Oftentimes, it is easy to spot a soldier. There is just something about them that stands out. Most times their stance gives them away, or how they walk, but it usually shows in how they carry themselves in their daily lives. If you know someone who has been to the military or if you’ve been there yourself, you will find this list relatable. After all, once a soldier, always a soldier!
Floor = Bed
Basic military training prepares you to sleep basically anywhere. So, if you have been to the military, sleeping on the floor is easy. However, what sets soldiers apart from the rest of the world is that they can quickly get up and stand at attention even if they were in deep slumber a few seconds ago.
Floor = Bed
Ironing Boss
Soldiers always look so presentable. You won’t see a single crease on their uniform. This must be due to the fact that it is a must for them to fold and iron their own uniform.
Ironing Boss
The Way You Walk
Another way you can tell if someone is a soldier is by observing how they walk. They’re usually easy to spot even from a mile away. Their stride usually has a sense of purpose in it. One more thing that you need to know is that when you’re walking with them, you may have to speed up to keep up with them.
The Way You Walk
Military Time
When you ask for the time, a military man or woman would give it to you in 24-hour format – military time. You got that right. So, expect answers like ’22:00’ or ’13:00.’ Even an ex-military wouldn’t change how he or she reads time.
Military Time
Your Hair
Civilians are free to choose the kind of haircut they want, but soldiers don’t have the same freedom. They are required to get the same buzz-cut hair in active service. Once they get out of service, they can actually choose to get a new haircut, but most of them will probably stick to what they’re used to.
Your Hair
Scanning Situations
Soldiers are trained to scan and assess any situation first before they act. They first find what sticks out from the ordinary, then if needed, they act. So, when your soldier does this when you’re out having a picnic in a park or in a concert, don’t be surprised. That’s just how they are wired. No biggie.
Scanning Situations
Standing At Ease
The stance that soldiers take when they are “at ease” looks uncomfortable. However, if you stand that way for a few years, you’d eventually get used to it and it would feel comfortable. This is why we still see ex-military people doing this even after years of not being in service.
Standing At Ease
Sir And Ma’am
Soldiers are also trained to be respectful all the time. That’s why they address people as ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’ whether they are the flower lady, the milkman or your parents.
Sir And Ma’am
Fast Eater
Eating with a soldier or even an ex-military can be a little faster than you are accustomed to. This is because they are used to eating their meals in record time. Their time in service has trained them to do this because they always had to get back to their post, especially in a war zone. It will be hard for them to go back to how they used to eat pre-military.
Fast Eater
Military Jargon
You may have heard phrases such as “affirmative” or “negative,” and “roger that” in computer games and in movies. However, this is normal talk for soldiers even after they have left the military. Once they have learned it, they don’t forget it.
Military Jargon
Polished
As we have previously mentioned, soldiers are very presentable. Their boots are two of the most important part of their uniform. These military guys actually invest time and effort to make their boots shine. This habit is pretty much hard to forget, too.
Polished
Your Fridge
A soldier’s fridge is different from most families’ fridge which is full of reminders and photos. A military man’s fridge usually has souvenirs or war memorabilia and clues of their service in the army.
Your Fridge
Saluting
Once you get used to saluting people as a form of greeting every day, it’s hard to let go. So, if you see one saluting you, he may just be saying hello. You can salute back to return the greeting, too.
Saluting
No Kitchen
Soldiers always refer to the kitchen as THE MESS. So, don’t worry much about it. “Kitchen? What kitchen?” Just get used to hearing it referred to as ‘the mess.’
No Kitchen
Call Of Duty
Soldiers, like any other person, love playing Call of Duty, too. Only that they know that real life is far different from the game. Carrying a grenade and 6 rifles in a walk in the park… in the game.
Call Of Duty
Black paint or ‘Boot-Topping’?
For military personnel, there is no difference between boot-topping and boot paint. If you don’t know what boot-topping is, it’s the black coating that they lather on their boots between the waterline and the deck. It’s made of sulfur or lime and has a kind of thick, liquid consistency. People who have not been to the military would not see the difference between boot-topping and black paint, but an expert military eye can easily spot it.
