Red Phoenix (83 page)

Rhee stared at him silently for a moment and then slowly shook his head. “No, Captain, you don’t need me anymore for that. You’ve become a soldier on your own.”

Kevin thought about that for a second and nodded abruptly. “Maybe so.” Then, suddenly, he smiled and asked, “But who the hell do you expect me to play poker with if you’re not there?”

For once the South Korean was the one caught at a loss for words.

Kevin grinned wider himself and tossed Rhee the pack of cards he’d brought along. “So you’d better get well fast, Lieutenant. And you’d better practice up while doing it. I don’t play with amateurs.”

He looked down at his friend. “I’ll see you up at the Z in a few weeks. You’ll like it up there. It’s a pretty quiet place these days.”

And with that, he turned and walked out of the ward, whistling.

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GLOSSARY

A-6E Intruder:
A twin-engine attack plane, the Intruder is one of the few planes that can strike a target in any weather. It is launched from carriers and has a prodigious payload. The crew of two sits side by side, and although the copilot has no flight controls, he can fly the plane by telling the plane’s computer what to do.

A-7E Corsair:
A single-engine, single-seat attack jet, this plane first appeared during the Vietnam War. It is classed as a “light attack” jet and lacks the sophisticated sensors and massive payload of the A-6 Intruder. It is a popular aircraft with its pilots.

AA-2 Atoll:
The first Soviet heat-seeking air-to-air missile, it is a direct copy of the 1950s-vintage AIM-9B Sidewinder. Like the early model of this missile, it can attack targets only from the rear. It has a range of about two miles.

AA-7 Apex:
A Soviet radar-guided missile of mediocre performance. It has a range of about twenty miles.

AA-11 Archer:
A Soviet short-range, heat-seeking missile. It has a range of about four miles, and most importantly, the ability to engage enemy aircraft from the front.

AIM-54C Phoenix:
A U.S. radar-guided missile, it is linked to the F-14 Tomcat’s AWG-9 weapons system. This huge weapon has a range of eighty miles and a speed of five times the speed of sound.

AIM-7M Sparrow:
The standard U.S. radar-guided missile, its 25-mile range is shorter than that of the AIM-54C Phoenix, but much longer than that of the Sidewinder or any other heat-seeking missile. It has gone through many improvements. Although the initial versions used in Vietnam were poor performers, the later makes are considered very effective.

AIM-9L Sidewinder:
One of the most effective and successful missiles ever made. After launch, it homes in on the heat given off by an aircraft and explodes. Unlike earlier models, or other similar missiles of other countries, it does not need to see the hot tailpipe of a jet aircraft but can even lock onto an aircraft from the front. It has a range of about ten miles.

AK-47:
A Russian-designed assault rifle, this simple, effective weapon has been exported widely and copied by many nations. It is a 7.62-caliber rifle that can be fired either in semi or full automatic. It weighs about nine and a half pounds.

AKM:
A newer and slightly lighter version of the Soviet AK-47 rifle.

An-2 Colt:
A Soviet biplane first designed in the late 1940s. In spite of its ancient appearance, it is an excellent performer, is cheap, and has good short-field characteristics. Popular as a light transport and utility craft, over 18,000 have been built.

APC
—
Armored Personnel Carrier:
A general term used to describe vehicles designed to ferry infantry across the battlefield. Their light armor provides protection against artillery fragments and small-arms fire.

APS-115:
A U.S. radar carried in the nose of the P-3C Orion. Called a “surface search” radar, it is used to look for ships and especially periscopes.

AS-4 Kitchen:
A Soviet cruise missile, the “AS” stands for “air to surface.” “Kitchen” is the NATO code name assigned to the weapon. Supersonic, it is launched from large aircraft like the Backfire. It has a range of 280 miles and a one-ton warhead. The warhead can be either high explosive or a nuclear bomb.

ASROC—Antisubmarine Rocket:
Fired from Navy ships, it is used to attack submarines. A solid-fuel rocket quickly boosts a Mark 46 homing torpedo several miles to the presumed location of an enemy submarine. Once it arrives in the target area, the homing torpedo is lowered into the water by parachute. In place of the torpedo, ASROC can carry a nuclear depth charge.

ASW—Antisubmarine Warfare:
The art and science of killing enemy submarines.

