CAPITAL AREA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
Glossary of Terms
MILITARY ABBREVIATIONS:
Many military graves are
inscribed with abbreviations that denote the unit of service, rank, medals, or
other information on the military veteran.?
Many may also be marked with bronze or stone plaques
provided by the Veterans Administration.?
This list includes some of the most common abbreviations.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Military Rank
AB -
Airman Basic
ADM -
Admiral
AQM -
Assistant Quartermaster (US Civil War)
AQRS - Assistant Quartermaster
Remount Service (US Civil War)
AVC -
Aviation Cadet
A1C -
Airman First Class
BBG -
Brevet Brigadier General
BG -
Brigadier General
BMG -
Brevet Major General
CAPT -
Captain
CCM -
Command Master Sergeant
CDR -
Commander
CDRE -
Commodore, USN
CMS -
Chief Master Sergeant
CMSAF -
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
CO -
Commanding Officer
COX - Coxwain
CPL -
Corporal
CPO -
Chief Petty Officer
CSM -
Command Sergeant Major
CSGT -
Commissary Sergeant
CWO -
Chief Warrant Officer
ENS -
Ensign
FADM -
Fleet Admiral
FLTO -
Flight Officer
GEN -
General
GS -
Gunnery Sergeant
JA - Judge
Advocate
LCPL -
Lance Corporal
LT -
Lieutenant
LTG -
Lieutenant General
LCDR -
Lieutenant Commander
1 LT -
First Lieutenant (2 LT = Second Lieutenant , and so
on)
LTC -
Lieutenant Colonel
LTJG -
Lieutenant Junior Grade
MAJ -
Major
MCPO - Master
Chief Petty Officer
MCPON -
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
MG -
Major General
MGS -
Master Gunnery Sergeant
MLC -
Marine Lance Corporal
MSG -
Master Sergeant
NCO -
Non-commissioned Officer
OSGT -
Ordinance Sergeant
PVT -
Private
PFC -
Private First Class
PST -
Platoon Sergeant
QM -
Quartermaster
QMSGT -
Quartermaster Sergeant
RADM -
Rear Admiral
1SG -
First Sergeant
SA -
Seaman Apprentice
SCPO -
Senior Chief Petty Officer
SFC -
Sergeant First Class
SGT -
Sergeant
SM -
Sergeant Major
SMA -
Sergeant Major of the Army
SMMC -
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
SMS -
Senior Master Sergeant
SN -
Seaman
S1C -
Seaman First Class
SPC -
Specialist
SPCO -
Senior Chief Petty Officer
SR - Seaman
Recruit
SRA -
Senior Airman
SSGT -
Staff Sergeant
TS -
Technical Sergeant
VADM -
Vice Admiral
WO -
Warrant Officer
Military Unit & Branch of Service
AF or USAF
- Air Force;
Art. -
Artillery
AC or
BRIG -
Brigade
BTRY -
Cav. -
Cavalry
CSA -
Confederate States of
CT -
Colored Troops; may precede the branch such as CTART for Colored Troops
Artillery
DCLI -
Duke of
DIV - Division
DLI -
DNB -
Died Non-battle
DOI -
Died of Injuries
DOW -
Died of Wounds
ENG or E&M - Engineer; Engineers/Miners
FA -
Field Artillery
HA or HART
- Heavy Artillery
HLI -
Inf. -
Infantry
KOSB -
The King's Own Scottish Borderers
KOYLI -
The King's Own
KSLI
-
The King's
LA or LART
- Light Artillery
MC -
Medical Corps
MAR or USMC
- Marines;
Mil. -
Militia
NAVY or USN
- Navy;
NAT -
North African Theater
NATO - North African Theater of
Operations
OBLI -
Ox and Bucks Light Infantry
QOCH -
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Reg. -
Regiment
RGLI -
Royal Guernsey Light Infantry
RHF - Royal Highland Fusiliers
RJLI - Royal
RMLI - Royal Marine Light Infantry
RQM - Regimental Quartermaster (US
Civil War)
RSF -
The Royal Scots Fusiliers
SS - Sharpshooters (or sometimes
Silver Star, see below)
SC -
Signal Corps
TR -
Troop
USAF -
United States Air Force
USCG -
United States Coast Guard
USCT -
USMC -
United States Marine Corps
USMCWR -
United States Marine Corps Women?s Reserve
USMM -
United States Merchant Marines
USN -
USV -
Vol., Vols. or USV - Volunteer; Volunteers;
VRC -
Veteran Reserve Corps (US Civil War)
VVI -
WAC -
Women?s Army Corps
WAAC -
Women?s Army Auxiliary Corps
WAF -
Women in the Air Force
WAFS -
Women?s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron
WASP -
Women Airforce Service Pilots
WAVES -
Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (Navy)
Military Service Medals & Awards
AM - Air
Medal??????
