“He was really adamant about backing into a parking place, and pulling out forward when you leave. A lot safer for pedestrians. and escaping any ‘unfriendly’ encounters...”
Those who have deployed call it “combat parking”. An obvious tactic when you’re in the box, but lots of guys who never deployed park that way stateside to make it look like they went.
I don’t combat park unless there’s a need. I drive a minivan and have collided with low-slung sports cars that I couldn’t see in my mirror while I was backing out.