-
DA :
-
Department of the Army; see USA, AUS. Also, Defense
Attaché assigned to a military mission at an embassy in a
foreign country; see USDAO, L&L. Also, abbreviation for
Direct Action in SPECIAL FORCES and SPECIAL OPERATIONS; see DOOR
KICKING, UW, FID, PSYOPS, CA, SF, SOF.
-
DAGGER THRUST :
-
joint USN/USMC landing force assaults on coastal enemy redoubts
and sanctuaries, being brief SEARCH AND DESTROY INCURSIONs as
part of MARKET TIME from 1965.
-
DAILY DOZEN :
-
twelve standard Physical Training (PT) exercises performed each
day in a PT formation by everyone not on PROFILE or SICK CALL.
Exercise has evolved with the modern military, changing the
emphasis from strength to endurance, by replacing exertion with
kinetics, and isotonics with aerobics (cf: jazzercise,
dancercise). Physical fitness training is sometimes demotically
expressed as "kalleyhoops" or "kalleyhooptics" for calisthenics.
The DAILY DOZEN series of exercises were originally devised by
Walter C. Camp for the U.S. Navy after WWI. See PT, PCPT, FRONT
LEANING REST.
-
DAISY CHAIN :
-
a sequence of explosives designed to fire in series;
used most often to create or expose a defense. Also, any series
of interconnected things or events, such as a garland of flowers
or a sex orgy.
-
DAISY CUTTER :
-
indirect or aerial munitions which detonate prior to impact,
exploding above ground level, and which may also be used for
clearing an LZ; was later called "Blue Lady II" during the second
GULF WAR. See LZ CUT, PROXIMITY FUZE, VT.
-
DAKOTA :
-
USAF C-47 twin-engine, piston-driven light transport based on the
Douglas DC-3, which revolutionized air travel in the late 1930s;
also called GOONEY BIRD, Night Train, and Sky Train. The C-47
flew AIRDROP, medical evacuation, and transport-type missions in
the VIETNAM WAR. It also served as a FLARESHIP, and was modified
into the AC-47 GUNSHIP. See SPOOKY, PUFF, PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON,
DRAGON, JOLLY GREEN GIANT, SMOKY BEAR, DIRTY THIRTY, SACRED COW.
-
DAME :
-
Defense Against Methods of Entry, methods and techniques
practiced by MI and CIC agents.
-
DANCE CARD :
-
an abridged mission schedule posted by Operations (S-/G-/J-3)
giving DTG, AO, and CODENAME of activities; allusion is probably
due to the limited number of missions that can be supported at
any particular time without interference (ie: make music and
serve refreshments while X-number dance with the enemy on the
ballroom floor). See WARNING ORDER, FRAG ORDER, OPLAN, COURSE OF
ACTION, CAPABILITY, STAND-TO.
-
DANCING PONY :
-
NICKNAME for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR), as derived
from the "rearing horse" design of its shoulder PATCH; also
called "Frightened Pony" and SCARED HORSE. See DARK HORSE.
-
DAN CONG :
-
a civilian laborer drafted by the Vietnamese to serve as a porter
of military materiel, or as a litter bearer for the wounded;
although Asian peasants have traditionally used DUMMY STICK yokes
to transport goods, the DAN CONG porters used reinforced bicycles
to push loads averaging 600# over rough terrain on concealed
narrow trails (eg: 1954 Dien Bien Phu). The corps of DAN CONG
porters worked for the VC/NVA/PAVN, and included female (LONG
HAIR) laborers. Compare CHIGGIE BEAR; see LITTER.
[nb: according to the international LAWS OF WAR, a civilian
compelled to act as a military porter by transporting weapons or
munitions and materiel becomes a bona-fide combatant, subject to
treatment as a de-facto soldier, and forfeits the protection of
civilian noncombatant status]
-
DANGLE :
-
an operative or intelligence datum ("bait") used to entice or
entrap the opposition, such as a "honey pot" or "honey trap". See
CAMPAIGN WIFE, PROVOCATEUR, DECOY, THROW-AWAY, LEGEND, NOC,
CLEAN, LIFTED SKIRT, TRADECRAFT.
[v: WWII deception Operation Mincemeat, "the man who never was"]
-
DAO :
-
Defense Attaché Office, convenient shortening of USDAO
(qv); see DA.
-
DAP :
-
a Department of the Army Pamphlet, or DA Pam. Also, a stylized,
ritualized manner of shaking hands, started by African-American
troops, sometimes called "hand-jive"; compare WIGWAG, DITTY-BOP.
[nb: the slapping of hands above the head in celebration, called
"high five", is falsely credited to Derek Smith, a 1979
University of Louisville basketball player; it actually derives
from the ritualized "give me five" DAP that Black Power
"brothers" would exchange when greeting in Vietnam from 1965
onward, including hand slides, thumb pivots, knuckle bumps, "high
five" and "low five" slaps, often so elaborately choreographed
that it formed a brief dance, then a strutting departure]
-
DAPSONE :
-
small pill taken periodically by U.S. troops, ostensibly
to prevent MALARIA, but actually to prevent leprosy; compare
HORSE PILL, "acedapsone" @MALARIA. [cf: lazaretto
-
DARK HORSE :
-
any unknown or unsuspected entity that performs unexpectedly well
or is surprisingly successful, as inexperienced troops winning a
victory; also as "dark-horse". Compare STALKING HORSE, TROJAN
HORSE, CAT'S-PAW.
-
DARPA :
-
abbreviation for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, being
an agency of the Department of Defense (DOD) responsible for the
research and development of new technologies for military and
national security applications. Established in February 1958 in
response to the Soviet launching of the Sputnik satellite, it
revived the WWII Office of Scientific Research and Development,
was originally named ARPA, was renamed DARPA in 1972, reverting
to ARPA in 1993, and again reverting to DARPA on 11 March 1996.
It was responsible for establishing the ARPANET, which developed
into the InterNet, as well as engendering the Berkeley version of
Unix (BSD) operating system and the TCP/IP messaging protocol.
DARPA is responsible for transformative innovation beyond any
proposed doctrinal requirement or anticipated military need; thus
the Twentieth Century inventions of the airplane, tank, jet
engine, RADAR, helicopter, electronic computer, and atomic energy
would be augmented by hypertext (NLS), hypermedia (Aspen Movie
Media), BURST communication, sensor detection, stealth
technology, global positioning system (GPS), and unmanned
systems. Other DARPA programs have included Project Defender
(defense against ballistic missiles), Project Vela (nuclear test
detection), and Project Agile (counterinsurgency R&D). DARPA
continues to work on STAND-OFF weapons, high-energy LASER
technology, space-based surveillance, automatic target
recognition, integrated circuit and submicron electronic
research, artificial intelligence (AI), and other behavioral or
material science projects. DARPA comprises eight program offices,
including the Advanced Technology Office, Defense Sciences
Office, Tactical Technology Office, Joint Unmanned Combat Air
Systems, Information Processing Technology Office, Information
Exploitation Office, Microsystems Technology Office, and Special
Projects Office. Although some programs are considered too
radical (eg: "Combat Zones That See"), most of these technologies
have civilian applications (eg: NVG used to aid night blindness)
resulting in greater efficiency and improved lifestyle. See SOTA,
PEACE DIVIDEND.
[nb: adaptations or extensions of technological invention have
traditionally passed through three phases: gadget creation,
improved accommodation, and streamlined production; or, in other
words, from the simple to the complex and on to the simplified;
"Everything that can be invented has been invented." by Charles
H. Duell (Commissioner of US Office of Patents, 1899)]
-
DASC :
-
Direct Air Support Center; see HORN.
-
DASH :
-
Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter; a remote-controlled
miniature helicopter used to detect and track submarines at a
distance; see ASW. Also, a short sudden scurrying movement, as a
swift rush along a direct line or course; compare ZIGZAG,
SCUTTLE; see BUTTERFLY, CLOVERLEAF, CHECKERBOARD, HOPSCOTCH, LEAP
FROG, BUTTONHOOK. Also, to violently strike, smash, throw,
thrust, splash, or splatter.
-
DATE LINE :
-
a theoretical line at approximately the 180 meridian, with the
calendar date of the regions to its east counting as one day
earlier than regions to its west; formally identified as the
International Date Line. For seafarers, the part of the ocean
across this 180 meridian is called the "Realm of the Golden
Dragon". See TIME.
-
DAU TRANH :
-
the Vietnamese term for "struggle", being the key concept of
"people's war" or "wars of liberation"; see INSURGENCY, GUERRILLA
WARFARE; compare CHINH HUA.
-
DAVIT :
-
any of various crane-like devices used on ships for moving
or supporting boats, anchors, and other objects; see BOOM.
-
DAYROOM :
-
a separate room or building with facilities for leisure
activities; often used by troops as a semi-private "living room"
when meeting guests, since the ORDERLY ROOM is not an appropriate
place for visiting.
-
DAZZLE :
-
a harlequin patterned camouflage introduced in 1916 for large
objects that could not be hidden, such as WARSHIPs and TANKs;
composed of brilliant colors (ie: orange, blue, yellow, etc) in
both irregular and lozenge patterns, the camouflage effect was
intended to distort the object's shape, size, and movement ...
disrupting perception and perspective. DAZZLE was so effective
(receiving less than one-tenth as many strikes as normal) that it
promoted a survivor's superstition, making crews unwilling to
serve in vehicles or vessels without a DAZZLE treatment. See
CAMO, JUDAS GOAT; compare COUNTERSHADING, GRAYBACK. [cf:
parti-colored, mottle, variegate, pied/piebald]
-
DB :
-
Daily Bulletin, being the post/base newsletter. Also,
Disciplinary Barracks.
-
DCA :
-
Defense Communications Agency; see DCS.
-
DCI :
-
Director of Central Intelligence; see CIA.
-
DCIS :
-
Defense Criminal Investigative Service, or Defense Criminal
Investigation Service, being the DoD section subordinate to DIS
that specializes in criminal investigations and prosecutions; see
CID, NIS, OSI, FBI, BUTTON, POLICE.
-
DCO :
-
Deputy Commanding Officer; compare XO, see COMMAND ELEMENT.
-
DCS :
-
Defense Communications System; see DCA. Also, Deputy Chief of
Staff; see JCS.
-
DD :
-
destroyer; see TIN CAN. Also, abbreviated designator for
Department of Defense (DoD), as form "DD-214"; compare AGO. Also,
Dishonorable Discharge; see DISCHARGE. [nb: during the 19th
century, a "bobtail" discharge was slang for both a curtailed
term of service, and for a certificate with its character cutoff
so as to obscure or conceal the type of discharge ... always
"other than honorable"]
-
D-DAY :
-
the term used to designate the unnamed day scheduled for the
commencement, execution, implementation, or initiation of a
particular operation; designation originally created by
repetition, but since re-defined as "deployment-day". See H-HOUR,
TIME.
-
DDG :
-
destroyer with guided MISSILES; see TIN CAN.
-
DDIIR :
-
Department of Defense Intelligence Information Report.
-
DDO :
-
Deputy Director of Operations for the Central Intelligence
Agency; see CIA.
-
DD-214 / DD214 :
-
a Department of Defense document that summarizes and
characterizes the service of anyone who's completed a tour of
duty in the military; entitled the "Armed Forces of the United
States Report of Transfer or Separation" after WWII, it was
renamed the "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active
Duty" after the VIETNAM WAR. A preliminary worksheet (DD214WS) is
prepared for approval; and if substantive omissions or errors
(not typographical) are discovered, an application (DD-149) for
correction of military record (under the provisions of Title 10
US Code, section 1552) is submitted, and a supplemental DD-215
("Correction to DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge
from Active Duty") is issued. Both the DD-214 and DD-215 are not
"letter sized" to help prevent forgeries. See DISCHARGE.
[nb: because a separate DD-214 is issued for each period of
service, the DD-149 is used by active duty personnel and the
SF-180 is used by retirees and veterans when requesting a
corrected DD-215]
-
DE :
-
destroyer escort; see DESOTO.
-
DEA :
-
(dee-ee-ay) Drug Enforcement Administration [not "Agency"], which
has jurisdiction on federal installations, also shares concurrent
jurisdiction with the FBI for domestic enforcement of controlled
substance laws, and bears sole responsibility for investigating
illegal drugs abroad. The Drug Enforcement Administration was
re-organized in the Department of Justice on 1 July 1973 from its
predecessor, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, which
had been formed as a subsidiary agency of the Department of
Justice in 1968 by merging the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, an
agency of the Treasury Department, with the Bureau of Drug Abuse
Control, an agency of the Food and Drug Administration under the
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Federal Bureau
of Narcotics had been established in June 1930, and maintained
foreign offices in France, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, and Thailand.
The DEA has grown to encompass 21 domestic Field Divisions and 80
Foreign Offices in 58 countries. Although the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center is a separate facility, the DEA
Academy is colocated with the Marine installation at Quantico
Virginia. See POLICE, CID, BABY 007, STICK, CAN SA, DOPE, STONED,
SMACK, HOT SHOT, CHINA WHITE, GOLDEN TRIANGLE, SILVER TRIANGLE,
GOLDEN CRESCENT; compare FBI, REVENUER, DIS, DHS.
-
DEACTIVATE :
-
to withdraw all personnel and transfer all assets of a duly
constituted or commissioned unit, and retire it to the inactive
list; also called "inactivate", "disband", "demobilize",
"dissolve", "decommission", or "retire"; compare ACTIVATE,
ORGANIZE, RECONSTITUTED; see STAND-DOWN, ACTOV, VIETNAMIZATION,
PROVN, CRIMP, CSMO, KEYSTONE [nb: the U.S. Navy, established
1775, was disbanded from 1786 to 1794]. Also, to render a bomb,
shell, or other EXPLOSIVE inoperative, especially by
disconnecting, removing, or otherwise interfering with the action
of its FUZE or trigger mechanism, as when interrupting a
catalytic process; see EOD, UXO.
-
DEAD AIR :
-
the interruption, suspension,or loss of an audio or video
broadcast, leaving the recipient without content. Also, the
absence of speech during a meeting or gathering, which may be
either a pause for thought or a shocked silence; this phrase
never refers to a meditative or companionable quiescence; compare
HOT AIR.
-
DEAD DROP :
-
(forthcoming); DEAD LETTER, LETTER BOX, FLAPS 'n' SEALS
-
DEADEYE :
-
two-holed disk rove with LINE or LANYARD, used for tightening
YARDARM, SPAR, or other attachment; compare EYE, see BELAY
[cf: turnbuckle]. Also, an expert marksman, an "eagle eye" or
"hawkeye"; see SHARPSHOOTER, KISS THE MISTRESS, KNOCK THEIR SPOTS
OFF, SNIPER, AIMPOINT, BULL'S-EYE, POINT-BLANK.
-
DEADHEAD :
-
a vehicle, craft, or vessel returning without cargo or
passengers; see POB, SPACE A. Also, a sunken, semisubmerged, or
floating object that's a hazard to navigation. Also, a person
using a free PASS or complimentary ticket; compare STRAP-HANGER,
BLOB. Also, a dull or stupid person, a dolt or dummkopf; see
DOPE, PUKE, DUD, SOS, TURD, YARDBIRD. Also, by analogy to
horticultural pruning, the removal by transfer or termination of
marginal and dysfunctional personnel, so as to revitalize an
operation or to reform an organization; also called
HOUSECLEANING.
