Wesley Gray - Embedded

Later on in the day, on our adventures around the Kuwaiti camp, Adams, Doc, Le Gette, and I went on a four-mile walk to visit the local market. We wanted to load up on pirated DVDs for the ride home and purchase gifts for family and friends. Four miles away from the main camp we tried to hitch a ride with one of the many U.S. Army or U.S. Air Force personnel that drove by. We were passed by no less than ten unloaded fifteen-person passenger vans. Nobody wanted to help the Marines. In all honesty, though, we didn’t really care. We had survived hell and lived to tell the tale.

We were the few. We were the proud. We were the Marines.

2/3. 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines.

3/3. 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines.

Ali Babba. Arabic term for “thief” or “robber.”

berm. Large mound of dirt that acts as a protective barrier.

BIOP. Baghdad International Airport.

BOLO. Be on the lookout.

chemlight. Chemically activated light source similar to a glow stick.

CO. Commanding officer.

COC. Combat Operations Center.

comms. Short for communications.

CP. Control point; command post.

CWIED. Command-wire IED.

DoD. Department of Defense.

ECM. Electronic countermeasure.

EOD. Explosive Ordnance Disposal

FOB. Forward operating base.

GPR. Gunpowder residue test.

H&S Company. Headquarters and Service Company.

HET. Human Exploitation Team.

hooch. Living quarters; home.

HUMINT. Human intelligence.

IA.Iraqi army.

ID. Identification.

IED. Improvised explosive device.

IP. Iraqi police.

JDAM. Joint direct attack munition.

JIEDD TF. Joint IED Defeat Task Force.

jundi . Arabic for “soldier.”

KBR. Kellogg, Brown and Root, a former Halliburton subsidiary.

khubbis . Iraqi homemade bread.

MEDEVAC. Medical evacuation.

MiTT. Military transition team.

mm. Millimeter.

MOD. Iraqi Ministry of Defense.

MRE. Meal, ready-to-eat.

ODA. Operational Detachment Alpha (reference to U.S. Army Special Forces Team).

OIF. Operation Iraqi Freedom.

OP. Observation point.

overwatch. Position from which to observe enemy activity or protect friendly maneuver.

PLB. Personal locater beacon.

POG. People other than grunts, a derogatory term for nonactive combat participants.

PPIED. Pressure-plate IED.

PT. Physical training.

PTT. Police Transition Team.

QRF. Quick reaction force.

RCIED. Radio-controlled IED.

RIP. Relief in place.

RPG. Rocket-propelled grenade.

SAPI. Small-arms protective insert.

seven-ton. Marine troop transport vehicle.

SOP. Standard operating procedure.

terps. Short for interpreter.

VBIED. Vehicle-borne IED.

wadi . Dried riverbed.

wasta . Clout, or the ability to get things done in the eyes of Arabs.

XO. Executive officer.

Abass, Colonel: appearance of, 34–35;

competence of, 35;

construction at Camp Ali, 219;

decision-making process, 32;

dinner with, 89–92;

explosives in Camp Ali, 215;

freedom and democracy for Iraq, 223–25;

influence of, 35;

jundis ’ trust of, 82;

leave period, return from, 209;

lecture on dealing with Arab men, 47–48;

mission planning brief with, 35;

old Iraqi army, motivation of, 188;

pay rate, 64;

payday, 82;

police colonel, meeting with, 45–46;