-G-

G-1

Division or Wing Personnel.

G-2

Division or Wing Intelligence. Also a common reference to a person's intelligence.

G-3

Division or Wing Operations and Training.

G-4

Division or Wing Logistics (which includes supply, operations, facilities and food service).

GAF

Give A Fuck.

Gaggle

An unorganized group doing nothing.

Gale, Anthony

Fourth Commandant of the Marine Corps. Born in Ireland on Sept 17, 1782, as a young Marine officer serving in the Ganges he had been struck by a Navy junior officer whom he "called out" and shot. The action was received as honorable by then Commandant William Burrows. Following the death of Commandant Wharton in 1818 the position was filled in an acting capacity by Adjutant and Inspector, Brevet Major Samuel Miller and then by Brevet Major Archibald Henderson. Gale's short tenure as Lieutenant Colonel Commandant was punctuated with the dislike of the Secretary of the Navy who charged him in a court martial. The specifications included, "being intoxicated in common dram shops and other places of low repute." He pleaded not guilty by reason of temporary insanity but was found guilty and sentenced to dismissal from the service. He died about 1843 and his place of burial is unknown. He also remains the only Commandant for whom no likeness exists.

Galley

Kitchen.

Gangway

An order to clear space for an approaching senior officer (See Make A Hole). Also a ladder or ramp used to board and debark a ship.

Garbage Burner

Unofficial name given to the M67A2 Flame Thrower Tank since it was used most in Vietnam to burn garbage dumps.

Garrison Cover

A uniform cover invented in the 20th Century it consists of a cap running fore and aft on the head displaying on the front left the eagle globe and anchor and on the right the rank insignia of commissioned and warrant officers. No rank is worn on the cap by enlisted personnel. Also called Pisscutter or Cunt Cap.

Garrison

Any place with civilized comforts, such as showers and cots, can be found. Not in the boonies.

Gas Chamber

A building used for the training of recruits and Marines in the actions to be taken during a Nuclear, Biological or Chemical attack. Various gasses are used in training and all of them are noxious but none are fatal.

Gear Adrift

Anything not properly stowed, tied down or otherwise secured.

Gear

Things. Personal things such as clothing and equipment or unit things such as 782 gear. Essentially all things.

Geedunk

A snack bar on ship. Any place that candy and pogey bait are sold.

Geeters

(Vietnam) Money.

General and Commander in Chief

Official wartime title of George Washington in 1775. He actually served in the rank of lieutenant general

General in Chief  

Duty title given to Winfield Scott after the Spanish-American War.  He was officially a major general but wore three stars as he had been "breveted" to the (then un-used) rank of lieutenant general.  

General of the Air Force

A wartime rank. The rank insignia is five silver stars in a circle worn on collar points. Only "Hap" Arnold has held this rank. He was promoted to General of the Army in 1944 and in 1949 was made General of the Air Force.

General of the Armies of the United States

George Washington. A rank created on March 15, 1978 by Congress for General Washington. His date of rank was set at July 4, 1776 to make it clear that he was the senior officer of the military services. Prior to that day he was in the grade of Lieutenant General.

General of the Armies 

A rank given to General John Pershing in 1919 to place him above all other serving general officers. Unlike Generals of the Army, Pershing did retire. He was offered the option to wear five stars but turned it down, continuing to wear four gold stars. See Iron Mike.

General of the Army 

A wartime rank. The rank insignia is five silver stars in a circle worn on collar points. Generals of the Army do not retire. This rank has been held by George Marshall, Douglas McArthur, Dwight Eisenhower and "Hap" Arnold, all with dates of rank of Dec. 1944. Omar Bradley was promoted to this rank in Sept. 1950. The rank was originally intended to be called Field Marshall but was changed by then Chief of Staff of the Army General George Marshall who refused to be Field Marshall Marshall.

General Officers

Commissioned Officers in the ranks of: brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general and general. Also called Flag Officers because federal law authorizes a flag to be flown whenever a general officer is present or on board. Naval and Coast Guard equivalent is Admirals.

General Orders

There are eleven general orders and every Marine must memorize them:

1.      To take charge of this post and all government property in view.

2.      To walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.

3.      To report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce.

4.      To repeat all calls from posts more distant from the guardhouse than my own.

5.      To quit my post only when properly relieved.

6.      To receive, obey, and pass on to the sentry who relieves me, all orders from the commanding officer, officer of the day, and officers and noncommissioned officers of the guard only.