-
DEAD HORSE :
-
an issue or question already settled, resolved, or made moot,
which is being raised, broached, or revived for further
discussion or examination, as to "beat a dead horse" or to "flog
a dead horse", and is also called "flogged to death" and "Monday
morning quarterbacking" or "second-guessing" ... which are
favorite pursuits of "armchair experts" and other know-it-all
theoreticians, which is a waste of time and energy, except for
the education or edification of students. Also, in the U.S. Navy,
the period of time that was required for a sailor to pay-off, to
payback, or to recoup an advance payment; being that span when a
sailor does not receive money, but credit toward his
indebtedness; also called "beating a dead horse" with regard to
the work, labor, or effort involved in the repayment schedule.
Compare CHARGE, CHARGE SHEET, CHIT.
[nb: the "horse latitudes", a calm region situated about thirty
degrees north and south of the equator (also called the
"doldrums"), may derive from the "beating a dead horse" repayment
schedule, since sailors on sailing ships were usually out of debt
when the vessel arrived in this region; an alternative
explanation of this ascription has livestock being cast overboard
in this becalmed area due to an inadequate supply of drinking
water]
-
DEAD IN THE WATER :
-
adrift without motive, power or propulsion; also called HULL.
-
DEAD LETTER :
-
a moot point, or an unenforced regulation; being an issue not
worth pursuing, as derived from "undeliverable mail". Compare
DEAD DROP, LETTER BOX, FLAPS 'n' SEALS.
-
DEADLINE :
-
a line or limit that must not be passed or yielded, as a battle
line; compare FRONT LINE, LINE OF BATTLE, FEBA, FLOT,
HARD-AND-FAST. Also, at one time, the boundary outside a military
prison beyond which a prisoner could not venture without risk of
being shot by the guards; see STOCKADE, GUARDHOUSE, CROSSBAR
HOTEL, HOT HOUSE, LBJ, CHL, BRIG, THE CASTLE. Also, the latest
time by which something must be finished or submitted; see NLT,
SUSPENSE DATE, UNDER THE GUN.
-
DEAD-RECKONING :
-
estimated calculation of one's present position based upon
compass readings, speed, and distance traveled from the last
known point, with allowances for drift (LEEWAY) from terrain,
wind, or currents; also known as "guesstimate" or "by guess and
by God". See AZIMUTH, GRID COORDINATES, CONTOUR LINES, SLANT
DISTANCE, AIMPOINT, HEADING, LORAN, GPS, UTM, DOUBLE DRIFT, WAG,
COMICS.
[nb: an analog wrist-/pocket-watch (or simulated clock face) may
serve as an improvised compass; when the hour hand is pointed at
the sun, south is between the hour hand and 12 o'clock]
-
DEAD-SOLDIER :
-
slang since WWI for an empty wine or liquor bottle; see STONED,
BREW, HOOCH, JUICE, DUTCH COURAGE, SPLICE THE MAINBRACE, HOIST,
HATCH, BYOB, CLASS SIX, THE DRINK, TOAST, WASH, SAIGON TEA.
-
DEAD SPACE :
-
area which cannot be covered by observation or fire due to the
nature of the terrain; compare KILL ZONE, ZONE OF FIRE.
-
DEAD-TIME :
-
extended active-duty service period in repayment for time spent
in jail; also called BAD TIME. See CHL, PAIN, STOCKADE, BRIG,
THE CASTLE, GUARDHOUSE, UCMJ.
-
DEATH CARD :
-
novelty calling card, often depicting a unit's motto or insignia,
and making some sardonic or wry announcement in English or
English/Vietnamese (such as"This BELIEVER converted courtesy of
..."); as derived from the earlier practice of leaving a unit
PATCH (official or unofficial) on the corpse. The PSYOPS and
INTEL sections developed this concept, in conjunction with the
CHIEU HOI program, by printing "skull and crossed bones" Ace of
Spades cards, which is purportedly an evil omen in Asia, with a
Vietnamese message stating that PAVN troops should surrender or
be killed. A wide variety of novelty cards were produced during
the war. This practice probably originated during WWII beginning
with the Anzio campaign (Feb 1944), when the FSSF "Black Devils"
left German-text "The worst is yet to come." DEATH CARDs on
corpses to enhance their mystique. After the 9/11 2001 TERRORIST
attack, the U.S. Army Counter-Terrorist Task Force made an
arrangement with the New York city Police Department to supply
the JSOTF operatives with NYPD shoulder patches to leave on
Taliban or al-Qaida corpses and HARD TARGET wreckage as
retributive DEATH CARDs. Compare TS CARD; see KISS THE MISTRESS,
TURN THE JACK, KNOCK THEIR SPOTS OFF, WAR GAMES.
[nb: according to classic military lore, carrying playing cards
(also called a "California prayer book" or the "Devil's calling
cards") into combat is bad luck, so the deck must be left behind
in camp or buried in bivouac upon departure for the battlefield]
[nb: the deuce of clubs, from underworld lingo, was popularized
as a DEATH CARD by the publication of hard-boiled stories in pulp
media]
-
DEATH OF A THOUSAND CUTS :
-
a catch-phrase for the slow death of the condemned by the torture
of many small wounds, none lethal in itself, but fatal in their
cumulative effect; also expressed as "death by a thousand cuts",
"lingering death", and "slow slicing", from a classical allusion
to the slow ascent of a mountain. This traditional form of
execution in China, employed from 900 to 1905 (when it was
abolished), was reserved for the most heinous crimes;
transliterated as "one thousand knives and ten thousand pieces",
which gruesomeness was believed to serve as a deterrence against
villainy. This agonizing practice has captured the imagination of
many sensationalists over the years until its precise methodology
is too confused by fantasy and legend to be accurately revealed.
Despite its mythic reputation, this form of torture was probably
no "worse" than Occidental forms, as eviscerate, impale, press,
rack, draw and quarter. Compare GARROTE, KEELHAUL, GAUNTLET, OVER
A BARREL, PAIN, TWIST IN THE WIND, TORTURE, COUP DE GRACE. Also,
metaphorically representative of excruciating suspense, agonized
delay, or exaggerated prolongation; describing the gradual
destruction of an idea or procedure, program or institution by a
multitude of minor changes; see BACK CHANNEL, RED TAPE, BAYONET
SHEET, MILICRAT.
-
DEBARKATION NET :
-
a specially prepared type of General Purpose net, CARGO NET, or
other similar mesh employed when scaling, as during INSERTION or
EXTRACTION, but especially during debarkation from or embarkation
of a transport ship; see JACOB'S LADDER, RATLINE, GP, NET,
SKYHOOK, STABO, RAPPEL. [v: escalade]
[v: Climbing Terms]
-
DEBRIEF :
-
an after-action interrogation, often conversational, of
operational leaders and select participants, in order to assess
the conduct and results of a mission; to systematically inquire
in order to obtain useful information or intelligence; see AAR,
FLUTTER, SWEAT; compare BRIEF-BACK, BRIEFING. Also, to subject a
former participant to precautions and prohibitions against
disclosing or discussing classified information, as upon
separation from a position of military sensitivity.
[nb: a so-called "back brief" must be rendered when an
intermediate-level officer or NCO, acting on his own initiative,
launches an operation or commences a series of events which
develop in unpredicted ways or expand beyond their original
scope, necessitating a combined BRIEFING and DEBRIEFing to the
next higher echelon]
-
DECAMP :
-
to pack up equipment and leave a campground, to disassemble,
dismantle, break-down, take-down and remove; being the opposite
of "encamp". Also, to depart hastily and often secretly, as to
escape or evacuate, to flee or SPLIT; see BEAT FEET, CUT AND RUN,
BAILOUT, HAUL-ASS, BUSTER, PULL PITCH, SCRAMBLE, JUICE, GOYA,
ASAP, PDQ, STAT, CHOGI, FORTHWITH.
-
DECAPITATION :
-
the tactic of targeting political leaders, military commanders,
and/or their headquarters (HQ) in an attempt to effect a
strategic result. Although it is considered immoral to
assassinate the head of state or national leaders of the opposing
or enemy forces, it is not illegal to target the director(s) of
INSURGENT, GUERRILLA, or TERRORIST groups. This concept probably
derives from WAR GAMES theory, such as winning chess by
checkmating the king, but it is impractical in any hierarchical
organization with a CHAIN-OF-COMMAND, and may inspire even
greater resistance, as with STRATEGIC BOMBING. In the cases where
it has the greatest potential to be most effective, such as a
"cult of personality" dictatorship, the tactic has been declared
illegal, so a surrogate must be induced to execute what a
purportedly law-abiding nation will not do for itself! ... the
moral contradiction in deniably abetting a criminal conspiracy is
reprehensibly fraudulent and cowardly. It is always better to
intelligently attack the structure of the opposition in order to
effect permanent change, than the DECAPITATION of its figurehead,
a practice also known as HEADHUNTING. Compare COUP D'ETAT.
[cf: malum prohibitum, malum in se; v: bounty, reward, head
price, recompense, premium]
[v: Executive Orders prohibiting assassination include:
EO11905(5g) Gerald R. Ford (18 Feb 1976), EO12036(2-305) James E.
Carter (24 Jan 1978), EO12333(2.11) Ronald W. Reagan (4 Dec
1981); cf: Barbary pirates (1804-1805), Pancho Villa (1916),
Augusto Cesar Sandino (1928-1932), Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1967),
Achille Lauro hijackers (1985), Muammar al-Qaddafi / Kaddafi
(1986), Osama Bin Laden (2001)]
[v: Operation Gaff attempted the assassination of Erwin Rommel;
Operation Valkyrie attempted the assassination of Adolf Hitler
(20 July 1944)]
[nb: Salome, the daughter of Herod Antipas, was granted the head
of John the Baptist; Abraham Lincoln declared that the CIVIL WAR
could not be won until Longstreet was killed, and pleaded for
someone to bring him Longstreet's head on a platter; and the CIA
director in Afghanistan during 2001 declared that his primary
goal was to place a burlap bag containing Osama Bin Laden's head
on Rumsfeld's desk]
[nb: Mozart's Idomeneo opera, first performed in 1781,
tells the story of this Cretan king, but the 2006 rendition by
Hans Neuenfels adds a scene depicting the severed heads of the
prophets Mohammad, Buddha, and Jesus]
-
DECATHLON :
-
an athletic competition comprising ten consecutive events,
primarily track and field; compare BIATHLON, TRIATHLON,
PENTATHLON; see PT, PFT, AIRBORNE SHUFFLE, TRUSCOTT TROT, WAR
GAMES.
-
DECCA :
-
low-level radio navigational aid chain installed and maintained
by the Army, but rarely used due to mistrust by senior Army
officers, and due to nonacceptance by the Air Force.
-
DECENT INTERVAL :
-
the period between US/SEATO abandonment of RVN and the eventual
collapse of RVN, together with the Cambodian HOLOCAUST and the
Laotian usurpation. The POLITICIANs who betrayed the trust of all
participants by arranging this "indecent interval" were awarded
Nobel Peace Prizes. Compare the US commitment to Korea. See
DOMINO THEORY, BOAT PEOPLE, REEDUCATION, APOCALYPSE, WISE MEN,
VIETNAM SYNDROME.
-
DECEPTION :
-
those single, serial, or collective measures designed to mislead
the enemy by manipulation, distortion, or falsification of
evidence so as to induce the enemy to act or react in a manner
prejudicial to its own interests; also called ruse, ploy, feint,
artifice, stratagem, subterfuge, wile, gambit, imposture,
machination. A deception course of action will identify the
deception objective, the deception target, the desired
perception, the deception story, and the tentative deception
means. The deception target may be influenced or affected by
physical, technical, or administrative methods and means,
resources and techniques, including the use of dummy equipment
and devices, notional assets and organizations, and the emission,
suppression, alteration, absorption, or reflection of data,
radiation, sound, odor (chemical or biological), or other energy
sources. A deception event or operation must be coordinated and
integrated with conventional actions or operations so as to
effectively concentrate available resources on the objective, and
not to confuse allied assets with misleading information.
Military deceptions are tactical and strategic actions executed
to deliberately mislead adversaries as to allied capabilities,
intentions, and operations, thereby causing the adversary to take
specific actions (or inactions) that will contribute to the
accomplishment of the allied mission. See CONTROLLED INFORMATION,
COUNTERDECEPTION, INTEL, PSYOPS, CONCEALMENT, CAMO, GHOST UNIT,
PHANTOM OPERATIONS, TRICK, FALSE FLAG, HINKY, DECOY, RED HERRING,
TROJAN HORSE, STALKING HORSE, DARK HORSE, CAT SKINNER, CAT'S-PAW,
NIGHTINGALE, PROPAGANDA, OODLES, BIG LIE, DISINFORMATION, RUMOR,
GHOST WALK, Q-SHIP, CLOAK-AND-DAGGER, TRADECRAFT, WHITE
PROPAGANDA, TRUTH.
[nb: artists and technicians served in special units during WWI
(ie: Camouflage Corps) and WWII (ie: 603rd Engr Camo Bn, 3132nd
Sonic Sig Co, 23rd HQ Special Troops, Beach Jumpers, 12th Army Gp
Special Plans Branch) which were responsible for creating and
implementing deception operations by use of camouflage, spoof
transmissions, false movements, fake organizations, decoy
constructions, dummy vehicles, imitation troops, simulated weapon
discharges, artificial representations, illusions and other
special effects; then during the GULF WAR, these deception
operations were conducted by "Ambiguity Forces" under Task Force
Troy, and used a "wheeled camel" symbol]
[nb: under the Double Cross system of Operation Fortitude
preliminary to the WWII D-Day INVASION, a procedure similar to
CPX was used to create "ghost" and "phantom" units as a
deception]
[nb: CSA Fort Humbug near Shreveport was defended against MG
Nathaniel P. Banks with faux cannons; likewise Quaker cannon were
used on the Peninsula campaign to resist MG George B. McClellan's
invasion ... also used false cookfires, bugle calls to missing
troops, marching remaining soldiers in a circle to multiply their
apparent strength]
[nb: "All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to
attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem
inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are
far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush
him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is
in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is of choleric
temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may
grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his
forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is
unprepared, appear where you are not expected. These military
devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand. In
war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed." by Sun-Tzu]
-
DECK :
-
a floor-like surface occupying all or most of one level in
a superstructure or HULL; see BELOW DECK, TOPSIDE, FANTAIL,
QUARTERDECK, POOP DECK, ORLOP, PLANK, LADDERWELL, GANGWAY, HATCH,
BULKHEAD, OVERHEAD, SPONSON, BOARD, ABOVE BOARD.
-
DECODE :
-
to decipher or DECRYPT. See ALPHABET SOUP, ENCRYPT, CIPHER, KAK,
SHACKLE, SCRAMBLE, NULLITY, BURST, RTO, RADIO, TAP CODE, DUNGEON,
CRYPER, INTEL, ASA, MI, CIC, ICAP, IR, COMICS.
