Combat Alley (2007) (38 page)

FSB: Russian acronym for the Federal Security Service, the organization that was the successor to the KGB after the fall of the Soviet Union.

FTX: Field Training Exercise G-3: The training and operations staff section of a unit com manded by a general officer. GHQ: General Headquarters GI: Government Issue GPS: Global Positioning System Gunny: Marine Corps for the rank of Gunnery Sergeant E-7 HAHO: High Altitude High Opening parachute jump HALO: High Altitude Low Opening parachute jump Hamas: Palestinian terrorist organization that has been voted into office in Palestine. Their charter calls for the destruction of Israel. HE: High Explosive Head: Navy and Marine Corps term for toilet; called a la trine in the Army HEAT: High Explosive Anti-Tank Heel-and-toe: See Watch-and-watch Hell Week: The fifth week of BUD/S that is five-plus days of continuous activity and training with little or no sleep.

Hezbollah: A militant Islamic terrorist organization located in Lebanon. It was organized in response to the Israeli occupation, and is still active.

H&K MP-5: Heckler & Koch MP-5 submachine gun

Hootch: A simple shelter structure one generally must crawl into. They are usually covered by extra ponchos or tarpaulins, and used as a basic shelter in the boondocks. This is a corruption of the word hutch such as would inhabited by a rabbit.

Hors de combat: Out of the battle (expression in French) HSB: High Speed Boat IFV: Infantry Fighting Vehicle Immediate Action: A quick, sometimes temporary fix to a mechanical problem INTREP: Intelligence Report INTSUM: Intelligence Summary IR: Infrared

IRP: Initial Rally Point. A place within friendly lines where a patrol assembles prior to moving out on the mission.

Island: The superstructure of an aircraft carrier or assault ship

JCOS: Joint Chiefs of Staff

JSOC: Joint Special Operation Command

K-Bar: A brand of knives manufactured for military and camping purposes

KD Range: Known Distance Firing Range

Keffiyeh: Arab headdress (what Yasser Arafat wore)

KGB: Russian organization of security, espionage and intelligence left over from the old Soviet Union, eventually succeeded by the FSB

KIA: Killed In Action

KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid or more politely, Keep It Simple, Sweetheart

LBE: Load-Bearing Equipment

Light Sticks: Flexible plastic tubes that illuminate

Limpet Mine: An explosive mine that is attached to the hulls of vessels

Locked Heels: When a serviceman is getting a severe vocal reprimand, it is said he is having his heels locked, i. E., standing at attention while someone is bellowing in his face.

LSO: Landing Signal Officer

LSPO: Landing Signal Petty Officer

LSSC: Light SEAL Support Craft

LZ: Landing Zone

M-18 Claymore Mine: A mine fired electrically with a blasting cap

M-60 E3: A compact model of the M-60 machine gun

M-67: An antipersonnel grenade

M-203: A single-shot 40-millimeter grenade launcher

MATC: a fast river support craft

MC: Medical Corps

MCPO: Master Chief Petty Officer

Mecca: The city located in Saudi Arabia that is the destination of Islamic pilgrimages

Medevac: Medical Evacuation MI-5: United Kingdom Intelligence and Security Agency

Mk 138 Satchel Charge: Canvas container filled with explosive

MLR: Main Line of Resistance

Mossad: Israeli Intelligence Agency (ha-Mossad le-Modiin ule-Tafkidim Meyuhadim Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks)

MRE: Meal, Ready to Eat

MSSC: Medium SEAL Support Craft

Murphy's Law: An assumption that if something can go wrong, it most certainly will.

N1: Manpower and Personnel Staff

N2: Intelligence Staff

N3: Operations Staff

NAS: Naval Air Station

NAVSPECWAR: Naval Special Warfare

NCO: Noncommissioned Officers, e. G., corporals and sergeants

NCP: Navy College Program

NFL: National Football League

NROTC: Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps

NVB: Night-Vision Binoculars

NVG: Night-Vision Goggles

NVS: Night-Vision Sight

OA: Operational Area

OCONUS: Outside the Continental United States

OCS: Officers Candidate School

OER: Officer's Efficiency Report

OP: Observation Post

OPLAN: Operations Plan. This is the preliminary form of an OPORD.

OPORD: Operations Order. This is the directive derived from the OPLAN of how an operation is to be carried out. It's pretty much etched in stone.

ORP: Objective Rally Point. A location chosen before or after reaching the objective. Here a patrol can send out recon on the objective, make final preparations, reestablish the chain of command, and other activities necessary either before or right after action.

PBL: Patrol Boat, Light PC: Patrol Coastal vessel PDQ: Pretty Damn Quick PIA: Pakistan International Airline PLF: Parachute Landing Fall PM: Preventive Maintenance PMC: Private Military Company. These are businesses that supply bodyguards, security personnel, and mercenary civilian fighting men to persons or organizations wanting to hire them.

