Kevin Sites - The Things They Cannot Say

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“Outside the wire” is an American military term used to denote the defensive perimeter surrounding any type of forward operating base. Inside the wire is considered a protected space, outside the wire unprotected.

T-rats, or T-rations, are precooked military meals that come in rectangular tray-packs rather than individual serving sizes like MREs, or meals ready to eat. They don’t need refrigeration and can feed troops in a forward operating base or combat outpost with no preparation.

The CH-47 Chinook is an American heavy-lift, double-rotor transport helicopter. It has been in continual use by the U.S. military since the Vietnam War.

Balad, seventy miles north of Baghdad, was a hub site of air operations both under former dictator Saddam Hussein and for coalition forces following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Under the U.S. military occupation it became known as Joint Base Balad.

According to U.S. Marine Corps documents, 3/1 Marines had the highest casualty rate of any unit during Operation Phantom Fury, with 22 killed and 206 wounded in action.

The A-10 Thunderbolt is an American military jet developed in the 1970s to provide close air support to ground combat troops. Because it was neither sleek looking nor fast it was nicknamed the Warthog, but armed with a 30 mm cannon and air-to-ground missiles, it was particularly deadly during the Gulf War, reportedly destroying nearly one thousand Iraqi tanks and thousands of other military vehicles and artillery pieces.

Because the eleven American deaths came so early in the Gulf War’s ground combat operations and were considered “friendly fire,” Jenkins’s photo was featured on the February 18, 1991, cover of Time with the title “The War Comes Home.”

The term “Greatest Generation” was coined by NBC News anchorman and journalist Tom Brokaw in the title of his book The Greatest Generation , about the generation that built modern America following the trials of growing up during the Great Depression and World War II.

“Tunnel rat” was the nickname for American, Australian and New Zealand troops whose job it was to find and destroy the tunnel systems of Vietcong guerrillas in Vietnam. Once found, they would also have to penetrate them armed with nothing more than a flashlight in one hand and a .45 caliber pistol the other. They were often shorter men so that they could squeeze into the tunnels.

American troops’ nickname for Vietnamese National Liberation Front guerrillas, or Vietcong (VC). In the NATO Phonetic Alphabet (used by the American military for radio communications), the word “Victor” is used for “V” and the word “Charlie” is used for “C,” so the “VC” for “Vietcong” became “Victor Charlie,” often shortened to just “Charlie.”

The use of the derogatory term “gook” dates back to U.S. Marines fighting in the Philippines from 1899 to 1902. It was widely used by American service members during the wars in Korea and Vietnam.

In Iraq and other wartime operations the U.S. military typically renames major roadways in terms more recognizable to their troops than the names used locally. MSR Michigan, for Main Supply Route Michigan, and MSR Tampa are examples of roadways renamed during the war in Iraq. They are used consistently across all American military maps and GPS systems so that forces will see and use the same terms of identification during missions.

“Bat” is military shorthand for “biometric automated tool,” an eye scan the American military uses to check individuals against a database of known insurgents and terrorists.

Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers advise their specific commands concerning a broad range of legal issues, but most specifically concerning application of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which is the primary legal code for internal American military matters.

“Force protection” refers to the measures a military unit takes to ensure the safety of its own troops. When force protection is a military priority, tolerance for risk is usually low. For example, if a vehicle is speeding toward a checkpoint and can’t be properly identified, force protection protocol may allow troops to shoot to kill the occupants before positively identifying them as hostile. In this instance, Iscol wonders if less force protection and a willingness to take more risks might’ve helped identify the driver as a civilian and prevent his death.

In the U.S. military an army battalion is usually five hundred to six hundred soldiers divided among three to five companies. A brigade is typically made up of three thousand to five thousand soldiers divided among three or more battalions.

In Israel, Order 8 is issued to call up or activate military reserve units during times of large-scale military action or imminent threats to the nation.

“TOW” is an acronym for the American-made tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missile.

Also known as the 1st Brigade, the Golani Brigade is one of the most highly decorated in the IDF and is often one of the first units to be sent into military action. However, the unit has been cited for disciplinary problems, including revolts against officers and intimidation and abuse of Palestinians.

The South Lebanon Army (SLA) was a mostly Christian Lebanese militia allied with Israel during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The SLA collapsed after Israel’s 2000 withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Many SLA members fled to Israel; others were captured and tried for treason by the Lebanese government.

Pashto and Dari are the two official languages of Afghanistan, with Pashto being used primarily by the Pashtun people prevalent in southern Afghanistan and Dari widely spoken in the northern, western and central regions of the country.