-
DECOY :
-
an imitation of people or objects, or simulated occurrences or
phenomena, which are intended to deceive enemy surveillance or to
mislead enemy evaluations; also called "dummy"; see Q-SHIP, RED
HERRING, TROJAN HORSE, STALKING HORSE, DARK HORSE, CAT'S-PAW,
CAMO, DECEPTION. Also, someone, usually a military intelligence
or political officer, disguised as an ordinary soldier and
inserted into a combat unit for the purpose of being captured, so
as to surrender false information. These DECOYs, also called
"plant" or "dispatched agent", are specially trained to render
'false positives' while misdirecting their captors. DECOYs are
often older, better educated, and more physically fit than other
troops, and may exhibit better medical or dental care than their
alleged peers; which battlefield assessments may avert a
disasterous trap. A military (eg: HOI CHANH) or political
defector may also be a DECOY agent. See SECRET AGENT, SPOOK,
CRYPTO, PROVOCATEUR, THROW-AWAY, DANGLE, RABBIT, SWEEPER, STOOGE,
CLEAN, LIFTED SKIRT, TRADECRAFT; compare BORDEN. [v: WWII
deception Operation Mincemeat, "the man who never was"]
-
DECRYPT :
-
to decipher or DECODE. See ALPHABET SOUP, CODE TALKER, ENCRYPT,
CIPHER, KAK, SHACKLE, SCRAMBLE, NULLITY, BURST, RTO, RADIO, TAP
CODE, DUNGEON, CRYPER, INTEL, ASA, MI, CIC, ICAP, IR, COMICS.
-
DEEP DIP :
-
slang meaning to be promoted before becoming regularly eligible
due to excellence of merit or performance, being advanced ahead
of the "above the zone" FAST MOVERs for cause; the modern
equivalent of a BREVET for achievement or valor. See HARD
CHARGER, SWEAT HOG, SUPER-TROOPER, BOOMER, HOT DOG, HOT SHOT, BOY
WONDER, GOLDEN BOY, BALLS TO THE WALL, VULCANIZE; compare BRASS
HAT, UP OR OUT.
-
DEEP SHIT :
-
the worst possible position, such as being nearly overrun, being
a crisis on the verge of disaster; sometimes called "deep
doo-doo", "deep serious", or a "shit storm". See TAR BABY, BITTER
END, SNOWBALL, DOG'S CHANCE, SHIT HIT THE FAN, SHIT.
-
DEEP SIX :
-
the rejection or abandonment, suppression or concealment of
something; derived from soundings by fathom (6feet), expressed as
"by the deep six" (36feet), and not from a "six feet under" grave
or gravesite. Also, to cast an object over the side, or to
jettison something from a vessel or vehicle. Also, burial at sea.
[nb: refers only to objects; people fall "overboard"]
-
DEERS :
-
Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, the database of
servicemembers, retirees, and their dependents.
-
DEFCON :
-
DEFense CONdition; a graduated security alert system. See
SACON, ESP, FOOTBALL, TOCSIN, STAND-TO, STAND-DOWN.
-
DEFEAT :
-
a downfall or setback, a destruction or ruin; to conquer, foil,
beat, subdue, check, repulse, quell, crush, trounce, vanquish,
overpower, overwhelm, overthrow, overturn, overcome, thwart,
deprive, or ROUT. See THROW IN THE TOWEL, CHANGING TUNE,
RETROGRADE, BEAT FEET, HAUL-ASS, RETREAT.
-
DEFERMENT :
-
a temporary exemption from induction into military service, as
based upon educational enrollment, marital status, and the like,
until the status changes, the regulations change, or manpower
needs change; not a total and permanent exemption; see MILITIA,
STRIKER, WEEKEND WARRIOR, PARAMILITARY. Also, a temporary
postponement of obligation, such as the payment of taxes while
serving in a combat zone; see TOUR BABY, COMBAT BUM, LIFER.
-
DEFILADE :
-
protection from frontal fire or ground observation, as provided
by any natural or artificial barrier; including rampart, parapet,
bulwark, bastion, redan/redent, battlement, lunette/lunet,
barbette, salient, countergarde. See REVETMENT, EMPLACEMENT,
BERM, REDOUBT, CATWALK, BANQUETTE, COVER, CONCEALMENT, FACE.
[cf: escarp, scarp/escarpment, counterscarp]
-
DEFILE :
-
a narrow passage; also, to march in line of file(s).
-
DEFLAGRATION :
-
to burn, especially in a sudden and violent manner; see DET CORD,
EXPLOSIVE.
-
DEFLECTION :
-
the amount of lateral deviation between the point of aim
(AIMPOINT) and the POINT OF IMPACT on the target, or the mean
error of a SALVO. Making a DEFLECTION shot entails adjustments
for distance and movement, so the round launched by empirical
calculus will coincide with the arrival of the target. See SIGHT
PICTURE, ZERO, BORESIGHT, BULL'S-EYE, POINT-BLANK, TRAIN.
-
DEGAUSS :
-
(forthcoming)
also expressed as "degaussing",
eponymous derivation from Karl Friedrich Gauss.
-
DELAWARE :
-
combined US/SVN operation in A SHAU VALLEY during 1968.
-
DELEGATE :
-
the commitment of powers and functions to someone, as being
deputed to act on another's behalf, as an agent or
representative; term derives from "assign as envoy", an emissary
or legate. [nb: only authority can be delegated to subordinates,
while responsibility cannot be transferred]
-
DELTA DAGGER :
-
the Convair / General Dynamics F-102 supersonic, all-weather,
delta-wing, single-place, interceptor aircraft, powered by a
turbojet engine. See BIRD.
-
DELTA DART :
-
F-106A aircraft; see SHARPSHOOTER, BIRD.
-
DELTA FORCE :
-
informal name of the U.S. Army's 1st Special Forces Operational
Detachment - Delta (1SFOD-D), being a Direct Action (DA)
component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC); it was
activated in November 1977 by COL Charles Beckwith, who was also
the first commander of its namesake entity Project Delta (DET
B-52, 5th SFGA). DELTA FORCE operatives are sometimes called
"D-boys". See LEAPING LENA, THE GREEKS, KILL HOUSE, DOUBLE TAP,
AT CLOSE QUARTERS, SPECIAL OPERATIONS.
-
DEMILITARIZE :
-
to denature or render safe, as when made inert, inactive,
inoperable, non-lethal, non-toxic, or otherwise harmless (eg:
removal of explosives from munitions), including neutralization
of HAZMAT, disposal of CBR ingredients, and destruction of
classified design components. Also, to prohibit a military
presence; to banish military organizations or operations,
armaments or munitions from a designated area. Also, to deprive
of military influence by placing under civil authority and
control.
-
DEMO :
-
contraction of DEMOlition, referring to the specialist, the
techniques, and/or the munitions, being an artful MIL-CRAFT of
inverse architecture or reverse engineering; see EXPLOSIVE,
CHARGE, BOOBY-TRAP, IED, COCKTAIL, SOUP, TRIGGER, FIRE IN THE
HOLE.
-
DENTCAP :
-
Dental Civic Action Program; military dentists and
dental assistants provided oral hygiene treatment in many remote
VILLEs. See CA, CAP, MEDCAP, ICAP.
and hygiene of the locals.
-
DEP :
-
Delayed Entry Program, which allows a delay of one year from
enlistment before reporting for duty. The Reserve component calls
this the Delayed Training Program (DTP), and assigns participants
to a Troop Program Unit (TPU) for accountability. See CONAP,
ACASP, NESEP, BOOTSTRAP, USAFI, SOC, ROTC.
-
DEPOT :
-
a station, terminal, or way-station; see REPL' DEPOT, ANNEX,
COMFORT STATION. Also, a depository or repository; see DUMP,
NSD, DRMO, PRE-POS, GODOWN, LOG, QM.
-
DEPUY FOXHOLE :
-
defensive positions set so as to ensure interlocking fields of
fire; as advocated by MG William E. DePuy, 1966 CG of 1st Inf
Div. See FOXHOLE, SPIDER HOLE, HASTY TRENCH, BUNKER.
-
DEROS :
-
Date Eligible for Return from OverSeas; the estimated date a
person's tour in Vietnam was scheduled to end. See WAKE-UP.
[nb: civilians go 'abroad' while soldiers go 'overseas']
-
DESEGREGATION :
-
(forthcoming); Executive Order 9981 (1948); OCS during WWII was
the first training course to be racially desegregated.
see BEANER, BLACK, CHINK, RICE BALL, BASKET HEAD, BUDDHAHEAD,
PURPLE HEART BATTALION, NIP, FLIP, LITTLE BROWN BROTHER, WOG,
WOP.
-
DESERT :
-
a three-/six-tone camouflage patterned uniform worn for
concealment in an arid region; originating as a subdued KHAKI
tan uniform in the British Army, the artificial mottling of such
clothing has extended to CHOCOLATE CHIP and TIGER STRIPE
versions, and has since been extended to pixelated DIGITALS. See
CAMMIES, CAMO, DRESS.
-
DESERTER :
-
to leave military service, or to abandon one's oath and duty,
without authorization, and with the intention of never returning;
being grounds for punishment and dishonorable discharge; see
FIRING SQUAD. Also, to fail one's associates, or to forsake one's
obligations. Also, to abandon the responsibilities of the law, as
a renegade outlier or recreant outlaw, rogue, fugitive, rebel,
apostate, reaver / reiver. See MERCENARY, TERRORIST, MUTINEER,
RIOT ACT, UCMJ; compare AWOL, UA, DRAFT DODGER, TRAITOR,
TURNCOAT, WHITE VC.
[v: Riley and other USArmy deserters who fought against their
former units during the Mexican War (1846-8)]
-
DESK MAPPING :
-
the process of securing, in proper order and placement, all
documents and effects on the desk of a senior official by his
AIDE or Executive Assistant (EA), in accordance with regulations
requiring that all sensitive materials be protected when not in
actual use; in effect, the complete clearing and later complete
restoration of the contents of a superior's desk top by his
trusted DOG ROBBER; see LMD, BUCK SLIP, CHAIRBORNE, ORIFICE,
HEADQUARTERISM. Also, to surveil a cluttered desk or working
surface so as to glean useful information without disturbing the
layout or leaving detectable clues of intrusion; see TRADECRAFT,
INTEL.
-
DESOTO :
-
US Navy patrols by destroyers and escorts in the Gulf of Tonkin.
See TONKIN GULF INCIDENT.
-
DET :
-
DETachment; any organic unit separated for operational
independence, or any integral element assigned to a separate duty
or mission; see HHD, AAD, NAD, MID, TDY, DETAIL, FIRING SQUAD,
CORPORAL'S GUARD, AD HOC.
-
DETAIL :
-
an assignment, to be assigned a DUTY. Also, a temporary or
special duty, such as CQ, KP, POLICE CALL, guard mount, as a
provisional detachment; see DET, TDY, FIRING SQUAD, CORPORAL'S
GUARD, AD HOC. Also, a work party, which, in the case of an
onerous or unpleasant assignment, was sometimes characterized as
a "shit detail" or "lifer's revenge"; see GI PARTY, SHORE PARTY,
FATIGUE, BITCH.
-
DETAIL STRIP :
-
to disassemble a weapon beyond its major components or housings
for maintenance or repair, as performed by ARMORERS; compare
FIELD STRIP. [nb: despite the allusive sexual metaphor, there is
no "quick and easy solution" to total exposure; it must be done
slowly and painfully, one incremental part at a time ... and
reassembled in the same exacting manner]
-
DETAINEE :
-
any person, usually an INDIGenous civilian, held in custody for
questioning, especially for a political transgression or a
violation of martial law.
-
DET CORD :
-
detonating cord; being an "instantaneous fuse" in the form of
a long, thin, waterproof, flexible fabric tube loaded with
explosive (PETN) designed to carry a detonation wave, with an
explosive transmission chain rate of 25,000 feet per second. Used
to obtain the (nearly) simultaneous explosion from widely spaced
demolitions, such as multiple CLAYMOREs. Also used to "cut"
objects and obstacles, as when constructing tank-traps (ABATIS,
FRAISE, BOLLARD) by felling trees, with the formula of wrapping
three turns per foot of trunk diameter around the tree, and then
igniting.
-
DETENTE :
-
a relaxing of tension [v: detent], especially between nations, as
by negotiations or agreements; also spelled "détente". See
TRUCE, CARTE BLANCHE, RAPPROCHEMENT, RAISON D'ETAT, COUP D'ETAT,
APPEASE, PEACE; compare ENTENTE.
-
DETONATOR :
-
a mechanism, such as a switch or TRIGGER, or a device, such as a
percussion cap or blasting cap, that's used to make another
substance explode; compare FUSE, FUZE, WAR NOSE; see EXPLOSIVE.
-
DEUCE :
-
two. Also, a mild oath meaning devil or dickens.
[v: deuce of clubs note at DEATH CARD]
-
DEUCE-AND-A-HALF :
-
M-35 2.5-ton truck; Marines call this vehicle a "six-by". See GUN
TRUCK, WAR PIG, DUCK, TRUCK.
-
DEUCE GEAR :
-
Marine term for the WEB GEAR or LBE issued to troops; named for
the gear's Requisition Form 782, or "Seven-Eighty-Deuce".
-
DEVIATION :
-
the angle of error of a magnetic compass on a given heading as a
result of local magnetism; the declination from true north. See
AZIMUTH, HEADING, DEAD-RECKONING.
-
DEVICE :
-
an emblematic representation or heraldic charge; also known as
"ribbon devices". Such distinctive ornaments include stars
(eg: bronze, silver), leaves (eg: oak, palmette), letters (eg: E,
V), numerals, date bars, and other representative symbols. Common
DEVICEs on medals include stars for service, leaves and numerals
for multiple awards, a letter for achievement or valor, and an
arrowhead for a combat parachute jump. Common DEVICEs on skill
badges include pendant skill bars, silver stars for multiple
awards, and a bronze star for each combat parachute jump. The
proper placement of authorized DEVICEs is strictly regulated by
each separate branch of service. See GONG, FRUIT SALAD, OLC,
V-DEVICE, WINGS, BRASS, TRASH, GREEN TAB. [nb: an insignia
emblematic of the honors and lineage of a military organization,
unlike familial "coats of arms", may be individually enhanced but
not personally heritable; v: Heraldry]
-
DEVIL'S GARDEN :
-
slang for a MINEFIELD; see BOOBY-TRAP, MINE, COCKTAIL, BOMB,
FISH, EXPLOSIVE.
-
DEW LINE :
-
Distant Early Warning Line of RADAR stations forming a 3,000 mile
surveillance network positioned north of the Artic Circle that's
been jointly maintained since 1955 by the USA and Canada to
provide advance warning of the approach of hostile planes or
missiles. See GROUND OBSERVER CORPS; compare STAR WARS, MAGINOT
LINE, SMEZ, IRON CURTAIN, BAMBOO CURTAIN, BAR LEV LINE, CACTUS
CURTAIN, McNAMARA'S WALL, McNAMARA LINE, CHINESE WALL, PHASE
LINE.
[cf: Hadrian's Wall, Antonine Wall, Great Wall of China]
[nb: "The strength of a wall is neither greater nor less than the
men who defend it." by Genghis Khan]
-
DF :
-
Distribution Form, the military format for a narrative to be
circulated; see FORM. Also, Direction Finding, as in RDF.
-
DFS :
-
Defense Forces Support; see SDF, SSDF, PSDF.
-
DHS :
-
Department of Homeland Security, organized after the 9/11 2001
TERRORIST attack from the Terrorist Incident Working Group (TIWG)
as an interagency organization with ANTI-TERRORISM being its
primary mission; it is the supervening agency for federal law
enforcement, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Border
Patrol, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration, Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), and Coast Guard (USCG). See CIA, FBI,
DEA, REVENUER, DIS, NSC, NSPG.
