Jack Terral - Battlecraft (2006)

A total of forty adults and children attended the event, including the newlyweds Lieutenants (JG) Jim Cruiser and Veronica Rivers. Everyone at the dinner had also attended the small wedding in addition to the bride and groom's immediate families. It was a quietly happy occasion held in the base chapel. Lieutenant Bill Brannigan had been the best man and Veronica's sister had been the maid of honor. The new bride was already processing out of the United States Navy, and would be a civilian around the first of December. She was scheduled to start her job as an engineer with a San Diego electronics firm the first Monday after her discharge.

Another special couple was Chad Murchison and his girlfriend Penny Brubaker. She was stationed in Afghanistan with a UN relief team and was on furlough for the holidays. Both were from wealthy families and had grown up together in Boston amidst affluence, luxury, and privilege. But they were not in the least turned off by the plain surroundings of the Fouled Anchor. His SEAL service and her time in the wilderness had taken the edges off their inbred snobbery.

Mike Assad was there with his pal Dave Leibowitz. They were double-dating a couple of National City girls, but everyone kept asking Mike if he'd heard from Hildegard Keppler since he'd gotten back Stateside. His date was beginning to turn cold toward him and it looked like he might not get lucky that night. Dave started to worry because if Mike's girl became angry and wouldn't be in a romantic mood, then his date probably wouldn't either. Luckily, Mike came up with a story that Ms. Keppler was a middle-aged, unattractive missionary working in a refugee camp in Pakistan. He enhanced the falsehood by saying she was teaching girls who had been victimized by the Taliban. The poor children were illiterate, and old Ms. Keppler was preparing them for a life of fulfillment and independence.

Everyone had the holiday season to look forward to, and the only damper on the situation was the new orders that had come down. After the first of the year, the entire detachment would be shipped back to the USS Dan Daly in Middle Eastern waters as a permanent assignment. That would mean a minimum of a year's deployment overseas. Consequently, most of them would be taking furloughs to visit family and friends in their hometowns before reporting for their new duties.

Most of the wives would wait for their men in the San Diego area where their kids attended school. Frank Gomez's wife was the exception. She was already four months pregnant and wanted to go home to have their baby in the bosom of her family.

Before they went through the buffet line, everyone charged their glasses while Lieutenant Wild Bill Brannigan, with his arm around his wife Lisa, proposed a toast.

"Here's to the camaraderie we all enjoy as SEALs," he began. "We are honored that our country has called on us to serve her in this great cause of freedom. We don't fight for conquest, plunder, or empty glory. We fight to maintain our liberty and to bring it to others less fortunate than us." He raised his glass. "To the United States Navy SEALs and everything the trident badge represents."

"Hear! Hear!" came the yells as the drinks were downed.

Retired Chief Petty Officer Salty Donovan gave the crowd a look of stem fondness, then shouted, 'The mess deck is open!"

The stampede toward the food was fierce, loud, and rowdy in a good-natured way.

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GLOSSARY

2IC:Second in Command

AA:Anti-Aircraft

ACV:Air-Cushion Vehicle (hovercraft)

AFSOC:Air Force Special Operations Command

AGL:Above Ground Level

AKA:Also Known As

Angel:A thousand feet above ground level; i. E., Angels Two is two thousand feet.

ARG:Amphibious Ready Group

ASAP:As Soon As Possible

ASL:Above Sea Level

AT-4:Antiarmor rocket launchers

Attack Board(also Compass Board): A board with a compass, watch, and depth gauge used by subsurface swimmers

AWOL:Away Without Leave, i. E., absent from one's unit without permission, aka French leave.

BOQ:Bachelor Officers' Quarters

Briefback:A briefing given to staff by a SEAL platoon regarding their assigned mission. This must be approved before it is implemented. BDU:Battle Dress Uniform

BUD/S: Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training course C4: Plastic explosive

CAR-15:Compact model of the M-16rifle

CATF:Commander, Amphibious Task Force

CDC:Combat Direction Center aboard a ship

CNO:Chief of Naval Operations

CO:Commanding Officer

Cover:Hat, headgear

CP:Command Post

CPU:Computer Processing Unit

CPX:Command Post Exercise

CRRC:Combat Rubber Raiding Craft

CS: Tear gas

CSAR:Combat Search and Rescue

CVBG:Carrier Battle Group

DPV:Desert Patrol Vehicle

Det Cord:Detonating cord

DJMS:Defense Joint Military Pay System

Draeger Mk V:Underwater air supply equipment

DZ:Drop Zone

E&E:Escape and Evasion

EPW:Enemy Prisoner of War

ESP:Extra-Sensory Perception

ETS:End of Term of Service

FLIR:Forward-Looking Infrared Radar

French Leave: See AWOL

FRH:Flameless Ration Heater

FTX:Field Training Exercise

GPS:Global Positioning System

Gunny:Marine Corps for the rank of Gunneiy Sergeant E-7

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

HAHO:High Altitude High Opening parachute jump

HALO:High Altitude Low Opening parachute jump

HE:High Explosive

Head:Navy and Marine Corps term for toilet; called a latrine in the Army Hors de combat: Out of the battle (French expression)

HSB:High-Speed Boat

JSOC:Joint Special Operation Command

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

KIA:Killed In Action

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

Simple, Sweetheart

LBE:Load-Bearing Equipment

LSSC:Light SEAL Support Craft

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

LZ:Landing Zone

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

M-60E3: 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

MCPO:Master Chief Petty Officer

Medevac:Medical Evacuation

Mk 138 Satchel Charge:Canvas container filled with explosive