by Oliver North
HMM Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron; flies CH-46 "Sea Knight" helicopters
HUMINT Human intelligence, as contrasted with electronic, satellite, or other intelligence gathering
Humvee: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle
HVT High Value Target
ICM Improved Conventional Munitions
ID In the context of a military unit, Infantry Division; also an abbreviation for identification
IFB Interruptible Feedback Line; allows a television producer, director, talent, and others to communicate with one another during a program, usually through an earpiece
IFF Identification Friend or Foe
JDAM Joint Direct Attack Munition; an unpowered, GPS-guided, one-thousand- to two-thousand-pound glide bomb
Jihaz Haneen Clandestine Baath intelligence and security organization
JSTARS Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System; a high resolution radar and command and control suite mounted in a modified Boeing 707 airframe
LAR Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion; Marine unit equipped with LAVs for rapid ground reconnaissance forward and on the flanks of a larger force
LAV Light Armored Vehicle; LAV-25, wheeled light armored vehicle employed by Marine LAR battalion; carries six troops. Armament: 25-mm chain gun
LVT Landing Vehicle, Tracked. See also AAV.
LVTC Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Command. An LVT equipped with communications equipment and configured so that a commander can use an LVTC-7 as his command. Armament: turret-mounted .50-caliber machine gun
LZ Landing Zone
MAG Marine Air Group
MAW Marine Aircraft Wing. The 3rd MAW served as the Air Combat element of I MEF.
MAWTS Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron
MEU Marine Expeditionary Unit; the smallest air-ground task force, consisting of a reinforced infantry battalion, a composite helicopter squadron, and a logistics support element
MIA Missing in Action
MOPP Mission-Oriented Protective Posture; designation for the protective suit, mask, and other equipment worn to shield troops from nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. See also NBC suit.
MP Military Police
MPS Maritime Prepositioning Ship; large "roll-on roll-off" vessels full of military equipment, weapons, and ammunition; strategically placed to expedite the deployment of U.S. military units
MRE Meal, Ready-to-Eat
Mukhabarat The foreign intelligence service in Saddam Hussein's Iraq
NBC suit Nuclear, biological, and chemical protective gear
NCO Noncommissioned officer in the military services
NOK Next of Kin
NVG Night-Vision Goggles
OGA Other Government Agency; euphemism for CIA or other intelligence service personnel operating in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places
Overwatch A base of fire from heavy weapons in support of a maneuver
PAO Public Affairs Officer
PAX (also "Packs") U.S. military abbreviation for passengers, usually in an aircraft
PFC Private First Class
POW Prisoner of War
QRF Quick Reaction Force
RAP Rocket-Assisted Projectiles
RCT Regimental Combat Team
Rein Reinforced
ROE Rules of Engagement
RPG Rocket-Propelled Grenade
RPV Remotely Piloted Vehicle; radio-controlled aircraft used to conduct reconnaissance and/or intelligence collection. See also UAV.
S-1 Staff officer who performs administrative record-keeping and personnel function for a battalion or regiment
S-2 Staff officer who performs intelligence and counter-intelligence function for a battalion or regiment
S-3 Staff officer who performs operations, plans, and training functions for a battalion or regiment
S-4 Staff officer who performs logistics, maintenance, and supply function for a battalion or regiment
SAD Special Activities Division
SAM Surface-to-Air Missile
SAW Squad Automatic Weapon, 5.56 mm; carried by one member of each Marine infantry fire team
SERE Survival, Escape, Resistance, and Evasion; plan followed in the event a pilot or other armed forces member is down or lost behind enemy lines
Sharqi Iraqi sandstorm
Sit Rep situation report
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
TAA Tactical Assembly Area
TF Task Force
TOC Tactical Operations Center
TOT Time on Target
TOW Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided anti-tank missile
TRAP Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Pilot
UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle; reconnaissance aircraft operated by remote radio control and or GPS
UN United Nations
UNSCOM UN Special Commission; the organization appointed by the UN to search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
V Corps U.S. Army forward-deployed headquarters for two divisions, a corps support command, and nine separate brigades totaling approximately forty-one thousand soldiers
VMU-2 Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron Two; operated RPVs over the battlefield for the Regimental Combat Teams. See also UAV.
