SEAL Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama Bin Laden (34 page)

Finally, most important, humble thanks to my comrade and friend Bill Kerns, who started his military career, as did I, at the Staunton Military Academy. Bill went on to become a storied officer in the Green Berets, and later, a philanthropist of the first order. His kindness to me during an illness kept a roof over my head. This good deed, done without the slightest desire to be compensated or acknowledged, is one of the hallmarks of the special operations community. The operators of USSOCOM, SPECWARCOM, and JSOC—both active and retired—are the embodiment of the altruism, selflessness, and quiet valor that make America exceptional.

It is to them that this book is dedicated; they are truly a band of brothers.

GLOSSARY

5.56.
The caliber of an M-16 rifle, in millimeters. NATO ammunition for the M-16 and M-4 carbine.

5326.
Naval education code (NEC) for a “combat swimmer,” the Naval Personnel Bureau’s designation for an enlisted SEAL operator.

7.62.
The caliber of an M-60 machinegun, in millimeters. NATO ammunition for the M-60, G-3, and M-14 rifles. These weapons fire the NATO standard 7.62 × 51 cartridge. Russian-made weapons, like the AK-47, fire the same caliber bullet, using a shorter cartridge, 7.62 × 39. Russian ammunition is referred to as “7.62 intermediate.”

AAA.
Antiaircraft artillery.

AO.
Area of operations.

Al Qaeda.
Arabic for “the Base.” A global terrorist Sunni Islamist group founded by Osama bin Laden.

antiterrorism.
Defensive measures used to reduce the vulnerability of personnel and facilities to terrorist acts. Such measures include guard patrols, vehicle barricades, and hardening targets, as well as the immediate actions taken by military and security forces following a terrorist attack. Also called “AT.”

AO.
Area of operations. Bailiwick.

API.
Armor piercing, Incendiary. Ammunition designed to pass through armored vehicles and start fires inside.

assault element.
A SEAL unit varying in size from four to twenty-five operators. Elements are tailored to fit specific mission requirements.

AWACS (E-3 Sentry).
The AWACS E-3 is an airborne warning and control aircraft that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications. The E-3 Sentry is a modified Boeing 707/320 commercial air frame with a rotating radar dome.

Black Hawk.
The MH-60 helicopter, the workhorse of special operations. Its Navy equivalent is the SH-60, called the Seahawk.

boat crew.
A variably sized SEAL element, literally the number of SEAL inserted by one boat or helicopter. Usually no smaller than four operators, a boat crew can be as large as twenty operators.

booger eater.
Generic term for bad guys.

BUD/S.
Basic Underwater Demolition, SEAL training. SEAL basic training. A twenty-six-week-long ordeal conducted at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, California. All SEAL operators attend this course. BUD/S is the only school in the U.S. military where officers and enlisted men attend the same school and take the same course work.

Budweiser.
The badge awarded to qualified Naval Special Warfare Operators. Called a “trident” by the Navy, it is the emblem and insignia of the SEAL Teams. The device features a pistol, anchor, trident, as well as a screaming eagle that is vaguely reminiscent of the logo on a can of Budweiser beer. In the Naval service, enlisted warfare badges are silver and the officers’ gold. The Budweiser is the only gold Navy warfare device worn by both officers and enlisted alike.

C4.
Composition 4. Plastic explosive.

cadre.
The hard-core operational and training elements of a terrorist organization. Also, the training cell within a SEAL Team.

cake eater.
A Naval officer. Any commissioned officer.

CCT.
Combat control teams. Air Force Special Operations Forces specializing in air traffic control and communications.

Chinook.
MH-47. Twin-rotor, long-range, heavy lift special operations helicopter. Capable of high-altitude operations, the MH-47 is the workhorse of special operations forces in Afghanistan.

cleared hot.
Granted permission to open fire. Cleared for action.

click.
Kilometer. One click equals one kilometer in range or distance.

counterterrorism.
Offensive measures taken to deter, prevent, and respond to terrorism. These active measures include assaulting hostage barricade sites, retaking of hijacked vehicles, vessels, or aircraft, and direct action against terrorist personnel, support, and infrastructure. Also called “CT.”

CQC.
Close quarters combat. The precision shooting used by SEALs to clear ship spaces and rooms. CQC is the epitome of surgical shooting. SEALs frequently practice dynamic target shooting where terrorist targets are mixed with real hostages.

CRRC.
Combat rubber raiding craft.

CTF.
Commander, task force.

Delta.
Special Forces Operational Detachment, Delta, aka Delta Force. It is frequently joked by SEALs that the high-profile Delta Force is SEAL Team’s best cover.
See also
Hardee Boys.

ding.
To hit with a bullet. To kill.

direct action.
Combat actions undertaken against enemy targets.

fast rope.
A spongy, hawserlike rope used to deploy troops rapidly from helicopters. Also called a “zip line,” fast ropes are manufactured in thirty-, sixty-, and one-hundred-and-twenty-foot lengths.

FARP.
Forward air refueling position.

FLIR.
Forward-looking infrared.

FOB.
Forward operating base.

frog hog.
A female SEAL groupie.

full mission profile.
A SEAL mission cycle, complete from planning, rehearsal, deployment, insertion, infiltration, actions at the objective, exfiltration, extraction, recovery, and debriefing.

