An Army veteran in Madison, Alabama, wonders about the use of the charrette (sometimes spelled with one R, charette) in the military to mean a gathering to workshop ideas and work through all potential solutions to a problem. The term seems to have...
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 area” on the...
hall walker n.— «The departure of Adm. William J. (“Fox”) Fallon gives us a rare insight into a secret world of relationships between the highest-ranking general officers and their civilian masters.…Eventually, in the words of one Pentagon...
A caller asks a delicate question about the phrase “blue bark shipment,” a term involving the transport of deceased members of the military. Martha and Grant discuss this puzzling expression and the challenge of tracking down its origins, and then...
soda straw effect n.— «One of the great difficulties of assessing the war is overcoming what some officers call the “soda straw effect,” i.e., having a constricted view during travels but thinking that what you’re seeing somehow represents the...
monster-mashing n.— «“Forward march.” The movements are new, and Cain still has to think about what he is doing. Pretty soon, left becomes right, and instead of swinging his arms naturally—right arm, left leg, etc.—he is “monster-mashing,” the...
