Army’s new official COVID mask has such a long name it needs an acronym
What you’re looking at is a fabric mask, unless you’re the Army, then you gotta come up with a ridiculously complicated name that can then be shortened to trigger AW1Ed’s acronym OCD. In that case…
The Army’s latest uniform addition is the Combat Cloth Face Covering, also known in simple terms as a face mask.
Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the country for about nine months, the Army finally decided to get an official face mask, right on the heels of the announcement that vaccines have begun being distributed.
The branch, in developing the nomenclature for its tactical face fabric, has opted to officially name it the “Combat Cloth Face Covering” — CCFC for short, although “face mask” is probably still the most time-efficient name for it.
Though a long name, it certainly does adhere to the typical naming conventions used by the Defense Department, which often comes up with contrived or outright ridiculous acronyms like the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Dining Facility, called USAJFKSWCSDFAC, or the Maneuver Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course, known as MANCOC.
And while you might think that it seems a little late in the game to start issuing face masks, “the CCFC was designed, developed, and produced along an expedited timeline,” according to an Army release.
“This past summer, the Army Uniform Board recommended and General James C. McConville, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, approved issuing CCFCs to Soldiers at Initial Entry Training (IET) as part of their clothing bag,” the release notes. “At the 152nd AUB, Army officials said that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) will begin issuing two CCFCs to each new Soldier during the second quarter of FY2021.”
Ah yes, because soldiers will certainly have the most need of new face coverings at what is projected to be the beginning of the end of the pandemic.
Perhaps a more accurate acronym would be WITAYTGTFCANIBOGA, short for “Wow It Took A Year To Get This Face Covering And Now It’s Basically Obsolete, Go Army.”
Hooah, now you can hide your face.
Now that the Army has an official one the other branches will jump on the trend too. Then, in a cost reduction effort that will end up costing more in the long run, they’ll come up with the Joint Combat Cloth Face Covering.
Thanks to Jeff LPH 3 for sending in the link. Source; Army Times
Category: Army, Army News, COVID-19, Guest Link
Ranks right up there with the nomenclature for the zipper – “interlocking slide fastener, self repairing”; seriously, who comes up with this crap?
Natick Labs
Makers of dumb innovations like the inflatable sleeping mat that stops production of the foam mat, gets holes in itself and becomes useless.
They came up MRE’s also.
Can’t call it a zipper, that’s a trademarked brand name and would constitute an official government endorsement. See also “hook / pile tape”.
Someone who got an ARCOM for it.
it’s amazing…they have been wearing black masks this whole time, but someone just could not rest without making one with a camo pattern on it–likely for 400% more than just ordering them on ebay would cost.
As to who that “someone” is….I’m betting on the SMA, not SGT Smith in 1st Platoon, B Company, 1/502 INF at Fort Campbell…..
Geez…
My money is on some young MAJ or LTC on the ARSTAFF looking to make a name for himself/herself. But I could easily be wrong.
Come on Hondo, you know those OER bullets won’t write themselves!
🤣
“Every time there’s a pointless change a lieutenant colonel gets his wings.” – Colonel whose name I can’t remember.
Reputedly the Joint Staff is even worse. (Disclaimer: can’t say for sure, since I never served on either.)
One story I’ve heard/read is that the Army had an official definition for a certain military term. When the DoD Dictionary of Military Terms was created by the Joint Staff, it too contained a definition for the same term.
The definitions differed by one word. Specifically, the Joint Staff had added one word to the Army’s definition.
Someone asked why. Without skipping a beat, one old hand remarked that, “Ah, you see – that is the Joints Staff’s value-added.” (or similar words)
It’s been long enough that I can’t remember the term. But at the time, I recall looking the term up in both dictionaries and, sure enough, the definitions differed in length by one word – and the extra word appeared only in the DoD Dictionary’s entry. (smile)
Ol’ Poe would add a single letter: “r”.
Between “a” and “c” as in Combat Cloth Farce Covering.
In fact, he’d rename all such coverings, civilian and military, as “Farce” Masks…
Does that mean Space Force gets Force Masks?
My late father-in-law used to tell a story about the Joint Staff. He did a tour with it and spent most of it working on a project. When his tour was up he moved on to a new assignment far, far, away. When that tour was over he was assigned back to the DC area, where he found out the Joint Staff was still working on the same project.
And you can easily be right. In this case, I bet you are 100% correct.
And whoever it was, im sure they got a Bronze Star or MSM for it.
What is wrong with gaiters? If they wanted something came that would make worlds more sense.
Unless they have a high thread count, gaiters are rated as less superior as far as protection, especially the stretchy nylon kind.
Camo, fu auttoooocorrrrekt
ONE EACH
I gave my mother in law some of my old cammies and she made some pretty awesome looking masks for me at the beginning of this. She warned me that the material didn’t breath as well as the other masks she was making – and she was right. They look awesome – you just can’t breath through them unless you have an air vent gap at the bottom of it. 🙁
Lets just go with balaclavas and all have some baklava.
Ooooo, baklava. So good. 🤤
With a nice pot of Turkish coffee, now we’re talking!
Combat Cloth Face Covering
CoC FaC
Hence forth to be know as the cock face.
I was thinking more of “Cock F**k”.
You know the average Pvt Snuffy will.
BOTH OF YOU GUYS STOP IT!!!
I have only one laptop and so many beverages.
Besides, I’m spending a lot of time using my F5 key on ammoseek.com to spend time giggling.
