Battlefield Slang

[Dom]

Some old, some new . . . some just interesting.

Iraq's battlefield slang. A list of soldiers' lingo, including 'embrace the suck' and 'Rummy's dummies.'
By Austin Bay

January 28, 2007

PRIESTS, PROSTITUTES, psychologists, cops, jazz musicians, poker players. Every trade has its jargon and "insider lingo."

Soldier slang, however, has a peculiar appeal. That's understandable. Waging war is a risky, all-encompassing endeavor - physically, emotionally and psychologically. War reveals humankind at its best and its worst, and war-fighter slang, reflects the bitter, terrifying, sometimes inspiring hell
of it.

Every war adds something new - and often obscene - to the soldiers' vocabulary. World War II-era Hollywood dialogue glamorized (and often scrubbed) combat slang, but the warrior's rhetorical swagger, irony and biting humor predate film by several millenniums.

Often, new idioms and phrases describe old, difficult truths. Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz said that war is the realm of "friction." World War II veterans invoked Murphy's Law: "If something can go wrong, it will." As you'll see in the brief lexicon I've pulled together below, the New Greatest Generation (the generation fighting the war on terror) dubs it "the suck."

"Embrace the suck" isn't merely a wisecrack; it's an encyclopedic experience rendered as an epigram, gritty shorthand for "Face it, soldier. I've been there. War ain't easy. Now deal with the difficulty and let's get on with the mission."

That's sound advice for a nation at war.

Air jockey: Fighter pilot or a fixed-wing pilot. On rare occasions, might refer to a helicopter pilot.

Ali Baba: Slang for enemy forces. Originated in the Persian Gulf War.

Battle rattle: Slang for combat gear. "Full battle rattle" means earing and carrying everything (helmet, body armor, weapons).

Beltway clerk: A derisive term for a Washington political operative or civilian politician.

Bilat: A bilateral conference between coalition military units and local people. ("We're going on a bilat to discuss the security situation with Haji.")

Blackwater: Specifically, a private security firm operating in Iraq. Used as slang, can mean any private security firm. "Gone to Blackwater" indicates that a soldier quit the armed services and went to work for a private security firm.

Blue canoe: Slang for a portable toilet.

Bohica: Bend Over, Here It Comes Again. Pronounced "bo-HEE-ka." Means "we're about to get screwed, as usual." This term was in use in the Army in the 1960s.

Bombaconda: Slang for Logistics Support Area Anaconda, a major supply base near Balad, Iraq. Balad is also called "Mortaritaville."

Camp Ass: Refers to Camp As Sayliyah in Coha, Qatar.

Casper: Slang for someone who always disappears when there's work to be done.

Christians in Action: Slang for Central Intelligence Agency.

DFAC: Dining facility. Pronounced "Dee-FAC."

Dome of obedience: Slang for a military helmet. Also called "brain bucket" or "skid lid."

Dynamic truth: Basically means "this is the plan when my upervisor gave it to me, but change is already in the works."

Echelons above reality: Higher headquarters where no one has an idea about what is really happening.

Embrace the suck: Phrase heard in OIF1 (the original Operation Iraqi Freedom force). Translation: The situation is bad, but deal with it.

Flash-blasted: Being screamed at or chewed out by the unit's senior noncommissioned officer.

Fobbits: Derogatory term for soldiers who never leave an FOB (Forward Operations Base).

Geardo: Derogatory term for the guy who has to have all the latest and greatest gear on his uniform, even though he does not know how to use it.

General order No. 1: General order that does not permit drinking or fraternizing in Iraq and Kuwait.

Ghetto grip: A detachable, pistol-type grip that can make a carbine easier to use.

Groundhog Day: Every day of your tour in Iraq.

Grunt-proof: Idiot-proof.

Haji: Slang for an Iraqi, but may mean any Middle Easterner who hails from a predominantly Muslim country.

Idiot stick: Slang for an M16 (or any weapon).

Jersey barrier: Slang for a small concrete barrier.

Johnny Jihad: Slang for a Muslim or Muslim combatant.

Lifer juice: Coffee.

Marsalama: GI Arabic. Corruption of Arabic for "Go in peace." In
conversation, it means "See you later."

Mookie: Nickname for Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada Sadr.

O dark 30: Pronounced "oh dark thirty." A word play on military time. Means a very early hour during the night. ("We had to get up at oh-dark-thirty.")

OPSEC: Operational security. "Loose lips sink ships" of World War II fame is an OPSEC warning.

Oscar Mike: On the move (Marine lingo).

Oz: Australia. Hence "Ozzies" - Australians.

POG: People Other than Grunts. Pronounced like "rogue." Used by grunts as a derogatory word for everyone else.

Pubic plate: Also pube armor or pubic pad. Kevlar pad that flops over the crotch. Other terms: Nad Pad or Nut Guard.

PUC: Person Under Custody. ("We got two PUCs on that last raid.")

Red Zone: The area outside the Green Zone. "Haifa Street" is a main drag in the Red Zone.

RUMINT: Rumor level intelligence. A variant is BOGINT - bogus intelligence.

Rummy's Dummies: A derogatory name for the U.S. military under the leadership of former Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Semper I: Pejorative Marine lingo for being overly concerned with one's own personal interests.

Single-digit midget: A member of the armed services who has nine days or less remaining on his tour of duty.