-
DI :
-
(dee-eye) Drill Instructor, formerly called "drill master", and
also known as "drill major" [nb: not "drum major"]; synonymous
with "Drill Sergeant" as a duty assignment, not a RANK [cf: FIRST
SHIRT, CHIEF] [nb: it's a well established fact that a good Drill
Sergeant will take the raw material of a civilian and turn him
into a soldier in the same way that he would take a tangled mess
of steel wool and knit it into a tank!].
Also, abbreviation for "distinctive insignia", properly known as
Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI); see CREST, BEERCAN, GREEN TAB.
-
DIA :
-
Defense Intelligence Agency.
-
DID :
-
Defense Intelligence Digest.
-
DIDDLY :
-
the least amount or degree, next to nothing, being of little
import or value; sometimes called "diddly-squat" or
"doodly-squat", which are euphemistic variants of diddleshit or
diddlyshit; see WASTED, ZAP, CANNON FODDER, SNOWBALL, compare
SHIT LOAD. Also, being of no import or value, worthless, naught,
CIPHER, rush, zilch; see ZERO, ZIP, NULLITY, SQUAT. Also, a flaw
or malfunction, as from cheat, swindle, or hoax, as to "diddle".
Also, to squander or dawdle; as from toy, fiddle, manipulate, or
maneuver, as to "diddle". Also, to copulate or masturbate with,
as to "diddle"; see FUCK, CHURNING BUTTER, TRICK, BOOM-BOOM,
SHORT-TIME, DU, STEAM 'n' CREAM, HOOKUP, HELL ON WHEELS, ACT OF
CONGRESS, CHOWING DOWN, HEAD, HUMMER, BUSH PILOT, MUFF DIVER.
-
DI DI MAU :
-
(dee dee mow) Vietnamese phrase for move quickly, move out, go
away, get out of here; also shortened to "di di".
-
DIEHARD :
-
a fiercely tenacious and resilient person, as derived from the
British BATTLE CRY of "Die hard, my lads, die hard!" by Colonel
Inglis at the Battle of Albuera in 1811 against the French; see
V-DEVICE, BRAGGING RIGHTS, COUNT COUP, WATCH MY SMOKE, root hog
or die, BITE THE BULLET, BEARING, ONIONS, MOXIE, GUTS, PAIN.
Also, to be stubborn, resistant, reluctant, obdurate, or
unyielding, as unwilling to change, being more inflexible than
immobile; also spelled "die-hard"; compare HARD-AND-FAST.
-
DIGITALS :
-
informal designation of the high-tech field uniform or work
UTILITIES that has an integrated dispersion pattern, incorporated
Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) indicators, and even includes
tracking or locator sensors for the recovery of wounded or dead
servicemembers. These rugged and sophisticated uniforms replace
the earlier FATIGUES, DUNGAREES, and BDUs. See DRESS.
-
DImE :
-
interagency acronym for Diplomacy, Information, military, and
Economics, which are considered to be the most effective elements
of modern COUNTERINSURGENCY, which de-emphasizes the function of
military intervention, as currently taught in all advanced
coursework. This is the latest buzzword in the new vocabulary
promoting the Army's most profound restructuring in half a
century, but is an unproven theoretical stopgap to the shrinking
military budget and downsized Armed Forces. See WAR COLLEGE;
compare GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY, BIG STICK DIPLOMACY.
-
DIME-NICKEL :
-
a 105mm HOWITZER; may be spelled "dime nickel", and is also
called "penny nickel" and ONE-OH-DEUCE. See TOWED, SP, KILLER
JUNIOR, ARTY.
-
DINAR :
-
the basic monetary unit of currency in Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq,
Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Tunisia, and Yugoslavia. Also, a monetary
unit of currency in Iran that's equal to 1/100 of a RIAL. See
LEGAL TENDER.
-
DINGLEBERRY :
-
a gear bag or equipment pack that's released for suspension by a
tether or GUY rope, called a "lowering line", from the harness of
a paratrooper after the canopy has properly deployed; also called
"dangleberry" or "dillberry". Just as the retaining straps on
weapons are released from the jumper's leg, likewise this KIT BAG
is let down so as not to injure or interfere with the paratrooper
executing a PLF. See FLIGHT BAG, STABO, LBE, WEB GEAR, ABN,
PARACHUTE.
-
DINING-IN :
-
a unit banquet or ceremonial feast, which included officers, men,
and their spouses in formal DRESS MESS attire, often held at the
unit MESS / GALLEY, FIELD HOUSE, HANGAR, or other suitably sized
facility (as opposed to "dining-out" at a restaurant or hall). A
DINING-IN, as distinguished from holiday gatherings or promotion
parties, often celebrated a reunion of elements, mission
accomplishment, unit achievement, or personnel rotation; also
called "Grip an' Grin", "Meet an' Greet", "Hail an' Farewell".
Compare SIGG; see ANNEX, CANTEEN, DIRTY SHIRT, SLOP CHUTE, O
CLUB. [aka: occasion, gathering, get-together, celebration,
festivity, gala, shindig, reception, banquet, soirée,
festal, mixer, fete, fête champêtre, garden party,
open house, house party, housewarming, splore, potlatch, frolic,
gaiety, frisk, gambol, revel, funfest, wingding, corroboree,
bash, blast, blowout, orgy]
-
DINK :
-
derogatory term for an Asian; see SLOPE, GOOK, RICE BALL, ZIP,
NIP, JAPE, CHINK, WOG, LITTLE PEOPLE; compare BUDDHAHEAD, LITTLE
BROWN BROTHER, INDIG.
-
DINKY DAU :
-
Americanized version of Vietnamese phrase ("dien cai dau") for
"crazy" or "acting crazy".
-
DINOSAUR :
-
an experienced senior sergeant (NCO) or warrant officer (WO),
principally soldiers and PARATROOPERs; tone of voice and attitude
will convey approbation or derogation, as of an "old timer" with
valuable knowledge and skills, or an anachronistic behemoth
that's unable to adapt. In the best sense, these remarkable
specimens are excellent role models, leaving deep footprints that
others may follow. These DINOSAURs have more dedication than
ambition or aspiration; they care more about the job than about
promotion or reward ... they always spread the credit and take
the blame. They are sometimes humorously depicted as "Fossils
From Above" when AIRBORNE. See OLD BREED, BROWN SHOE / BOOT, OLD
SALT, MOSSBACK, MAVERICK, RAINMAKER, SILENT MAJORITY.
[nb: The Iguanodon, discovered in 1822 by the English geologist
Gideon Mantell, was the first dinosaur species to be identified,
and dinosaur fossils were first found in the western hemisphere
in 1855, which spawned an exploratory craze of competitive
expeditions and scientific hucksterism lasting decades ...
dinosaur tracks in the Connecticut Valley were alleged to belong
to enormous ravens, freed from Noah's Ark after the Great Flood.
The genus 'dinosauria', meaning "terrible lizard", was named by
British scientist Richard Owen in 1841; this class of land
animals and aquatic birds specifically excludes flying reptiles
(pterosaurs) and marine reptiles (ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and
mosasaurs), which lived separately in the same geologic period
... in other words, DINOSAURs are not aviators or sailors]
-
DIPPER :
-
slang for a submariner, for behavioral similarity to the small
diving bird (water ouzel) that frequents rapid streams to feed
underwater; also known as BOOMER, DOLPHIN, BUBBLEHEAD. Compare
SKIMMER, AIRDALE, SHELLBACK; see GUPPY, SUBMARINE.
-
DIRHAM :
-
the basic monetary unit of currency in Morocco and the United
Arab Emirates; having the same root as the Greek drachma, meaning
"handful". Also, a monetary unit of currency in Libya that's
equal to 1/100 of the DINAR. Also, a monetary unit of currency in
Qatar that's equal to 1/100 of the RIYAL. See LEGAL TENDER.
-
DIRTY :
-
aviation slang for operating or maneuvering an aircraft in its
least aerodynamic configuration, as with FLAPs down, speed brakes
activated, landing gear deployed, arresting TAILHOOK extended,
and so forth; usually done for dramatic effect in air shows or
other demonstrations of "trick flying". Compare CHRISTMAS TREE;
see AEROBATICS.
-
DIRTY BIRD :
-
NICKNAME for Nha May Dien Yen Phu (the Yen Phu
Electric Plant) (geo: 21 02 33N 105 50 53E; UTM: 48QWJ88102689),
site of major NVN prison camp for captive allied population; also
known as Hanoi Thermal Power Plant, TPP. Dates US POWs
present: 25 Jun 67 to 25 Oct 67. According to a mural on the wall
outside the main entrance, an AAA gun crew defending the Yen Phu
power plant shot down Senator McCain. A separate monument on the
shore of Truc Bach Lake, a short distance west of the power
plant, commemorates the persons who pulled him from the lake and
captured him. In 1992, a former deputy director of the Enemy
Proselyting Department told American interviewers that after the
U.S. announced plans to bomb the Yen Phu power plant and the
nearby Doumier Bridge, PAVN decided to place American POWs in the
power plant and publicize the fact to prevent the U.S. from
bombing the plant. Two American POWs escaped from the camp, but
were recaptured as they tried to make their way down the Red
River to the coast. The power plant stopped generating power
sometime before 1991. See POW.
-
DIRTY RAIN :
-
slang for the friable earth, clastic tuff, and other debris
thrown into the air by an explosion, which then falls like an
irregular nuisance after the SHRAPNEL has passed; also called
"solid rain" "heavy rain", and "dirty hail". Compare ALUMINUM
RAIN.
-
DIRTY SHIRT :
-
slang for a work uniform, such as FLIGHT SUIT or FATIGUES; see
DRESS. Also, a specific area, such as a club ANNEX or CANTEEN,
where informal attire is appropriate; the Navy/Marine version of
this refuge was SLOP CHUTE (qv); compare CAMMIES, DIGITALS,
MUFTI, CIVVIES, PARTY SUIT.
-
DIRTY THIRTY :
-
C-47 copilots to Viet fliers out of Tan San Nhut;
see FARMGATE, SANDBAG.
-
DIS :
-
Defense Investigative Service, or Defense Investigation Service,
being the DoD headquarters for administrative and criminal
investigations and prosecutions; see DCIS, CID, NIS, OSI, FBI,
POLICE.
-
DISCHARGE :
-
to relieve of a charge. Also, to perform a duty or execute a
charge. Also, to remove, unload, or send forth. Also, to shoot a
firearm or MISSILE. Also, to eject or emit something. Also, to
release from position or dismiss from service [nb: five types of
military discharge: Honorable, General (incl COG), Other Than
Honorable (incl UD), Bad Conduct, and Dishonorable Discharge];
see GD, COG, BCD, UD, DD, CHL, ADRB, ABCMR, AFBCMR, AFDRB, CORB,
DRB, EDP, OCB, RUPTURED DUCK, RIF, KICKSTANDED, DUMP, FIELD
REJECT, CASHIER, TITLE TEN, SECTION EIGHT, FACE THE MUSIC.
[nb: the military has an involuntary "stop-loss" authority, which
allows each branch to compel soldiers who reach the end of their
enlistment to remain in uniform for "the good of the service"]
Also, a certificate documenting the release or separation of a
MIL-PERS from military service [nb: the DD-214 was formally known
as the "Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or
Separation" until after the VIETNAM WAR, when it was renamed the
"Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty"].
[nb: just as the actual DD-214/-5 is not "letter sized" to help
prevent forgeries, so the various DISCHARGE certificates are
colored, textured, or watermarked to help prevent counterfeiting;
during the WWII-era, the only "white discharge" was Honorable, a
"blue discharge" was medically unfit, and a "yellow discharge"
was Dishonorable] [nb: during the 19th century, a "bobtail"
discharge was slang for both a curtailed term of service, and for
a certificate with its character cutoff so as to obscure or
conceal the type of discharge ... always "other than honorable"]
-
DISINFORMATION :
-
false and misleading information that's released by a government,
publicly or secretly, to rival intelligence agencies or the news
media; from the Russian word for misinformation. See BORDEN,
ELDEST SON, PARADISE ISLAND, THE EDGE, FALSE FLAG, DECEPTION,
RUMOR, BIG LIE, CONTROLLED INFORMATION, PROPAGANDA, PSYOPS;
compare WHITE PROPAGANDA.
[nb: the neologism "pollaganda" / "polloganda" (poll +
propaganda) has been coined to identify the representation of
biased samples, slanted surveys, special pleading arguments, and
ex-parte news depicted as authentic or authoritative] [v: Myths of the Vietnam War]
-
DISMISS :
-
the command directing any collected individuals or assembled
units to depart; may be conversationally expressed as "That's
all." or "That'll be all.", which is nonetheless an order for
being politely rendered. Also, to discharge someone from office
or service, as when relieved or replaced. Also, to reject or
remove from consideration; as derived from "send away".
-
DISPENSARY :
-
the place where minor medical care is practiced and medicines are
dispensed to ambulatory patients; a medical clinic or AID
STATION. See ASA, APC, BAND-AID, SICK CALL, COMFORT STATION.
-
DISTAFF :
-
"woman's work" or the female perspective, as the female side of
the family; also called "spindle side", and contrasted with
"spear side". The military spouse or dependent is at best an
asset, and at worst a deterrent to the career of a MIL-PERS;
"They also serve who only stand and wait" (John Milton). See
SKIRT, SQUEAK, DRAG, SHACK-JOB, CLASS-B DEPENDENT, CAMPAIGN WIFE,
CAMP FOLLOWER, SLEEPING DICTIONARY, BITCH, FLYING BRAVO, BRAT,
ARMY SOUP.
[nb: "If the military wanted you to have a wife, they'd have
issued you one." serviceman's adage]
-
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS / DFC :
-
awarded for exceptional achievement or valor in aerial flight.
See DEVICE, V-DEVICE, GONG.
-
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS / DSC :
-
the nation's second highest award for valor; instituted during
WWI, and equivalent to the Air Force Cross and Navy Cross. Due to
its resemblance to the BSA award, a recipient of the DSC is
sarcastically called an "Eagle Scout", and given the three-finger
Boy Scout salute. See GONG.
-
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL / DSM :
-
the highest award for non-combat service, including command or
staff positions in a combat zone, and regarded as the FLAG
OFFICER's version of the "Good Conduct" medal (ie: the "General's
Weenie"), since withholding it would imply censure. See GONG,
TICKET-PUNCHER, LOM, MSM, AAM, GREEN WEENIE.
[nb: in the U.S. Maritime Service (USMS), commonly known as the
MERCHANT MARINEs, this is a valor medal for "service above and
beyond the call of duty", equivalent to the MEDAL OF HONOR (MOH)
for the Armed Forces]
-
DISUM :
-
Daily Intelligence Summary.
-
DITTY BAG :
-
a small container for personal sundries or toiletries, as carried
by travelers; also called a "ditty box", and originally a
sailor's sewing kit. See HOUSEWIFE, DOPP KIT, DUNNAGE.