Black Paint Or ‘Boot Topping’
Quiet In Line
Soldiers are used to standing in line in complete silence. So, they do this even in doing regular stuff like standing line for the ATM or waiting for the bus. This is because they trained to stand in controlled silence when they are waiting for orders or when they stand in line before entering the mess hall.
Quiet In Line
Checking Your Car
Safety always comes first for those who have been to the military. They are used to the discipline of checking their vehicles before going to a mission. They have to make sure that the said vehicle is ready and safe for the mission. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an armored personnel carrier, a helicopter or a fighter jet, they would still check it every single time. Even after their time in the army, they still have this habit of checking their own private vehicle before they use it.
Checking Your Car
Home Chore List
Is it difficult to keep track of which household chore needs to be done? You might want to learn a thing or two from a soldier. They use a chore list in the military to make sure that everyone knows what chores are done, what needs to be done and who is assigned to do them. If someone doesn’t their chore, they are held accountable. These people usually carry this practice even in their own homes.
Home Chore List
Skip The Fireworks
For civilians, fireworks are beautiful and are very exciting to watch. But to a soldier who has had experience being in a real battle zone, those bangs could bring up some very unpleasant memories. Soldiers have had too much real firework experience during their time in active service that watching fireworks may not be a good idea for a romantic date.
Skip The Fireworks
Power Stance
Soldiers don’t just have a similar way of walking, they also stand in a similar way. They usually stand based on their rank and stand in what we call a power stance. When you are around these people, you can just feel their confidence simply by how they stand.
Power Stance
Your Squad
To soldiers, the people that they are with on the battlefield are the most important individuals in their lives. They are responsible for keeping these people safe, and vice versa. So, don’t be fooled if you hear them cursing and insulting each other. They actually love and trust each other.
Your Squad
Speaking In A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.S.
If the acronyms BOHICA, WAG, and SNAFU don’t make sense to you, you’ve most likely never been in the military. Soldiers are well versed in using these acronyms. They are so used to using it that it naturally comes out in their conversations.
Speaking In A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.S.
Honking Twice
In the military, it is standard practice to honk twice if you want to warn others that you’re backing up. Soldiers still tend to do this out of habit even after coming back from active service.
Honking Twice
The Flag
The whole American nation is represented by the American flag, so it is only right to give it the utmost respect. You will notice that soldiers immediately stand and sometimes salute when it is raised.
The Flag
Back To The Wall
When you see someone with his back on the wall, it doesn’t mean that he has nowhere to go. It simply means that he is safe. Positioning yourself with your back on the wall means that all you have to worry about are threats from the front. So, you may see ex-military personnel still choose a corner seat with the wall behind them even in their regular civilian life.
Back To The Wall
Hospital Corners
“Hospital Corners” are a common sight in the quarters of military personnel. This is because their beds are no exception to their practice to maintain cleanliness and neatness. After all, hospital corners are considered bed uniform in the army.
Hospital Corners
War Movie Frustration
It is not surprising to see a soldier getting annoyed over a Hollywood war film. This is because it can never fully capture their experience on the battlefield. This is not to say that they don’t enjoy watching the said movies, they just see the inaccuracies.
War Movie Frustration
Whistling In The Loo
If you hear someone whistling in the next toilet stall, that person is most likely a soldier. We still don’t know where this tradition came from, but it is a common practice in the military.
Whistling In The Loo
Knife Hands
You might be wondering what a knife hand is. Simply put, it is when the hand is held flat and tight with all the fingers aligned. Men and women who came from active service still use this hand gesture to explain something or when they give directions.
Knife Hands
Getting Up Early
If you hear a soldier that he slept in, he most likely means that he woke up at 7:00. This is because getting up early is a habit that soldiers have acquired during their basic training and active years in service.
Getting Up Early
Popping Smoke
In movies, when soldiers “pop smoke,” they usually create a shield of smoke as a diversion for them to move into position. Outside of the army, when a soldier says he’s “popping smoke,” it means that he is leaving.
Popping Smoke
Tabasco Sauce
Food rations in the military are not something a soldier brags about when they write home. So, when the food is just purely liquid or just dry, they use Tabasco sauce to make it more palatable. This is one product that they can swear by.
