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I am a pogue, and I know the diffence. At the risk of sounding any more like a sycophant, the distinction between pog and pogue is indeed an issue; I had to explain the pogue/pog difference to a USMC augmentee (who was also a pogue, despite the fact he was issued a long gun with Trijicon) about 18 months ago in Afganistan. Thanks yet again for getting the word out. Sorry for another drunk post.
Originally, the term was a sexual insult in early twentieth century gay culture, as “pogue” was slang for a young male who submitted to sexual advances.
The word “pogue” was never originally spelled “pog” nor was it an acronym. The change of spelling from “pogue” to “POG” may be a direct result of the word “póg” meaning “kiss” in Irish Gaelic. A popular Irish phrase “póg mo thóin” literally means “kiss my ass.” The Irish punk band “the Pogues” derived their names directly from that phrase. Coincidentally, the spelling itself is anglicized “pogue” because “pog” is pronounced like the word “rogue.”
And as most of us know, the Infantry MOS requires a higher ASVAB GT score than a great many pogue MOS. However, intelligence and lack of willful ignorance are not the same (which is not to say that most Infantrymen are willfully ignorant, which would be patently false, apart from those that have made a religion out of a reverse-engineered non-acronym).
This argument will go on forever in the barracks and beyond. I have no problem with either one, but most people today seem to understand “POG,” so I’ll use it.
“POG = Person Other than Grunt” is a revisionst attempt to make an acronym out of a slan word which was already in common useage. I heard the word pogue used regularly when I was a medic in an infantry unit in the late 1980s; it wasn’t until the late-90s that I heard anyone “define” it as POG.
Assuming for a moment that what you say is true, and that Person Other than Grunt is “revisionism”, then what did it stand for before back in the good ol days?
Or was the army so predominantly irish that they borrowed the “Pogue” meaning with spelling and everything?
Incidentally, the word “Whiskey” is also of Irish origin. Therefore, by analogy, dismissing “Pogue” because of it’s etymology is logically unsound.
The Marine I explained “Pogue” to in Afghanistan was less than half my age; therefore this may indeed be a generational isssue, but not his fault as the misconception has likely been propagated extensively by those unable to (or not sufficiently motivated to) research the term themselves.
Or it could just be a Marine thing (not offense intended, plenty of people misguided about things the other services).
I need to find better ways to spend my Saturday night.
Um, quit believing the internet. There was a lot of military history and tradition before the interwebs. And it’s “pogue” (as in “poguey bait”)as explained by various others on here that were actually in the military before 2000.
LOL It isn’t spelled “Poguey bait”. If you are going to ‘correct’ somebody, square away yourself first.
And at least the internet encyclopedias are backed by citations, which is more than I can say for the guys selling POG “pogue” with nothing but nostalgia to reference.
This, is how this shit started, guy sees word, guy makes acronym rather than ask, guy perpetrates misinformation, informed old school dudes get frustrated with people who know no better… but they know a guy who knows a guy who knows…
Why is it pogue, and not POG? You have all made it clear you believe it is pogue but have not explained why. Pedantic Operator’s Groan Universally Equally.
The myth that the infantryman works harder than anyone else in the military, and is better than anyone else in the military, is fostered to help them compensate for having one of the shittiest jobs in the military – it’s like Marines taking excessive pride in simply being Marines despite being chronically on the short end of the acquisition stick, thus having muskets with iron sights long after everyone else – pogues included – were toting M4s with optics.
I’ve used to talk shit about pougs, until one time we needed something and a pogue told us to rub that blue cord and gtfo. Over the years I’ve learned to respect all MOSs, especially cooks, finance, supply and mechanics.
Recently I have transitioned from 11b to a 68wF2 position and world of aviation Pogue lifestyle opened up in front me. Looking forward to it after years of being mistreated like rich man’s guard dogs.
For me, it isn’t so much a question of spelling (Pogue/POG). It’s more an issue of soldiers not knowing what Pogue means. When I enlisted in ’93, Pogue simply meant you weren’t Infantry. But when I got to Iraq in ’06, Pogue was used as a term for troops who didn’t see combat; incorrectly used as synonyms for Fobbit or REMF. Plenty of Engineers, Arty, MPs and 88Mikes performed well under fire–but are still Pogues.
Back in the 80s and 90s it was a term used for guys who didn’t go on any missions aka infantry. Seems, with few exceptions, everyone else was actually doing stuff and the infantry guys were stuck in the barracks cleaning rifles.