[nb: "rucksack" = back-sack; "knapsack" = bite/snap-up/eat, food
sack; "kit-bag" = soldier's small bag/knapsack; "haversack" =
single strap over one shoulder / musette] [cf: bundle,
bindle/bindlea, swag, bluey, dilly bag, tucker-bag, bag, pouch,
tote, sack, pack, grip, gripsack, overnighter, weekender,
carpetbag, suitcase, portmanteau, Gladstone bag, traveling case,
garment bag, Val-Pack, luggage; v: "scrip" wayfarer's bag or
wallet; "viaticum" traveler's money and necessities]
-
DITTY-BOP :
-
slang for the communications specialist (COMM OP) who monitors
RADIO transmissions for COMSEC and SIGINT, typically situated in
a COMM SHACK (eg: RRD) at some headquarters (HQ) COMPOUND;
compare RTO, RUNNER; see EARS, RDF, COMMO. Also, an unmilitary
style of walking wherein the head bounces and the torso sways,
being indicative of an untrained individual desirous of "standing
out in a crowd"; a civilian trait abjured by all MIL-PERS, who
automatically walk in step with each other, moving forward in a
gliding motion by swiveling their hips; see WALK LIKE A PUSSY,
MARCH, QUICK TIME, DOUBLE TIME, FUNERAL PACE, PARADE, MARCH, MARK
TIME, HEP, CADENCE, ROUTE STEP, STUTTER-STEP, DUCK-WALK,
FROGMARCH, GAGGLE.
-
DIV :
-
abbreviation for a division; which is a nearly universal military
organization consisting of about 10-20,000 troops commanded by a
major general. The following U.S. divisions or elements thereof
participated in the VIETNAM WAR: 1st Cavalry; 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th,
23rd, and 25th Infantry; 82nd and 101st Airborne; 1st, 3rd, and
5th Marine; 2nd, 7th, and 834th Air. The so-called "square
division" organizational structure, consisting of two brigades
with two regiments and supporting elements each, was changed in
1942 during WWII to a "triangular" arrangement, consisting of
three regiments with supporting elements each, which eliminated
an intervening command echelon, thus reducing the number of
officers while keeping an equivalent number of operational
soldiers, making the divisions more responsive and effective in
combat. After WWII, in the transition to the "atomic military",
divisions were restructured as PENTAGONAL; but during the
reorganization of the counterinsurgency era of the VIETNAM WAR,
the military reverted to its traditional "square" divisional
setup. Regular Army (RA) divisions are numbered 1-9, National
Guard (NG) divisions are numbered 26-59, and all other numbers
denote the Organized Reserve divisions, except divisions numbered
10-22, which are reserved for specialty units (ie: odd numbers
indicate AIRBORNE, and 10th Mountain Division), and the 82nd /
101st Airborne Divisions, which were converted from extant units,
and the 23rd Infantry Division, which was constituted on the
battlefield from separate elements, and the 24th / 25th Infantry
Divisions, which were organized from the 100th Hawaiian National
Guard Division. See TO&E, OB, CARS.
-
DIVER :
-
a skill qualification of progressive proficiency gradated
into SCUBA, Salvage, Second Class, First Class, and Master;
originally differentiated by regulations dated 15 February 1944,
the SCUBA rating was authorized on 1 May 1969. All classes of
DIVERs work with explosives, especially Salvage to Master, but
UDT and EOD training are separate qualifications. See HARD HAT,
HARD SUIT, DRY SUIT, WET SUIT, SNORKEL, SCUBA, BUDWEISER,
Q-COURSE, TRASH, BLOODING. [v: Diving
Terms]
-
DIVETOSS :
-
(dive-toss) the computerized bomb-release aiming device used by
F-4 PHANTOM aircraft.
-
DIXIE CUP :
-
slang reference to a sailor's traditional cap, also called a
WHITE CAP or "white hat"; a "flotation device" and improvised
bucket, worn brim down in tropics as sun shield and Jones-style
for visor, both unauthorized. See JARHEAD, BLUE JACKET, SQUID,
SWABBY, DOGFACE, ZOOMIE, GI. [nb: Dixie Cup c1906]
[nb: sailors used to also have "undress blues" (and "undress
whites") as a semi-work uniform without neckerchief or piping;
but in 2006 the Navy exchanged its service dress blues and whites
for a year around tan, and its DUNGAREES for digitized multicolor
work utilities with an 8-point COVER, abolishing their
traditional bell-bottoms and DIXIE CUPs]
-
DIXIE STATION :
-
the designated patrol area situated south of the DMZ off-shore in
the South China Sea for Naval ships supporting air and ground
operations in North and South Vietnam. Compare YANKEE STATION.
-
DLA :
-
Defense Logistics Agency, formerly designated the Defense Supply
Agency (DSA); see LOGISTICS.
-
DLAB :
-
(dee-lab) Defense Language Aptitude Battery, the placement test
for admission to one of the 25 foreign language courses taught at
the Defense Language Institute (DLI).
-
DLI :
-
Defense Language Institute, established at the Presidio of
Monterey in 1963 to teach 25 foreign languages for military
applications by a thousand instructors using accelerated methods.
Originated during WWII as the Defense Language School in San
Francisco to instruct Japanese translators in military subjects;
later moved to Fort Snelling MN, and redesignated the Military
Intelligence Language School under MIS and CIC. DLI remedies the
inconsistency of foreign language instruction in military
schools. During the Second Indochina War, the South Vietnamese
regime prevented the US from including ethnic dialects in DLI's
course offerings; thus ADVISORs had to use translators for
languages other than VN, Thai, French, and Chinese, or learn to
speak them on the job (OJT). The ten core foreign languages of
strategic significance are Spanish (8 wks), French (8 wks),
German (8 wks), Indonesian (8 wks), Persian-Farsi (12 wks),
Russian (12 wks), Tagalog (12 wks), Arabic (12 wks), Korean (12
wks), and Mandarin Chinese (12 wks). See SEATIC, POINTIE TALKIE.
-
DMZ :
-
DeMilitarized Zone, being a border, boundary, or ambit that shall
be free of all military forces and equipment, such as the band
established by the Geneva Accords dividing North and South Korea
at the 38th Parallel or North and South Vietnam at the 17th
Parallel; also known as "No Man's Land"; see McNAMARA'S WALL,
OVER THE FENCE, DEMILITARIZE, compare TALLY-HO. Also, a
DeMarcation Zone or line, that's also spelled "demarkation"; see
CHOP LINE.
-
DNI :
-
Director [of] Naval Intelligence; see CNO, NIS.
-
DOB :
-
Date of Birth; see POB.
-
DOC :
-
affectionate title for enlisted medical aidman and CORPSMEN; also
called MEDIC. See BAND-AID, BAC SI, Y SI, BONE CUTTER, ANGEL,
ORDERLY, HOSPITAL, LUGGAGE TAG, STRETCHER, COMPRESS, DOG BITE,
MED BAG, ASA, APC, SYRETTE, ABO, BLOOD EXPANDER, TRIAGE.
[nb: a separate medical department was established in the U.S.
Army in 1818, and in the U.S. Navy (BuMed) in 1842; the Army
established a corps for nurses (ANC) in 1901, and the Navy
accepted nurses in 1908]
[nb: the field occupations most often targeted in combat, because
their loss so immediately influences unit effectiveness and
morale, are the leader, signalman, machinegunner, and medic]
-
DOC EX :
-
DOCument EXploitation, being the collection and examination of
enemy papers, files, books, manuals, and other recorded material.
-
DOCH-AN-DORIS :
-
a Scottish term for a final drink at the door before departing;
being Gaelic for a 'drink at the door' ("deoch-an-dorius").
Popularized in an English song by Sir Harry Lauder, and Bride
of Lammermoor [ch xviii (1819)] by Sir Walter Scott: "After
the lord keeper, the Master, and the domestics, had drunk
doch-an-dorroch, or the stirrup cup ... the cavalcade resumed its
progress." See STIRRUP CUP, TOAST.
[nb: it is considered bad luck or evil omen to TOAST with
non-alcoholic (ie: catlap) beverages; military toasts are most
often tributes to fortitude and loyalty, while civilian toasts
(grace cup) are tributes to benefaction or longevity, such as:
l'chaim, prosit / prost, skoal, slàin te mhath, wassail,
cheers] [v: gemütlichkeit/gemuetlichkeit]
-
DOC LAP VA TU DO :
-
Vietnamese slogan attributed to HO CHI MINH, expressing the
wartime goals of both sides, meaning "independence and freedom".
-
DOD :
-
Department of Defense, and commonly called the PENTAGON; it was
renamed from the "War Department" (WD) after the unconditional
victories of WWII, and America hasn't won a war since! ... this
mindset is probably symptomatic of later limited wars. [nb: there
is a persistent but unrealized (to date) advocacy for creating a
Cabinet-level "Department of Peace" by some effete poltroons; see
DOS]
-
DODGE CITY :
-
any secure military installation or Americanized urban area,
offering modern blandishments and convenient amenities; see BASE
CAMP, FOB, FSB, CP, JUMP CP, BIVOUAC, LITTLE AMERICA. [nb:
following the Wild West motif prevalent in LBJ's "little pissant
war", numerous allusions to a mythic frontier adventurism were
utilized; including COWBOY, INDIAN COUNTRY, and GUNSLINGER.]
Also, slang designation for the USN base on Diego Garcia Island,
a British possession in the Indian Ocean, used for military
resupply, staging, and surveillance.
-
DODGE THE BULLET :
-
to miss contact or avoid notice, as escaped by luck rather than
skill. Partly shirking and malingering, as working hard at not
working, and never being tested. Includes "hedging your bets" and
"cutting your losses" as self-protection. Ultimately unable to
evade or elude ("in the hot seat") is worse than win or lose. See
HOT, GHOST, SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE FOOT, CYA, PING-PONG, SMOKE 'n'
MIRRORS, LOOSE CANNON, FIELD REJECT, BOLT HOLE, KICKSTANDED,
STACK ARMS, SHOOTING WAR.
-
DODO :
-
acronym for Dead Object Drifting Obstacle (or "Dead Or Drifting
Object") indicating inert debris or incidental hazards to
navigation; since such FLOTSAM is not underway, the craft or
vessel must maneuver to avoid damage. This acronym is a play on
words referring to the extinct flightless bird, and the class
includes unidentified aerial objects that may collide with aloft
aircraft.
-
DOE :
-
Date Of Enlistment; compare DRAFTEE, ETS.
-
DOG 'n' PONY SHOW :
-
any elaborate or grandiose presentation that's intended to
impress its audience, such as the precisely stage-managed FIVE
O'CLOCK FOLLIES; this catch-phrase ostensibly originated with the
mediocre or tawdry acts of a middling or substandard circus, but
is actually derived from some sexually-explicit burlesque
performances that featured women copulating with animals. See
UP-CLOSE 'n' PERSONAL, SMOKE 'n' MIRRORS, TAP-DANCER, BLIVET.
-
DOG BITE :
-
slang for the characteristic appearance of wire stitches or metal
clamps used to suture a large or severe wound for better edge
apposition; see MEDIC, DOC, BONE CUTTER, ANGEL, HOSPITAL, LUGGAGE
TAG, STRETCHER, COMPRESS, MED BAG, SYRETTE, ABO, BLOOD EXPANDER,
TRIAGE.
-
DOGFACE :
-
derogatory reference to any soldier. See GI, JARHEAD,
HORSE MARINE, SQUID, SWABBY, ZOOMIE.
-
DOGFIGHT :
-
any rough-and-tumble fight or battle of great turmoil,
especially aerial combat; also called "fur ball". See KNOCK IT
OFF, JINK, ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, YANK 'n' BANK, CQB, BATTLE ROYAL.
-
DOGGIE :
-
an infantryman; also called "line-doggie". See GRUNT, DOGS.
-
DOGPATCH :
-
NICKNAME for Bo Giuong and Dong Khe (geo: 22 28 27N 106
24 40E; UTM: 48QXK45168581), site of major NVN prison camp
reserved for technical experts culled from captive allied
populations; also known as Luong Lang, That Khe. Dates US POWs
present: 14 May 72 to 31 Jan 73. More than 200 American POWs were
moved to this site in Cao Bang Province, about 190 kilometers
north of Hanoi, after Group 875 assumed responsibility for the
increased numbers of American and Republic of Vietnam Armed
Forces (RVNAF) POWs in North Vietnam, around April 1972. Office
22, Group 875 was responsible for American POWs, and Office 23,
Group 875 was responsible for RVNAF POWs. American POWs were
relocated to this remote buffer zone near the China (PRC) border,
because foreign policy prohibited US operations in that sensitive
area. see POW.
-
DOG ROBBER :
-
any AIDE or other HEADSHED REMF, so-called for their practice of
taking from the field soldier to provide for the COMMANDER and
STAFF, also called "braider" as a result of the distinctive
aiguillette or shoulder CORD worn by such AIDEs [cf: British
"bulldog" assistant to proctor]; see HEADQUARTERISM. Also, a
Naval officer in CIVVIES while ashore on leave; compare MUFTI.
-
DOGS :
-
(dawgs) slang for feet, which are the infantryman's Cadillac;
also called "doggies". See BOOT, FOOTWEAR, LINE-DOGGIE.
-
DOGSBODY :
-
any menial worker, derived from sailor's term for soaked sea
biscuits or pease pudding; as a functionary, ORDERLY, factotum,
AIDE, assistant, comprador, MAN FRIDAY, horse-holder,
jack-of-all-trades, drudge, foil, pawn, surrogate, substitute,
second, doupe; see GOFER, FACE TIME. [cf: origin of SLUSH FUND]
Also, originally a junior Naval officer, but later became a
disparaging term for an officer trainee; see CADET, SNOTTY.
-
DOG'S CHANCE :
-
little likelihood or small chance, as a predictor of negative
results; also known as "Chinaman's chance" or "a cat in hell's
chance". See SNOWBALL, PRAYER. [v: enfants perdus, forlorn hope;
cf: "when hell freezes over", "when pigs fly", "when frogs grow
hair", "when pigs whistle", "when fish climb trees", "when
chickens have teeth", "when the sun rises in the west", "in a
month of Sundays", "in a blue moon", "when there're three
Saturdays in every week", "not in this lifetime", "not a chance"]
-
DOG'S FACE :
-
distinctive Cambodia/SVN border feature near Prek Klok; see
PARROT'S BEAK, FISHHOOK, ELEPHANT'S FOOT, ANGEL'S WING, BLACK
LADY MOUNTAIN.