Tabasco Sauce
The National Anthem
Don’t be surprised when you see a tear or two in a soldier’s eye whenever the Star Spangled Banner starts to play. Our national anthem is not just the music of our flag but also the soundtrack of a soldier’s life.
The National Anthem
Always Early, Never Late
While “fashionably late” might be the thing for some people, soldiers and their family know that this an absolute “no-no.” People in the army are always early. They usually arrive 15 minutes early and are never late. Soldiers understand that time is accountability.
Always Early, Never Late
No Explanations
Some people give long-winded explanations about what is happening, but soldiers are the complete opposite. They give briefings where they only give vital information. After all, there is no point in speaking for a long time with too much emotion. It is better to get straight to the point and just mention the most important things.
No Explanations
Workout Music
Ex-military personnel usually look for a song to motivate them in their work out and they often turn to “cadence” which is pretty much their soundtrack. So, whether they feel pumped or a little under the weather, cadence will always get them motivated to work hard.
Workout Music
Your Gun
Anyone who has served in the army knows that their gun is practically another body part. So, where they go, they always carry it with them. So, even if they’re not in active service anymore, they still feel like their gun is with them wherever they go.
Your Gun
Losing Your Gun
Speaking of guns and losing them, some ex-soldiers even have nightmares about losing their weapons, only to wake up and realize that they no longer have their guns with them and that there is really no need to continue carrying them around.
Losing Your Gun
Phonetic Alphabet
When soldiers are asked to spell out something, they automatically use the military phonetic alphabet. You will hear them say for “Juliet” instead of J or “delta” instead of d. You may have heard them speaking like this and you didn’t understand a thing. Don’t worry about it, he or she was just spelling something out.
Phonetic Alphabet
Short Showers
Long and luxurious showers are not really a thing in the military. Showers are often quick and are done out of pure necessity and nothing else. Soldiers actually take this habit of getting in and out of the shower quickly with them even when they are back to civilian life.
Short Showers
Sunglasses
Whether you are still soldier or you were one in the past, wearing sunglasses is just something you are comfortable doing. So, your sunnies are a must-have whether the sun is shining or not.
Sunglasses
Talking During The Anthem
If you’re a soldier, active or not you show respect to the national anthem, and it drives you nuts when people don’t do the same by talking while it is played. You find it absolutely disrespectful and would gladly shut them up with your weapon. Thankfully you don’t have it with you.
Talking During The Anthem
Towards Danger
Danger is not something that an active soldier or a former one run away from. They will always run towards it. This means that if it involves helping people, soldiers will always do it no matter how dangerous it is. Whenever action is needed, they are always willing to step up and do it.
Towards Danger
“Say Again”
Another true sign that someone has been in the military is when they constantly say, “say again” instead of saying, “pardon me” or “excuse me.” Habits are just hard to break.
“Say Again”
Finding The Exits
A soldier always checks out the area to find the nearest exit points wherever they go. We mean EVERYWHERE they go. It can be a ballpark or a restaurant, but they will surely find every exit possible to feel prepared for an emergency evacuation.
Finding The Exits
Right Hand Free
When your boyfriend (who has been in the army) refuses to hold your left hand, it’s not what you think it is. Soldiers often hold their girlfriend’s right hand with their left hand because they want to keep their “strong” hand ready for any action. So, don’t misunderstand your man.
Right Hand Free
Hands In Pockets
This concept is similar to the last one where they keep their right hands ready for action. Soldiers also very rarely tuck their hands in their pockets. We know that movies show us differently, but soldiers just put their hands on their hips as they assume a power stance.
Hands In Pockets
Quiet During Announcements
This is a bit similar to how soldiers act when the national anthem is played. They usually stand quietly when announcements are made. They are so used to being quiet when orders are handed out and this habit is pretty hard to break even in the supermarket aisle or at football games.
Quiet During Announcements
Alternative Routes
A simple trip to the park may look just that – simple. But to a soldier, they will have planned an alternative route – just in case. Military people don’t like it when they only know one way to go back and forth from a place. There should always be a back-up route in case of emergency.