AWG-9 radar:
The radar mounted in the nose of the F-14 Tomcat fighter. A very powerful and sophisticated unit, it allows the aircraft to track and fire AIM-54C Phoenix missiles at up to six air targets simultaneously.

BDU
—
Battle Dress, Uniform:
The Army’s name for camouflaged uniforms.

BLU-109 bomb:
A type of 2,000-pound bomb. It has a specially hardened case that allows it to penetrate many feet of reinforced concrete before detonating.

BMP
—
Bronevaya Maschina Piekhota:
A Russian armored personnel carrier, it carries seven troops and has a crew of two. A modern design, it has a small turret that mounts a 73mm gun or 30mm autocannon, an antitank missile launcher, and a machine gun. It is tracked, and amphibious.

BOQ
—
Bachelor Officers’ Quarters:
A cross between an apartment house, a dormitory, and a zoo, it is a place for unmarried officers to live on base rent-free. Each room has a combined bedroom and living room and a small bath. There are no kitchen or cooking facilities, although there is usually a refrigerator.

BTR
—
Bronetransportr:
A Russian term for a series of eight-wheeled armored personnel carriers.

BTR-60:
An eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier, it first appeared in the early 1960s. The first of a long series of similar designs, it has a boat-shaped hull and can carry fourteen men. One flaw in this design is its two gasoline engines, located behind thin armor. This was corrected in later versions.

C-141 Starlifter:
This four-engined transport is the stardard cargo plane for the U.S. Air Force. It can carry over 200 troops or 35 tons of cargo.

C-5 Galaxy:
The largest aircraft in the U.S. inventory, this monster can carry 110 tons of cargo. It rarely carries troops but instead is used to carry items too bulky or heavy for the C-141 Starlifter.

C4:
The designation for a type of plastic explosive used by the U.S. Army
and others. It can be worked like modeling clay, burned, or dropped, but it will not detonate without an igniter.

CAR-15:
A South Korean-built version of the U.S. M16 rifle.

CEV:
The M728 Combat Engineering Vehicle looks like a cross between a bulldozer and a tank. It has a built-in crane, a bulldozer blade, and a large, low-velocity “demolition gun.” It is used by the Army to clear obstacles and build entrenchments.

CH-53:
A twin-engined cargo helicopter, the CH-53 was also used in Vietnam as a combat rescue helicopter, with machine guns, armor, and a hoist for recovering downed pilots from inside enemy territory. This was so successful that the idea was expanded to the present MH-53E Pave Low, an ultrasophisticated machine loaded with sensors and weapons.

CIA
—
Central Intelligence Agency:
One of many U.S. intelligence agencies and the one most widely known. Headquartered in Langley, Virginia, across the Potomac from Washington, D.C.

CIC
—
Combat Information Center:
The compartment of a Navy warship where displays showing information from the ship’s radars, sonars, lookouts, and any other sensors are located. The ship’s captain will normally “fight his ship” from here, where he can see what is going on around his vessel. It was first developed during World War II, when sea battles moved out beyond visual range.

CINCPAC—Commander in Chief Pacific:
A U.S. officer in command of all American forces in the Pacific area. The post is usually occupied by an admiral, but he also controls Army, Air Force, and Marine units in his jurisdiction. Also referred to as a “unified commander.”

CINCPACFLT—Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet:
The admiral in charge of all U.S. naval forces in the Pacific Ocean. He reports to CINCPAC.

Claymore mine:
Most land mines are buried in the ground and are tripped when a vehicle or soldier passes over them. The Claymore is different. Spikes hold it upright on the surface of the ground. It is tripped electrically, on command, and sends out a fan-shaped pattern of steel balls that shred anything in their path. It is called a “directional” mine.

COMSUBPAC—Commander Submarines Pacific:
The admiral in charge of all submarines in the Pacific Ocean. There are corresponding commanders
for surface and air forces, COMSURFPAC and COMAIRPAC. All report to CINCPACFLT.

CP
—
Command Post:
The term used to designate the location of an army unit’s headquarters.

DEFCON—Defense Condition:
A series of formalized levels describing the status of U.S. armed forces. DEFCON V is peacetime, IV is heightened readiness, III is crisis, DEFCON II indicates a conventional war is in progress, DEFCON I indicates a nuclear war is under way.

DICASS—Directional Command-Activated Sonobuoy:
Dropped from aircraft, this device is used to help search for submarines. Once in the water, on command, it will send out sonar pings into the water.