-
DOG TAGS :
-
slang for the 'identity disk' worn by MIL-PERS; an armed and
uniformed individual captured on the battlefield without such may
be summarily executed as a spy. Available as a private purchase
identification plate engraved with personal particulars since the
American CIVIL WAR, they originated as a mandatory item of issue
after the SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR as an identity disc for both proof
of status and recognition of casualties [GO#24 dtd 20 Dec 1906,
being "an aluminum Identification Tag, the size of a silver Half
Dollar, stamped with the name, rank, company, regiment, or corps
of the wearer; it will be worn by each officer and enlisted man
of the Army whenever the field kit is worn; it will be suspended
from the neck, underneath the clothing by means of a cord or
thong passed through a small hole in the tag ... this tag will be
issued by the Quartermaster Corps gratuitously to enlisted men
and at cost price to the officers"]. The soldier's individual
identification tag, changed from single to duplicate pair on 6
July 1916, was embossed with his personal specifics, which
initially included immunization and Next of Kin but was later
altered to religion and blood type. The SERVICE NUMBER was added
on 12 Feb 1918. The necklace was initially cotton or synthetic
(nylon, rayon, or plastic), was replaced by "hook-and-catch" type
metal in 1943, and the "bead" type in 1944, with sterling silver
available for private purchase. During WWII, the M-1940 oblong
tag, made of brass or stainless steel, was augmented by photo /
finger-print identification cards [v: AGO] after the attack on
Pearl Harbor due to counterfeiting of DOG TAGS. Several
specialized groups had specific prefixes on their identification
tags, such as 1 or RA for Regular Army, 20 or NG for National
Guard, and 3 or US for draftees. The so-called "tooth notch" in
the edge of the oblong tag opposite the thong hole existed solely
for embossing stability. During Vietnam, clear plastic covers and
rubber-bumper "silencers" were added to the tags, and many troops
separated the pair (lacing one onto a boot) for positive
identification of body parts [cf: MEAT MARKER]. The protocol for
authenticating a reported KIA, whose body could not be
immediately recovered during an operation, was to remove one DOG
TAG and leave the other with the corpse. Although license tags
for domestic animals had existed since 1824, the term DOG TAG
derives from the same source as "dog-soldier" and "dogface". See
STERILE, ID CARD.
[v: Index of Social Security Numbers (eg: AFSN,
ASSN, SSAN)]
-
DOGWATCH :
-
the night shift, usually extending until midnight; also known as
"dog shift", "lobster shift", or "lobster trick". Compare
MIDWATCH, see TIME, O-DARK-THIRTY, WHITE NIGHT.
-
DOI MOI :
-
renovation; "New Life Hamlet" as Ap Doi Moi.
-
DOLPHIN :
-
qualification BADGE for submariners, showing a WWII "diesel boat"
flanked by a pair of DOLPHINS (marine mammals, related to
porpoise, whale, and other cetaceans; compare "dolphin fish");
issued in silver for enlisted and gold for officers, this
qualification badge is also known as "twin tunas", "tin fish",
"puking fish", and "Flipper's friend"; see DOLPHIN DIVE,
Q-COURSE, TRASH, BOLO BADGE, WINGS. Also, a submariner,
especially one qualified on "pig boats", as opposed to a BOOMER;
see BUBBLEHEAD, DIPPER, compare SKIMMER, AIRDALE, SHELLBACK.
Also, USCG heavy helicopter (HH-65). Also, a buoy, pile, or
cluster of piles used as a fender or mooring; see BOLLARD. Also,
a rope or strap round a mast to support the puddening, where the
lower yards rest in the slings.
-
DOLPHIN DIVE :
-
the induction ceremony for newly qualified submariners on their
first assignment; "diving for the DOLPHIN" derives from the
obligation to dive to the bottom of an alcoholic beverage to
retrieve the DOLPHIN badge lying there (frequently stuck fast to
ensure that the whole drink is consumed!). See GUPPY, BOOMER,
SUBMARINE; compare PROP BLAST, SHELLBACK, WINGING, SALTING,
EARRING, BLOODING.
-
DOMINO THEORY :
-
the idea that if one country fell to Communist hegemony then the
other countries in Southeast Asia would follow in turn, which
originated in Truman's State Department, was promulgated by the
Eisenhower Administration, disregarded by the WISE MEN and
brain-trust advisers, ridiculed by antiwar PROTESTORS and
Counter-Culture activists, and was finally proven to be correct
after the Second and Third Indochina Wars ended. See WHIZ KID,
BEST AND BRIGHTEST, PING-PONG DIPLOMACY, DECENT INTERVAL.
-
DONG :
-
(d-aw-ng) basic monetary unit of currency in Vietnam, subdivided
into tenth and hundredth parts, and introduced after the French
INDOCHINA piastre, with North Vietnam and South Vietnam each
producing a distinct form; derived from the term for copper or
bronze. On 2 September 1975, after the fall of Saigon, a
"Liberation DONG" was circulated in the South until conversions
could be completed [cf: North and South Korea "won"]. The North
Vietnamese currency was a common SOUVENIR from corpses. See XU,
HAO, BENSON SILK, PIASTER, MPC, LEGAL TENDER.
-
DON'T DO NOTHING :
-
an ungrammatical and ambiguous dictum of the U.S. Army's Infantry
School, which means "do something" ... "don't just sit there" ...
when in the field, either act or react, even if its wrong!
Because every leader fears making mistakes, not just because
he'll look stupid but because he'll get good men killed, it is
essential that he be forced out of the contemplative mode and
into the active mobility that will enable training to overcome
fear of failure. Furthermore, every leader must learn that "right
action" depends on "right timing" and "right opportunity", which
are not intellectual, but instinctual acquisitions, and are
extremely difficult to learn. Finally, every leader must
understand that failure is a better teacher than success, so it's
always better to get bruised in training than killed in combat.
See TRAIN HARD - FIGHT EASY, WAR GAMES.
-
DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF :
-
a proverbial military catch-phrase, more fully expressed as a
Murphy Law of Combat: "If you don't sweat the small stuff, then
the big stuff will take care of itself ... but it's all small
stuff!", which is related to another Murphy Law of Combat: "The
important things are always simple; and the simple things are
always hard!". These dicta admonish troops to be nitpickingly
"detail oriented" because inattention in the combat zone will get
people killed. See COMBAT EFFECTIVE, LDR, TRAIN HARD - FIGHT
EASY, WAR GAMES, DON'T DO NOTHING.
[nb: "The events of life are mainly small events – they
only seem large when we are close to them." by Mark Twain/Samuel
Langhorne Clemens, Autobiography (1924)]
-
DOODLEBUG :
-
NICKNAME for the V-1 pilotless aircraft (DRONE) bomb or rocket
bomb; also called "buzz bomb", "bumble bomb", and "robot bomb"
during WWII; derived from "foolish + small". See MISSILE, ROCKET.
-
DOOR KICKING :
-
slang for the aggressively active and overt role called Direct
Action (DA), practiced by Special Forces (SF) and Special
Operations Forces (SOF) in particular situations, also known as
"ass-kicking" and "shock and awe". Direct Action engagements,
such as intervention, hostage rescue, sabotage, prisoner snatch,
and manhunting, constitute only a small proportion of the
principal missions of SF/SOF, including Unconventional Warfare
(UW), Foreign Internal Defense (FID), Psychological Operations
(PSYOPS), and Civil Affairs (CA), and should therefore not be
over-emphasized.
-
DOPE :
-
Marine term for the windage/elevation adjustments made to
weapon sights. Also, information, facts, news, a true account;
aka: POOP, scoop, skinny, GOUGE, THE WORD, GREEN GREASE,
HOT-SHIT, BULLETIN. Also, any liquid coating or paste
preparation, as for sealing or reinforcing. Also, a stupid
person, as a dolt, dummkopf, or fool; see DUD, YARDBIRD, HORSE
MARINE. Also, any narcotic taken to induce euphoria or satisfy
addiction, as a term for marijuana and other illicit drugs; see
COLORS, JUNK, CAN SA, GRASS, HAY, SMACK, HOT SHOT, CHINA WHITE,
STICK, STONED, TAR, HUBBLE-BUBBLE.
[nb: a widely circulated but spurious WAR STORY alleges that
post-war criminal violence and other antisocial nonconformity by
crazed veterans is the direct result of unauthorized drug
experimentation that was secretly conducted by medical personnel,
many of whom were ignorant of this classified test, which was
designed to increase combat aggressivity in soldiers, hence the
fictitious "Rambo" account that allegedly attempted to disclose
the purported "truth" behind the CODENAME of the program;
actually, LRRP teams were only issued amphetamines, and Special
Forces teams were also issued kits containing: 12 Darvon, 24
codeine, 6 dextroamphetamines, and 4 SYRETTEs of morphine
sulfate.]
-
DOPP KIT :
-
a small portable container of personal toiletries ("toilet set")
and sundries, especially shaving articles and grooming supplies;
also called "shaving kit" or "sponge bag", but not "dop", "dob",
"dobs", or "daub" kit. See DITTY BAG, KIT, DUNNAGE, HOUSEWIFE.
[nb: Dopp, a registered trademark of the Charles Doppelt Company,
a Chicago leather goods manufacturer before WWI; with rights to
the name and design procured by Samsonite at the end of the
VIETNAM WAR, and later acquired by Buxton. This man's toiletry
kit, designed by Jerome Harris, achieved renown as an issue item
during WWII, and thereafter became a generic reference for all
similar cases. (courtesy of American Dialect Society)]
-
DOR :
-
Date Of Rank; determines primacy and succession for command
authority in any temporary (eg: training class) or unstructured
(eg: POW) assemblage. See CHAIN-OF-COMMAND, COMMAND ELEMENT, TOP
DOG, BLUE BOOK.
-
DORA :
-
designation given to Phitsanulik CRP
-
DOS :
-
Department of State; see AID, USAID, CORDS, CT, FSO, USDAO, PEACE
CORPS, ADV, CSVN, L/FE, PRT, PNG, ICCS, RIG, BIG STICK DIPLOMACY,
PING-PONG DIPLOMACY, GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY, CONTAINMENT, HOT PURSUIT,
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (ROE), VIETNAM SYNDROME, SIGG, FOGGY BOTTOM.
[nb: "On the whole our armed services have been doing pretty well
in the way of keeping us defended, but I hope our State
Department will remember that it is really the department of
achieving peace." by Eleanor Roosevelt]
-
DOUBLE-DIP :
-
the practice of "rolling-over" the skills and experience acquired
on military service into civilian employment with the government,
as the transference of Armed Forces expertise into Civil Service
(eg: MP to FBI, INTEL to CIA, COMMO to NSA, MEDIC to PHS, etc);
see LIFER, MILICRAT, TICKET-PUNCHER, HOMESTEADER, TOUR BABY. [cf:
apparatchik, nomenklatura, nabob, nibs] Also, to earn a
government salary while also receiving military retirement pay or
veteran's disability compensation; see GI BILL, THE EAGLE SHITS.
-
DOUBLE DRIFT :
-
in aerial navigation, a method of calculating wind direction and
velocity by observing the direction of drift of an aircraft on
two or more HEADINGs; compare DEAD-RECKONING, see LEEWAY.
-
DOUBLE FORCE :
-
designations for combined US/ARVN operations.
-
DOUBLE-O :
-
(double-oh) slang for closely examine, carefully scrutinize,
intently inspect, look it over, CHECK IT OUT, as "give it the ol'
double-o"; ostensibly from the leading letters in once-over, but
more probably derived as a metonym for eyes or spectacles. See
HAIRY EYEBALL, EYE-BALL, STACKING SWIVEL, BIRTH CONTROL DEVICE.
-
DOUBLE TAP :
-
informal reference to the tactical firing technique wherein the
shooter quickly discharges his weapon twice at the same AIMPOINT
so as to strike the target more effectively; this method of
controlled rapid-fire is used with SMALL ARMS in semi-automatic
mode (instead of full-auto fire) principally by ANTI-TERRORISM
and hostage rescue teams operating AT CLOSE QUARTERS. Originally
taught by W.E. Fairbairn at Special Operations Executive (SOE)
training from 1944, it was then incorporated into the Special Air
Service (SAS) curriculum, and was later introduced to DELTA FORCE
by its first commander, COL Charles Beckwith, who'd once toured
with the British SAS. Extensive testing of auto-fire accuracy
after the VIETNAM WAR has shown that the point of aim and target
impact diverge sharply after the third round of sustained fire
due to recoil effect; which research prompted a redesign in the
primary assault rifle (m-16A2), and inspired wider adoption of
the DOUBLE TAP firing method. By quickly triggering his weapon
twice on the same target, the shooter maintains fire discipline
while ensuring a terminal impact, through kinetic energy or
hydrostatic shock; which method speeds the assault, advances the
objective, and saves time on clearing or securing the area,
including use against soft or hard body armor, where the
follow-on shot will penetrate what the initial shot could not.
This technique has been falsely attributed to SNIPERs ("one shot,
one kill"), and also misapplied to a "through-and-through"
shooting that has both an entry and exit wound. When this concept
is used by regular combat elements, who lack such specialized
training, the expression usually means "killing the corpse" with
a "sure shot" ("coup de grâce") to the enemy's head; which
was a practice employed during both WWII and GULF WAR II to
prevent surprise attacks from the rear by the fanatical "dead"
coming back to life or by suicide assassins faining death so as
to murderously martyr themselves. Compare BURST, ROCK 'n' ROLL,
SPRAY, HOSE, FLOCK SHOOT, BLIND FIRE, BUSTING CAPS; see OVERKILL,
BOUNCE THE RUBBLE, JAPE.
-
DOUBLE TIME :
-
the command to increase the march tempo of a formation, set at
the rate of 180 steps per minute; formerly "double quick".
Compare QUICK TIME, FUNERAL PACE; see CADENCE, PARADE.
-
DOUBTFULS :
-
INDIGenous personnel whose allegiance cannot be ascertained or
whose affiliation cannot be ensured even after civil offender and
enemy screening, and who are therefore categorized as 'unknown'
personnel. This attribution by field troops or aircrew
surveillance also designates 'suspect' personnel, who are neither
hostile nor friendly. See SQUIRTER.
-
DOUCHE BAG :
-
slang for an improvised outdoor shower using either a LISTER BAG
or 55-gallon drum, as derived from an "hygienic jet of cleansing
water"; see COMFORT STATION, LATRINE, HEAD. Also, slang for a
stupid or worthless person, a "doofus" or "flubadub", "numb nuts"
or "scrot" (shortening of 'scrotum'); see DUD, DOPE, PUKE, POGUE,
YARDBIRD, MAGGOT, SMACK, FIELD REJECT, DEADHEAD, SHIT MAGNET,
TURD, FUCK-UP.
-
DOUGHBOY :
-
an American infantryman, used since the 1846-8 Mexican-American
War; derived from "adobe boy" for both the type of soldier
housing and the color of his uniform, and sometimes called
"dough-foot" or "dough-belly". See GI JOE, GRUNT, YANKEE,
RECONDO.
[nb: alternative origin alleges the similarity of uniform buttons
to the shape of a doughnut; as a contraction of "doughnut-boy"]
[cf: derivation of "gringo" as foreign-speaking vs song lyric; v:
NINE-YARDS]
-
DOUGHNUT :
-
slang for the ring-like (toroid) operational military formation
formed when establishing either a defensive or offensive
PERIMETER around a central objective, as a surround or
encirclement.
-
DOUGHNUT DOLLY :
-
female American Red Cross volunteer; also spelled "donut dollie",
and sometimes called "doughnut hole". Namesake of World War I
volunteer; who helped the morale of the troops by dispensing
food, organizing games, and visiting clinics or wards. Headed by
"Doughnut Six"! See SALLY, ROUND EYE; compare CAMP FOLLOWER,
SKIRT.
[nb: before the parameters of nursing were well defined, the
civilian women who volunteered to serve as nurses on battlefields
in various 19th century wars were expected to function as
physician assistants and midwives, dieticians and pharmacists,
handmaidens and charwomen; the Red Cross (and other
organizations) was established to enable workers to provide food
and supplies (especially medical) to people who were injured or
displaced by wars and natural disasters ... only in the mid-20th
century did professional altruism become banal and insipid]
[nb: "There's a rose that grows on no man's land, / And
it's wonderful to see. / Tho‘ it's spray‘d with tears, it will
live for years, / In my garden of memories. / It's the one red
rose the soldier knows. / It's the work of the master hand. /
'Mid the war's great curse, stands the Red Cross nurse. / She's
the rose of no man's land." by Jack Caddigan & James
Brennan, The Rose of No Man’s Land]
-
DOVER DOG :
-
the Mk-19 40mm grenade-launching blowback-operated machinegun
used by ground forces; see CREW-SERVED WEAPONS.
