City after Hurricane Sandy. SoldierCapitalize when referring to U.S. Soldiers (AR 360-1, para. 13-12b). Special ForcesDo not use interchangeably with special operations forces. Capitalize when referring specifically to the U.S. Special Forces, also known as Green Berets. Others, such as Army Rangers, should be called special operations forces. Special Operations ForcesUse this term to describe U.S. special warfare units or members of those units when their exact service or unit affiliation is not clear, or when special warfare units of multiple services are conducting joint operations. Do not use special operator or commando. Capitalize when referring specifically to the U.S. Special Operations Forces: A U.S. Special Operations Forces Service member patrols in a field near Kandahar, Afghanistan, April 5, 2012.
T
Tomb of the UnknownsNot Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. troopLowercase. A troop in its singular form is a group of people, often military or animals. Troops, in the plural, means several such groups. But when the plural appears with a large number, it is understood to mean individuals: There were an estimated 150,000 troops in Iraq. But not: Three troops were injured.
W
war on terrorismThis is the acceptable term to use; all lowercase. Do not use global war on terrorism, GWOT or war on terror. warfighterOne word; lowercase. WebCapitalize. websiteOne word; lowercase. White HouseUse Washington, D.C., to describe the location.