(no subject)
Generation Kill v2.0 - the Bahad
GLOSSARY
Bahad - training base
Bamachaneh - the official journal of the IDF, distributed to IDF soldiers and veterans.
Ahlan - hi (from Arabic)
Staff Sergeant - Brad’s a Sergeant, not a Staff Sergeant, in GK. In the IDF, however, he’d have been a sergeant after about 2 years of service, and a promoted to Staff Sergeant after that; it’s the highest rank for boys in mandatory service.
Elite coffee - cheap instant coffee that stands on a shelf in every IDF office and one really drinks anywhere else.
Matkalists - soldiers of Sayeret Matkal, the most elitist special forces unit in the IDF; literally, General Staff Reconnaissance Unit. Nicknamed “the Unit”.
Kinneret - the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s largest lake and major drinking water supply. The ever-deteriorating level of water due to dry winters is a source of much worry.
Moshav - a particular kind of agricultural settlement, reminiscent to a kibbutz but less communal. Although less ideological than they used to be, they’re still farm-based and, well, smell like it.
Zayin - the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and incidentally a euphemism for ‘dick’. No days end in zayin.
Herzliya Pituach - an upscale suburb north of Tel Aviv.
Hiria - Israel’s biggest waste dump.
Gilad Shalit - an Israeli soldier kidnapped into Gaza in June 2006. Negotiations for his release are still going on.
Ha’aretz -one of the three major daily Israeli newspapers (also considered the most left-wing.)
Bamba - peanut-flavored corn puffs, the best selling Israeli snack, and a permanent fixture in the soldier diet.
Shekem - military kiosks found at almost every base, holding the basest of snacks and hygiene products.
Jobniks - non-combatants.
Bahad 1 - Officer Training School.
Lezayen basechel - to go on and on about something (literally: to mindfuck.)
Krembo - chocolate-coated marshmallow treat, super popular in winter. It’s correct method of eating is the subject of never-ending debate.
Who Dares Wins - the Sayeret Matkal motto.
“Until when?” - or “Ad Matay?” - the ultimate whining-soldier question, usually accompanied by a date. “Until when August ‘03?” would be asked - or scratched and graffitied across every available surface at the base, whatever - by soldiers who were drafted in Aug ’03, with the implied answer being Aug ’06 (or Aug ’05 for girls), their release date. While being on everyone’s mind pretty much all the time, the only people “allowed” to voice the question by the military social code are the most senior soldiers in the room (by service-time, not rank), otherwise, seriously, who the hell do you think you are
Tzair -- derogatory term for someone who’s seniority is below yours, literally: young. Your social position, especially in mandatory service, is determined by seniority, which sometimes seems like the only freaking thing anybody cares about. “Tzair met” = dead young. Same thing.
Loof - the Israeli brand of Spam (edible, not electronic.) (Well, calling it edible is negotiable.)
Kus [your mom] - lit: your mother’s vajayjay. Can be used either as a general “fuck it!” or as a directed “fuck you”.
Asak - not giving a *bleep* about anything when you’re in the final stretch of your service, or training. Lit: abbreviation of “end-of-course-atmosphere.”
Yalla - in this case, an urge to hurry up.
Achi - bro.
S’emo - short for kus emo, which, *points up*.
Shvizut - military slang for majorly bummed out. Lit: acronym for “broken-dicked”.