ACM -
Army Commendation Medal
BS or BSM
- Bronze Star or Bronze Star Medal
CSC -
Conspicuous Service Cross
DFC -
Distinguished Flying Cross
LOM -
Legion of Merit
MOH -
Medal of Honor
PH -
Purple Heart
SS or SSM
-
Silver Star or Silver Star Medal
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
These abbreviations
generally follow another award to indicate superior achievement or multiple
awards:
A -
Achievement
V -
Valor
OLC -
Oak Leaf Cluster (generally follows another award to indicate multiple awards)
Military Groups & Veterans Organizations
AMVETS -
American Veterans
APCWS -
Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites
BAR -
Brigade of the American Revolution
BAS -
Buried at Sea
CVA -
Confederate Veterans of
DAR -
Daughters of the American Revolution
DAV -
Disabled American Veterans
DMWVI -
Descendants of Mexican War Veterans
DVA -
Department of Veterans Affairs
GAR -
Grand Army of the Republic
GSW1812
-
General Society of the War of 1812
LGAR -
Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic
MOLLUS -
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
MOPH - Military Order of the Purple
Heart
MOWW -
Military Order of World Wars
NCWA -
National Civil War Association (
NOB -
Naval Order of Battle
NOK - Next of Kin
OMM -
Order of Military Merit
SAR - Sons of the American
Revolution
SCV -
Sons of Confederate Veterans
SDWA - Society of the Descendants of
SSAWV
-
Sons of Spanish American War Veterans
SUVCW -
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (
TVC -
UCV -
United Confederate Veterans
VA -
Veteran?s Administration
VFW -
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Other Military Terms
Adm. Dis.
- Administrative Discharge
AKA -
Also Known As???????
Am. Rev.
- American Revolution, American War for
AOB -
Air Order of Battle
Ar.Co. - Artillery Company
ASN -
Army Serial Number
AWOL -
Absent Without Leave
BCR -
BIA -
Bureau of Indian Affairs
BLW -
CW -
Civil War
CWSS
-
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors
DED -
Declared Dead
DES -
Deserted
DIS -
Discharge
Dsh. Dis. - Dis-honorable Discharge
do. - ditto, the same as the previous entry
DOB - Date of birth
DOD - Date of death
DOD -
Department of Defense
DOE -
Date of Enlistment
DOW -
Died of Wounds
EM -
Enlisted member
ETO -
European Theater of Operations
EUS - Evacuated to the
FOD -
Finding of Death
HDQRS -
Headquarters
Hon. Dis.
- Honorable Discharge
Ind.S.C. - Indian Survivor's Certificate
Ind.T. or
Ind.W.C. - Indian Widow's Certificate
KIA -
Killed in Action
KIPC - Killed in Plane Crash
KNB -
Killed non-battle
ltm - liberated to marry
LWA -
Lightly Wounded in Action
Med. Dis.
-
Medical Discharge
Mex.S.C. - Mexican Survivors' Certificate
Mex.W.C. - Mexican Widow's Certificate
M.I.
-
Mustered-In
MIA -
Missing in Action
Mil or Milt
- Military
MLW -
M.O. -
Mustered-Out
NWC -
Navy Widow's Certificate
POW - Prisoner of War
Pr.
- Prisoner
Reg.
-
Regiment
Rev.War - Revolutionary War
RMC -
Returned to Military Control
RTD -
Returned to Duty
SO -
Survivor's Originals
SOWD -
Special Order War Department (US Civil War)
SWA -
Seriously Wounded in Action
WD - War
Department
Wd. -
Ward or Widow
WO -
Widow's Originals
WW -
Widow
WW/o
-
Widow of
WWr
- Widower
WW1 or WWI
- World War I
WW2 or WWII
- World War II
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