square stocking n.— «Soldiers, sailors and airmen from the Duke of Lancaster Regiment at Basra Airport will be getting one of 24,500 Christmas gift boxes, or “square stockings” as they are affectionately known, sent out by the Ministry of...
magic carpet duty n.— «As the war ended, the Munda was used for what was known as, “Magic Carpet Duty,” picking up soldiers and taking them home.» —“Four WWII veterans recall experiences” by Keith...
BEAR n.— «A remote-controlled robot that will rescue injured or abducted soldiers, without putting the lives of their comrades at risk, is being developed for the US army. The 1.8-metre-tall Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (Bear) will...
suspense adj.— «Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Army’s term for a deadline is a “suspense,” sometimes abbreviated simply “S:” and followed by a date. The first time I was told that I had to “meet a suspense,” I didn’t know where to...
golden thread n.— «This reluctance to sign up for the army life is being ascribed partly to the merger last year of the six Scottish regiments into one, with the consequent loss of regional identity. This identity is referred to as the...
splurge n.— «The truth is that “the splurge,” as the soldiers call it, is not going well.…Spent more than two years in Iraq and most likely will have to do 15 more months unless it goes back to 12-month rotations after...