Dumb Question: What's a Chalk?

[Coota0]

I was watching Blackhawk Down, and they said that a Sgt. would be taking over an Lt.'s Chalk, is the term Chalk interchangable for Platoon, in the way that Troop is for Company in the Cav?

[Covertness]

A chalk is more like a squad than a platoon. It is a group of people on a jump or on an assault that are assigned to a specific aircraft. In WW II they called them "sticks".

[Coota0]

Thanks, comparing it to a stick was perfect.

[Vulture6]

They used to write the number of the "stick" on the concrete of the hangar floor or the tarmac in chalk. Soldiers were instructed to find their number or "chalk" and line up. The "chalk" was a group organized for the purpose of movement, and would revert back into the appropriate command structure once on the ground. Anyway, that's the origin.

[RFleischman]

good info, i didn't know where the origin of chalk came from.

In military Quick Summary:
The military forces of a nationmilitary terminology, a chalk is a specific aircraft load, especially a group of airborne soldiers which deploy from a single aircraft. U.S. Army Ranger Chalk Four was the group which took the initial casualties in the Battle of Mogadishu.



Well thats my 2 cents worth

chalk n. the personnel and equipment that make up the load of an aircraft.



English. Jargon. Military. Almost certainly an extension of a chalk as a record-keeping mark, which dates at least 400 years. 1993 Dept. of the Army Field Manual 55-9: Unit Air Movement Planning (Apr. 5) “Glossary”: Chalk—Designated troops, equipment, and/or cargo that constitute a complete aircraft load. 1999 Dept. of Army 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Gold Book (Fort Campbell, Ky.) (Feb. 4): The following information is placed on a 3x5 inch index card and handed to the pilot by the chalk leader. This serves as a contract between the pilot and the chalk of soldiers to ensure coordination of LZ data. In case the chalk lands in a different LZ, the pilot will write the grid of the new LZ and hand the 3x5 card back to the chalk leader before the soldiers exit the helicopter. 2004 Joseph M. Bossi Screaming Eagle Veterans Website (Jan. 25) “327th Infantry And Other Units Come Home!”: Included in this Chalk was also most of Abu Company member’s and other attachments from the 101st Airborne Division. 2005 [majorsamuel] The Kosovo Kronichles (Jan. 17) “Out Of Washington”: The evening before the flight I was informed, joy of joys, that I would be the movement commander for one plane load of soldiers (in military parlance a “chalk”). *2005 Dennis J. Reimer Filipino Airsoft (Feb. 1) “Glossary”: Chalk—A squad of soldiers, usually about a dozen, assigned to a helicopter.


lol Think I said that below, just a clip I found.



Well thats my 2 cents worth........