Regardless of it’s spelling, anyone who hears it knows whether or not they are….or are NOT. I have a sneaking suspicion this peanut gallery is “person other than grunt” heavy. Just saying.
As a guy who is a pogue. I believe the first is a POG. Or the little circle discos that you stacked up. Slamming a POG slammer down onto it. The POGs were made of cardboard. I think that is what they were going for. But in my defense I am a pogue. I hold two MOSes in the non 11B world. I’m a 13F. And a 92R. When the infantry wants their call for fire or air to cover them. I’m their best friend. And when the airborne infantry wants their chutes I hooked them up. Or on the heavy drops when I resupply them I’m their best friend. But other then that I think it’s just a term that the infantry likes to use.
I was an Infantryman for 25 years. It was pogue when I joined in 89 and two groups of people we never considered to be pogues were FOs and line medics.
Cold!
I am a pogue, and I know the diffence. At the risk of sounding any more like a sycophant, the distinction between pog and pogue is indeed an issue; I had to explain the pogue/pog difference to a USMC augmentee (who was also a pogue, despite the fact he was issued a long gun with Trijicon) about 18 months ago in Afganistan. Thanks yet again for getting the word out. Sorry for another drunk post.
I thought it was P.O.G. but pronounced POGUE?
Person other than a grunt?
Next you’ll tell me REMF is REMFUE
That would be POTAG.
Nope, only in the mind in of the internet.
Jon, OPT
For those who don’t care to Google:
Originally, the term was a sexual insult in early twentieth century gay culture, as “pogue” was slang for a young male who submitted to sexual advances.
The word “pogue” was never originally spelled “pog” nor was it an acronym. The change of spelling from “pogue” to “POG” may be a direct result of the word “póg” meaning “kiss” in Irish Gaelic. A popular Irish phrase “póg mo thóin” literally means “kiss my ass.” The Irish punk band “the Pogues” derived their names directly from that phrase. Coincidentally, the spelling itself is anglicized “pogue” because “pog” is pronounced like the word “rogue.”
If you can spell words with a ‘u’ in them, then you are probably too smart for the infantry, and therefore a pog.
Must be a millennial problem.
That’s funny, I know a lot of smart dudes in infantry slots 😉
Me too
And as most of us know, the Infantry MOS requires a higher ASVAB GT score than a great many pogue MOS. However, intelligence and lack of willful ignorance are not the same (which is not to say that most Infantrymen are willfully ignorant, which would be patently false, apart from those that have made a religion out of a reverse-engineered non-acronym).
Photo’s wonky again. It’s massive for the dude on the forklift.
At least it is on my device.
Ya, and it makes the homepage of the website really funky since the image is so big. I’m using an iPad Air.
This argument will go on forever in the barracks and beyond. I have no problem with either one, but most people today seem to understand “POG,” so I’ll use it.
It never existed until after the internet gained popular use, back in the 90’s Marines and Army alike called and spelled it the original way.
Jon, OPT
Um, no
It is POG, pronounced “pogue” (which has its own history and different meaning), which a backronym for, “People Other than Grunt (POG)”.
“Pogue” has its own specific meaning that is unrelated to a military context. Unless the military is predominantly Irish…
That’s POTG
United States of America.
USOA
This is how you sound
“POG = Person Other than Grunt” is a revisionst attempt to make an acronym out of a slan word which was already in common useage. I heard the word pogue used regularly when I was a medic in an infantry unit in the late 1980s; it wasn’t until the late-90s that I heard anyone “define” it as POG.
SSD is right.
Revisionism?
Lets try and use basic logic here.
Assuming for a moment that what you say is true, and that Person Other than Grunt is “revisionism”, then what did it stand for before back in the good ol days?
Or was the army so predominantly irish that they borrowed the “Pogue” meaning with spelling and everything?
Incidentally, the word “Whiskey” is also of Irish origin. Therefore, by analogy, dismissing “Pogue” because of it’s etymology is logically unsound.
The Marine I explained “Pogue” to in Afghanistan was less than half my age; therefore this may indeed be a generational isssue, but not his fault as the misconception has likely been propagated extensively by those unable to (or not sufficiently motivated to) research the term themselves.
Or it could just be a Marine thing (not offense intended, plenty of people misguided about things the other services).
I need to find better ways to spend my Saturday night.
Being a Marine thing makes sense. I mean who else could turn five words into three letters? Apparently, the ASVAB actually works.
