Unique Language
ROTC is very unique. This organization, including JROTC, JAG and the other military branches, is one of a kind. Along with all of this special one of a kind business is our language. A lot of the terms that are used among the Army are abbreviated words. A few examples are ACU: Army Combat Uniform, recon: reconnaissance, METT-TC: Mission, Enemy, Terrain, Troops, Time and Civilian considerations, etc. The list of acronyms and abbreviations goes on and they do take time to remember but the great thing about ROTC is that you get the opportunity to learn a lot of them in the program and you don't have to already know them before you go in.
The Army, as well as the other branches, also use hand signal when they are out in the field to communicate if they are to far away to hear each other or need to maintain silence. In fire squads the primary formation is the fire squad wedge. The fire squad wedge is shown below.
It is important for the fire squad to maintain silence when they are near the enemy but they must also be able to communicate with and to each other so that everyone is on the same page. When signaling, the person presenting the signal uses their non-dominant hand while keeping their dominant hand on their weapon so that they may still be able to fire at the ready. The hand signal for the fire squad wedge is shown below.