ACS - Army Community Services - provides support services to active duty, reserve components, their families and survivors
AFRC - Airmen and Family Readiness Center - provides support services in the Air Force to active duty, reserve components, their families and survivors
AGR - Active Guard and Reserve
Allotment - Deduction from a service member's pay - designated by the service member for a specific purpose such as a mortgage or a savings account
BAH - Basic Allowance for Housing (Good Stuff!)
BAS - Basic Allowance for Subsistence (food) - only paid for service member, not for family
BX - Base Exchange - Air Force term for a military department store (NOT the liquor store)
Benefits - Provided by the Services, such as medical, retirement, commissary and exchange privileges (What helps make it all worth while.)
Chain of Command - Hierarchy of authority - who reports to whom (List of all service ranks can be found on Male Spouse 101)
CDC - Child Development Center
C-Store - Marine Corps term for a liquor store (YES!)
Class 6 Store - Army and Air Force term for a liquor store (See above)
Colors - National and unit flags
Commissary - Grocery store, often located on base (NOT the liquor store)
CONUS - Continental United States (not sure why we need this acronym...sounds like a disease or something.)
COLA - Not soda, but cost of living allowance
Cover – Hat (Really?)
Dependent - Family member, which is the preferred term (Relax, it's not so bad being the “dependent” every once in a while)
DITY - Do It Yourself move (Recommended way to move your valuables and stuff you don't want broken. Partial DITY is the way to go!)
Exchange - Term for a military department store (NOT the liquor store either)
FFSC - Fleet and Family Service Center - provides support services for Navy active duty, reserve components, their families and survivors
Thank you to the National Military Family Association for providing this basic list of acronyms and terms.
