jingly market n.— «Tuesday is market day in Camp Bastion and you can buy everything from plastic encased scorpion key rings, Afghan flags to the “Sex and the City” DVD box set. It is a hive of activity with soldiers from all...
frequent-flyer program n.— Note: Related to frequent flier and diesel therapy. «Frakt obtained Guantanamo records showing Jawad was moved 112 times from cell to cell during a two-week period in May 2004 in what was known as the...
A caller is curious about a slang term she hears from her friends in the military. The word is Jody, and it means someone who steals a soldier’s girlfriend. Grant tells the colorful story behind this bit of military slang, as well as the songs...
green card soldier n.— «There are tens of thousands of foreign-born members in the U.S. armed forces. Many have been naturalized, but more than 20,000 are not U.S. citizens. “Green card soldiers,” they are often called, and...
ground-owner n.— «During the war in Iraq, young Army and Marine captains have become American viceroys, officers with large sectors to run and near-autonomy to do it. In military parlance, they are the “ground-owners.” In practice, they...
Grant recommends two books that are great for giving as gifts. FUBAR: Soldier Sland of World War II by Gordon Rottman looks at the language of soldiers from different armies. Also, Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin by Nicholas Ostler, which looks...