Chimp
The good idea fairy hard at work here
Air Force version come with the optional ball gag?
Hahahahhahahahaha!
BOOM! Fire for effect, over!
Heh heh Knew you’d like that one. Shot out…(OVER)
Y’all snowed in yet?
Yes Sir! Was out moving The Worst Eight Inches of Snow EVER!
Sky’s blueing, so one more clean up, throw salt and it’s 12 oz curl time!
Tanks for the hardy laugh.
ROFLOL!
Thx Gun Bunny
And like everything else the Military buys, they’ll be made by some outfit who owns (*OOPS*, makes campaign donations to) the right politicians.
Or be made in China and sold to the US Govt as “Made in the USA.”
Why is there no reflective stripe? Shouldn’t it have a reflective stripe? Or is there a separate reflective face belt (SRFB)to be worn with it during PT in the dark?
That’s the field version. For safety reasons, the garrison version (yet to be announced, apparently) will likely made out of 100% reflective vinyl-coated cloth – including the straps.
And wear will be mandatory, even during individual, self-paced PT. (smile)
What, no blue, dress version?
Funding unavailable – that one will have to wait until next FY. (smile)
The Army has not yet decided what this fiscal year’s dress uniform will be.
I am wondering how long it took them to decide between “CombatCFC” and “TacticalCFC”.
Back in my day we just got sick because man-sh*t.
If the Troopies really want to prevent CoVid inhalation, Marlboro Lights are sold at gas stations and the Class 6. While at the 6 get a bottle of Jame-oh and lemons/limes (if they gots) for hot toddies, jic they get this bad cold.
>99% chance they will not need hospitalization, icymi.
Acronyms are a sure sign of bureaucratic inefficiency. Compound acronym use is flat lazy and should be banned.
I’d argue otherwise, AW1Ed.
Would you really have liked to type something like “Joint Tactical Information Distribution System” (or a similar multi-word name, like “Advanced Field Artillery Targeting and Direction System” or any of a number of other systems with long formal titles) 50 or more different times in a report when you were working in the T&E community? Or would you have rather typed it once, the first time it appeared, followed by the acronym – then used only the acronym the other 49+ times?
Been there, done that. I’ll opt for using something short (and which people can remember) for referencing a complex system, thanks.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree, Hondo. The obvious answer is not to use ridiculous naming conventions in the first place.
Since we both know that will never happen, acronyms are inevitable. The danger lies in using acronyms that are so arcane as to be not understood, or misused. This was especially prevalent in working with industry, where similar (or same!) acronyms have vastly different meanings than the militarys.
Is that a Bravo Alfa 1100 November, or just a balloon?
*grin*
General rule of thumb is that if it’s in all caps, it’s an Acronym. If it’s not, it’s generally a word – albeit maybe a misspelled one. Some exceptions do exist. (smile)
We’ll indeed have to agree to disagree. For some types of system (aircraft come to mind), the Tri-service or other form of Joint designator (if one exists) could be used, and often are. However, arguably even those are merely another form of abbreviated name, which is precisely what an acronym is in the first place.
For other things – such as systems under development that have not been assigned a joint designator, or items for which different services have different nomenclatures/designations – well, not so much. The potential for confusion then exists, and an acronym can help clarify precisely what’s being referenced.
In particular, it’s simply not feasible to avoid acronyms when you have joint IT systems under development/test/use. Those systems tend to have long, somewhat- to highly-technical formal names that I can guarantee no one will remember or use correctly over time; if no suitable short name or acronym exists, users will invent and use their own (like sailors apparently did with the USS City of Corpus Christi and numerous other ships [smile]). So there, acronyms are not only useful – they’re arguably essential.
Bottom line: like any tool, acronyms can be either used or abused.
Yes, that all makes sense, but you can’t convince me some people don’t take a sadistic pleasure in making names & acronyms & descriptions as long and difficult as possible.
Rifle, for instance….Or is it an Infantry Individual Weapons Platform?
(I omit caliber and other possibilities for the sake of brevity).
Or maybe Shoulder-fired, semi-automatic, gas-operated, magazine-fed,….(My memory fails me on the exact sequence).
“…similar (or same!) acronyms have vastly different meanings than the militarys.”
Hah! Acronyms are also known to be repetitive *within* the military. I know this because I run into that problem when googling some of them trying to make sense out what some of the more acronym-addicted folks here think is civilized discourse.
You can pin your NDSM right on the front!
Next up: Belts will be renamed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfNJD0eZE_o
“It’s not a belt. It’s a Tactical Pants Retention System.”
Trousers. Trousers not “pants.”
“Trousers”?
Only two syllables? Surely someone with the nom de net “Quartermaster” can do better.
I like a mask I just saw online. Printed in white letters on the black mask, it says: “If underwear won’t stop a fart, masks won’t protect you.”
I wonder if the same Chinese company that made the Beret will get the bid?
At $500 a pop.
Basic
Organizational
Garb
Utility
Safety
Fuck a mask.
Wore it religiously in the beginning. The minute our Texas Governor mandated it, mine came off. My 4 person Family hasn’t worn one since. We’ve had many challenges to entry at many establishments but have politely made our way without the muzzle.
Fuck that shit! And fuck you Lars!
I have a home made mask with lettering, “COVID IS NOT THE PLAGUE”.
Anytime I’m forced to wear it, lots of people enjoy it.
Saw a guy wearing Groucho glasses over his mask.
Almost blew my mine off laughing.