Centre and Services Headquarter must cease using demeaning and derogatory terminology PBOR (Personal Below Officer Rank)-Veteran PJS Chhatwal PLS Retd

Dear Veterans, Regards.
You may remember we started a movement against the usage of demeaning and derogatory terminology PBOR by Centre and the Services Headquarters. Now the movment has picked up and organization like IESM, comprising mostly of high ranking officers, has also lent its shoulder to this movement. We are highly thankful to the members of IESM supporting this movement The following article has been published by Abhijit C Chandra. The same is being posed below for your information.

IESM OBJECTS AGAINST USAGE OF ''DEMEANING'' TERMINOLOGY PBOR
By Abhijit C Chandra

Bhopal, July 8 (UNI)
The Indian Ex-Servicemen's Movement (IESM) is actively expressing resentment to the Centre and Services Headquarters and getting objections recorded in the press against usage of the ''demeaning'' terminology Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR).

''Such an acronym is neither authorised nor officially accepted. It is not even included in our military manual titled the 'Glossary of Military Terms' and another named 'Military Abbreviations','' Major-General (Retd) Aditya J B Jaini, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, told UNI.

Since the past few years, media, government representatives and even military writers have been using the terminology that was concocted by the bureaucracy in an attempt to create a horizontal divide between ''us officers and our men,'' alleged the veteran who is a member of the Governing Body and Core Group of IESM.

''The bureaucracy -- which never ever leaves any stone unturned to humiliate, belittle, berate, defame or embarrass the Services -- has coined PBOR most subtly and seditiously only to create an impression that there are officers and those below officer rank. Nothing could be further than that from reality,'' said the Major-General who was Senior Directing Staff (Army) at the National Defence College, New Delhi, before he hung up his boots in 2003.

In the Army, there are officers, junior commissioned officers (JCOs), non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and Other Ranks (ORs). Whatever their level and status in rank, the JCO is also an officer (JC'O') and an NCO is also an officer (NC'O'). Therefore, there is no such thing as PBOR.

''Highlighting this will set right an anomaly that is not only derogatory and demeaning but also very highly dangerous for the Armed Services culture and ethos. Who knows, the personnel (other than officers) may one day revolt against such an insult. Will the babu then come to douse the fire,'' wondered the veteran.

He is a member of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, United Service Institution of India, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies and Centre for Land Warfare Studies.

''Unfortunately, I found PBOR written at several places even in my own Regimental Journal ('Grinder' of the Grenadiers Regiment) -- a yearly magazine published for in-house consumption. I have written a letter to the Editor,'' he added.