WIA Wounded in Action
WMD Weapons of Mass Destruction
XO Executive Officer
Air Force
A1C Kenny Holston: 234
MSgt Andy Dunaway: 168
MSgt Coco Gunther: 223
MSgt Jim Varhegyi: top 224
MSgt Jonathan Doti: bottom 10
MSgt Lance Cheung: 33
MSgt Robert W. Valenca: 246
MSgt Val Gempis: bottom 44
SrA Brian Ferguson: middle 36
SrA Christina D. Ponte: 233
SSgt Aaron D. Allmon II: bottom 79
SSgt David Donovan: bottom 110
SSgt James L. Harper Jr.: 189
SSgt JoAnn S. Makinano: 114, 165
SSgt Michael R. Holzworth: top 44
SSgt Shawn Weismiller: 276
TSgt Andrew M. Rodier: 196
TSgt Brian Christiansen: top 253, 258
TSgt Dawn M. Price: 168
TSgt Maria. J. Bare: 225
Army
GS-9 Martin Greeson: 251
PFC James Matise: 74
PVT Daniel Meacham: 183
SFC Johancharles Van Boers: 184
SFC Robert C. Brogan: 113
SFC Todd Oliver: bottom left 250
SGT Ben Brody: top 282
SGT Curtis Hargrave: 164
SGT Jon Soucy: bottom 249
SGT Matthew Acosta: 208
SGT Mike Pryor: bottom 224
SPC David Marck Jr.: top 46, top 37, 48, bottom 52
SPC Kieran Cuddihy: 228
SPC Lorie Jewell: bottom 253, top 273
SPC Olanrewaju Akinwunmi: 158
SPC Patrick Weitekamp: 34
SSG Bronco Suzuki: 14
SSG Russell L. Klika: bottom right 250
William Glaser: 138
Chuck Holton
bottom 86, 99, 154, 174, top 219, bottom 220, bottom 231, 248, 263, 268, bottom 270, 279, 280, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, bottom 290, 294, 295, 296
Department of Defense (DOD)
8, top right 18, 23, 30–32, 35, top and bottom 36, top 41, top 47, 49, 54, 58, 60, 72, middle 76, top 80, 92, 94, 97, 98, top 110, 122, 125, 128, 131, 135, 136, 140, 142, 148, 155, 156, 158, 161, top 170, top 175, 185, 188, 191, 197, 202, 209, 218, 227, top 250, 256, 257, 259, 260, 275
Capt. Tom Bryant: top 38
Cheri
e A. Thurlby: 271
Cpl Jonathan K. Teslevich: 121
Don Dees: top 52
James McCauley: 200
Jane Marriott: 187
LCpl Brandon L. Roach: bottom 125
PFC Joshua Hutcheson: 108
R. D. Ward: 81
Sarah Underhill: 243
SFC David K. Dismukes: 78
Sgt Frank Magni: 51
Sgt Kevin R. Reed: 61
Shayne Johnson: top 66
SPC Jeremy D. Crisp: top 249
SPC Mason T. Lowery: 67
SPC Robert Woodward: 160
SPC Ronald Shaw Jr.: 193
SSG Craig Zentkovitch: 83, 85, top 101, 107, 118, 119, 126, 144, 152
SSG Mark Wojciechowski: 247
SSG Raymie G. Cruz: 88, 90
SSG Reeba Critser: bottom 135
SSG Scott Maynard: 100
FOX News
6, 21, bottom 25, top 27, 147, top 216, 254
Andrew Stenner: 93, 262, 291
Chris Jackson: 293
Griff Jenkins: 11, 65, 69, bottom 76, 93, 123, 124, 150, 153
Kelly Guernica: top 255
Mal James: bottom 66, 68, top 70, top 76, top 84, top left 86, top 89, bottom 100, 104, 109, 117, 129, 130, 133, top 134, bottom 149, 162, top 166, bottom 170, 179, 180, bottom 181, 194, 198, 207, 213, bottom 216, bottom 219, top 220, 221, 222, bottom 230, top 231, 245, 264, 265, 266, 267
Oliver North: top right 86, 91, 102, 103, 137, 139, bottom 172, 173, bottom 175, top 176, 212, 217, 229, top 230, 292
Marines
1st Lt. Barry L. Edwards: 214
Cpl Brian Reimers: top 10
Cpl Eric C. Ely: bottom 202
Cpl James M. Mercure: bottom 287, 288
