-I-

I & I

Inspector and Instructor. The active duty cadre assigned to a Marine Corps reserve unit.  Also an alternate term for R&R (rest and recuperation, usually from a battle zone), called "intoxication and intercourse."

I Corps

(Vietnam)The most northern of four Corps areas into which South Vietnam was divided. I Corps was Marine territory while the Army controlled II, III and IV Corps.

I.M.R.

Individual Memorandum of Receipt. The form used to issue 782 Gear.

IBGB

(Vietnam) Itty Bitty Gook Boats. Small Vietnamese fishing junks in the DaNang area. Early in the 1960s they were prevalent but by the end of the decade they were nearly extinct.

ICB

Infantry Combat Boots

Ice plant

(Vietnam) See Grass.

ID 10 Tango

Sometimes India Delta 10 Tango or, without the phonetics, ID10T and without the numbers IDIOT.  One is sometimes asked to locate the ID 10 Tango Form.

IED

(Iraq) Improvised Explosive Device.

IG

Inspector General.

Ike Jacket

The term was not authorized in the Marine Corps and when used would subject a Marine to a reprimand. Marines remembered General Eisenhower's comment that he would have no Marines in Europe (having forgotten that his reserve force in Northern Ireland was Marine and paying no attention to the OSS personnel in the theater). A uniform jacket of similar design was authorized just after World War II and continued into the early 1960s. It was a forest green fabric with a faux belt and no skirt below the belt. See Battle Jacket.

Illumination

Night artillery fire used to illuminate an area using a phosphorous filament suspended by a parachute.

Improvise, Adapt and Overcome

An unofficial mantra of the Marine Corps based on the fact that the Corps generally received Army hand-me-downs and the troops were poorly equipped. Despite this, the Marine Corps has been successful mostly because of the creativity of its people and their success-based attitude.

In Country

(Vietnam) Serving (or having served) in Vietnam. (Iraq) Serving (or having served) in Iraq. Often used to refer to any current combat zone.

In the Fleet

See Fleet.

Incendiary

An artillery shell that burns upon impact, usually stuffed with white phosphorous.

Incentive Training

Physical exercise used as a punishment to instill motivation, particularly in a Marine recruit during boot camp. Also called quarterdecking or being pitted (as outside it is usually conducted in a special sand pit designed for the purpose)

Incoming

An alert that something is coming at you, often enemy fire or artillery.

Indian Territory

(Vietnam) Enemy held areas.

Infantry Training Battalion

See School of Infantry.

Initial Strength Test

A physical test given early in the training of a recruit to determine if the recruit meets minimum fitness standards and to set a baseline for measuring progress.

Ink Stick

Pen (a writing instrument).

Irish Pennant

A string hanging randomly from a Marine’s uniform. Longer ones are sometimes called rappelling ropes or cables. A squared away Marine will be free of Irish pennants, particularly at an inspection.  Appears to have originated after World War II and referred originally to the green-colored service or class A uniform due to the connection between the Irish and the color green.

Iron Mike

A statue of a World War I Marine at Quantico, VA with a copy on Parris Island, SC. The original was made by the government of France to thank the Americans for their aid in World War I. When it was presented to General Pershing he noticed that the Doughboy holding aloft an M1911 A1 pistol had a Marine Corps emblem on his helmet. Pershing refused to accept the sculpture and it was given to the Marines with the understanding that it would never appear in Washington, DC.

IT

Incentive Training.

ITB

Infantry Training Battalion. See School of Infantry

ITR

Infantry Training Regiment. The old name for Infantry Training Battalion.

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