# Seeking a Military Base Term

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-a-military-base-term/465583>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 28, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-a-military-base-term/465583 "2008-09-28T15:02:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-a-military-base-term/465583/21 "2008-09-29T15:31:47Z")

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Back when I was in the Navy, COM stood for Commander, as noted above. There were also other mouth fulls (in the best interest of brevity, I suppose); I was stationed at FLEASWTRACENPAC:

Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center, Pacific.

A letter from your wife was referred to as a message from COMNAVHOUSEPAC.

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**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-a-military-base-term/465583/22 "2008-09-29T15:40:20Z")

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And apologies for scrolling right past Johnny LA’s post!

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**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-a-military-base-term/465583/23 "2008-09-29T22:31:00Z")

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> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> When I was a dependent I had a base sticker on my Enduro that said FLEASWTRACENPAC. (Fleet ASW Training Center Pacific).

As a Navy brat, I distinctly recall visiting an office on base and waiting in line to see the CUSTSERVSUPV (customer service supervisor) about getting a replacement ID. I remember PERSUPDET as well, so he must have been mentioned in the documentation I had to fill out.

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**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-a-military-base-term/465583/24 "2008-09-29T23:43:55Z")

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> [@msmith537](#):
>
> An army ‘squadron’ is a cavalry unit equivalent in size to a battalion (but with ‘troops’ instead of ‘companies’)

Just to fuck you up even further, some cavalry regiments actually do use “company” instead of “troop”. 2nd Cavalry for example. Wouldn’t want anyone to start figuring shit out, now would we?  
I wonder if there are any Battalions in the Army with troops instead of companies.

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**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-a-military-base-term/465583/25 "2008-09-29T23:58:58Z")

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> [@Bear\_Nenno](#):
>
> Just to fuck you up even further, some cavalry regiments actually do use “company” instead of “troop”. 2nd Cavalry for example. Wouldn’t want anyone to start figuring shit out, now would we?  
> I wonder if there are any Battalions in the Army with troops instead of companies.

I pity the poor sumbitch in China’s equivalent of the Defense Intelligence Agency who has to piece together our organizational hierarchy from our published documents.

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