Goon Squad.
The slow and the stupid. In BUD/S, the slowest 20 percent of any run or evolution. Instructors single out these class members for extra physical instruction.

GPS.
Global positioning system. Navigational aide utilizing a series of military satellites to exactly pinpoint any location on earth.

Green Bean.
Green Beret.

Grey Fox.
Unofficial name of JSOC’s intelligence-gathering units.

green room.
The compartment on an aircraft carrier where personnel are held before being released onto the flight deck.

Green Team.
Training and selection program for SEAL Team Six operators. This grueling one-year selection course is known to be even tougher than the Navy’s notorious BUD/S program.

green tip.
Also called Predator rounds. Special antipersonnel bullets designed for the M-4 assault rifle these bullets are particularly effective in close combat operations. Made from special composite materials, the bullet is designed to do maximum damage to soft or hard tissue but remain in the original victim.

group.
A variously sized SEAL unit consisting of multiple SEAL Teams, troops, or platoons.
See also
platoon, troop, and assault element.

haj.
An enemy combatant. Short for “haji,” the honorific for a Muslim who has performed the pilgrimage to Mecca. Also a contraction of Mujahideen, a holy warrior.

Hardee Boys.
Delta Force.

helmet fire.
To panic. Also, to be absentminded or to make a mistake.

HUMINT.
Human intelligence. The time-honored skills of “people-oriented” intelligence gathering. Also refers to all manners of intelligence tradecraft to include agent handling, asset recruitment, and placement and the running of information-gathering networks.

HVT.
High-value target.

HVI.
High-value individual. Used to designate persons in terrorist or insurgent leadership.

indige.
Indigenous. Of or belonging to a certain locale. A local indigenous personnel, or local vessel (indigenous craft).
See also
haj.

ISI.
Inter Services Intelligence. Pakistan’s intelligence service.

IR.
Infrared. Invisible light frequencies below red, used as passive night vision, in night vision goggles and active, as an infrared spotlight.

IR strobe.
A blinking signal light using infrared light.

IRGC.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

ITAG.
Intelligence and Terrorism Analysis Group. Parent unit of the National Red Team, a group of former SEAL Team Six operators and intelligence professionals who tested security procedures by staging simulated terrorist attacks against targets within the United States.

JP-5.
Jet Propulsion (Grade) 5. Jet fuel.

Jedi.
A member of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group or the Army’s Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta.

JOC.
Joint Operations Center.

JSOC.
Joint Special Operations Command.

JTF.
Joint Task Force.

Kalashnikov.
Any of a variety of Russian-made assault rifles designed by Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov. Kalashnikov weapons include the AK-47, AK-74, AKSU, and RPD machine guns, as well as the Druganov sniper’s rifle.

K-Bar.
SEAL Team fighting knife.

Kaffiyeh.
An Arab headdress.

Little Creek.
Naval Amphibious Base located in Norfolk, Virginia. Home of the East Coast SEAL Teams.

M-4.
Carbine version of the M-16.

MANPADS.
Man-portable antiaircraft defense system. Man-portable antiaircraft weapons. Refers to both Strela and Stinger heat-seeking missiles and rocket-propelled grenades fired at aircraft.

MNF.
Multinational force.

Mustang.
A commissioned officer with prior enlisted service.

Naval Special Warfare.
Navy SEAL Teams, SEAL Delivery Teams, and Special Boat Units.

Naval Special Warfare Development Group.
In 1990 SEAL Team Six was redesignated as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group.

no joy.
Radio speak for “I do not see the target.”

NOD.
Night observation device. When worn by an operator, they are referred to as “nods.”

non qual.
A nonoperator. A person outside the SEAL community.

NRO.
National Reconnaissance Office.

NSA.
National Security Agency.

Operator number.
Alpha-numeric given to SEAL operators to identify them within an operational unit.

organic.
In military argot, equipment or personnel assigned and controlled by a specific unit. The fast-attack vehicles were organic to SEAL Team Eight.

personnel interdiction.
An operation designed to neutralize or capture an individual.

Phalange.
A Lebanese Christian militia. Originally formed in 1936 as a Maronite paramilitary youth organization by Pierre Jumayyil. Militant and violent, the Phalange bears responsibility for the 1983 massacres at Sabra and Shatila.

platoon.
Traditional SEAL operational unit, comprised of two officers and twelve enlisted men.

PLO.
Palestinian Liberation Organization.

pocket litter.
The content of the target’s pockets to include a wallet, money, and scraps of paper.

poodle shooter.
M-4 rifle. So called because it is small and light.

Qur’an.
Koran. Literally “The recitation.” The Muslim holy book, revelations made to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel.

R and S.
Reconnaissance and surveillance mission.

Red Team.
A group or unit assembled to test counterterrorist and antiterrorist measures or procedures. The use of enemy tactics techniques and procedures. The National Red Team was a group of former SEAL Team Six Operators and intelligence professionals who tested security procedures by staging simulated terrorist attacks against targets within the United States.

ring out.
To quit. From the three-rings-and-you’re-out quitting method at BUD/S.

ROE.
Rules of engagement. Orders dictating the circumstances and limitations under which U.S. forces may initiate combat.

RPG.
Rocket-propelled grenade. Russian-made recoilless antiarmor weapon. RPGs have a variety of warheads to include antiarmor, antipersonnel, antiaircraft, and thermobaric warheads.