7.      To talk to no one except in the line of duty.

8.      To give the alarm in case of fire or disorder.

9.      To call the corporal of the guard in any case not covered by instructions.

10.  To salute all officers and all colors and standards not cased.

11.  To be especially watchful at night, and during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post and to allow no one to pass without proper authority.

General Quarters

The highest condition of alert on board ship it pulls the crew from their normal work assignments to a warfighting stance. In wooden ships with rigging, a portion of the Marine Detachment would report to the rigging as sharpshooters while others would report to a gun crew. In the modern Navy, the Marines usually manned one or more guns (which were usually painted with an eagle globe and anchor and generally were known to have the highest accuracy of all gun crews). Since 1998 there have been no Marines assigned as part of the ship’s crew of any U.S. Navy ship.  See Seagoing Marines.

General

Highest rank in the Marine Corps. The Commandant of the Marine Corps is a general. The pay grade is O-10 and is designated by four silver stars worn on collar points. The rank is the same in the Army and Air Force. In the Navy the rank is admiral and is additionally designated by a two inch gold band and four one inch gold bands topped by a star on the jacket sleeves. The shoulder boards are mostly gold with a silver fouled anchor and four silver stars..

Get A Hat

To leave.

Get Some

(Vietnam)To kill enemy. Also to have sex.

Ghost Turds

Blanket lint, much like drier lint, that accumulates on the deck as if by magic.

GI Bill

Originally GI Bill of Rights. Financial assistance provided to people who have or are serving in the military for educational and home purchasing purposes. Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

GI Can

Galvanized Iron Can. Garbage can. Shit can.

GI Shower

Given to someone who usually is in need of a shower but who refuses. The offender is forced into the shower (sometimes blindfolded) where others scrub him or her with scrub brushes or steel wool. The intent is to encourage him or her to maintain minimal standards of cleanliness and the outcome is often painful and even bloody. It is an illegal assault and can be punished under the UCMJ. It happens rarely.

GI

Government Issue. A member of the military services. Originally the stamp on buckets indicating galvanized iron.

Gitmo

Guantanimo Bay, Cuba.

GMT

See Zulu Time.

Go Juice

Fuel, gasoline, diesel, JP, etc.

Goat Heads

Thorns indigenous to California. On field exercises they stick to everything and are a major nuisance.

Goat Locker

Navy Chief Petty Officer's quarters. From the Naval tradition that goats brought on board for milk were under the charge of the chiefs. Probably the origin of the phrase Old Goat. See Menopause Manor.

Goat Rope

Similar to a Cluster Fuck except that this activity comes from the Head Shed.

Gobbler

(Okinawa or Japan) A female in a Turkey Bar who provides oral sex for a fee.

Gofasters

Sneakers.

Good Conduct Medal

An individual award given to an active duty enlisted Marine for three consecutive years of undetected crime.

Good Cookie

Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal. The Air Force in 2006 stopped issuing Good Conduct Medals saying that good conduct was normal conduct and it made no sense to reward normal behavior. Marines have a slightly different approach to the concept.

Good to go

A phrase delivered with the usual Marine exuberance meaning I am ready or the piece of equipment is ready or that despite what may appear to be obstacles, the mission will be completed.

Gook

(Not PC)A crude term for anyone of oriental extraction--particularly an enemy (North Korean, North Vietnamese). The term began during the Korean war as the Korean character for American is pronounced "me-gook". Children in particular would point to the American GIs and say "me-gook" and the gesture was misinterpreted.  The GIs quickly began calling Koreans "gooks" and the term was revived in Vietnam to mean all Asian peoples.

Gooner

Alternate form of Gook

Gortex

A semi-permeable material designed to keep the wearer warm and dry by allowing excessive body moisture to escape through the material while keeping rain and other moisture out.

Gouge, The

A takeoff on "scoop" it suggest that this information is from a reliable source.

Gourd

The human head.

Grade

The relative position of a person to other persons of similar rank. See pay grade.

Grape

A person's head.

Grass

Marijuana. See also Mary Jane, Iceplant.

Gray Jr., Alfred M.  

Twenty ninth Commandant of the Marine Corps serving from July 1, 1987 until June 30, 1991.  A Mustang, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and had become a Sergeant of Marines before being commissioned. He emphasized the combat nature of the Marine Corps and is the only Commandant whose official portrait was taken while he was wearing the field uniform.  He was nominated to be Commandant by Secretary of the Navy Jim Web, a Naval Academy graduate and later Senator from Virginia.  The Alfred M. Gray Research Center at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA is named for the former Commandant. The New Jersey native was born June 22, 1928.