Alternative Routes
Brass To The Grass
If you have no idea what the expression “brass to grass” means, then you obviously have never been a soldier. This “brass to grass” habit still lives on, however, even if you’re not in active service anymore. I mean how do you replace staples into the stapler? Which part faces the ground? I know, right?
Brass To The Grass
Gig Line
The “gig line” is the straightest line you will ever see the human body to be. If you have no idea what it is, then you’ve obviously not had the experience of obsessing over it.
Gig Line
No Word Is Gold
Soldiers, active or not, know this truth. For anyone who has served in the army, this is something that they completely understand. It doesn’t matter what you were told, or what you heard. Nothing is certain until it really happens and even if something does happen, it can still be canceled.
No Word Is Gold
Last Names
Soldiers often don’t know each other’s first names while they are in active service. They just casually refer to each other using their fellow soldier’s last names, and in their opinion, it may be their comrade’s only name.
Last Names
Soldier Or Not
Once a soldier, always a soldier. It doesn’t matter if they have been out of the army for just a week or for more than 30 years, their habits and manners will always give them away. No matter how people try to act and look like soldiers, we can actually tell who the true heroes are.
Soldier Or Not
Shot Joints
We’re sure that you still remember the day you received the call-up. You were fit as a fiddle and ready as can be, but then what happened next? After your time in service, the army gives you a big ‘thank you’ and you went home with pain in your joints that will remind you of your time in the military your whole life.
Shot Joints
You’ve Got An Ex
Waiting for your man or woman come back after serving the country is no easy task. But then again, what happened to the promises you’ve shared of loving each other no matter what? Military men and women often find themselves in this sad scenario where their partner leaves them or divorces them.
Youve Got An Ex
Fast Dresser
Do you often hear your partner saying, “Honey, we’re supposed to be there in 10 minutes and you’re not even dressed yet?” Well, we’re sure you never really had to worry about the time as dressing at lightning speed is an easy thing for you to do. This means that you already have a clear idea in mind about what you’re going to wear, so it really was not a problem at all.
Fast Dresser
Some Vitamin M
When a regular person feels under the weather, he or she calls in sick and spends a couple of days in bed. However, things are different for people in the army. They just take Motrin and they’re ready to take action, no matter how they feel. Vitamin ‘M’ really works wonders.
Some Vitamin M
Water Too
This is the same for water. If you feel sick in your stomach, or you have a headache, a hernia, a sore leg or a missing limb, all you need to do is drink some water. This aqua magic definitely does the trick 99 percent of the time.
Water Too
Chopper Differences
Most people’s children may say, “Look, daddy, a helicopter!” as they point to the sky. But your kids? They know if it is a Blackhawk, a Chinook or an Apache flying over them.
Chopper Differences
Time Away
As the saying goes, absence does make the heart grow fonder. But sometimes you have become so used to being away for a long time that months for most people can feel like a few hours for you.
Time Away
Worst Case Scenario
It doesn’t matter where you are, or what activity you are engaged in at the moment, you always think of the “worst-case scenario.” Even if you’re at your child’s 4th birthday party or waiting in line at the bank, you still find yourself imagining your reaction and response if some gunmen held the place up.
Worst Case Scenario
Skype Is Reality
When you’re far from your family and friends, Skype is technically your only way to reach them. You’ve gotten so used to it that you just pretty much want to actually be there in person for the people you love.
Skype Is Reality
Special Laundry
When people do their laundry, they often separate the darks from the lights. But people in the army have to add another category on the list. We are referring to the “cammies.”
Special Laundry
Too Quiet
Soldiers are accustomed to sleeping with different kinds of noise in the background like artillery fire, or some heavy machinery. So, it’s actually quite difficult for them to fall asleep at home when they eventually get some time off to be with their family.
Too Quiet
AC Or No AC?
We’re sure that you’ve grown used to living without air conditioning during your deployment, you can be one of two kinds of people. You either survive without it for all time, or you find every opportunity to use it whenever you feel the first sign of heat.
