Die-In; Kevlar; Nods; DATs; LBVs; Crunchies; Snuffy; Fragos; Battle Rattle

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   A look at the Sunday newspapers.

NEW YORK TIMES--William Safire's column mention "Shock and Awe," "Freedom
Fries," and "MOABs," all of which we've talked about here.
   The City section FYI column incorrectly states that "taximeter" is from
1907.  The word was used in 1899 in the NEW YORK TIMES.

NEW YORK POST--Pg. 32:  "Antiwar demonstrators 'die-in' and other attempts to
block Manhattan streets."  I found this term a little difficult to trace,
with the two words being used so often together.  Adding the words "war" and
"protest" still results in a lot of hits.  "Die-in" sounds like a new,
awkward variant to me.
   The www.nypost.com site doesn't have the Sunday newspaper on it yet.
Jonathan Foreman's "Dispatch from the Front," pg. 12, col. 5, is: "'Embeds'
learn grunt language."
   Some terms:

embed
roger
Fragos--fragmentary orders
LBVs--load-bearing vests
Kevlar--a helmet (made of this composite material)
battle rattle--wearing all your gear
nods--night vision goggles
track--armored vehicle on tracks
AVLB--Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge
tankers--tank personnel
crunchies--light infantrymen who walk instead of riding on tracks
DATs--Dumb-Ass Tankers--people who ride on tracks
Hooh-Ah
That's outside my lane--outside a person's expertise
Sunffy or Joe Snuffy--used by officers for the generic accident-prone
privates
tent pegs--another name for a Snuffy

   Closing line of article:

"Finally, to show your (NO ONE EDITS COPY ANYMORE?--ed.)  truly proficient in
Military English, use the F-word at least twice in every sentence."