-
DOW :
-
Died Of Wounds, administrative classification for a battle
casualty who expires after medical evacuation; compare KIA, WIA,
GSW-TTH, PH, DUSTOFF, MEDEVAC, MILLION DOLLAR WOUND, PROFILE,
LINE OF DUTY, SIW, TRIAGE, ZERO WARD.
-
DOWN RANGE :
-
to be assigned or directed, to advance or deploy to a combat
zone, especially to move from a secure base area to an insecure
or hazardous field area, by extension from the impact area on a
firing range; also called "the bush", "the sticks", "the woods",
"the barrens", "the brush", "the weeds", "the veg", "the rough",
"the dirt", "the field", SANDBOX, BOONIES, BOONDOCKS, THULE,
INDIAN COUNTRY, "the bad lands", "bandit country", "the front",
FEBA, MLR, FRONT LINE, and the like.
-
DOZER INFANTRY :
-
an operations team or task force (TF) of tank-dozers, ROME PLOWs,
and infantry, which used jungle-busting techniques to advance
into difficult terrain; see MECH, TRACK.
-
DP :
-
Displaced Person; being a civilian involuntarily made homeless
(or stateless) by the vicissitudes of war, or a refugee (now
called "asylum seeker") dislocated by the violence of battle;
also designated as "dislocated civilian". Responsibility for the
shelter and humane treatment of these civilians, after passing
one or more security checks, falls upon the Civil Affairs (CA /
S-5) section of the allied military, with the assistance of
relief agencies and the host government, as long as martial law
prevails. See SAFE, E&E, BLOOD CHIT, IRC, CARE, BOAT PEOPLE,
YELLOW BIRD.
-
DPB :
-
Deployable Pursuit Boat; a high-speed 38ft patrol craft used by
USN and USCG. See BOAT.
-
DPICM :
-
Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition, an armor piercing
HOWITZER round; see AP.
-
DPM :
-
Dispersion Pattern Material, being the British/UK phrase for a
camouflage design on fabric or other materials; see CAMO,
CAMMIES, DIGITALS, DAZZLE, COUNTERSHADING, WAR PAINT.
[cf: parti-colored, mottle, variegate, pied/piebald]
-
DPSC :
-
the Defense Personnel Support Center, a consolidation of
Subsistence, Textile, and Medical supply procurements was
centralized in 1965, and was renamed the Defense Supply Center
Philadelphia in 1998; see LOGISTICS.
-
DR :
-
Delinquency Report, being an official notice of deficiency or
dereliction, which may involve remedial action or summary
punishment; whenever a servicemember's dependent is involved, the
DR is sent to the servicemember's commander. See CALL ON THE
CARPET, GIG.
-
DRACO :
-
Direct Range Air Consuming Ordnance, a thermobaric 40mm round of
AMMO developed by Martin Electronics, and fired from an M-79,
M-203, or M-32 grenade launcher.
-
DRAFT :
-
a selection, as by lot, of persons for military service; see
DRAFTEE, DRAFT LOTTERY, PRESS-GANG, SHANGHAI, McNAMARA'S HUNDRED
THOUSAND, DRAFT DODGER, AFEES, MUSTER, CALL TO THE COLORS, TOTAL
FORCE. Also, the preliminary form of a writing or drawing. Also,
the taking of supplies, money, or the like from a given source.
Also, the depth to which a vessel is immersed when bearing a
given load; see LOAD-LINE MARK, PLIMSOLL MARK, FREEBOARD. Also,
beer or ale drawn from a cask or keg; see BREW, BA MUOI BA,
GUSTO, LAAGER.
-
DRAFTEE :
-
conscript; a man drafted into the Armed Forces under the
authority of the 1948 Selective Service Act (Congress rejected
the Universal Military Training Bill in 1946, and again in 2004).
The first national conscription act was passed 3 Mar 1863
providing only 6% of military manpower despite all the resistance
and exemptions; and the first peacetime draft in American history
was authorized by the 1940 Selective Service Act as preparation
for U.S. involvement in WWII. Compare VOLUNTEER; see DRAFT, DRAFT
LOTTERY, McNAMARA'S HUNDRED THOUSAND, MUSTER, COMMANDEER,
SHANGHAI, PRESS-GANG, DRAGOON, DRAFT DODGER.
[nb: One of the many myths about the VIETNAM WAR is the profile
of the servicemen sent into combat: 66% serving in military
during VIETNAM WAR were volunteers, and 73% of VIETNAM WAR KIA
were volunteers (balance draftees); 12.6% of US military
population during VIETNAM WAR was Afro-American from 13.1% of
Afro-American age-eligible for draft in the total US population,
and 12.2% of casualties were Afro-American. According to 1980
Harris survey of VIETNAM WAR combat vets: 91% were "glad they
served their country", 74% "enjoyed their time in the military",
89% agreed that "our troops were asked to fight in a war which
our political leaders in Washington would not let them win". Men
who enlist before age 18 are still required to register for the
draft after being discharged from military service; and combat
disabled vets were insulted when Selective Service classified
them as "unfit", instead of "prior service". See JODY, AFEES,
HORS DE COMBAT] [v: Myths of the Vietnam War]
[nb: the military has an involuntary "stop-loss" authority, which
allows each branch to compel soldiers who reach the end of their
enlistment to remain in uniform for "the good of the service"]
-
DRAFT DODGER :
-
someone who evades or rejects the responsibility of compulsory
military service, especially during wartime, usually by DEFERMENT
but may involve reclusion, expatriation, self-mutilation,
falsification, or alternative service. See DRAFT, DRAFT LOTTERY,
McNAMARA'S HUNDRED THOUSAND, MUSTER, VOLUNTEER, MILITIA, WEEKEND
WARRIOR, SHANGHAI, PRESS-GANG, DRAGOON, THEY'LL GIVE A WAR AN'
NOBODY'LL COME, SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE FOOT, WHITE FEATHER,
PROTESTOR, PACIFIST, BEST AND BRIGHTEST, JODY; compare DESERTER,
TRAITOR, TURNCOAT.
[cf: the rabbit-like character called "Cuthbert" was invented by
Poy, the cartoonist for the "Evening News", to represent all the
eligible DRAFT DODGERs avoiding combat during WWI with sinecures
and deferments; not to be confused with Saint Cuthbert]
[nb: during the World Wars, earnest and ardent patriots, as an
expression of contempt, presented a WHITE FEATHER to seemingly
fit men who were suspected of avoiding military service; the
police also checked the draft status of such men as a further
inducement to social conformity]
[nb: on 16 September 1974, President Gerald R. Ford offered
amnesty to Vietnam draft evaders and military deserters in
exchange for an oath of allegiance and a period of alternate
service; then on 21 January 1977, President James Earl Carter
pardoned certain civilians convicted of Selective Service Act
omissions and crimes committed during the period of the VIETNAM
WAR (4 Aug 1964 - 28 March 1973), but military and government
persons were exempt from this proclamation]
[v: Knights of the Golden Circle, Order of American Knights,
Order of the Sons of Liberty, and other anti-federal
"copperheads" during the CIVIL WAR]
-
DRAFT LOTTERY :
-
a practice instituted by the Selective Service System based upon
randomly selected birth dates, which replaced the supposedly
unfair or discriminatory Draft Board system whereby local
community leaders, based upon personal knowledge, chose eligible
young men to fill a mandated quota. The Draft Lottery made
government more impersonal without altering the draft exemptions,
so it embodied the worst of both options. America instituted its
first wartime draft in 1863 ("Enrollment Act"), which provided
for substitutes, and generated riots; then instituted its first
peacetime draft in 1940, and resumed it after WWII, through
both the Korean and VIETNAM WARs, as a public expression of
"compulsory national service". Both the PEACE CORPS and
Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) were created as popular
alternatives to military service for loyal citizens. See
McNAMARA'S HUNDRED THOUSAND, AFEES, IVS, AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE
COMMITTEE, COMMANDEER, PRESS-GANG, SHANGHAI, DRAFT DODGER.
-
DRAG :
-
tail man, trail element, or rear guard behind the main maneuver
force to ensure rear security, as a SQUAD following a COMPANY;
also called TRAIL or "sweep". Compare POINT, SLACK, TAIL-END
CHARLIE; see ZERO, BUTTONHOOK [nb: the follow-up TRAIL or DRAG
element is not only responsible for guarding the back of the unit
(ie: tailgunner), but in obscuring its passage (eg: scrub, scour,
"dry clean", "Hoover") and detecting pursuit (eg: double-check,
double-back, back-check) so as to preserve unit integrity and
enable accomplishment of its mission]. Also, slang for
girlfriend, fiancée, or wife who is literally "dragged"
around after her sweetheart or husband from assignment to
assignment, post to post, base to base; see DISTAFF, CAMPAIGN
WIFE, CLASS-B DEPENDENT, SHACK-JOB, CAMP FOLLOWER, BITCH, BRAT,
ARMY SOUP.
-
DRAGON :
-
a man-portable wire-guided ROCKET (M-47); see JAVELIN, LOSAT,
TOW. Also, short form of DRAGON SHIP or PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON;
also called SPOOKY. Also, a folkloric creature of the sky or
forest or mountains, a fire-breathing winged-serpent, that's
representative of the class of non-existent monsters, of mythic
animals or legendary beasts, also known as MERMAID; including
glacier snake, sea serpent, sea monster, triton, kraken, siren,
centaur, hydra, cerberus, firedrake, wyvern, griffin, chimera,
cockatrice, basilisk, manticore, ogre, afreet, satyr, lamia,
sphinx, unicorn, werewolf, sasquatch/yeti, or other teratoid.
Compare PROP WASH and other SNIPE HUNT objectives.
-
DRAGONFLY :
-
Cessna A-37 aircraft; modified version of two-engine
TRAINER used for counterinsurgency Close Air Support (CAS).
-
DRAGON LADY :
-
designation for U-2 surveillance aircraft, which began USSR
flight operations on 4 July 1956; see DREAMLAND.
-
DRAGON SHIP :
-
AC-47 gunship outfitted with electrically-fired machineguns and
illumination, also called "dragon"; see PUFF (THE MAGIC DRAGON),
SPOOKY; compare DAKOTA.
-
DRAGON'S TEETH :
-
slang for an anti-tank (AT) barrier consisting of short
trapezoidal or wedge-shaped concrete posts implanted in the
ground as obstacles to predicted avenues of assault by TRACKed
vehicles, as used since WWII; phrase originated in the Greek
mythology of Cadmus and Jason, where they produced fully armed
warriors whenever they were sown in the ground. See CALTROP,
PUNJI STAKE, FRAISE, ABATIS, HEDGEHOG, BOLLARD.
-
DRAGOON :
-
a member of a unit of cavalry, originating as mounted infantry
armed with short muskets, of a type common in Western armies from
about 1600 through the early 1900s, where they'd traditionally
ride to battle, then fight dismounted with SMALL ARMS. The word
'dragoon' originally identified the curved shape of the hammer of
a pistol, was then applied to the pistol as a whole, then to the
pistoleer using these saddle-mounted guns, and finally to the
oppression or persecution effected by such an armed force. [re:
CARBINE cf: derivation of carabiner at SNAP-LINK] See CAV, ACR,
AIR CAV, YELLOWLEG, PONY SOLDIER, LONG KNIFE, MECH.
Also, to persecute or oppress by armed force. Also, to coerce or
force by oppressive measures; see COMMANDEER, PRESS-GANG,
SHANGHAI.
-
DRB :
-
Discharge Review Board; see DISCHARGE.
-
DREAMLAND :
-
designation for "Area 51", as the USAF experimental
test flight region near Roswell Nevada for classified aircraft,
such as the U-2 DRAGON LADY and the SR-71 BLACKBIRD implemented
during the VN era. It is alleged that these classified test
flights account for the reported UFO sightings. Compare HAWC, TOP
GUN, RED FLAG.
-
DREAM SHEET :
-
assignment preference declaration form filed routinely every PCS,
also called "wish list" or "fantasy form"; considered by most to
be a waste of time at best, and a cruel torment at worst, since
preferences are almost always ignored. MIL-PERS have the most
success with assignments and transfers by BACK CHANNEL traffic to
their RABBI, PATRON SAINT, or SEA DADDY. See RED TAPE, FORM,
REPORT.
-
DRESS :
-
military attire or apparel, raiment or array/arrayment; regalia,
regimentals, or uniforms; see FATIGUES, UTILITIES, CAMMIES,
LEOPARD, TIGER STRIPE, ERDL, WOODLAND, GILLIE SUIT, BDU, DESERT,
CHOCOLATE CHIP, ACU, DIGITALS, DUNGAREES, BELLS, DIRTY SHIRT,
SLOP, FIELD JACKET, BATTLE JACKET, FLIGHT JACKET, FLIGHT SUIT,
G-SUIT, POOPIE SUIT, KHAKIS, BLOUSE, CLASS-A, CHOKER, DRESS
WHITES, ICE-CREAM SUIT, MESS DRESS, PARTY SUIT, FEATHERS, COLORS,
MOURNING BAND, SAM BROWNE BELT, WEB BELT, MILITARY PRESS, GIG
LINE, MILITARY TUCK, SPIT 'n' POLISH, BRASS, TOY SOLDIER, WAR
PAINT, HAPPY SUIT, FLAK JACKET, T-SHIRT, SKIVVIES, PATCH, CREST,
PIP, ENSIGN, CHOP, BRASS, FRUIT SALAD, HERSHEY BAR, EPAULET,
CORD, LANYARD, BRASSARD, GREEN TAB, HEADGEAR, FOOTWEAR,
CAP-A-PIE; compare MUFTI, CIVVIES, CHEONGSAM, AO DAI, KIMONO,
HANBOK.
-
DRESS RIGHT :
-
the directive to align RANKS at proper interval. It
is a two part command performed from the position of "attention",
commencing to line abreast at set distance upon "Dress Right,
Dress", which is held until returned to "attention" by "ready,
front". [nb: civilians have perpetrated a fiendish canard that
this is the military order for adjusting one's genitals, which is
absolutely untrue! The proper command for the coordinated
maneuver of genitals is, of course, LOCK 'n' LOAD!]
-
DRESS WHITES :
-
a light-weight summer uniform worn by USN and USCG, and formerly
worn by US Army (Tropic Whites), as the "Service Dress Whites" or
CLASS-A uniform. Also identifies the formal attire worn by all
service branches as being the military equivalent of a white
dinner jacket or tuxedo, commonly called an ICE-CREAM SUIT; see
MESS DRESS, DRESS.
-
DRESSY LADY :
-
designation given to Green Hill CRC
-
THE DRINK :
-
any large body of water, as a lake, sea, or ocean, also called
the POND; see SPLASH, FEET WET. Also, a swallow of liquid or a
draft of potion; see GI JOE, TOAST, WASH, BUG JUICE, SAIGON TEA.
