Military
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The military is a group of armed men and women who work in the army, navy, air force, or other armed force of a country. People in the military learn many skills, such as how to fire rifles and mortars, drive jeeps, and repair weapons. Other people in the military learn how to fly planes, pilot ships, or repair engines. The military protects a country by defending it from other armed forces. For example, the Russian army defended Russia from the German invasion in World War II. The military can also be ordered to attack another country. For example, the US military invaded Iraq.
Most speakers of English say "armed forces", as the word "military" is often used to mean an army, and not a navy or an air force.
Sometimes countries get people for their military by allowing people to join voluntarily (if they want to). Other countries have laws that some people have to be in the military, even if they do not want to be. This is called the draft or conscription. People in the military usually wear clothes called a uniform, which is often in a camouflage pattern. People who have been in the military and fought in a war but have left or retired are called “veterans”.
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[edit] Types
- Army - A military force that is based on soldiers on land or driving in land vehicles.
- Navy - A military force that uses ships and boats. People in a navy are called sailors unless they are officers.
- Air force - A military force that uses mainly airplanes.
- Marines - Military forces that serve on ships, but also to fight on land when needed. They work closely with a navy, but are not sailors.
Militaries may also have special groups for special situations.
[edit] Groups
People in the military are part of a group that is part of a larger group, or organization.
Here are some of the common types of groups used by Army forces:
- Squad - Lead by a Sergeant, which has around 10 soldiers in the squad.
- Platoon - Lead by a 2nd Lieutenant with a Sergeant First Class as a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Assistant, a Platoon is made up of 4 squads, a platoon would of around 40 soldiers.
- Company - Lead by a Captain, has a First Sergeant as a NCO Assistant, it is made of 4 Platoons, so in general it has 160 soldiers.
- Battalion - Lead by a Major, has a Sergeant Major as a NCO Assistant, it is made of 2 companies, normally has 320 soldiers.
- regiment or brigade
- division
- corps (big)
[edit] Ranks
“Ranks” are different levels. A person with a higher rank can tell a person with a lower rank what to do. People with higher ranks usually also get paid more money. Ranks are usually broken down into 2 groups - Enlisted (E) and Officers (O). Enlisted people do the work, Officers make the orders. People in the military wear a symbol of their rank on their uniform. Enlisted people with a rank of E-4 and above are also called Non-commissioned Officers (NCOs). It is usually their job to make sure that common jobs are done properly every day.
Here are some common ranks for the army (and sometimes the air force). They often go in this order, from the lowest to the highest:
- Enlisted Ranks
- Private
- Private First Class (one that has been a private for some time)
- Specialist (E-4, But not an NCO.)
- Corporal
- Sergeant
- Sergeant First Class
- Staff Sergeant
- Master sergeant or First Sergeant
- Sergeant Major
- Officer Ranks
- Warrant Officer
- Second Lieutenant
- First Lieutenant
- Captain
- Major
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Colonel
- Brigadier General or Brigadier
- Major General
- Lieutenant General
- General
The navy has different ranks, listed here for the US Navy from the lowest to the highest:
- Enlisted Ranks
- Seaman, Airman, Fireman (E-1 - E-3)
- Petty Officer (E-4 - E-6)
- Chief Petty Officer (E-7)
- Senior Chief Petty Officer (E-8)
- Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9)
- Officer Ranks
- Cheif Warrant Officer (CWO1 - CWO4)
- Ensign (O-1)
- Lieutenant (junior grade) (O-2)
- Lieutenant (O-3)
- lieutenant Commander (O-4)
- Commander (O-5)
- Captain (O-6)
- Rear Admiral (lower half) or Commodore (O-7)
- Rear Admiral (upper half) (O-8)
- Vice Admiral (O-9)
- Admiral (O-10)
- Fleet Admiral (O-10) - Only used at times of War
[edit] Training
New people in the military are often called “recruits”. Their training is sometimes called “boot camp”.
During this training, they usually have very little free time. They do a lot of exercise. Some things they learn about are weapons, first aid, and their uniforms. They also learn how to march. This is a special way to walk together. Sometimes soldiers march in a parade. This is sometimes called “drill.” By the time soldiers finish "boot camp", they should know enough to be a helpful person in their group.
