ACUs: Army Combat Uniform, the fabric is a universal camouflage pattern of tan, gray, and green.
ANA: Afghan National Army.
ANP: Afghan National Police.
ASAP: As soon as possible.
BAF: The aeronautical designation for Bagram Airfield (also known as Bagram Airbase), Afghanistan.
Blackhawk: The Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter is a four-bladed medium-lift utility helicopter. Two Blackhawks were used to infil the Dirty First into blocking positions during Dog Company’s first attempt to bag Razak in Jalrez.
CAS: Close Air Support; spoken as “cas.” Air action by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. “CAS” is often used to reference the aircraft and crew providing the close air support.
Chinook: The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a twin-engine, tandem rotor, heavy-lift helicopter. Its primary roles are troop, supply, and equipment movement.
CI: Counterintelligence, “spy catchers.”
CID: Criminal Investigation Division, the organization in the U.S. Army tasked with investigating serious crime within the ranks.
Click: Slang for a kilometer.
CLP: Combat Logistics Patrol, pronounced “clip,” a U.S. Army element that transports supplies to forward troops.
CONEX: A military shipping container, usually 40 feet x 8 feet x 8.5 feet.
COP: Combat Outpost. Dog Company manned and sustained up to three combat outposts and one forward operating base.
DFAC: Dining Facility.
ECP: Entry Control Point, as in the main entrance of a forward operating base. On FOB Airborne, the ECP was manned by both U.S. and Afghan Army soldiers.
ETA: Estimated time of arrival.
FOB: Forward Operating Base, Dog Company, was headquartered out of FOB Airborne.
FSC: Forward Support Company, responsible for supply distribution, maintenance, feeding, and administrative support to battlefield units.
HESCO®: Rapidly deployable earth-filled defensive barriers.
HLZ: Helicopter Landing Zone, often referred to as an “LZ.”
Humvee: More properly HMMV or HMMWV, acronyms for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle; a four-wheel-drive, diesel-powered truck seating four plus a gunner.
IED: Improvised explosive device.
Intel: Intelligence; the product of intelligence-collection operations.
IO: Investigating Officer; the officer presiding over the Article 32 hearing was known as the IO.
ISAF: International Security Assistance Force, the NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council in December of 2001.
LCLA: Low Cost Low Altitude aerial resupply, supplies that are air-dropped by parachute.
LN: Local National, also known as host-country nationals. We referred to all Afghans as one of two terms.
Medevac: Medical Evacuation; often refers to the vehicle or aircraft and crew conducting the evacuation.
MIA: Missing In Action, a casualty classification assigned to troops who are reported missing during wartime or cease-fire.
MRAP vehicle: Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, kind of like a 1.5 story version of the Humvee with more armor and a hull designed to better withstand an explosive blast.
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty signed in 1949. Article 5 of the treaty requires member states to come to the aid of any member state subject to an armed attack. Article 5 was invoked for the first and only time after the September 11 attacks.
NCO: A Noncommissioned Officer in the pay grades E-4 (corporal) through E-9.
ODA: Operational Detachment Alpha, a U.S. Army Special Forces or Green Beret detachment.
OEF: Operation Enduring Freedom, the name used by the U.S. government to describe operations in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014.
Op: Operation, as in military operation.
OPFOR: Opposing Force, the unit playing the role of the enemy during military training or war games.
PL: Platoon Leader, the officer (or NCO) in command of a platoon.
PMT: Police Mentorship Team. Wardak’s PMT was from the Montana Army National Guard.
Qalat: A mud-walled compound common to Afghanistan.
QRF: Quick Reaction Force. In combat, a unit—typically platoon-sized—capable of rapid response to a developing situation.
RCP: Route Clearance Package, typically an engineer unit equipped as MRAPs, a variety of bomb detection and disposal technology and bomb disposal experts.
SF: Special Forces; the U.S. Army’s SF are also known as Green Berets.
SITREP: Situation Report, a concise statement describing a unit’s current location and tactical situation.
TC: Truck Commander. In a combat platoon, rides in the front passenger seat.
Terp: Short for Interpreter, not pejorative.
TOC: Tactical Operations Center, the command post or “nerve center” from which a small group of officers and expert NCOs maintain awareness of and guide tactical elements in the field.
UAV: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, also known as an aerial drone.
VBIED: Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device, a “car bomb.”
XO: Executive Officer. At the company level, a first lieutenant or junior captain; at the battalion level, a major.
Guide to Dog Company Weapons
.50-cal: Dog Company platoons were equipped with the Browning M2 .50-caliber machine gun, recoil operated, air-cooled, fully automatic truck-mounted or crew-transportable machine gun.