Also, any liquoror alcoholic beverage, especially excessive
indulgence in same; see DUTCH COURAGE, MOONSHINE, HOOCH, BREW,
JUICE, SPLICE THE MAINBRACE, DEAD-SOLDIER, MOJO, GUSTO,
SUNDOWNER, HOIST, HATCH, BYOB, CLASS SIX, STONED. Also, any
liquid that is swallowed for nourishment or to quench thirst, as
a beverage; see JUICE, BUG JUICE, GI JOE, BULLY SOUP, SOUP, WASH,
NUOC, CANTEEN, WATER PURIFICATION TABLET.
-
DRMO :
-
Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office, a department in the
Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) that serves as a DEPOT for
surplus, defective, and obsolete items or parts that are either
recycled (to other agencies or organizations), or are auctioned
to the public for disposal after DEMILITARIZation (made inert or
inoperable) of potentially harmful materials or products. See DX,
LOGISTICS
-
DRO :
-
abbreviation for Dining Room Orderly, being an enlisted KP
detailed as a waiter or servant for senior NCOs and OFFICERs
eating in the MESSHALL; equivalent to a Navy steward. Although
OFFICERs are required to pay for their meals, RHIP table service
is not normally practiced by junior OFFICERs who are closer in
age and have more direct contact with troops, especially in
combat arms units.
-
DROGUE :
-
a bucket or canvas bag used as a vessel's "sea anchor".
Also, a "pilot parachute" to extract the main parachute from its
container after the STATIC LINE or rip-cord has opened the pack.
Also, a cone or funnel-shaped device on the end of a Tanker's
hose to assist engagement for mid-air refueling. Deriv: drag.
-
DRONE :
-
a remotely controlled or programmed guidance vehicle, vessel, or
craft, such as a pilotless airplane; see UAV, DASH, PIONEER,
PREDATOR, FIRE SCOUT, DOODLEBUG, compare MISSILE, MIL-CRAFT.
Also, any "noncombatant" MIL-PERS who's essentially functioning
as a "civilian in uniform" (who dons CLASS-As instead of a
three-piece suit, but acts identically) when performing
administrative, support, medical, or humanitarian work (eg:
disaster relief or peacekeeping); as derived from the male
bumblebee, which does not make honey and lacks a stinger; see CA,
CAP, MILICRAT. Also, a drudge or parasite; see PUKE, DEADHEAD,
POGUE, FIELD REJECT, YARDBIRD, GOLDBRICK, FEATHER MERCHANT.
-
DROP :
-
air delivery of men or materiel, usually by PARACHUTE, onto a
designated location; also called AIRDROP or HEAVY DROP; see DZ,
LZ, CLZ, AIRHEAD. Also, the unofficial injunction to assume the
FRONT LEANING REST position preparatory to doing PUSH-UPs,
especially for punishment; also expressed as "hit it" or "push
earth"; see SQUAT, PAIN.
[nb: another common but unofficial order used to motivate
MIL-PERS is "Drop yer cocks 'n' grab yer socks!".]
-
DROPMASTER :
-
an individual qualified to prepare, perform acceptance
inspection, load, lash, and eject material for AIRDROP; also
known as KICKER; compare LOADMASTER. Also, an aircrew member who,
during parachute operations, will relay any required information
between PILOT and JUMPMASTER; compare CREW CHIEF, CREW DOG, see
BAILOUT.
-
DROP-TANK :
-
a wing- or belly-mounted auxiliary PETROL container, made of
metal or plastic or papier-mâché, which dispenses
additional fuel so as to extend the attack or search range of
RACK equipped aircraft, which temporary containers are jettisoned
when no longer needed; see POD, compare DROGUE, TANKER, BINGO,
JOKER, ENDURANCE. Also, an enclosed housing or container, usually
streamlined and detachable, for use on an aircraft, on watercraft
or other vehicle, for the resupply of food, equipment, munitions,
or materiel to troops in the field; see POD, DROP, HEAVY DROP,
PAYLOAD, AIMPOINT.
-
DRUM :
-
a cylindrical magazine (MAG) that holds CARTRIDGEs until ready to
mount on the weapon and "feed" the AMMO; see CLIP, BANANA CLIP,
C-CLIP, BANDOLEER; compare LINK AMMO, SPONSON. Also, any
cylindrical container for storage or transporting of contents,
especially a 55-gallon metal receptacle for fuel; see POL. Also,
a percussion musical instrument played by hand or stick, symbolic
of public announcements, including bass, kettledrum/timpani,
snare/side, and tambourine; also called "trap" or "traps"; see
TAMPON, TAPS, RUFFLES 'n' FLOURISHES, BEATERS 'n' BLEATERS,
TOOTER.
-
DRUMFIRE :
-
gunfire so heavy and continuous as to resemble the sound of
incessantly beating drums; compare SALVO, FUSILLADE, BROADSIDE,
ENFILADE, VOLLEY, AT CLOSE QUARTERS.
-
DRUMHEAD :
-
slang for impromptu or expedient, as summary justice [nb: image
is to abruptly mete out or to readily beat out decisions, but is
more likely to be from the flat surface employed as a field
desk]; see BLANKET PARTY, GIG, ARTICLE 31, ARTICLE 15, RIOT ACT,
CAPTAIN'S MAST, ROCKS 'n' SHOALS, UCMJ, TREASON [cf: kangaroo
court, tribunal, sanhedrim]. Also, the reverberant membrane
stretched upon a drum. Also, the top of a capstan; see HOOK.
-
DRV :
-
Democratic Republic of Vietnam, but commonly known as North
Vietnam (NVN); declared 29 September 1945, and established by the
Geneva Accords of July 1954. After the end of the Second
INDOCHINA War on 7 May 1975, the country was reunified in
November 1975 with the capitol at Hanoi, and renamed the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) under a newly ratified
constitution on 2 July 1976. The national flag was adopted on 30
Nov 1955, and the state crest on 21 July 1956. The northern half
of the NVN flag was blue for "peace", the southern half was red
for "sacrifice", and the halves were joined by a yellow star
symbolic of the Oriental people (each point of the star
representing the farmers, workers, scholars, youths, and
fighters).
-
DRY FIRE :
-
to practice shooting a SMALL ARMS weapon at a target but without
firing any ammunition, being a DRY RUN familiarization process
preliminary to actual live-fire shooting on a KD RANGE; called
"snap-in" or "snapping-in" by Marines. See BASS, SIGHT PICTURE,
TRAIN. [v: Firearms Glossary]
-
DRY RUN :
-
a rehearsal or preparation session, as a "walk through" before
the "wet work" begins. Also, operational practice, as to DRY
FIRE or "snap shoot" a weapon at a target without using AMMO.
-
DRY SUIT :
-
a close-fitting, double-layered synthetic garment worn by a deep
sea diver in very cold environments, that's designed to protect
the diver's body from the water or pressure by circulating a
warming layer of air internally, which also serves to equalize
descent pressures. Compare WET SUIT, HARD SUIT; see HARD HAT,
DIVER. [v: Diving Terms]
-
DSA :
-
Defense Supply Agency, later renamed Defense Logistics
Agency (DLA); see LOGISTICS.
-
DSCS :
-
Defense Satellite Communications System; see IDCSS.
-
DSN :
-
Digital Switch Network or Digitally Switched Network; being a
completely digital version of the Public Switched Telephone
Network (PSTN), which supersedes AUTOVON and WATTS. Also, a Data
Source Name which encodes identifiers for database connectivity.
Also, a Digital Subscriber Network for broadband access.
-
DSO :
-
Defense Support Office, or more fully Defense Manpower Data
Center Support Office.
-
DSTE :
-
Digital Subscriber Terminal Equipment; see DSN, PSTN.
-
DTG :
-
Date Time Group, arranged hour/day/month/year/zone (eg:
240001JAN1969Z); see TIME.
[nb: military time is expressed in four-digits, from 0001 to
2400, representing each minute in all 24-hours of the day,
without designating ante- or post-meridiem; there is no 0000
hour]
-
DU :
-
Depleted Uranium, being a non-explosive inertial round/bullet
used to penetrate vehicles and structures, including TRACKs and
BUNKERs; see STABALLOY. Also, Vietnamese for "fuck"; "Du Me" =
motherfucker, "Du Ma Nhieu" = go fuck yourself, "Du Ong My"
= fuck the American; see FUCK, CHURNING BUTTER, TRICK, BOOM-BOOM,
SHORT-TIME, HOOKUP, ACT OF CONGRESS.
-
DUC :
-
Distinguished Unit Citation, authorized and explicated in War
Department Circular 333.4 dated 22 Dec 1943; being a laurel
wreath, which crown or garland is a symbol of victory and
distinction, worn on the right sleeve of the CLASS-A uniform
above the HERSHEY BARs, on the same side as the combat shoulder
PATCH (SSI). The Distinguished Unit Citation may be presented as
an emblematic BAY to any unit that performs better than other
units in the same combat action, exhibiting esprit when
accomplishing its challenges, and valor when executing its
hazardous duties. See UNIT CITATION, GONG.
-
DUCK :
-
NICKNAME for the DUKW, introduced in 1942 as a 2.5-ton amphibious
utility TRUCK having all-wheel-drive and dual rear axles; which
was later replaced by the GAMMA GOAT, both of which were prone to
mechanical failure, so were operationally unreliable. Compare
AMTRACK, ELSIE.
-
DUCKBOARDS :
-
boards forming a track or floor over wet or muddy ground; as
plank sidewalks (BANQUETTE) or palletized BUNKER floors. See
GANGWAY.
-
DUCK ON DRAKE :
-
a children's game in which one player stands guard over a stone
on a rock while the other players attempt to knock the stone off
by throwing another stone in turn; if the thrower is tagged by
the guard while trying to recover the throwing stone, the two
players then exchange positions; also called "duck on a rock" and
"duck on the rock". Compare DUCKS AND DRAKES, KING OF THE HILL,
TUG OF WAR, WAR GAMES.
-
DUCKS AND DRAKES :
-
a pastime in which flat stones or shells are thrown across water
so as to scale or skip over the surface several times before
sinking, in a fancied likeness to a waterfowl's movements; also
called "duck and drake" or "sinkers and skimmers". Also, used
metaphorically to imply recklessness or heedlessness,
carelessness or irresponsibility, as being rash or imprudent by
"playing DUCKS AND DRAKES" with military assets; to squander
lives and dissipate resources. Compare DUCK ON DRAKE, KING OF THE
HILL, TUG OF WAR, WAR GAMES.
-
DUCK SOUP :
-
something that's easily accomplished, as military slang since
WWI; see CAKEWALK, PIECE OF CAKE, LAUGH A MINUTE, WALK IN THE
PARK, NO SWEAT, TURKEY SHOOT, compare STONE SOUP.
-
DUCK-WALK :
-
to walk like a duck, as to scurry, scuttle, or waddle when
squatting with legs apart and feet turned outward, which posture
and gait is quite appropriate for some movements while under fire
on the battlefield; also called "crab-walk". See SQUAT, TAKE A
KNEE; compare FROGMARCH, LOW-CRAWL, DITTY-BOP.
-
DUD :
-
unexploded ordnance due to mishap or malfunction. Physical
duds are a liability to both friend and foe, hence metaphoric use
applied to incompetent or incapable soldiers who may get good men
killed and cause missions to fail; also called "slug", "short
round", "flubadub", "doofus", "numb nuts", "scrot" (shortening of
'scrotum'), or FUCK-UP. See PUKE, DEADHEAD, TRIGGER-HAPPY, LOOSE
CANNON, YARDBIRD, MAGGOT, PYHOOYA, TURD, SOS, SMACK, SHIT MAGNET,
DOUCHE BAG, FIELD REJECT.
-
DUEL :
-
a form of ritual combat between two persons that's fought with
deadly weapons, as arranged and supervised in accordance with a
code of accepted procedures, which has been declared illegal
(eg: Article 114 UCMJ) in all civilized societies of the modern
era. Before its degeneration into a contest to settle a private
quarrel, the DUEL was a consecrated ordeal representing the
spiritual embodiment of metaethical forces engaged in "trial by
combat", wherein divine judgement would decide the "single
combat" issue, and "God's Will" would be represented by victory.
Term derived from 'duellum' (duo + bellum = two + war). See
GANTLET.
[v: ordeal] [nb: a "gage" is something, such as a glove, that was
thrown down by a medieval knight in token of his challenge to
personal combat]
-
DUES PAID :
-
see PAY DUES.
-
DUFFEL :
-
outdoor clothing and equipment, especially for BIVOUAC or
camping; see KIT, WEB GEAR, LBE, ALICE, LBV, MOLLE, DEUCE GEAR.
Also, a DUFFEL BAG. Also, a coarse woolen cloth with a thick nap
used for making blankets and coats ("duffel coat").
-
DUFFEL BAG :
-
the unwieldy, oblong, cylindrical bag in which troops
stored all their gear, usually shortened to DUFFEL, but also
called BARRACK's BAG or "sea bag"; compare DUNNAGE, AWOL
BAG, FLIGHT BAG, WAR BAG, MUSETTE BAG, BIVY.
[nb: "rucksack" = back-sack; "knapsack" = bite/snap-up/eat, food
sack; "kit-bag" = soldier's small bag/knapsack; "haversack" =
single strap over one shoulder / musette] [cf: bundle,
bindle/bindlea, swag, bluey, dilly bag, tucker-bag, bag, pouch,
tote, sack, pack, grip, gripsack, overnighter, weekender,
carpetbag, suitcase, portmanteau, Gladstone bag, traveling case,
garment bag, Val-Pack, luggage; v: "scrip" wayfarer's bag or
wallet; "viaticum" traveler's money and necessities]
Also, an artillery term for motion/sound/seismic sensors placed
along suspected enemy trails or areas. These "duffelbag" sensors
contained small radio transmitters which sent a signal to a
monitoring intelligence unit when triggered. An artillery fire
mission was then called on the "duffelbag" target to intercept or
interdict the enemy.
-
A DUFFEL BAG DRAG AND A BOWL OF CORN FLAKES :
-
the final departure at Ton Son Nhut Air Force Base prior to
boarding the FREEDOM BIRD for return to THE WORLD or the LAND OF
THE BIG PX; see WAKE-UP.
-
DUGOUT :
-
a rough shelter formed by an excavation in the ground, or in the
side of a hill; also spelled "dug-out"; see HIDE, BOLT HOLE,
SHROUD, HUT, BOHIO, SHEBANG, BUNKER, REDOUBT, FOXHOLE, SPIDER
HOLE. Also, a primitive BOAT made from a hollowed-out log;
compare GIG, SKIMMER, SCOW, SAMPAN.
[v: canoe, dugout, pirogue, kayak / kaiak / kyak, bateau /
batteau, coracle, wherry, cockleshell, jolly boat, skiff, shell,
scull, johnboat, punt, pontoon, dory, gondola, flatboat,
skipjack, rowboat, whaleboat, longboat, umiak, pram, launch,
faltboat / foldboat, keelboat, pinnace, cockboat, caique /
caïque, catboat, yawl, dinghy, bark, tub]
-
DUI :
-
Distinctive Unit Insignia, being the formal designation for
a unit CREST; also called "distinctive insignia" (DI). See
BEERCAN, GREEN TAB.
-
DUMBO :
-
NICKNAME of Boeing CATALINA PBY seaplane, used for observation
and transport; from its resemblance to the 1942 Walt Disney
animated film caricature. See FLYING BOAT, BIRD.
-
DUMDUM / DUMDUM BULLET :
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