Um, quit believing the internet. There was a lot of military history and tradition before the interwebs. And it’s “pogue” (as in “poguey bait”)as explained by various others on here that were actually in the military before 2000.
LOL It isn’t spelled “Poguey bait”. If you are going to ‘correct’ somebody, square away yourself first.
And at least the internet encyclopedias are backed by citations, which is more than I can say for the guys selling POG “pogue” with nothing but nostalgia to reference.
He only has one leg!
POG: Posted On Garrison.
Making this up as we go along I see
This, is how this shit started, guy sees word, guy makes acronym rather than ask, guy perpetrates misinformation, informed old school dudes get frustrated with people who know no better… but they know a guy who knows a guy who knows…
Jon, OPT
Why is it pogue, and not POG? You have all made it clear you believe it is pogue but have not explained why. Pedantic Operator’s Groan Universally Equally.
It was never an acronym; just a shitty name to call shoe clerks.
It’s still pogey bait, right?
Yes.
Thank goodness!
No, it’s written POGB, obviously!
At least your proud about it . But your still just a waste of oxygen until you become an infantryman. Lmfao !!!!!!!
“You’re”
Says every infantryman everywhere – right up until he needs to call for fire or call for air support.
Hahahaha, that’s hilarious. Here’s how it really happens .
Air support =denied, not priority
Call for fire=denied, too much collateral damage
Uh-huh. Right.
The myth that the infantryman works harder than anyone else in the military, and is better than anyone else in the military, is fostered to help them compensate for having one of the shittiest jobs in the military – it’s like Marines taking excessive pride in simply being Marines despite being chronically on the short end of the acquisition stick, thus having muskets with iron sights long after everyone else – pogues included – were toting M4s with optics.
I’ve used to talk shit about pougs, until one time we needed something and a pogue told us to rub that blue cord and gtfo. Over the years I’ve learned to respect all MOSs, especially cooks, finance, supply and mechanics.
Recently I have transitioned from 11b to a 68wF2 position and world of aviation Pogue lifestyle opened up in front me. Looking forward to it after years of being mistreated like rich man’s guard dogs.
Be civil to the folk who handle your food, your pay… and your razor-pissing junk after a 4-day weekend…
HA, Nhaa we are good man, most of us know how to call for fire, and we have chucks for that…..
For me, it isn’t so much a question of spelling (Pogue/POG). It’s more an issue of soldiers not knowing what Pogue means. When I enlisted in ’93, Pogue simply meant you weren’t Infantry. But when I got to Iraq in ’06, Pogue was used as a term for troops who didn’t see combat; incorrectly used as synonyms for Fobbit or REMF. Plenty of Engineers, Arty, MPs and 88Mikes performed well under fire–but are still Pogues.
Back in the 80s and 90s it was a term used for guys who didn’t go on any missions aka infantry. Seems, with few exceptions, everyone else was actually doing stuff and the infantry guys were stuck in the barracks cleaning rifles.
IM WARIOR I HAV NO TIME 4 SPELING HOOAH
Pineapple. Orange. Guava.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pog_(drink)
I can’t even get the juice right… damn Pogue
Passion Fruit. Orange. Guava.
Regardless of it’s spelling, anyone who hears it knows whether or not they are….or are NOT. I have a sneaking suspicion this peanut gallery is “person other than grunt” heavy. Just saying.
At which point this thread devolved from being about properly defining ad hominem attacks to containing ad hominem attacks. Congratulations
Of course it did. It’s tribalism man.
Nevertheless, these terms haven’t been around for not even a century. http://gruntsandco.com/history-infantry-sobriquets/
As a guy who is a pogue. I believe the first is a POG. Or the little circle discos that you stacked up. Slamming a POG slammer down onto it. The POGs were made of cardboard. I think that is what they were going for. But in my defense I am a pogue. I hold two MOSes in the non 11B world. I’m a 13F. And a 92R. When the infantry wants their call for fire or air to cover them. I’m their best friend. And when the airborne infantry wants their chutes I hooked them up. Or on the heavy drops when I resupply them I’m their best friend. But other then that I think it’s just a term that the infantry likes to use.
I was an Infantryman for 25 years. It was pogue when I joined in 89 and two groups of people we never considered to be pogues were FOs and line medics.
But I think I debunked the POG pogue thingy. I think the little disk is not a challenge coin but a POG.
It’s a POG
Quit tryin’ to church it up!