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M I L T E R M S : fingerspelled letter Z semaphor letter Z signal flag letter Z Z : ZULU

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Z :
short for DMZ, LZ, DZ, PZ, RZ; also expressed as "the Z".

ZAP / ZAPPED :
mortal injury, kill/killed, croak/croaked, slay/slain, die/dead, grease/greased, dusted, goner; also called WASTED, BUY THE FARM, CHECK OUT, BITE THE DUST; see BELIEVER, SOL, BITTER END, DEATH CARD, TWEP, KIA, DOW; compare WIA, GSW, MILLION DOLLAR WOUND. [nb: "shuffled off this mortal coil", from the "to be or not to be" soliloquy (Hamlet by William Shakespeare), refers not to cyclical or inevitable death, but to the confused intrigues of life's affairs ... "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep; To sleep; perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause...."] [cf: And we are here as on a darkling plain / Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, / Where ignorant armies clash by night" by Matthew Arnold, Dover Beach]

ZERO :
a numeric integer, being a figurative placeholder or a symbolic notation for the absence of value (or a mathematical value intermediate between positive and negative powers), as distinguished from the letter "O"; see RTP, ALPHABET SOUP, PROWORD, CODEWORD, CODENAME, ACRONYM; compare ALFA, WILLIE PETE. [v: Alphabet Codes] Also, to calibrate the sights by the adjustment of elevation and windage on a firearm or gun so as to strike the target at a given range; see BORESIGHT, DEFLECTION, BULL'S-EYE, SIGHT PICTURE, KD RANGE, POINT-BLANK, TRAIN, RIFLE, PISTOL, ARTY. [v: Firearms Glossary] Also, a CIPHER, naught or neutral; being intermediate between positive and negative; see ZIP, NULLITY, DIDDLY, SQUAT. Also, the position immediately behind or directly to the rear in aviator's clock face orientation; sometimes called "six o'clock" to contrast with directly forward at "twelve o'clock". Also, in maneuver or patrol elements, the end or rear guard position behind the main or central body; see DRAG, TAIL-END CHARLIE. Also, affectionate NICKNAME for an Air Force officer or officers ("zeroes" / "zeros") [not the letter "O"].

ZERO BEAT :
tuning a radio for optimal reception by dialing back-and-forth across the station signal, and centering on its strongest broadcast; such tuning usually involved a steady LONG COUNT to precisely fix the reception.

ZERO DEFECTS :
a meaningless catch-phrase, like PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, invented by military managers to bureaucratize the Armed Forces; abbreviated "ZD".

ZERO-HOUR :
the term used to designate the time specified for the commencement, execution, implementation, or initiation of a particular military attack or other operation; and may be represented as "0-hour"; see TIME. Also, the time set for the beginning of any event or action; being any decisive or critical time.

ZERO POINT :
the center of a burst of a nuclear weapon at the instant of detonation. The zero point may be positioned in the air, on or beneath the surface of land or water, depending upon the type of burst; which distinguishes it from GROUND ZERO.

ZERO-SUM :
denoting a system in which the sum of the gains equals the sum of the losses; as a "zero-sum game", wherein the wins and losses of the various players is always zero.

03 / ZERO-THREE :
the Marine ZERO-THREE infantry series military specialty (MOS) designation that is widely referred to as "Oh-Three" (letter-numeral); that is equivalent to Army 11B ("Eleven Bravo", "Eleven Bang", or "Eleven Bush") designation. This MOS designation should not be mistaken for the look-alike OFFICER PAY-GRADE RATING of Captain. See SNUFFY, compare GRUNT, AIT.

ZERO TOLERANCE :
(forthcoming); a catch-phrase meaning "no second chance", NO EXCUSE or no WIGGLE ROOM

ZERO WARD :
designated the holding area where sick or injured persons who were not expected to survive were given palliative care; later identified as the "terminal ward". See TRIAGE, DOW.

ZERO-ZERO :
atmospheric conditions that are characterized by zero visibility in both horizontal and vertical directions; see WHITEOUT, BROWN-OUT, FLAT LIGHT, CHOPPER, BIRD.

ZI :
Zone of the Interior, or the Continental United States (CONUS); as distinguished from overseas (OCONUS) assignments.

ZIGZAG / ZIGZAGGER :
a course or line progressing by sharp turns, so as to avoid enemy fire; compare DASH, SCUTTLE; see BUTTERFLY, LEAP FROG, HOPSCOTCH, CLOVERLEAF, CHECKERBOARD, BUTTONHOOK. Also, the methodical advance of a craft or vessel by side to side deviations from a straight or direct course, as when tacking to either side of a course HEADING; see CONVOY, YAW. Also, a battlement, or defensive parapet, as a castellated fortification of alternating merlons and crenels.

ZINGER :
any close-call or near-miss, as by a passing bullet or fragment; derived from its distinctive sound. Also, a quick retort or pointed remark, often witty. Also, a surprising event or shocking utterance; as sudden, sharp, or pointed.

