Mike Assad was there with his pal Dave Leibowitz. They were double-dating a couple of National City girls, but everyone kept asking Mike if he'd heard from Hildegard Keppler since he'd gotten back Stateside. His date was beginning to turn cold toward him and it looked like he might not get lucky that night. Dave started to worry because if Mike's girl became angry and wouldn't be in a romantic mood, then his date probably wouldn't either. Luckily, Mike came up with a story that Ms. Keppler was a middle-aged, unattractive missionary working in a refugee camp in Pakistan. He enhanced the falsehood by saying she was teaching girls who had been victimized by the Taliban. The poor children were illiterate, and old Ms. Keppler was preparing them for a life of fulfillment and independence.
Everyone had the holiday season to look forward to, and the only damper on the situation was the new orders that had come down. After the first of the year, the entire detachment would be shipped back to the USS Dan Daly in Middle Eastern waters as a permanent assignment. That would mean a minimum of a year's deployment overseas. Consequently, most of them would be taking furloughs to visit family and friends in their hometowns before reporting for their new duties.
Most of the wives would wait for their men in the San Diego area where their kids attended school. Frank Gomez's wife was the exception. She was already four months pregnant and wanted to go home to have their baby in the bosom of her family.
Before they went through the buffet line, everyone charged their glasses while Lieutenant Wild Bill Brannigan, with his arm around his wife Lisa, proposed a toast.
"Here's to the camaraderie we all enjoy as SEALs," he began. "We are honored that our country has called on us to serve her in this great cause of freedom. We don't fight for conquest, plunder, or empty glory. We fight to maintain our liberty and to bring it to others less fortunate than us." He raised his glass. "To the United States Navy SEALs and everything the trident badge represents."
"Hear! Hear!" came the yells as the drinks were downed.
Retired Chief Petty Officer Salty Donovan gave the crowd a look of stem fondness, then shouted, 'The mess deck is open!"
The stampede toward the food was fierce, loud, and rowdy in a good-natured way.
.
GLOSSARY
2IC: Second in Command
AA: Anti-Aircraft
ACV: Air-Cushion Vehicle (hovercraft)
AFSOC: Air Force Special Operations Command
AGL: Above Ground Level
AKA: Also Known As
Angeclass="underline" A thousand feet above ground level; i. E., Angels Two is two thousand feet.
ARG: Amphibious Ready Group
ASAP: As Soon As Possible
ASL: Above Sea Level
AT-4: Antiarmor rocket launchers
Attack Board (also Compass Board): A board with a compass, watch, and depth gauge used by subsurface swimmers
AWOL: Away Without Leave, i. E., absent from one's unit without permission, aka French leave.
BOQ: Bachelor Officers' Quarters
Briefback: A briefing given to staff by a SEAL platoon regarding their assigned mission. This must be approved before it is implemented. BDU: Battle Dress Uniform
BUD/S: Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training course C4: Plastic explosive
CAR-15: Compact model of the M-16 rifle
CATF: Commander, Amphibious Task Force
CDC: Combat Direction Center aboard a ship
CNO: Chief of Naval Operations
CO: Commanding Officer
Cover: Hat, headgear
CP: Command Post
CPU: Computer Processing Unit
CPX: Command Post Exercise
CRRC: Combat Rubber Raiding Craft
CS: Tear gas
CSAR: Combat Search and Rescue
CVBG: Carrier Battle Group
DPV: Desert Patrol Vehicle
Det Cord: Detonating cord
DJMS: Defense Joint Military Pay System
Draeger Mk V: Underwater air supply equipment
DZ: Drop Zone
E&E: Escape and Evasion
EPW: Enemy Prisoner of War
ESP: Extra-Sensory Perception
ETS: End of Term of Service
FLIR: Forward-Looking Infrared Radar
French Leave: See AWOL
FRH: Flameless Ration Heater
FTX: Field Training Exercise
GPS: Global Positioning System
Gunny: Marine Corps for the rank of Gunneiy Sergeant E-7
H&K MP-5: Heckler & Koch MP-5 submachine gun
HAHO: High Altitude High Opening parachute jump
HALO: High Altitude Low Opening parachute jump
HE: High Explosive
Head: Navy and Marine Corps term for toilet; called a latrine in the Army Hors de combat: Out of the battle (French expression)
HSB: High-Speed Boat
JSOC: Joint Special Operation Command
K-Bar: A brand of knives manufactured for military and camping purposes
KIA: Killed In Action
KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid--or more politely, Keep It
Simple, Sweetheart
LBE: Load-Bearing Equipment
LSSC: Light SEAL Support Craft
Light Sticks: Flexible plastic tubes that illuminate
Limpet Mine: An explosive mine that is attached to the hulls of vessels
Locked Heels: When a serviceman is getting a severe vocal reprimand, it is said he is having his "heels locked," i. E., standing at attention while someone is bellowing in his face.
LSO: Landing Signal Officer
LZ: Landing Zone
M-18 Claymore Mine: A mine fired electrically with a blasting cap
M-60 E3: A compact model of the M-60 machine gun
M-67: An antipersonnel grenade
M-203: A single-shot 40-millimeter grenade launcher
MATC: a fast river support craft
MCPO: Master Chief Petty Officer
Medevac: Medical Evacuation
Mk 138 Satchel Charge: Canvas container filled with explosive
MRE: Meal, Ready to Eat
MSSC: Medium SEAL Support Craft
Murphy's Law: An assumption that if something can go wrong, it most certainly will.
N2: Intelligence Staff
N3: Operations Staff
NAS: Naval Air Station NAVSPECWAR: Naval Special Warfare NCO: Noncommissioned Officers, i. E., corporals and sergeants
NCP: Navy College Program
NFL: National Football League
NVG: Night-Vision Goggles