Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL (57 page)

NSA    
National Security Agency.

NVGs    
Night-vision goggles.

O
₂
Hit    
Convulsion resulting from oxygen toxicity. Principal danger involved in rebreathing diving apparatus. Under pressures greater than two atmospheres, pure oxygen becomes toxic.

Operator Number    
Three-digit number 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 Six.

Pave Low (see also MH-53)    
MH-53 air force special operations helicopter. Descendants of the famed Jolly Green Giants of Vietnam, Pave Lows are equipped with miniguns, an advanced navigation suite, and FLIR, and are capable of in-flight refueling. Used to support combat search and rescue operations as well as to insert and extract special operations forces.

PDF    
Panamanian Defense Forces. Manuel Noriega’s army.

Phalange    
A Lebanese Christian militia originally formed in 1936 as a Maronite paramilitary youth organization by Pierre Jumayyil. Militant and violent, the Phalange bore responsibility for the 1983 massacres at Shabra and Chatilla, where upward of eight hundred Palestinian men, women, and children were massacred.

PJ    
Air force pararescueman. Comes from the abbreviation for “parajumpers.” Air force personnel specially trained to conduct combat search and rescue operations.

PLA    
Palestinian Liberation Army. A Syrian-backed Palestinian group.

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

PLO    
Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Poodle Shooter (see also CAR-15)    
CAR-15 rifle. So called because it is small and light.

PSP (see also Druze)    
Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party.

PT Boat    
Patrol/torpedo boat.

Qur’an    
Koran, literally “the recitation.” The Muslim holy book, revelations made to Mohammed by the angel Gabriel.

R&S    
Reconnaissance and surveillance mission.

Raven, The    
Onetime SEAL Team hangout in Virginia Beach. Now a tourist attraction.

Red Wolf    
Navy helicopter combat support squadron (HCS) helicopters. Specially equipped SH-60s that operate with SEAL Teams.

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.

Rope-a-Dope    
A static-line parachute drop, so called because the jumper’s parachute is opened by a static line (rope) attached to the aircraft.

RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade)    
Russian-made recoilless antiarmor weapon. Prized by SEALs for range and penetration.

Rubber Duck    
At-sea parachute drop of a CRRC.

SAM    
Surface-to-air missile.

SBU    
Special boat unit.

SDV    
SEAL delivery vehicle. A wet minisub used to deliver SEALs into target areas and also to attack enemy ships and facilities.

SDV Team    
SEAL delivery vehicle team. A SEAL unit specializing in maritime sabotage and operation of SEAL submersibles.

Seafox    
A stealth patrol boat used by SEALs. Armed with twin .50-caliber machine guns and a pair of M-60s, the Seafox was made of low-observable carbon fiber and plastic. Like a Stealthfighter, the Seafox was invisible to search radar. It was replaced by the more heavily armed and faster MK-5 patrol boat.

Sea-keeping    
The capability of a ship or boat to accomplish its intended mission, including performance in a seaway, crew comfort, and equipment operability.

SEAL Team    
SEAL Teams are comprised of a number of platoons or detachments, as well as support personnel. Usually captained by a commander (0-5), platoons and detachments are commanded mostly by lieutenants or lieutenant commanders. Although SEAL Teams are geographically specialized, all are trained to operate in any environment. Geographical areas of focus are as follows: SEAL Team One, Southeast Asia; SEAL Team Two, Northern Europe; SEAL Team Three, the Middle East; SEAL Team Four, South America; SEAL Team Five, Korea; SEAL Team Six, worldwide; and SEAL Team Eight, Africa.

Shift Fire    
Coordinated movement of SEAL Team fire. Instantaneous engagement of a second target. Also used to indicate a shift in focus or a change of tasking.

Shiite    
Also known as Shia. Shiites comprise the second largest Islamic sect in Lebanon. The word “Shia” comes from “
Shiat Ali,
” or party of Ali. Shiite Muslims believe that Ali, Mohammed’s cousin and son-in-law, should have succeeded the Prophet. Traditional Shia territory includes East Beirut and its southern suburbs, southern Lebanon, and parts of the Bekaa valley.

Sleeve    
A slick sleeve, i.e., a person without a navy rating. A useless idiot. A non–SEAL Team member, regardless of rank.

Sneak Attack    
Underwater maritime sabotage operation, usually conducted at night with rebreathing scuba.

Sock    
A 2½ pound ribbon of C-4 plastic explosive. Called a sock because it is sewn into a canvas tube resembling a green GI sock.

Soft Duck    
Insertion of a CRRC by helicopter.

SOP    
Standard operating procedure.

STA Platoon    
Scout and target acquisition platoon. Marine snipers.

Stick    
A group of parachute jumpers. Normally the number of jumpers who can be dropped in one pass over the drop zone.

Sunni    
The largest Muslim sect in Lebanon. Those who believe that Mohammed’s successor should have been chosen by the community came to be known as Sunnis. Sunni territory includes West Beirut and most of the surrounding countryside. Politically pragmatic, Lebanese Sunnis are generally regarded as Islamic moderates.

Swim Pair    
Also called a “shooting pair.” The swim pair is the basic element of the SEAL Teams. A swim buddy is responsible at all times for the life of his partner. If your swim partner is killed, you are responsible for recovery of the body.

Symtex    
A type of plastic explosive.

Tadpole    
BUD/S student. An inexperienced operator.

Tango    
Terrorist. A bad guy.

Target Lock    
Loss of situational awareness resulting from overconcentration on the target. The state of being too goal-oriented.

UDT    
Underwater demolition team. The original frogmen, specializing in maritime sabotage, reconnaissance, and recovering NASA space capsules.