Grease

(Vietnam) To kill.

Green Belt

A Marine with the mid-level of martial arts training in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.

Green Eye

Starlight Scope. The first generation of night vision equipment.     First used in Vietnam, it was very large and very heavy.

Green Machine

A derogatory term used by Marines to mean the Marine Corps. Also used regularly by the Army to proudly describe the Army.

Green Side Out

The steel pot helmets before Kevlar came with a cover that had green camouflage on one side and brown on the other. The decision of which color was to be worn to a formation was often left to a second lieutenant who couldn't make up his or her mind resulting in frequent changes and confusion. The term came to mean the leadership was confused as usual.

Green Weenie

Sometimes the Big Green Weenie. It's what the Marine Corps uses to screw you with.

Greene, Wallace M.

Twenty third Commandant of the Marine Corps serving from Jan. 1, 1964 until Dec. 31, 1967. He was one of the storied China Marines. Nominated while still a Lieutenant General by President John F. Kennedy he was Commandant during the build up and earliest phases of the Vietnam War. On his watch the Marine Corps nearly doubled in size from 178,000 to nearly 300,000 active duty Marines. The Naval Academy graduate was born Dec. 27, 1907 and died March 8, 2003. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Greenwich Mean Time

See Zulu Time.

Grid Square

A standard grid square on a military map is 1000 meters by 1000 meters. Also called a click.

G-ride

A civilian style vehicle with government license plates.

Grinder

A large field, usually paved, upon which formations and parades are held. See Parade Deck.

Grog

An alcoholic beverage issued to sailors and Marines aboard ship until the Civil War. The recipe varied but was most commonly half rum and half water. It served as a preventive medicine and enabled the water supply to last longer as brackish water could be used as grog but not used straight. See Splice the Main Brace.

Ground Guide

A person who walks in front of a tank in congested areas like tank parks to guide the tank by the use of recognized and standardized hand signals.

Ground Pounder

An infantryman, a grunt.

Group

A sub-division of an Air Wing. Equivalent to a regiment in infantry terms.

Group Tighteners

1) Another nonexistent search & fetch item for rookies, a-la bucket of steam, 2) A placebo drop of solvent or oil placed on the sights of the weapon of an unsuspecting marksmanship trainee, placed there by a range instructor as a last resort to instill confidence and get the idiot qualified, 3) Adult beverages employed by competition marksmen to either relax after a day of dealing with recruits or to combat match butterflies prior to competing. See Recruit Punishment.

Grunt 

Originally a pejorative term for Infantry Marines but now a source of pride.

G-Spot

The building containing the majority of the division staff organizations (designated G-1, G-2, G-3 etc.) at Camp Pendleton, CA.

GU11

The Navy version of the Air Force B1RD.

Guide

The person responsible for the unit guidon and upon whom the unit forms when in formation.

Guidon

The official pennant of a platoon or company. At battalion or squadron level or above the unit has official colors and they parade in relation to the national flag.

Gun Bunny

Pejorative term for someone in the field artillery.

Gun

Artillery or other weaponry in which the barrel does not contain rifling (lands and grooves) used to spin a projectile for greater accuracy.

Gung Ho

Eager and ready to accomplish whatever task necessary. An Anglicized version of the Chinese "Gong He" meaning "work together."  It was adopted by Marine Major Evans Carlson, famed commander of Carlson's Raiders during World War II and used extensivelly by Marines ever since.

Gungy

Gung Ho, but usually to express "in an inexperienced, just-out-of-recruit-training" way.

Gunner

A Marine warrant officer in the MOS 0306 Infantry Weapons Officer. The name is often given to all warrant officers but that is not correct. A person of this rank will replace the insignia of rank on his right collar with a bursting bomb insignia. See also “lipstick lieutenant”. The name was also often given to an enlisted machine gunner (MOS 0331).

Gunnery Sergeant of Marines

A noncommissioned officer in pay grade E-7 who wears three chevrons and two rockers with crossed rifles between  them on both sleeves or collar points as appropriate. In the Army that pay grade is a sergeant first class (essentially the same insignia in different colors without the crossed rifles) and in the Air Force it is master sergeant (the insignia of a technical sergeant with one chevron above the five rockers. In the Navy and Coast Guard it is chief petty officer (three inverted chevrons with an inverted rocker above, upon which is perched an American eagle).

Gunny

A term of respect for a gunnery sergeant but not generally used by junior Marines. See Company Gunny.

GWOT

Global War on Terrorism.

Gyrene

A diminutive form of Marine. Seldom used by real Marines.

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