AC Or No AC
Medal Of Dishonor
While we all agree that liars can go to hell, people in the military have an especially strong dislike for people who claim to serve in the military when they actually haven’t. Vets, in general, are even harder to make a fool of as they can sniff you out even if you’re very far away.
Medal Of Dishonor
Hats For The National Anthem
We know that you find it really grating when people keep their hats on when the American anthem is played at a game. You definitely know how to show respect the national anthem and you just wish that these people did, too.
Hats For The National Anthem
Motivational Videos
You easily get pumped up from inspirational videos that you see on YouTube. What’s more, is that these videos have a lot of action scenes such as the military kicking some butt or some shooting while an epic soundtrack is playing in the background. Also, these videos should be about never giving up.
Motivational Videos
Earplugs
If you’ve spent some time in the army, you have most likely regretted not wearing earplugs more during your time of active service. This is because these days, you often ask people to repeat what they say more than you expected you would.
Earplugs
Tight
Jester One told on Business Insider in an interview, “I’ve been out of the Navy for 16 years now and I still check my gig line.” If you don’t know that a gig line is, it’s the alignment of your shirt buttons, cover, tie, belt, and zipper when you are wearing your uniform. This habit of checking your gig line is often brought back to the real world by ex-military individuals.
Tight
Pick Up Your Feet
When people drag their feet when they walk, you easily feet aggravated. It is simply unnecessary to drag one’s feet across the floor when walking. No exceptions.
Pick Up Your Feet
Shake It Off
When you shake hands, you need to give a firm one or don’t even bother. This practice can still follow you even after your time with the military. Anyway, it’s something that people should all follow. No problem.
Shake If Off
At All Times
It doesn’t really matter where you’re going or if you’ll only stay for 10 minutes, you always have water and snacks at hand. ALWAYS. This is because you don’t know what could happen. It’s better to be ready than sorry.
At All Times
The Same Way Twice
A soldier never takes the same route twice. They don’t do it even when they go to their kid’s school or to the bank. That’s just not how they operate.
The Same Way Twice
Every Morning
When you wake up, you always make sure to make your bed. While you were still in the army, this was expected of you, and a rule that you have to follow. But now that it’s not something that you have to do, you actually still do it because of the sense of accomplishment that it gives you.
Every Morning
Fit As A Fiddle
You make sure that you are fit by working out every single day. It doesn’t only keep you in perfect shape but it also teaches you patience, creates endurance and teaches you how to stick to your goals. Your time in the army has shaped this mindset but you still do it every day as it helps you with your daily life.
Fit As A Fiddle
Battle Rhythm
You always have a set battle rhythm and you execute it precisely. If you don’t know what a battle rhythm is, it’s “a deliberate daily cycle of command, staff, and unit activities intended to synchronize current and future operations… This is basically just a hooah, ‘warrior-focused’ name for a daily or weekly routine.” So, continue making your bed in the morning because this is what it means to have a battle rhythm. In addition, it helps you achieve your goals and you learned that in the army.
Battle Rhythm
Keep Calm
It doesn’t matter how big or small a crisis is, once it hits, you keep your calm at all times. You’ve had a lot of practice of not freaking out on the battlefield and you’re not going to start freaking out now in your regular, civilian life. So, whether your child lost your car keys or you can’t find one of their shoes., you always keep your cool and stay level-headed.
Keep Calm
Super Human
Camaraderie is something that you learn and foster in the military. It is very important that you have your comrade’s backs, especially when things are going south. This is something that you just do no matter what the time is. You can be at home, in the office, or in the supermarket, but you always make sure to help a fellow out.
Super Human
Praise
The military has always practices praising in public. That’s how they always do it. You were always praised in front of everyone whenever you did something right and good. Now, you do this, too. You do it with your spouse, your child, and your neighbor even.
Praise
Privacy
When someone does something that is not praise-worthy at all, or if he or she messes up, you need to tell him or her in private. This may not always be how it is done in the military, especially not when you forgot to make your bed correctly. However, they often deal with mess ups in private. So, even when you are back in your regular life, you still do the same thing.
Privacy
On Your Feet
When someone speaks to you, you always stand. It doesn’t matter whether they were only asking you what you want from the store, you give your answer on your feet anyway.
On Your Feet