360-365 combat n.— «Soldiers call the war “360-365 Combat” meaning that not only infantry, but all soldiers, are constantly under combat conditions while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. This produces enormous stress...
sharking n.— «Soldiers let each of the drivers go but snapped their pictures and collected information which will be used later to determine if any of the Afghan were involved in what soldiers call “sharking.” “The...
white top n.— «To get to Bamiyan Province about a hundred miles due west of Kabul, the Afghan capital, Mrs. Bush flew by helicopter. There was none of the airborne luxury of the so-called “white tops”—the Sikorsky Sea Kings that usually...
skin area n.— «It was more than 40 miles to the destroyed zone by ruck march, a forced troop march carrying gear and armaments which can weigh in excess of 100 pounds. The term used to describe the region of the country is the “skin...
throw a Porsche at someone v. phr.— «An incident like this brings home the sheer scale of military spending. In Afghanistan, where Javelin heat-seeking missiles are sometimes launched against Taliban personnel, our soldiers call it, with...
screech n.— «After their one bottle a day has been consumed, the men must content themselves with the foul-tasting chlorinated water, made more palatable by the addition of flavoured powder, or “screech” as they call it...