coin n.— «Although Bill Kristol hails the surge as a triumph of “counterinsurgency strategy” in his Time piece, genuine experts say it’s anything but “strategy.” Counterinsurgency, or “coin” in military...
EJK n.— «On July 25, a death squad shot her mother and uncle—each three times in the head—in their dilapidated half-finished squat. E.J.K.‘s, in American military shorthand: extrajudicial killings.» —“Troops Shelter an Unlikely...
forgainst other.— «Republicans need to answer to the families of the people serving in Iraq. The time for hedging is over. You can’t be what I call “forgainst it.”» —“N.H. Reps. Call on Senators to Help Change Course in...
box n.— «Capt. Corbett Bufton had figured it was going to be just another hot day in the desert. The Charleston-based airman’s C-17 was scheduled to make four stops around Iraq—”the box,” as they call it—to fly in cargo for...
dead check v. phr.— «I witnessed Sgt. (Lawrence) Hutchins dead check the man and fire three rounds into the man’s head.…Then Cpl. (Trent) Thomas fired seven to 10 rounds in to the man’s head.» —“Navy Medic Testifies Against...
dead-check v. phr.— «“They teach us to do dead-checking when we’re clearing rooms,” an enlisted Marine recently returned from Iraq told me. “You put two bullets into the guy’s chest and one in the brain. But when you enter a...