January 06, 2005

Military Dialects

You don't have to go from one country to another, or even from one region to another, to encounter the sort of potentially troublesome differences in interpretation that Mark mentioned in his discussion of an article in the Economist. Long ago I heard the following explanation of how the order to "secure a building" will be interpreted by the various branches of the U.S. armed forces:

The Marines
will form a landing party and assault it.

The Army
will occupy the building with a troop of infantry.

The Navy
will send a yeoman to ensure that the lights are turned out.

The Air Force
will obtain a three year lease with option to purchase.


Posted by Bill Poser at January 6, 2005 02:43 AM