An elephant in the Russian army is not necessarily a huge and, of course, not a gray soldier. Contrary to all sorts of associations, in the army "elephant" is a kind of title in the informal hierarchy of military personnel.
Hierarchy in the army
In the army, there are several steps that military personnel go through from the moment of conscription until they return home. This is a tradition in the military environment. In the process of moving along these steps, all soldiers receive army nicknames, nicknames. In army slang, five titles are most often found: spirit, elephant, skull, grandfather and demobilization.
Sometimes the term "smell" is used, which characterizes the conscript before the oath. The oath can be called a ritual, after passing through which a young man begins to occupy a certain place in the environment of army relations.
Spirit
The recruits are called spirits. These are young guys who took the oath and served in the army for less than a hundred days. They have not yet entered the team, so more experienced colleagues test them for strength. The duties of spirits include mainly cleaning, which has to be done reluctantly. The spirits are just beginning to comprehend the basics of military service and do not have authority among the holders of other non-statutory titles. The abbreviation “SPIRIT” means “I desperately want to go home,” which is not surprising, since, being spirits, soldiers inevitably adapt to life under command.
Elephant
The soldier receives the nickname of the elephant after a hundred days of service. "ELEPHANT" is "a soldier who loves awesome loads." Not only sports. The "awesome" loads include chores that require endurance and strength. For example, digging holes and cleaning the area from snow. Of course, there is no question of love for such occupations. This means that the responsibility for physical labor falls on the elephants, because it has historically been the case. The elephants still have a lot to do, but they have already passed the beginning of the journey. The dream of demobilization helps them gain strength for further service.
Skull (scoop)
Skulls in the army are also often called scoops. In decoding "CHERPAK" - "a man who daily destroys the peace of the army barracks." Soldiers receive this title after two hundred days from the date of their call. Sometimes this stage is skipped due to reduced service life. To be a skull is much better than an elephant, and, of course, many times more pleasant than a spirit. Skulls gain more freedom in the team and are not rewarded with responsibilities within the hierarchy. The skulls make sure that the elephants and spirits do not relax during the service, they do their job efficiently. The skull is not yet the highest link in the non-statutory hierarchy of ranks; the grandfather is located above it.
Grandfather
The grandfathers are already in civilian life with one foot, so they are the sovereign masters of the structure of intra-army relations. Army men become grandfathers after three hundred days of service. Having seen everything and everyone, these are the most experienced and privileged guys who are obeyed by skulls, elephants, and spirits. Grandfathers should not touch objects that are intended for cleaning. This is considered absurd to a certain extent, since cleaning lies on the shoulders of the spirits. All lower-ranking soldiers in the hierarchy want to become grandfathers, but, of course, not as much as demobels.
Dembel
To become a demobilizer means to fall under the order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on transfer to the reserve and to feel the approach of freedom. Dembel needs to be responsible for completing his service and not lose his face. Everyone dreams of becoming a demobilizer in the army, because he will soon be home, where he will be affectionately called by his name, where he is loved and awaited for a whole year.
Why You Shouldn't Worry About This Hierarchy
Hazing (in the bad sense of the word) in the army ceased to be relevant when the term of service in the army was reduced to a year, this happened in 2008. Of course, there are exceptions, but in most cases in the army, a soldier simply goes from an inept youth to a strong man, and it is not easy to become one: you need to be in spirit, and an elephant, and a scoop, and a grandfather, and a demobilizer. It is important to understand that a nickname in the army determines a soldier's service life, not his personality. A non-statutory title does not put a stigma on a person and does not hang a winner's medal on him. The hierarchy in the army is a staircase, walking along which a soldier goes through an irreplaceable school of life.
A soldier, being an elephant, needs to perceive physical labor as an opportunity to acquire skills that are important for a man, a reason to develop muscles and endurance. Any stage in the army is temporary, any difficulties have their end. In the absence of the comfort familiar to secular life, it is not easy to keep your psychological state under control, and with the help of physical labor, you can throw out emotional aggression without harm to others. If you learn to see the hardships and limitations of a soldier's life as opportunities, not problems, you can achieve excellent results not only in the army, but also in civilian life.
Elephant symbolism
The elephant as an animal has been used since antiquity as a cargo transport and, of course, an important combat unit of any army. Therefore, a soldier with the title of elephant is experiencing serious physical exertion. The perception of the elephant as an animal and the soldier's status as an "elephant" are interdependent and in many ways opposed. The elephant is a large and noticeable animal, and in the army, elephants are far from the most authoritative army men. Even the trunk in the army is called the nose of a soldier with a short period of service. It turns out that the presence of a trunk (an expression of length) is opposed to the service life of its owner. It is symbolic that the next step in the non-statutory hierarchy is the skull (not even a nose). While a soldier is in the status of an elephant, his service is called an elephant.
Other important concepts in the army jargon vocabulary
"Jackal" is an officer or warrant officer who is not liked by soldiers. Such a nickname expresses the scornful perception of a person's personality by soldiers.
"To give birth" - to receive in any way in the shortest possible time some thing or certain food products.
"Guba" is a guardhouse, that is, a cell with a lock, into which employees fall for offenses.
"To sharpen" - to eat, eat, take food.
"To pinch" - to sleep.
"Salute" is a mistake for which punishment will be incurred.
"SOCH" - unauthorized abandonment of a unit.
"Vzletka" is the central passage in the barracks.
"Baters" are lice that get carried in underwear.
"Skier" - a soldier who escaped from a military unit.
"Kalich" is a long-term sick soldier or a simulator who tries to appear sick.
"Underweight" - a thin soldier, deliberately gaining weight.
“Peretz” is a soldier who, ahead of time, behaves according to the next step in the army's non-statutory hierarchy.
"Shave" - to give hope and not justify it.
"Buratino" is a soldier who has difficulties with drill (he does not march "in step").
"Rustle" - do the work diligently.
"Lump" is a soldier's camouflage uniform.
"Stripes" or "Snot" - stripes on shoulder straps, according to the number of which military ranks are determined.
"Paddle" is a tablespoon.
"Balabas" - food, food.
"Stay on the chip" - to control the situation so that what is happening is not noticed.
"Dembelsky chord" - the action of demobilization for the benefit of colleagues before he completes his military service.
"Gas station" is a store located near the military unit.
"Bolts" is a porridge made from pearl barley.
"Jacket" - an officer who ended up in the army after graduating from a university with a military department.
“A hamster is a thrifty soldier who does not share with his colleagues.
Equator is half of the military service.
