Use of Terms A-Z

Military Community and Family Policy writing guidance aligns with The Associated Press Stylebook with a few exceptions. Definitions of military-specific terms appear below, along with editorial guidance for certain commonly used words for MC&FP and our programs. See additional writing guidance in the Writing Best Practices section. Find program-specific guidance in the Program Content Guides section.

H

HON (abbreviation), The Honorable – In the United States, government officials who have been elected to public office or are appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate are afforded the courtesy title of The Honorable. These positions include, but are not limited to, the President, Vice President, members of the Cabinet, Assistants to the President, Deputy Assistants to the President, Special Assistants to the President, deputy and undersecretaries of executive departments, assistant secretaries, American ambassadors, governors and mayors. Courtesy titles are not salutations and are used only in writing before the full name of a person. Additionally, it is custom in the United States for a person who has held the title of The Honorable to continue to be addressed as such after leaving a high-ranking position, unless they are removed from office or leave in disgrace.

https – When linking to approved content (e.g., a MilitaryOneSource.mil article), provide an https rather than http URL whenever possible, as https is more secure.