ZIP / ZIPPER :
rapid, swift, speedy. Also, ZERO, nothing, zilch, CIPHER, NULLITY, DIDDLY, SQUAT, rush, meaningless; compare XIN LOI, AMF, WASTED, ZAP. Also, a derogatory term used to refer to any Asian, sometimes called "zipperhead"; see DINK, GOOK, SLOPE, RICE BALL, NIP, JAPE, CHINK, WOG, LITTLE PEOPLE; compare LITTLE BROWN BROTHER, INDIG, BASKET HEAD, BUDDHAHEAD. [nb: ZIP, ZIPPER, or ZIPperhead may be related to the zippered flying helmet worn by Imperial Japanese during WWII, however one dubious derivation alleges an apocryphal acronym of ZIP, as attributed to the Vietnam-era, being "Zero Intelligence Potential", implying that Asians would not talk if questioned, so there's no point interrogating a corpse; this communication / culture gap exhibits more ignorance than bigotry, since few Americans bother to learn anything about foreign people or their civilizations] [nb: mechanical zipper invented 1905; Velcro closure invented 1948]

ZIPPO :
slang for flamethrower, such as the TRACK-driven M-132 mechanized flamethrower. [nb: "Greek Fire" was used in the Byzantine "flame squirter" pump, which technomigrated around AD 905 into China, where flamethrowers were modified with "double-action" piston-pumps (from 6th Century BC bellows) for five-minutes of continuous output as the "fire lance". China distilled petroleum into gasoline and kerosene for use as "fierce fire oil" around AD 904; and the flamethrower became a standard copper and glass weapon by 1044. The Chinese invented the unitary match in AD 577; and the SLOW MATCH as a FUSE in AD 919. See NAPALM, MAIN-GUN. Also refers to the popular cigarette LIGHTER (1932) of that brandname used for ZIPPO MISSIONs.]

ZIPPO BOAT :
LCM with flame thrower; see MRF.

ZIPPO MISSION :
slang for a SEARCH AND DESTROY mission; also called SNOOP 'n' POOP; see ZIPPO, LIGHTER.

ZODIAC :
an inflatable squad-sized assault boat, with stern plate for optional mounting of outboard motor; designed by aquanaut Jacques Y. Cousteau. Equipment is stowed inside the craft while the troops sit on the inflated sides to direct it. See IBS, RIB, CRRC, BOAT.

ZOMBIE :
informal term for a listless person whose behavior or responses are seemingly rote, as an automaton; being anyone who is mentally or emotionally disengaged or distracted. While immersed in the throes of battle, some men experience an indifference to fear, and are careless of injury or death; which condition is formally known as "combat narcosis". The stupor and torpor of narcotism can be misinterpreted as heroism or patriotism, but it is more akin to fatalism, and does not generate ESPRIT DE CORPS among GOOD STICK/GOOD PEOPLE. Term was introduced into American society around 1810, but usage became prominent during the CIVIL WAR; also spelled "zombi", and originally meaning 'god'. See PTSD, BUBBLE, THOUSAND-YARD STARE, TELESCOPING, BLACKOUT, FLASHBACK, FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT. Also, slang during WWII for a Canadian conscript assigned to home defense duty; as a soldier so bored to death that only enforced regulations can animate his corpse.

ZONE AND SWEEP :
an artillery tactic or technique that's used to cover a target with an "X" pattern of fire.

ZONE OF FIRE :
an area into which a designated ground unit or fire support element delivers fire support, observed or not; see IMPACT AREA, POINT OF IMPACT, KILL ZONE; compare DEAD SPACE.

ZOO :
NICKNAME for Nga Tu So (the So Intersection) and Pha Phim (Film Studio) (geo: 21 00 00N 105 49 30E; UTM: 48QWJ85732217), site of major NVN prison camp for captive allied population; also known as [nb: some names only refer to sections within this prison] Zoo Annex, Cu Loc, BOQ, Camp Two, Camp America. Dates US POWs present: 20 Sep 65 to 16 Dec 70, 08 Feb 71 to 19 Mar 71, 14 Jun 71 to 10 Jul 71, and 24 Sep 71 to 29 Mar 73. This was the location of the PAVN motion picture institute's film studio before the Second INDOCHINA War. It is located in a residential area in the southwest suburbs of Hanoi, on the east side of Nguyen Trai Street (the road to Ha Dong City), a short distance north of Cau Moi (the "New Bridge"). In 1965, the facility was transferred temporarily to the Enemy Proselyting Department for use as a POW camp. In about April 1972, Office 22 of the newly formed PAVN Group 875 took responsibility for administration of this and other US POW camps in North Vietnam. After the war this facility was returned to the PAVN motion picture institute. See POW.

ZOOMIE :
derogatory reference to any airman or BIRDMAN, especially an Air Force Academy graduate. See GI, DOGFACE, JARHEAD, HORSE MARINE, SQUID, SWABBY, PILOT, GOOD STICK.

ZULU :
casualty report; see BUTCHER'S BILL, BODY COUNT, KILL CREDIT. Also, the military's universal time designator coordinated with the prime meridian of GMT or UTI/UTC; see TIME.




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