were still there, and to prepare a claim for any damages. The decision as to whether personal property that survived would be sent back to the States or families brought back to Germany hadn't been made yet.
It was strange returning to the military community the battalion had left a little over a month earlier. So much had changed. The community looked the same, empty of people but otherwise unchanged. The MP who escorted Bannon's group verified their names and quarters' addresses before letting each of them into their quarters. Bannon, like most of the others, had lost his keys somewhere along the way.
When he walked into his quarters, Bannon was overcome by a feeling of relief and joy. For the first time, he knew that it was all over. The horrors, though they would never be forgotten, were now relegated to the past. He looked around the quarters. Everything was as it had been when he had left. He was home.
He picked up the family album and sat on the sofa, just as he had that night in early August.
As he leafed through it, he realized how much he missed his family. Looking at the pictures of his children, he was secure in the knowledge that they had a future free of the fears both he and his wife had grown up with. Again, Americans had been called on to pay for their freedom. And again, they had met the challenge, paid the price, and prevailed. Bannon prayed this would be the last time. But he knew better.
Glossary
A-10: A U.S. Air Force jet designed specifically to provide close air support to ground forces.
AH 1: The designation of the Cobra attack helicopter. There are several versions, and armaments range from 7.62mm miniguns up to TOW antitank guided missiles. The TOW provides the main punch of the Cobra.
AK: Short for AK47 or AK74 rifle, the standard assault rifle of the Soviet infantryman.
Armed Forces Network: The official radio and television network of the U.S. Armed Forces, serving American military forces deployed overseas.
Assembly Area: A location normally behind friendly lines where a unit closes into a tight circle in order to rest, rearm, and prepare for further operations.
Autobahn: The German equivalent to our interstate highway system, the autobahns, in fact, inspired and acted as a model for our interstate highway system.
Auxiliary Radio Receiver: Sometimes referred to as the AUX, it is simply a radio receiver, unable to transmit. Command vehicles normally carry a radio that can receive and transmit set to the radio frequency of the commander's unit and an auxiliary radio set to the radio frequency of his commanding officer.
Basic Load: A prescribed number of rounds or amount of supply carried by a combat vehicle or individual soldier.
BBC: British Broadcasting system.
BMP: A Soviet fully tracked infantry-fighting vehicle mounting either a 73mm gun or a 25mm cannon in the BMP-2 version, an antitank guided missile, and 7.62mm machine gun. The BMP carries a crew of three and a nine- man infantry squad. The BMP provided the prime motivation for the design and production of the Bradley fighting vehicle.
BTR: A designator identifying any one of several types of Soviet armored personnel carriers from the four- wheeled BTR-152 of World War II vintage to the BTR-70, an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier now being fielded.
BTR-60: A Soviet eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier. This vehicle comes in several versions, from the original, which has an open top, to the BTR-60PB, which is completely enclosed and carries a small turret mounting a 14.5mm and a 7.62mm machine gun. In addition to the personnel carrier version, the BTR-60 serves as a command and control vehicle, close air support vehicle, and other such uses.
Bradley: An armored fighting vehicle that comes in two versions, the M-2 mechanized infantry fighting vehicle version and the M-3 scout version. Both have a two-man turret that mounts a TOW missile launcher, a 25mm chain gun, and a 7.62mm machine gun mounted coaxially with the 25mm gun.
CEOI: Short for communication and electronic operating instructions. The CEOI contains all radio frequencies, radio call signs, signal information, and passwords and countersigns.
CEV: Short for combat engineer vehicle. This vehicle is a specially modified tank that carries a large caliber demolition gun used for reducing obstacles, a dozer blade for digging positions or clearing debris, and a boom and winch.
Chemical Alarm: A small portable device the size of a bread box that samples the air and alerts its users when a chemical agent, gas, is detected.
CINC: Short for commander in chief, the term is pronounced 'sink.' In this case, it is referring to the four-star general in command of all NATO forces in Europe.
CO: Short for commanding officer.
COAX: Short for coaxially mounted machine gun. This weapon is normally a 7.62mm machine gun mounted next to the main weapon of a fighting vehicle.
Cobra: Nickname of the AH I attack helicopter. The Cobra is also referred to as a 'Snake.'
Cupola: A small, freely rotating turret on top of a tank turret or personnel carrier that incorporates a hatch, vision blocks, and usually a weapon such as a machine gun.
CVC: Short for combat vehicle crewman's helmet. This helmet provides protection to the tracked vehicle crewman's head as the tank bounces around the countryside. It is also wired to the vehicle's radio and intercom, allowing the crewman to hear what is being broadcast and to broadcast over the radio and intercom.
Division Rear: Military units occupy terrain. The terrain that the unit occupies is called a sector and is normally subdivided into sectors with subordinate units responsible for the sector they occupy. The division rear is that part of the division's sector that is to the rear of the forward-deployed combat brigades. The division rear is normally managed by the division's support command, called DISCOM, and contains most of the noncombat support elements such as supply units, maintenance units, medical units, etc.
DPICM: Short for dual-purpose, improved conventional munitions. This is an artillery round that contains many small submunitions or bomblets that are capable of defeating the thin armor located on top of armored vehicles as well as being effective against personnel and other 'soft' targets.
Dragon: A medium antitank guided missile launcher. Manportable, the Dragon is the infantry's medium-range antitank weapon, with a range of 1000 meters.
Executive Officer: The second in command of a unit. In a company, the executive officer, or XO, is a first lieutenant; in a battalion, he is a major. Traditionally the XO is responsible for handling the administrative and logistical matters in the unit.
45: Short for the caliber .45 M 1911 A 1 pistol, the standard side arm for the U.S. Army. This weapon has been in the Army's inventory since 1911.
Field Phone: Simple telephones that are powered either by sound TA-ls or D-cell batteries TA-312s and connected by two-strand wire called WD-1.
Fighting positions: The location or position from which a soldier or fighting vehicle fights.
This position is usually improved to provide protection to the soldier or vehicle and camouflaged to hide the position until the soldier or vehicle fires.
First Sergeant: The senior NCO in a company, normally a master sergeant or E-8. In combat, the First Sergeant assists the executive officer in handling the administrative and logistical needs of the company.
FIST: Short for fire-support team. This team is headed by an artillery lieutenant and coordinates all requests for artillery and mortar fires as well as close air support. The FIST team consists of four to six men and travels in an M-113, normally within arm's reach of the company commander.
FSOFSE: Fire-support officer and fire-support element. The fire-support officer is responsible for coordinating all indirect fires, i.e. artillery, mortar, and close air support, for the battalion or brigade to which he is attached. The fire-support element is located at the battalion or brigade command post.
Gasthaus: A small German neighborhood restaurant and pub that may also include a hotel.
GB: A chemical agent.
Gun Mantel: The armor that protects a tank's main gun and its cradle.
Halon Gas: A gas used to extinguish fires in the M-l and Bradley vehicles. Automatic fire sensors detect fires