Speed bumps: A tanker's derogatory term for infantry soldiers. Operation Desert Storm-era slang still occasionally used.

Terps: Slang for interpreters

Tread head: A soldier serving in an armor (tank) or armored cavalry (armored recon) unit.

Turkey peek: To glance around or over an object or surface, such as a corner or wall.

Waxed: To get hit hard or get killed.

Weekend warrior: U.S. reservist or National Guard soldier.

Yalla: GI adaptation of Arabic word for hurry up or run.

[Rocky Raab]

In my day, we had more acronyms.

AMIIGAS (pronounced ahMEEgas), short for "Ask me if I give a sheet."

DILLIGAS (dilliegas) as above, "Do I look like I give a sheet?"

IMBIKOFDI "I might but I kind of flippin doubt it."

YGBSM (pronounced as the letters) "You gotta be shirting me!"

We had a million slang terms for the enemy, all derogatory: slopes, gomers, slants, VC, Victor Charley, Charley and lots more.

With 100 or fewer days left in country, we were two-digit midgets, and officially a "short" for short-timer. How short are you?" "So short I can walk under doors." "So short I can sky dive from a dime."

[DogYeller]

Don't forget; LBGB's and GBGB's.

[buckhunter]

Kinda goes along with all of this. Defination of the Military(My day when its wasn't fashionable to be in the service). "Where the unknowing compell the unwilling to do the unnecessary for the ungrateful"

And must we not forget FUBAR - Anybody know?

[Jack]

FUBAR (_ _ Beyond All Recognition) and SNAFU (Situation Normal, All Fouled Up) both go back a long way- World War 2, I think.

[BILLY D.]

Did you guys have shortimers Ribbons. The ribbon came from a bottle of VO. At 90 days it simply ran through a button hole, at 60 days it was knotted and at 30 days it was made into a bow.

Charley=zipperhead. Dr. Pepper time, 10-2-4. usually when rocket attacks were scheduled by the VC at night. 10 we were getting drunk, 2 we were sleeping it off and 4 we were really torqued and hungover. VC never to my knowledge tried to over run an American Air Base if they did they would have run into a bunch of really ticked off drunks. Beside that we had a detatchmet of ROK'S defending the perimeters. I never seen one of them leave an NCO club sober. They were some mean SOB'S when fighting the VC.

How about "No Tickee, NO Lanlee".

How about the World famous P-38 and a Church Key. No way to live without those two great implements. Even though a Randall knife would open cans and such quite handily. Also seen Randalls used for field surgery. If God made anything better than a Randall and Women he kept it to Himself.

Best wishes, Bill

[muledeer]

I forgot about the ole VO ribbon. Remember the bom de bom bars
You buy me tea, GI?
muledeer

[Rocky Raab]

VO? VO!!!!

We were damn lucky to get Carling Black Label!

And they say Air Force weenies had it soft!

Hey muledeer, how was the book?

[Andy L]

I got a P38 on my keychain. Handy little buggers...

[BILLY D.]

Originally posted by muledeer
I forgot about the ole VO ribbon. Remember the bom de bom bars
You buy me tea, GI?
muledeer

Ok, I wasn't going to open that can of worms about the girls, and yes I must have bought several thousand gallons of "TEA". They could drink more tea than a thirsty camel.

Do you remember the whiskey from Thailand, Running Deer or something like that. We called it "Lame Deer". Guess why?

I seen 33 Beer advertised somewhere not too long ago. Ba MUI Ba. When I flew we were issued 2 plastic bottles that fit in a flight suit real nice. During off duty times they served as flasks for soirees to town.

I made the mistake one night of putting them in my flight suit before a mission. I forgot I hadn'r rinsed them out and refilled with water before we took off. Our NOS, Night Observation Sight Operator asked if I had any extra water and I said ya, reached in my pocket and handed him a flask. He took a big gulp and about died. It was full of Ron Rico 100 Proof. Boy did he chew my A$$ out. He was a Major. I always insured after I carried water and only water after that.

One other thing, I never ever once had anything stolen from me "by THE GIRLS". And never had one I had to chew my arm off either. My vision must have been quite remarkable when I was bombed.

Best wishes, Bill

[Dan Morris]

Dang, you left out the SPOOKS.........lo profile types.
Dan

[muledeer]

Rocky, I'm embarrassed, I haven't read it yet If it is anything like the first it will be hard to put down.

Billy, never had any Thai wiskey but had way to much Singhi beer when I was TDY in Takali (sp). Drank a few 33's too. That was some BAD beer.
muledeer

[Tater]

It's always been my favorite. I pretty much sums up life in the military

[Rocky Raab]

Thai whiskey, their beer and the Ba mui ba brand all contained significant amounts of formaldehyde as a preservative.

If you had too much, you were well and truly pickled!

The imported "33" beer that you can buy today doesn't have the nasty stuff in it - FDA law. It isn't bad beer now.

(For those who don't know, ba mui ba is Vietnamese for "three tens three" or 33.

[Dom]

Ahhh it's good to see I'm stirring up some memories from you old codgers.

And don't forget you can't leave til you get your Turtle on board and trained!!

We had our "one digit midget" calendars in the shape of a steel pot, covering a pair of jump boots- to let everyone know how 'short' we were.