# Meaning of naval (?) terms "whiteside" and "greenside" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2015, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996 "2015-06-20T04:27:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/1 "2015-06-20T04:27:45Z")
In the movie “American Sniper,” the terms “whiteside” and “greenside” are used, apparently in reference to a building. I haven’t been able to find or figure out what they mean. The best I’ve come up with is that they seem to be Navy and/or Marine jargon. Anyone have the straight dope on this? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/2 "2015-06-20T04:42:03Z")
Greenside and Whiteside are the names of these hangars in Virginia: [http://www.aecom.com/What+We+Do/Government/Logistics,+Operations+and+Maintenance/\_projectsList/Greenside+and+Whiteside+Hangars,+U.S.+Marine+Corps](http://www.aecom.com/What+We+Do/Government/Logistics,+Operations+and+Maintenance/_projectsList/Greenside+and+Whiteside+Hangars,+U.S.+Marine+Corps) The first is for the Executive Flight Detachment, also known as the “Whiteside,” a reference to the paint scheme for the tops of Presidential support aircraft (“white tops”) - supported aircraft dedicated to White House Mission. The second was the Marine Corps Aircraft Maintenance, commonly known within the squadron as the “Greenside,” a reference to the aircraft paint scheme again. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/3 "2015-06-20T05:28:42Z")
Thanks, but I’m afraid that’s not it. In the movie the sense was something like east/west, top/bottom, or left/right. I’m sorry I wasn’t clear that they didn’t depict a specific building (like those hangars) but rather seemed to be used to describe orientation or placement in whatever building was being discussed (i.e., whichever one they were fighting in at the moment there in Iraq). ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/4 "2015-06-20T09:58:11Z")
Similar color coding got used in the movie Waco ([cite](http://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/1997-05-02/528075/)) The advantage of labeling side of the building by color is that it takes out frame of reference. For example a team in overwatch due east from the building watching would be looking west to see the eastside of the building. Providing codes for the building removes frame of reference as an issue that could cause confusion. I assumed some kind of local SOP for the code. Maybe it was related to the code used by Federal law enforcement at Waco and other places. Maybe it was just a similar code. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/5 "2015-06-20T12:28:05Z")
Starboard bouys are red. Port bouys are green. Thus red sideis probably right and greenside is left. ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/6 "2015-06-21T08:20:04Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Starboard bouys are red. Port bouys are green. Thus red sideis probably right and greenside is left. On aircraft the position lights are similar, the Starboard, or right, is green, the Port, or left, is red, and the Aft, or rear, light is white. Boats position lights are the same except the Aft, or rear white light is usually mounted higher on the craft then the red & the green ones are. I have no clue as to how this relates to anything in the movie though. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/7 "2015-06-21T13:14:58Z")
I have seen the terms “white” and “green” used as shorthand for concrete and grass respectively - is it possible that this is what was meant? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/8 "2015-06-21T13:25:21Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Starboard bouys are red. Port bouys are green. Thus red sideis probably right and greenside is left. Yea, but the phrase in the OP is whiteside, not red. Stern lights are white, but it seems a little weird to have a scheme that indicated left and back, but not right and forward. ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/9 "2015-06-21T15:18:38Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Starboard bouys are red. Port bouys are green. Thus red sideis probably right and greenside is left. This rang false to me (apart from the spelling of “buoy”) so I looked it up… the American system is the opposite of the British. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/10 "2015-06-21T15:22:57Z")
> [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](#): > > This rang false to me (apart from the spelling of “buoy”) so I looked it up… the American system is the opposite of the British. :smack: What do you expect from a country that clearly drives on the wrong side of the road. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/11 "2015-06-21T15:27:46Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > What do you expect from a country that clearly drives on the wrong side of the road. Or, indeed, the right side 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/12 "2015-06-21T22:09:32Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > > [@Morgenstern](#): > > > > What do you expect from a country that clearly drives on the wrong side of the road. > > Or, indeed, the right side 🙂 For those who are not recognizing the squabble, the [International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Association_of_Lighthouse_Authorities) sets the standards for buoys, lights, and other navigational aids. It has divided the world into two regions based (mostly) on who was using which color scheme at the time the organization was founded, (1957). 2 regions exist around the world; notably the IALA region B includes North and South America plus Japan, South Korea, and the Philipines, region A includes the rest of the world. [As shown on Page 7](http://navlib.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/iala-bouya-system.pdf). The mnemonic phrase “Red Right Returning” thus needs to be interpreted differently in the two regions. In Region A, it is Red Right Returning TO the Sea. In Region B it is Red Right Returning FROM the Sea. As shown on pages 8 & 9 of the previous link. I’ll let nationalists squabble over which system is “correct.” ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/13 "2015-06-22T14:28:35Z")
I’m just guessing. I thought that they were either making a reference to North-South (In the northern Hemisphere the The white sunny side is South and the Green mossy side is north) But if its a military situation and the military jargon is best if it works in all hemispheres it could be a reference to sunny side/shady side of a building. This only makes sense if it is information that is needed immediately as the sun’s position changes throughout the day. In other words, I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/14 "2015-06-22T16:02:30Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I’m just guessing. I thought that they were either making a reference to North-South (In the northern Hemisphere the The white sunny side is South and the Green mossy side is north) > > But if its a military situation and the military jargon is best if it works in all hemispheres it could be a reference to sunny side/shady side of a building. This only makes sense if it is information that is needed immediately as the sun’s position changes throughout the day. > > In other words, I got nothing. I would guess the opposite. The white side is where it snows and the green side is where it’s always green (no snow). ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/15 "2015-06-22T17:34:15Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Starboard bouys are red. Port bouys are green. You seem to be assuming we’re returning to port, if that’s in this hemisphere anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/16 "2015-06-22T22:54:53Z")
> [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](#): > > This rang false to me (apart from the spelling of “buoy”) so I looked it up… the American system is the opposite of the British. :smack: Yes, the mnemonic I was taught is that port lights (or buoys) are red, and port wine is red. Green wine doesn’t sound too appealing. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wnewfmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbce88/32.png) [@wnewfmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wnewfmer)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-naval-terms-whiteside-and-greenside/722996/17 "2015-07-22T22:22:47Z")
Generally the colors are used like this for example: (WHITE—direction of assault side; GREEN—right side; BLACK—rear side; RED—left side; BLUE—roof)