60 mm mortar: A 60 millimeter mortar is a lightweight, high angle of fire, indirect fire weapon system. The “60s” were typically carried in the back of Dog Company gun trucks and used on the move because they were easy to set up for quick reaction ground engagements.
81 mm mortar: An 81 millimeter mortar is a medium-weight, high angle of fire, indirect fire weapon system. The “81s” were typically kept on FOB Airborne and Sayed Abad base to react to enemy rocket attacks.
105 mm artillery: The Bonecrusher artillery platoon used the M119A2 howitzer to fire 105 mm high explosive (HE) ammunition in support of Dog Company operations conducted within range of FOB Airborne.
A-10 Thunderbolt: The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt is a single-seat twin turbofan engine close air support aircraft commonly referred to by its nickname, the “Warthog.” The sound of the A-10’s GAU-8/A Avenger 30 mm Gatling-type autocannon has been known to cause arousal among infantrymen, especially when multiple passes of this gun are made against enemy positions. The A-10’s official name comes from the P-47 Thunderbolt, a WWII fighter effective at attacking ground targets.
AK-47: Taliban fighters were often armed with this Soviet-designed selective-fire (semiautomatic or automatic), gas-operated assault rifle.
Apache: The Apache Longbow attack helicopter is typically an infantryman’s favorite form of close air support.
AT4: An 84 mm unguided, portable antitank weapon, effective in close spaces. SFC Grant Hulburt used the AT4 to suppress the Taliban assault at Badam Kalay.
B-1: The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a heavy strategic bomber used by the U.S. Air Force.
B-52: The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range strategic bomber used by the U.S. Air Force.
Beretta 9 mm: Captain Hill and other soldiers carried the Beretta M9 pistol, a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.
Bradley Fighting Vehicle: The BFV is an American armored personnel carrier and fighting vehicle manufactured by BAE.
C-130: The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a military transport aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force.
C-17: The Boeing C-17 Globemaster is a large military transport aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force.
C-4: Composition C-4 is a variety of the plastic explosive family. Dog Company used C-4 to demolition caches of enemy munitions, breach doors, and destroy IEDs.
CLU: The Command Launched Unit is the targeting component of the man-portable surface-to-air Javelin missile system.
F-15 Eagle: The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine all-weather tactical fighter aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force.
IED: Improvised Explosive Device, today’s weapon of choice by fighters engaged in unconventional warfare. In Iraq and Afghanistan, IEDs account for about two-thirds of Coalition casualties.
M4: Dog Company soldiers carried M4 carbines, a shorter and lighter variant rifle that is replacing the M16 in the U.S. infantry.
M-14 rifle: The last American “battle rifle” issued in quantity to U.S. military personnel. It fires a 7.62 mm round and is typically carried by an infantry squad’s “designated marksman,” a soldier with additional marksmanship training for longer range engagements.
M18 Claymore Mine: Directional antipersonnel mine named after a large Scottish medieval sword. The Claymore is command-detonated, directional, and fires about 700 3.2 mm steel balls using a layer of C-4 explosive.
M67 grenade: A spherical steel grenade that can be thrown about fifteen feet by the average male soldier. This is the type of grenade Mo threw when three armed men fired on Kris Wilson during the Shockers’ counter rocket patrol.
M203: SFC Hulburt and PFC Jason “Photo” Phothisen used this single-shot 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher at Badam Kalay.
M240: Dog Company platoons carried this general-purpose 7.62 mm medium machine gun that can be mounted on a bipod, tripod, aircraft, or vehicle.
M249: Dog Company platoons carried this general purpose 5.56 mm light machine gun that can be mounted on a bipod or vehicle.
MK-19: Dog Company platoons were equipped with the MK-19, a fully automatic truck-mounted or crew-transportable machine gun that can fire a variety of 40 mm grenades.
PKM: The PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose Soviet-designed machine gun used by the Afghan security forces and Taliban alike. It is the Soviet-made equivalent to a U.S. military M240 medium machine gun.
RPG: Taliban fighters often attacked using the RPG, or rocket-propelled grenade. This shoulder-fired antitank weapon fires rockets equipped with explosive warheads, some of which can pierce armor.
RPK: The RPK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose Soviet-designed machine gun. It is very similar to the PKM but fires a slightly lighter round.
TOW, or TOW missile: Tube-Launched Optically Tracked Wire-Guided Missile. 3rd Platoon used this antitank weapon to engage enemy ground forces during a heavy rocket attack early in the Wardak deployment.