The Last Punisher: A SEAL Team THREE Sniper's True Account of the Battle of Ramadi (37 page)

BTF:
acronym meaning Big Tough Frogman; used by the men of Charlie Platoon to describe themselves and their actions.

BUD/S:
Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training; six-month SEAL training course in Coronado, California.

CASEVAC:
casualty evacuation; emergency patient evacuation from a combat zone.

CENTCOM:
United States Central Command.

C
HALK
:
a small group of soldiers who deploy from a single military platform.

COP:
combat outpost; a coalition base for combat operations.

C-17:
a large Air Force aircraft commonly used to transport troops and cargo throughout the world.

DA:
direct action; a type of combat operation of short duration designed to seize, capture, or destroy a target, or to recover designated personnel or material.

E-D
OG
:
slang for an enlisted member of the armed forces; not a commissioned officer.

E-5:
petty officer second class; a rank in the Navy.

EOD:
Explosive Ordnance Disposal; EOD technicians are trained in the disposal of improvised explosive devices, as well as chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.

EOT
ECH
:
holographic weapons sight commonly used on M4s.

.50-
CAL
:
M2 Browning machine gun; used extensively as a vehicle weapon and for aircraft armament; air-cooled, belt-fed machine gun that fires a .50-caliber round with long range, accuracy, and immense stopping power; sometimes referred to as a “Ma Deuce.”

F
LEX-CUFFS
:
single-use disposable restraints; cheaper and easier to carry than metal handcuffs.

FOB:
Forward Operating Base; a secured military installation.

FOD
WALK
:
foreign object damage; patrolling an area to pick up debris; usually reserved for a flight line or a ship.

F
ROGMAN
:
a common term for a SEAL; in the Teams, the term originates from the Navy Combat Demolition Units during World War II.

G
REEN
Z
ONE
:
a roughly four-square-mile area in Baghdad that housed the Coalition Provisional Authority. It was heavily fortified and one of the safest military bases in Iraq.

H
EAD SHED
:
slang for the command or control center.

H
EADSPACE
:
space between the barrel and bolt on a .50-cal.

HMMWV:
High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle; commonly referred to as a Humvee; four-wheel-drive light truck; often mounted with a .50-cal in the turret.

HVT:
high-value target.

IED:
improvised explosive device; a bomb constructed and deployed for use in ways outside of conventional military action; in Ramadi, IEDs were often planted in roads or used by suicide bombers.

IR C
HEMLIGHT
:
infrared chemical light stick; used to mark a location.

IR
NETTING
:
camouflage netting that scatters radar and reduces thermal signature; used to help conceal personnel and equipment.

JDAM:
Joint Direct Attack Munition; a guidance kit that converts an unguided, free-falling bomb to an all-weather “smart” bomb.

JTAC:
joint terminal attack controller; a qualified service member who directs the action of combat aircraft engaged in close air support from a forward position.

J
UMP
S
CHOOL
:
United States Army Airborne School; three-week basic paratrooper training for the armed forces, conducted out of Fort Benning, Georgia.

KIA:
killed in action.

L
EAVENWORTH
:
Among service members, refers to the United States Disciplinary Barracks, the U.S. military’s sole maximum-security penitentiary, in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

LPO:
Lead Petty Officer.

M
A
’L
AAB
:
district in southeast Ramadi; in 2006 an area of heavy insurgent activity.

M
EALS
, R
EADY TO
E
AT
(MRE
S
):
a self-contained individual field ration for use in combat or the field; contains an entree, side, dessert or snack, crackers or bread, a spread, a powdered beverage mix, utensils, flameless ration heater, beverage mixing bag, and an accessory pack.

MIL-D
OT
:
rifle scope reticle used by snipers to aid in calculating distance to target.

M
UJ
:
term commonly used by American forces for the insurgency; shortened from the Arabic
mujahideen,
or “one engaged in jihad.”

NOD
S
:
night optical/observation device; a device that allows images to be produced in near-total darkness.

NSW:
United States Naval Special Warfare Command; NAVSOC or NSWC; the naval component of United States Special Operations Command.

OIC:
officer in charge; a platoon’s lead officer.

O
PERATION
R
ED
W
INGS
:
disrupted surveillance mission in Afghanistan on June 25, 2005, during which four SEALs were ambushed and pinned down; the helicopter QRF was subsequently shot down, killing all eight SEALs and eight Army Special Forces aviators on board; ultimately there were nineteen U.S. service members killed and one survivor.

PACOM:
United States Pacific Command; responsible for Indo Asia-Pacific region.

PID:
positive identification; required when recovering a hostage.

PKC:
variant of the Soviet-designed PK machine gun.

PLO:
patrol leader’s order; brief given prior to launching an operation.

PT:
physical training; often given as a standard of minimum physical fitness for a school or command.

PX:
post exchange; military retail store providing service members a tax-free source of American books, clothing, electronics, magazines, snacks, etc.

QRF:
quick reaction force; any force that is prepared to react on very short (typically fewer than minutes) notice.

R
ECCE
:
reconnaissance; the military observation of an area to obtain information or locate an enemy.

REMF:
rear-echelon motherfucker; derisive term used especially by service members in combat to describe soldiers far removed from the front lines.

RPG:
rocket-propelled grenade.

SAW:
Squad Automatic Weapon; a portable source of automatic firepower; can be fitted with a heavier barrel and bipod to perform as a light machine gun; only requires one person to operate.

SERE
SCHOOL
:
Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape school; training designed to prepare service members for all situations prior to and during enemy capture with the intent to escape.

SITREP:
situation report; a report on the current situation in a particular area.

SMP:
Special Missions Platoon; the most tactically proficient and well-trained Iraqi soldiers; the elite of the Iraqi Army.

S
OFT KNOCK
:
technique used to gain entry into a building and set up a hide.

SQT:
SEAL Qualification Training; twenty-six-week course during which students learn the core tactical knowledge needed to join a SEAL platoon; students become SEALs upon graduation.

S
QUIRTER
:
someone, usually the enemy, fleeing the scene of an attack.

SSE:
Sensitive Site Exploitation; the act of searching a site for sensitive or valuable materials.

SURC:
Small Unit Riverine Craft; a rigid-hulled armed and armored patrol boat; used by the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy to navigate and maintain control of rivers and inland waterways.

SWCC:
Surface Warfare Combatant-Craft; Navy personnel trained to use a variety of well-armed and specialized boats in support of and for the delivery of SEALs and their missions; conduct clandestine reconnaissance and combat gunfire support.

T
EAMGUY
:
a term commonly used by SEALs to describe themselves.

TOC:
tactical operations center; a command post for military operations.

TQ:
Al Taqaddum Air Base; located in central Iraq approximately 74 kilometers west of Baghdad.

T
RIDENT
:
the Special Warfare insignia worn by designated U.S. Navy SEALs; commonly referred to as a “bird” or “Budweiser.”

A
LL PHOTOS NOT CREDITED ARE FROM THE AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
.

Boat Crew 1 during Class 245 Hell Week.

Courtesy of the US Navy

Second Phase of BUD/S.

Richard Schoenberg

Marc, Biff, Biggles, and I during work-up.

Our sniper group at Nellis Air Force Base.

Biggles.