Cody Carroll MGMT 535- The Meaning of Words

    The meaning of words can mean different things to many different people. In the Army, the land of jargon, we utilize words that anyone in the Army will understand but an ordinary civilian will not have a clue of. In the video by John Koenig (2016), the word means what people think it means. Some jargon that the Army uses are: high speed, down range, BOLO, GFA, to name a few.

    High Speed is what you call a Soldier that is highly motivated and very relied upon because they will get the job done at all costs.

    Down Range is a term we use for deploying overseas. For example, when were you down range? I was there back in 2017.

    BOLO is a term we use when someone goes to the basic rifle marksmanship range and can't qualify at the minimum standards. No one really knows what BOLO stands for but it has been used for years, so we just know what that means internally.

    GFA is a recruiting term that we use to say Go Find Another. Usually, it is used when we have an applicant that is ready to enlist but then backs out at the last minute.

    These words are used regularly and have been basically passed down from the older generations in the Army to the recent generations. These words are used to provide direction, motivation, and purpose to the mission. If I call a Soldier high speed, then that gives them motivation that they are favored because of their work ethic. If I tell my Platoon we will be going down range in two months, it gives them direction and purpose to our mission.