I head over to the edge of the deck and flag down a carrier seagull from the night sky.
“Fly fast,” I tell her.
As the seagull flies away, I walk over to the Pawtriots and Penny and put my paw around her, pulling her in close. I hold her tight as we watch the sea glimmering in the moonlight.
“I’ve never been to Boston,” Penny says to me.
“Me neither.” I say to her. “A new adventure awaits us.”
“Oi! As long as there are no mutant spiders or squids and plenty of treats, I’m looking forward to it,” Brick says as we all laugh.
THE SOLDIER’S CREED
The standard by which all US Army personnel are expected to live by. All Army-enlisted personnel are taught the Soldier’s Creed during basic training.
Soldier’s Creed
I am an American Soldier.
I am a warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.
GLOSSARY OF ARMY-TALK
In each book of the Pawtriot Dogs series, author and former Army Captain Samuel P. Fortsch incorporates words and phrases he and his fellow soldiers used in the Army. The following is a list of some of those sayings, as reported directly from Fortsch himself. These definitions are not official; rather, they show the way actual soldiers speak on and off the battlefield.
Affirmative — Another way to say “yes” or “correct”
AO — Abbreviation of “Area of Operations.” This is a designated area where a unit will be conducting combat operations.
Brig — A holding cell
Camo-up — To apply camouflage
Chow — Food
Class 1 — The class of supply regarding your unit’s current levels of food and water
Cyclic Rate — How fast a weapon can shoot
Debrief — To quickly explain a situation to someone
Double-time — To move twice as fast, or simply, “hurry up”
Exfil — To withdraw from or leave a location
Eyes on — Say this when you want to know whether someone can see the thing you are pointing to. For instance, “Do you have eyes on the ship in the distance?”
Flank — The sides of a military formation
Hard-liner — Someone who sticks closely to the rules
Hard time — A deadline
High-speed — Really cool equipment or a highly skilled soldier
Hooah — This is the Army’s rallying cry. Soldiers use it in many instances, but most commonly as a way to say, “Let’s go!”
Intel — Short for “intelligence,” meaning any useful information
King of Battle — Nickname for the Field Artillery
Klick — Short for “one kilometer”
LDA — Abbreviation of “Linear Danger Area.” This is a long, narrow open area that is risky to cross, as you and your unit will be exposed to the enemy.
Lock it up — To be quiet
MIA — Abbreviation of “Missing in Action.” Say this when somebody is unaccounted for.
Mikes — Minutes
Move out — Start walking or running to another location
MRE — Abbreviation for “Meal, Ready to Eat.” These are individual rations for service members when they are on the go and don’t have access to a proper food facility.
Negative — Another way to say “no”
Noise and light discipline — Short way to say, “No loud noises or bright lights, as they may give away our position.”
North South — To nod your head up and down, as in the direction of north to south. This motion signals “yes” or means you understand what is being asked of you.
NVG — Abbreviation of “Night Vision Goggles,” which soldiers use to see in the dark
On Me — Short for “huddle up next to me”
OPSEC — Abbreviation of “Operations Security,” meaning it’s not safe to tell people you don’t know the details of your mission
Outside the wire — To leave your base and go out on a mission
PT — Abbreviation for “Physical Training,” like running, push-ups, and sit-ups
Pop Smoke — To leave or retreat an area quickly
R&R — Abbreviation for “Rest and Relaxation,” because even soldiers need to rest
Recon — To explore and scout an area to gain information about any activity
Roger that — To confirm that a message has been received. In short, it means “I understand.”
RP1 — Rally Point #1, the first place where troops meet during a mission
RTB — Abbreviation of “Return to Base,” meaning “time to go home”
SitRep — Abbreviation of “Situation Report.” This is a written document containing all the details—the who, what, where, when, why—of the mission.
Ten toes up — To be asleep on your back
Three points of contact — To make sure you have at least two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand in contact with whatever obstacle you’re moving up or down on. This increases your chances of safely navigating the obstacle.
TOC — Abbreviation for “Tactical Operations Center.” This is a place where battlefield operations are tracked and coordinated.
Tracking — Short for “I understand”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samuel P. Fortsch is a former Captain in the US Army and a lifelong writer who first began creating other worlds and characters in the fifth grade. He lives in Western Massachusetts with his lovely wife, three wonderful kids, and his two pooches.
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