UNODIR    
Navy acronym meaning “unless otherwise directed.”

VBSS    
Vessel board, search, or seizure. Also called an “underway,” this is the operation in which SEALs board and seize a ship on the high seas.

Wadi    
A canyon or watercourse.

Wally, Wallys    
Lebanese bad guys. The term is derived from members of the Druze militias and their leader, Walid Jumblat.

Wally-world    
Lebanon.

Wanna-be    
A civilian poseur. A fake SEAL. When in the vicinity of a Vietnam memorial, also called a “Wall phony.”

Water Wings    
U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Badge. The device worn by Surface Warfare Specialists
(see Black Shoe).

Wish Me Dead    
A .50-caliber sniper rifle.

XO    
Executive Officer. The officer second in command.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I
HAD MUCH HELP
and encouragement early in this project and during the most difficult parts of it. There is nothing in this book that did not benefit from suggestions and help. I would first like to thank Joel Millner of Larchmont Literary in Los Angeles, and Julia Lord of Julia Lord Literary in New York. I have worked with Joel for over a decade, and Julia is a friend who steered me through the rocks and shoals of a trade that was strange to me. Their support helped take a scattered idea and turn it into a book. I would also like to thank several friends whose early help was vital: first off, friend, author, war correspondent, and screenwriter David Freed, for his kindness and for his example of clean, sparkling writing. My friend Peter Gaele, adventurer, screenwriter, and raconteur, graciously showed me what a book proposal looked like; and my colleague and friend Lee Johnson gave me the examples of a writer’s life and of her fine, steady prose.

It is axiomatic to thank Mom and Dad, but I wish to thank mine especially, for literally keeping the lights on as I wrote. Particular thanks to my father, who researched, verified, fact-checked, and located most of the official photos in the book. He is a formidable researcher, one hell of a naval officer, and a great dad. Many, many thanks also to my friend and teammate Scott Speroni, my comrade in Lebanon, who provided numerous hard-to-find photos and was a steady hand when we shared danger.

For preparation of the manuscript and copyediting, I wish to thank Patrick Miller and especially Lisa Essenberg, who not only rode herd on an ever expanding gaggle of pages but also provided mission-critical research. For framing my narrative in a factual context, I would like to thank my friend, historian Eric Hammel, whose book,
The Root: Marines in Beirut, August 1982–February 1984,
is the definitive history of America’s misadventure in Lebanon. Thanks to the staff of the UDT/SEAL Museum, who managed to dig up a photograph of Class 114. And thank you to Vic Duppenthaler of Uniflight, Inc., for photos and information on the venerable and stealthy Seafox.

I’d like to thank my old friend Richard T. “Murph” Murphy, the man who got me into the writing game, and the person who, more than any other, taught me how to write plainly. Thanks to my comrades F.G.S. and L.L., who served with me in Beirut, read the manuscript, and contributed their recollections. Thanks also to my dear friends Jerri Hente, Lisa Paul, Colonel Marvin “Ski” Krupinsky, his wife, Jackie, Benham and Robert Howard, Dr. “Mac Daddy” Evans, Liz Grenamyer, Matt Wolfe and Tripp Newsome, Cap’n Gary Blohm, Blair and Bobby Woolverton, Bruce Truesdell, Bob and Pam Currey, Dorothy Alstrin, my teammates Kim Erskine and Ian Conway, Matt and Lynn Keller, and Beau St. Clair, all of whom read chapters and told me where to get off.

An early reader was my friend Sue Schuler, whose love for life was an inspiration. Her battle with cancer is now over, but the world is richer for the example of her grace, courage, humor, and dignity. We miss you.

Thanks to everyone who was a part of these stories, to teammates and comrades, friends and acquaintances. To my betters whom I have praised, my apologies for being impertinent; to commanders and teammates I have suddenly found wanting, I apologize for not having had the courage to speak up sooner.

Kind and sincere thanks to my editor, Bob Loomis at Random House, who took the chance that a screenwriter could write a book. He is the bravest man I’ve met lately.

My undying gratitude and love to my wife, Stacey, and my son, Paddy, for their patience and understanding. Stacey’s love sustained me through the darkest part of my illness, and I am sorry that they often made do without the help of a father and husband. Thank you for loving me.

My thanks to the marines and sailors of the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit, and the men of SEAL Team Four and SEAL Team Six. My profound and humble gratitude to the many families, wives and mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, who placed the ultimate sacrifice upon the altar of liberty. My thanks, however heartfelt and respectful, are trivial compared to the tragedy of your loss. Please know there is not a day that passes when I do not ask why your sons were taken but I was not.

Finally, I wish to thank the men of naval special warfare, the
operators,
who daily place themselves before our enemies—and at the mercy of the sea.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In addition to his outstanding eight-year career as a SEAL, C
HUCK
P
FARRER
is also the screenwriter for the motion pictures
The Jackal, Darkman, Red Planet, Virus, Hard Target,
and
Navy SEALS.
He lives in Florida and Michigan.

Copyright © 2004 by Chuck Pfarrer

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

R
ANDOM
H
OUSE
and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pfarrer, Chuck.

Warrior soul: the memoir of a Navy SEAL / Chuck Pfarrer

p.   cm.

e-ISBN 1-58836-352-X

1. Pfarrer, Chuck.  2. United States. Navy. SEALs—Biography.  3. United States. Navy—Officers—Biography.  I. Title.

V63.P43A3 2004      359.9'84—dc21 [B]      2003046807

Random House website address: www.atrandom.com

v1.0

Warrior Soul

Chuck Pfarrer