Posted on Mar 8, 2016
SGT Infantryman (Airborne)
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Ever since I've been on RP, I've noticed different abbreviations for Captain. Are both abbreviations proper, or is there just one abbreviation?
Posted in these groups: Rank RankCaptArmycpt CPT
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Responses: 16
Capt Bryan Dankanich
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Capt for USMC, CPT for Army, CAPT for USN (O6 rank), and Capt for USAF
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PO1 Brian Austin
PO1 Brian Austin
>1 y
Learned something new today. Didn't know AF used Capt, always thought they used CPT like the Army.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
>1 y
Sounds about Right, Forgot the Old English Version though, Capt'n.
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SPC David S.
SPC David S.
>1 y
There is a slight difference in the insignia of USMC and Army/Air Force - the crossbars are closer to the center on Army and Air Force. Good thing to look for with stolen valor.
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MSgt Cyber Ops
MSgt (Join to see)
>1 y
^^what he said!
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1SG Civil Affairs Specialist
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The only abbreviation I ever use for a Captain is Sir.
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SGT Infantryman (Airborne)
SGT (Join to see)
>1 y
Hey 1SG (Join to see), We call them the same thing, whether it's CPT or CAPT, it's always Sir..
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1SG Civil Affairs Specialist
1SG (Join to see)
>1 y
SGT (Join to see) - Maybe ma'am...
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SGT Infantryman (Airborne)
SGT (Join to see)
>1 y
Oh yeah! Forgot about that 1SG (Join to see). Thanks for the heads up. Lol
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Lt Col Jim Coe
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Each service has their own set of officer rank abbreviations. To answer your question:
Army. CPT
Navy, CAPT (O6)
Air Force, Capt
Marines, Capt

If you like this then O5 is more fun:
Army, LTC
Navy, CDR (Commander)
Air Force, Lt Col
Marines, LtCol
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Lt Col Jim Coe
Lt Col Jim Coe
>1 y
Form of address in the enlisted ranks gets really interesting. It took me several months in a joint command to figure out what to call the sailors without insulting them. In the Air Force a "Chief" is an E-9. E-8 and below to E-5 are "Sergeant." The Navy plays the game very differently. "Chief" is an E-7, while E-8 and E-9 get additional titles in front of Chief, e.g., "Senior Chief" for E-8. Below E-4 it appears sailors are addressed by their rate, such as "corpsman" or "airman," instead of their rank. In between, Petty Officers are okay if you call them Petty Officer Whoever. The Marines are more formal and use the entire rank, like "Lance Corporal." If you know a GySgt well, then it's okay to call them "Gunny," and it appears there's a certain type of Marine Warrant Officer who's called "Guns" just to keep it interesting. Not to be left out, the Army is pretty straight forward, "private," "corporal," and "sergeant," until you get to E-9. You best never call a Command Sergeant Major, just "Sergeant." As an officer, the enlisted folks cut me some slack, but some would take me aside with polite advice about proper form of address, which I appreciated.
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MAJ Ronnie Reams
MAJ Ronnie Reams
>1 y
Except for Army, services use AP style book.
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Lt Col Jim Coe
Lt Col Jim Coe
>1 y
MAJ Ronnie Reams by AP I’m assuming you mean Associated Press. A lifetime ago there were charts on the wall in almost every joint operations office space so we could communicate correctly among the services. If that’s gone away in favor of a single set of abbreviations that could be a good thing
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MAJ Ronnie Reams
MAJ Ronnie Reams
>1 y
Lt Col Jim Coe - Yeppers, Associated Press. Do not know about now, but Stylebook used to be the bible for PIO types in the Army.
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