DEROS
Military abbreviation · Military Term
| Stands for | Date eligible for return from overseas |
|---|---|
| Categories | Military |
DEROS stands for Date eligible for return from overseas, a military term abbreviation.
Date on which a service member's overseas tour ends and the member may return to the United States. The term was especially familiar during the Vietnam War, when tours were generally one year.
Example: Every grunt in the platoon counted the days to his DEROS on a calendar drawn on his helmet cover.
Usage notes
Pronounced "DEE-ros." Vietnam-era soldiers kept "short-timer" calendars counting down to DEROS. The term is still used in Army and Air Force personnel systems for overseas tour end dates, especially in Korea and Europe.
Related abbreviations
More military term abbreviations
- CZTE – Combat Zone Tax Exclusion
- DA – Direct action
- DD – Dishonorable discharge
- DEERS – Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System
- DEFCON – Defense readiness condition
- DEP – Delayed Entry Program
- DFAC – Dining facility
- DFAS – Defense Finance and Accounting Service
- DI – Drill instructor
- DMZ – Demilitarized zone
- DOR – Date of rank
- DOW – Died of wounds