Korea « The Irate Nation

Military Slang Downrange

Like their fellow soldiers in Germany, Vietnam or Korea, those deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq have created a language all their own, filled with black humor, cultural references and even the occasional crudity.

Most of us have heard of RADAR -- originally a military acronym standing in for the cumbersome term "Radio Detection and Ranging."

We may even have encountered, or experienced, the occasional SNAFU, for "Situation Normal: All (Fouled) Up."

But what on Earth is a "death blossom?" Or a "fobbit," for that matter?

Slang terms referring to features of a base are also common, for example, a sign someone put next to an oil-filled puddle on a base in Afghanistan reading, "Rainbow Lake."

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On High Alert in Korea

South Korean troops increase readiness after naval skirmish with North Korea

clipped from www.foxnews.com

South Korea warned it was ready to deter any retaliation by North Korea following the two countries' first naval clash in seven years, reportedly deploying two warships to the disputed sea border Wednesday.

The skirmish will not deter Washington from sending an envoy to North Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, vowing to continue efforts to resolve long-standing disputes over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.