A Hajii Shop was an Iraqi-run shop on the base, often selling pirated DVDs, or Hajii Discs. Hajji: A derogatory term for Iraqis, used widely during the Iraq War. Military-issued pistols are usually called 9-mils. Never used to refer to a rifle or pistol. Groundhog Day: From the Bill Murray movie, the phrase is used to describe deployments where every day proceeds the same way, no matter how the individual tries to change it. As opposed to the Brown Zone, which refers to the more barren mountains. In southern Afghanistan, refers to the lush, densely vegetated areas following rivers that Taliban fighters defend vigorously. Green Zone: In Iraq, the heavily fortified area of central Baghdad where most government facilities are located. Green Bean: A civilian-run coffee shop common on larger bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, often the locus of the base social scene, such as it is. Generally refers to a soldier with little tactical need for such equipment. Geardo: (rhymes with weirdo) A soldier who spends an inordinate amount of their personal money to buy fancy military gear, such as weapon lights, GPS watches, custom rucksacks, etc. Derogatory term for soldiers who do not patrol outside the FOB. A FOB can be austere and dangerous, but is more commonly provisioned with hot, varied meals, hot water for showers and laundry, as well as recreational facilities.įobbit: Combination of FOB and Hobbit. Bigger than a COP, smaller than a superbase. Security, food, shelter and transportation are provided by the military for the embed.įOB: Forward Operating Base. For example, "dustoff inbound" means that a medevac helicopter is on the way.Įmbed: A reporter who is accommodated by the military command to observe operations firsthand. These employees are called TCNs, or Third-Country Nationals.ĭustoff: Medical evacuation by helicopter. At larger bases the meals are served by contracted employees, often from Bangladesh or India. Life at a COP is often austere and demanding, with every soldier responsible for both guard duty and patrolling.ĭFAC: (pronounced dee-fack) Dining Facility, aka Chow Hall. A small base, usually housing between 40 and 150 soldiers, often in a particularly hostile area. CHUs are unarmored and very vulnerable to rocket attacks.ĬOP: Combat Outpost. A Wet CHU is a CHU that has its own bathroom, usually reserved for generals and other high-ranking individuals. A CHU Farm is a large number of CHUs together. These small, climate-controlled trailers usually sleep between two and eight soldiers and is the primary unit of housing on larger bases. Example: "I been blowed up six times this year."ĬHU: (pronounced choo) Containerized Housing Unit. A chopper is a kind of motorcycle, not an aircraft.īlack (on ammo, fuel, water, etc.): Almost out.īlowed up: Hit by an IED. "Chopper" is rarely used, except in movies, where it is always used. They may still be called "choppers" in the movies, but troops universally refer to them as "birds."īird: Helicopter. military helicopter takes off in southern Afghanistan. The Big Voice will also warn of scheduled explosions, usually to destroy captured weapons.Ī U.S. When incoming rocket or mortar fire is detected by radar systems, the Big Voice automatically broadcasts a siren and instructions to take cover. But these terms are critical to speaking the current language of soldiers, and understanding it when they speak to others.īig Voice: On military bases, loudspeakers broadcast urgent messages.
And some of the terms originated prior to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This list is by no means exhaustive (a few phrases were too salty for publishing). military never "retreats" - rather it conducts a "tactical retrograde." military drawdown in Afghanistan - which is underway but still awaiting the outcome of a proposed bilateral security agreement - is often referred to by soldiers as "the retrograde," which is an old military euphemism for retreat. Soldiers fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have developed an expansive new military vocabulary, taking elements from popular culture as well as the doublespeak of the military industrial complex. Slang changes with the times, and the military is no different.
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soldiers to hear discussions and watch movies about modern wars when the dialogue is full of obsolete slang, like "chopper" and "GI." A dozen years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan have created a whole new military vocabulary. soldiers look at a crane that tipped over while trying to move a CHU, or Containerized Housing Unit, at a small COP, or Combat Outpost, in southern Afghanistan.
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