Washing Machine Charlie n.— «By the time he was 19, McNerney was the platoon sergeant of a mortar unit assigned to HQ Company in the jungles of Saipan, fighting Japanese soldiers and dodging Japanese bombs. One day, in early July 1944...
mouse-holing v.— «If the friendly and enemy-held buildings are adjoining, “mouse-holing” with demolitions is preferable. If the buildings are not adjoining, we should use AT4s, light antiarmor weapons (LAWs), or other...
meat tag n.— «One of his 15 platoon sections moved eastward in search of wounded.…“We took the meat tags off two blokes.”» —by Peter Brune The Spell Broken: Exploding the Myth of Japanese Invincibility: Milne Bay to...
white horse n.— «I was enlisted for NS in 1994. My platoon mates and I were at first unaware that there was a “white horse” among us. Therefore, we were generally surprised with the “special privileges” accorded to...
soft knock n.— «The Soldiers perform what is known as soft knocks, versus a more aggressive approach to enter the houses. They announce their intentions to enter houses over a loud speaker, asking the residents to unlock their front gates...
motarded adj.— «Pantano prepared his platoon by working the men hard. His men grumbled—enlisted men call officers like Pantano “motarded”—motivated to the point of retardation.» —“Did He Go Too Far?” by Paul...