Iraq's battlefield slang: "Rummy's Dummies" "embrace the suck" in "Mortaritaville"

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT: Iraq's battlefield slang
A list of soldiers' lingo, including 'embrace the suck' and 'Rummy's dummies.'
By Austin Bay
January 28, 2007

...."Embrace the suck" isn't merely a wisecrack; it's an encyclopedic experience rendered as an epigram, gritty shorthand for "Face it, soldier. I've been there. War ain't easy. Now deal with the difficulty and let's get on with the mission."...

Beltway clerk: A derisive term for a Washington political operative or civilian politician.

Bohica: Bend Over, Here It Comes Again. Pronounced "bo-HEE-ka." Means "we're about to get screwed, as usual." This term was in use in the Army in the 1960s....

Bombaconda: Slang for Logistics Support Area Anaconda, a major supply base near Balad, Iraq. Balad is also called "Mortaritaville."...

Camp Ass: Refers to Camp As Sayliyah in Coha, Qatar....

Christians in Action: Slang for Central Intelligence Agency....

Dynamic truth: Basically means "this is the plan when my supervisor gave it to me, but change is already in the works."...

Groundhog Day: Every day of your tour in Iraq....

Rummy's Dummies: A derogatory name for the U.S. military under the leadership of former Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld....

(AUSTIN BAY is an Army Reserve veteran of the Iraq war who blogs at http://www.austinbay.net . He is the editor of "Embrace the Suck: A Pocket Guide to Milspeak," published by the New Pamphleteer, www.pamphletguys.com, from which these definitions are excerpted.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-bay28jan28,1,86607,full.story

[atommom]

1. I like "Bohica." It's been apropos for a good 6 years now. nt

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. English is an ever-evolving language

thanks! very cool.

On Edit:

my favorite
Marsalama: GI Arabic. Corruption of Arabic for "Go in peace." In conversation, it means "See you later."
:)

[Dhalgren]

3. "Embrace the suck" is the best slogan I have heard, to date! I am

going to use it on a daily basis. It describes what we all must do...

[sutz12]

4. Echelons above reality: Higher headquarters where no one has an idea about what is really happening

Gotta love that GI-speak. We've come a long way from SNAFU.

In my day, "The Suck" meant the Marine Corps, as in, "How long have you been in the Suck?"

"Single digit midget" sounds wrong. Waste of syllables. "One digit midget" is better. ;)

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Sounds like you're an expert -- thanks for posting! nt

[alfredo]

6. From my years in. Fun Travel and Adventure, FTA,

Fuck The Army.

Shit on a shingle - chip beef and gravy on toast.

Puke- Lifer

Desk borne Ranger- Clerk

Bravo Foxtrot- Buddy fucker In the ASA- An intelligence agent who's job is to look for fellow soldiers who are too talkative or otherwise seen as risky. Not above entrapment.

Brown bagger- Dependent wife or kid.

Jody- The guy fucking your gal while you are away.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot- What The fuck

[DeepModem Mom]

7. Thanks, alfredo! nt

[alfredo]

8. I left out the real gross ones like GMOB.