PO: Petty Officer (e. G., PO1C is Petty Officer First Class) Poop: News or information POV: Privately Owned Vehicle P. P. P. P.: Piss Poor Prior Planning PT: Physical Training RAPS: Ram Air Parachute System; parachute and gear for free-fall jumps RHIP: Rank Has Its Privileges RIB: Rigid Inflatable Boat RIO: Radar Intercept Officer RON: Remain Over Night. Generally refers to patrols. RPG: Rocket-Propelled Grenade RPM: Revolutions Per Minute R and R: Rest and Relaxation, Rest and Recuperation, and a few other things used by the troops to describe short liberties or furloughs to kick back and enjoy themselves. RRP: Reentry Rally Point. A site outside the range of friendly lines to pause and prepare for reentry. RTO: Radio Telephone Operator Run-flat tires: Solid-rubber inserts that allow the vehicle to run even when the tires have been punctured. SAS: Special Air Services an extremely deadly and superefficient special operations unit of the British Army SAW: Squad Automatic Weapon M249 5.56-millimeter magazine- or clip-fed machine gun SCPO: Senior Chief Petty Officer SCUBA: Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus SDV: SEAL Delivery Vehicle SERE: Survival, Escape, Resistance, and Evasion SF: Special Forces SFOB: Special Forces Operational Base Shahid: Arabian word for martyr (plural is Shahiden) Shiites: A branch of Islam; in serious conflict with the Sunnis SITREP: Situation Report SNAFU: Situation Normal, All Fucked Up Snap-to: The act of quickly and sharply assuming the posi tion of attention with chin up, shoulders back, thumbs along the seams of the trousers, and heels locked with toes at a 45-degree angle.

SOCOM: Special Operations Command SOF: Special Operations Force SOI: Signal Operating Instructions SOLS: Special Operations Liaison Staff Somoni: Currency of Tajikistan 2.79 = $1 SOP: Standard Operating Procedures SPA: Self-Propelled Artillery Special Boat Squadrons: Units that participate in SEAL

missions SPECOPS: Special Operations SPECWARCOM: Special Warfare Command Spetsnaz: Russian Special Forces unit of various branches Stand-to: Being on watch or at a fighting position Sunnis: A branch of Islam; in serious conflict with the Shiites Superstructure: The part of the ship above the main deck T-10 Parachute: Basic static-line-activated personnel para chute of the United States Armed Forces. Primarily designed for mass tactical parachute jumps.

Tail-End-Charlie: Brigand terminology for the last man in an operation, e. G., the final guy getting off a vehicle, jumping from an aircraft, rear guard on a patrol, etc.

Taliban: Militant, anti-West Muslims with extreme reli gious views; in serious conflict with Shiites TDy: Temporary Duty Three-Shop: Operations and Training Section of the staff TO: Table of Organization TOA: Table of Allowances TO&E: Table of Organization and Equipment Two-Shop: Intelligence Section of the staff

U. K.: The United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland)

UN: United Nations

Unass: To jump out of or off something

UNREO: United Nations Relief and Education Organization

USAF: United States Air Force

USASFC: United States Army Special Forces Command

USSR: Union of Soviet Social Republics Russia before the fall of Communism

VTOL: Vertical Take Off and Landing

WARNO: Warning Order. An informal alert, either written or oral, that informs personnel of an upcoming operation or activity

Watch-and-watch: This is a watch bill that requires personnel to be off only one watch before going back on again. This is used as a punishment or when a shortage of personnel requires such scheduling. AKA heel-and-toe.

Watch Bill: A list of personnel and stations for the watch

Waypoint: A location programmed into navigational instrumentation that directs aircraft, vehicles, and/or vessels to a specific spot on the planet

Whaler Boat: Small craft loosely based on the types of boats used in whaling. They are generally carried aboard naval and merchant vessels and are diesel-powered.

WIA: Wounded in Action

WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction; nuclear, biological, etc.

Yeoman: Sailors who perform clerical and secretarial duties

PASHTUN LANGUAGE GLOSSARY

Note: Speakers of Pashtun employ suffixes and prefixes to indicate verbal conjunction; gender and plurality of nouns, adjectives; adverbs; etc. In most cases, the words listed here are the roots.

Amrika: America Aweshtel: To turn Awredel: To listen, to hear Badal: Pashtun code of vengeance Barcha: Bayonet Chapatti: Unleavened wheat flatbread, also a colloquialism for sandals Chiku: A type of fruit with the taste of date and the texture of kiwi Chorkey: Dagger Hamla kawel: To charge Ho: Yes Kartus: Cartridge Khan: Warlord, owner of much land Khayr ose: Response to Welcome Khuday pea man: Response to See you later or See you tomorrow Lar sha!: Go! Lasi Bam: Grenade Malik: Tribal chief, headman Mana: Apple Manana: Thank you Mashindar: Machine gun Melmastia: Pashtun code of hospitality Molla: Cleric Na: No Nonwatai: Pashtun code of submission to a victorious en emy; a plea for mercy and/or forgiveness that must be granted Oleme: Judge Pakora: Vegetables dipped in flour and then deep-fried Payra: Patrol Pe khayr raghle: Welcome Pohedel: To understand Puhtee: Beret-like cap that can be rolled and arranged into various shapes and styles Pukhoor: A serape-type covering Raket Lenchar: Rocket launcher Qaze: Judge Salamat osey: Response to Hello from a man Samosa: Deep-fried pastry triangle filled with vegetables Shal: Scarf, kerchief, shawl Spinzhire: Gray-beard, i. E., village elder (slang term) Stari me shey: Hello to a group Tayara: Airplane Temancha: Pistol Topak: Rifle Tsapley: Sandals Wazhel: To murder, to kill