This novel is dedicated to my new wife, “Avalanche Lily,” for her inspiration, encouragement, and diligent editing. She has filled a huge gap in my life after Linda (“The Memsahib”) passed away.
My sincere thanks to my editor, Emily Bestler. This novel wouldn’t exist without you.
My thanks to the other folks who encouraged me, who contributed technical details, who were used for character sketches, and who helped me substantively in the editing process: Aviad, Azreel, Ben, Brent F., Chris F., Cope, Daniel C., “The Other Mr. Delta,” Grizzly Guy, Reggie K., Ignacio L., Jerry J., J.I.R., Johannes K., Keith K., Dr. Mark L., CW3 J.S., Dave M., Michael H., Dean R., Jim S., D.S., “SNO,” and Terrie.
“Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counseclass="underline" they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”
Glossary
10/22: A semiautomatic .22 rimfire rifle made by Ruger.
1911: See M1911.
9/11: The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which took 3,000 American lives.
AAA: American Automobile Association.
ACP: Automatic Colt Pistol.
ACS: Army Community Service.
ACU: Army combat uniform. The U.S. Army’s “digital” pattern camouflage uniform that replaced the BDU.
AER: Army Emergency Relief.
AFB: Air Force Base.
AFSC: Air Force Security Command.
AK: Avtomat Kalashnikova. The gas-operated weapons family invented by Mikhail Timofeyevitch Kalashnikov, a Red Army sergeant. AKs are known for their robustness and were made in huge numbers, so they are ubiquitous in much of Asia and the Third World. The best of the Kalashnikov variants are the Valmets, which were made in Finland, the Galils, which were made in Israel, and the R4s, which are made in South Africa.
AK-47: The early generation AK carbine with a milled receiver that shoots the intermediate 7.62 x 39mm cartridge. See also: AKM.
AK-74: The later generation AK carbine that shoots the 5.45 x 39mm cartridge.
AKM: “Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy,” the later generation 7.62 x 39 AK with a stamped receiver.
AM: Amplitude modulation.
AO: Area of operations.
AP: Armor-piercing.
APC: Armored personnel carrier.
AR: Automatic Rifle. This is the generic term for semiauto variants of the Armalite family of rifles designed by Eugene Stoner (AR-10, AR-15, AR-180, etc.).
AR-7: The .22 LR semiautomatic survival rifle designed by Eugene Stoner. It weighs just two pounds.
AR-10: The 7.62mm NATO predecessor of the M16 rifle, designed by Eugene Stoner. Early AR-10s (mainly Portuguese-, Sudanese-, and Cuban-contract, from the late 1950s and early 1960s) are not to be confused with the present-day semiauto-only AR-10 rifles that are more closely interchangeable with parts from the smaller caliber AR-15.
AR-15: The semiauto civilian variants of the U.S. Army M16 rifle.
ASAP: As soon as possible.
ATF: See BATFE.
AUG: See Steyr AUG.
AWOL: Absent without official leave.
B&E: Breaking and entering.
Ballistic wampum: Ammunition stored for barter purposes. (Term coined by Colonel Jeff Cooper.)
BATFE: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, a U.S. federal government taxing agency.
BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation.
BDU: Battle dress uniform. Also called “camouflage utilities” by the USMC. Most BDUs were made in the Woodland camouflage pattern.
Black rifle/black gun: Generic terms for a modern battle rifle—typically equipped with a black plastic stock and fore-end, giving these guns an “all black” appearance. Functionally, however, they are little different from earlier semiauto designs.
BLM: Bureau of Land Management, a U.S. federal government agency that administers public lands.
BLUF: Bottom line, up front.
BMG: Browning machinegun. Usually refers to .50 BMG, the U.S. military’s standard heavy machinegun cartridge since the early twentieth century. This cartridge is now often used for long-range precision countersniper rifles.
BNSF: Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad.
BOQ: Bachelor officers quarters.
BP: Blood pressure.
BTR-70: A Russian eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier, designed in the 1960s.
BX: Base exchange.
C-4: Composition 4, a plastic explosive.
CAR-15: See M4.
CARC: Chemical agent resistant coating. The paint used on most U.S. military vehicles.
CAS: Close air support.
CAT: Combat application tourniquet.
CB: Citizens band radio. A VHF broadcasting band. There is no license required for operation in the United States. Some desirable CB transceivers are capable of SSB operation. Originally twenty-three channels, the citizens band was later expanded to forty channels during the golden age of CB in the 1970s.
CLP: Cleaner, lubricant, protectant. A mil-spec lubricant, sold under the trade name Break Free CLP.
CO: Commanding officer.
CO2: Carbon dioxide.
COD: Collect on delivery.
COMINT: Communications intelligence.
CONEX: Continental Express. The ubiquitous twenty-, thirty-, and forty-foot-long steel cargo containers used in multiple transportation modes.
CONUS: Continental United States.
COPS: Committee of Public Safety.
CP: Command post.
CPY: Ham radio shorthand for “Copy.”
CRKT: Columbia River Knife & Tool.
CU: Ham radio shorthand for “See you (later).”
CUCV: Commercial utility cargo vehicle. The 1980s-vintage U.S. Army versions of diesel Chevy Blazers and pickups, sold off as surplus in the early 2000s.
DE: Ham radio shorthand for “From.” This is used between call signs.