DMZ
—
Demilitarized Zone:
A four-kilometer-wide area between the two Koreas where no military forces are allowed. While the Zone itself is not militarized, the areas just north and south of it are very militarized. Troops stationed along it commonly refer to the Zone as the “Z.”

Dragon:
A medium-range, wire-guided antitank missile that is fired by an infantryman. It has a thermal sight, a range of about 1,000 meters, and will penetrate all but the heaviest armor.

DSC
—
Defense Security Command:
Part of the South Korean Army specifically tasked with watching the officer corps for signs of disloyalty or an impending coup. Their authority is absolute.

E-2C Hawkeye:
A twin-engine turboprop, this plane is instantly recognizable by the massive radar saucer that sits on top of the fuselage. Carrying a crew of radar operators and fighter controllers, the E-2C can see air and surface contacts hundreds of miles out and control the defense of a task force. It carries no weapons and is relatively slow.

E-3 Sentry:
An ultrasophisticated AWACS—airborne early warning and control system—built into a Boeing 707 fuselage. Like the E-2C Hawkeye, the E-3 is characterized by a massive radar saucer and by its ability to monitor and control air battles within a several-hundred-mile radius.

EA-6B Prowler:
A heavily modified A-6 Intruder, this twin-jet aircraft carries powerful jamming equipment in the fuselage and in pods under the wings. The A-6’s normal crew of two is doubled to four, three of whom
operate the Prowler’s electronics. It can interfere with enemy weapons, radars, and radio communications at long ranges.

ELINT—Electronic Intelligence:
Aircraft equipped with sensitive receivers patrol off enemy coasts or near enemy ships, recording the radar and communications signals they detect. The information is then taken back to base and analyzed.

EMCON—Emission Control:
Radars and radio send out active signals, emissions that can be detected (see
ESM).
Emission Control is used to restrict such transmissions and reduce a task force’s chance of being detected.

ESM
—
Electronic Support Measures:
This meaningless term is the name for a type of sensor carried on warships and some aircraft. It is used to detect the radar transmissions of other ships and aircraft, and to determine their nature and direction.

ETR:
Estimated Time of Repair.

F-14A Tomcat:
A huge, carrier-launched fighter, it is designed exclusively to engage enemy aircraft at long range with Phoenix and Sparrow radar-guided missiles. It is also fairly maneuverable and carries Sidewinders and a 20mm cannon for close-in work. It has two engines and a crew of two.

F-16 Falcon:
A single-engine, single-seat fighter used by the U.S. Air Force. An excellent “dogfighter,” at present it lacks the capability to fire long-range, radar-guided missiles.

F-15 Eagle:
A twin-engine, single-seat fighter used by the U.S. Air Force. Almost as maneuverable as the F-16 Falcon, it is much larger and can fire long-range, radar-guided missiles.

F-18A Hornet:
A twin-engine, single-seat jet designed to replace the A-7 Corsair II. The F-18A is a multirole aircraft intended to be equally adept as either an attack aircraft or an air-superiority fighter. It is very maneuverable and is designed to be launched from carriers.

F-4 Phantom II:
A twin-engine, two-seat fighter, it was designed by the U.S. and exported widely. In terms of the number produced and different roles it has performed, the F-4 is probably one of the most successful
aircraft of all time. It can carry radar-guided missiles, but is used by the South Korean Air Force for ground attack, at which it is most effective.

FAC
—
Forward Air Controller:
Fast-moving jet aircraft have trouble picking out small, camouflaged ground targets. Forward Air Controllers fly in slow-flying aircraft at low altitude and act as “spotters” for the attack jet. They find enemy targets, sometimes mark them with smoke rockets or a laser designator, and steer the incoming air strike right in on top of the enemy.

FEBA—Forward Edge of the Battle Area:
An Army term meaning the point where U.S. and enemy troops are in contact.

Feniks sonar:
A Russian sonar carried by Romeo-class submarines. It is a forty-year-old design and has extremely short range.

GAO
—
Government Accounting Office:
The fiscal watchdog of the federal government.

GAU-8/A gun:
A 30mm Gatling gun mounted in the nose of the A-10 Warthog. Designed specifically for tank killing, the gun has a rate of fire of 4,200 rounds per minute. It fires a special round made of fantastically heavy depleted uranium.