Cpl Michael R. McMaugh: 199
Cpl Paul W. Leicht: top 79, bottom 89, bottom 176, 178
Cpl Robert R. Attebury: 215
Cpl Ryan C. Heiser: top 29
Cpl Shane S. Keller: bottom 282
Cpl Trenton E. Harris: 71
GySgt Daniel O'Connell: bottom right 55
GySgt Erik S. Hansen: 167
LCpl Brian L. Wickliffe: bottom 29
LCpl Lucian A. Friel: 203
LCpl Nicholous Radloff: 87
LCpl Sheila M. Brook: bottom 80
PFC Renato Lara: top 124
Sgt Adaecus G. Brooks: 116
Sgt Chad Simon: bottom 273
Sgt Joseph R. Chenelly: top 130
Sgt Kevin R. Reed, 157
Sgt Maryalice Leone: 141
Sgt Michael K. Kropiewnicki: 169
Sgt Paul L. Anstine III: 132
Sgt Ray Lewis: top 287, 289, top 290
USMC History Division: 24
Navy
AA Ricardo J. Reyes: 77
JO1 Mark D. Faram: 17
Joyce N Boghosian: 278
MCS1 Chad J. McNeeley: 239
MCS2 Nathan Schaeffer: 42
MCS2 Miguel Angel Contreras: 43
MCS2 Summer M. Anderson: 232
Michael W. Pendergrass: 19
PM1 Arlo K. Abrahamson: top 172
PM3 James Spiker: bottom 70
PM2 Jim Watson: 12
PM1 Tim Turner: bottom 47
PO1 Alan D. Monyelle: 186
SR Chad R. Erdmann: bottom 82
Perry-Castellano Library
top 25, bottom 39
Public Domain
64, 281
FREEDOM ALLIANCE
SCHOLARSHIP FUND—Supporting the Children of America’s Military Heroes
The Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund honors the bravery and dedication of Americans in our armed forces who have sacrificed life and limb and provides college scholarships to their children. Through the generosity of the American public, the Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $1 million to the sons and daughters of American heroes.
Many of freedom’s brave defenders who have lost their lives fighting terrorism have left behind young children. We believe it is our duty to help their children meet the rising costs of a college education, but more importantly to remind them that their parents’ sacrifice will never be forgotten by a grateful nation.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS—Honoring America’s Armed Forces
The Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program honors and supports our servicemen and women and their families—especially those who are serving on the front lines or who have been wounded and are recuperating at our military hospitals.
Freedom Alliance provides financial assistance and gift packages to these troops. The program also includes events such as Military Appreciation Dinners and special holiday activities. Freedom Alliance sponsors these activities to say “thank you” to our service members and their families.
Freedom Alliance, which was founded in 1990 by Lt. Col. Oliver North, USMC (Ret.), is a nonprofit 501( c)(3) charitable and educational organization dedicated to advancing the American heritage of freedom by honoring and encouraging military service, defending the sovereignty of the United States, and promoting a strong national defense.
For more information or to donate, contact:
FREEDOM ALLIANCE
22570 Markey Court, Suite 240
Dulles, Virginia 20166-6919
1(800)475-6620
www.freedomalliance.org
“LEST WE FORGET”