Easy Day for the Dead (34 page)

NOD:
Night Optical Device. Used for seeing in the dark.

NSA:
National Security Agency. Collects foreign communications and signals intelligence and protects U.S. government communications.

PT:
Physiology technician.

Quds Force:
Quds Force is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's special operations unit. Quds Force trains and assists terrorists such as Hezbollah to influence governments abroad. Quds Force reports directly to the Ayatollah.

RHIB:
Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat. A thirty-six-foot-long Naval Special Warfare boat designed primarily for inserting and extracting SEALs. The RHIB travels at speeds of over forty knots (sixty-four kilometers an hour). It is also tough enough to operate in heavy seas and high winds. Armament can include a 7.62 machine gun, .50-caliber machine gun, and 40mm grenade launcher.

RPG:
Rocket-propelled grenade.

SEAL:
The U.S. Navy's elite
SE
a,
A
ir, and
L
and commandos. During World War II, the first Navy frogmen were trained to recon beaches for amphibious landings. Soon they learned underwater demolitions in order to clear obstacles and became known as Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs). In the Korean War, UDTs evolved and went farther inland, blowing up bridges and tunnels. Years later, after observing communist insurgency in Southeast Asia, President John F. Kennedy—who had served in the Navy during World War II—and others in the military understood the need for unconventional warriors. The Navy created a unit that could operate from sea, air, and land—SEALs—drawing heavily from UDTs. On January 1,
1962, SEAL Team One and SEAL Team Two were born. By the end of the war, the military decorated SEAL Teams One and Two with three Medals of Honor, two Navy Crosses, forty-two Silver Stars, 402 Bronze Stars, and numerous other awards. For every SEAL killed, they killed two hundred. Over time, because SEALS could do both UDT and SEAL jobs, the UDT Teams were absorbed by the SEALs. The SEAL Teams expanded. Currently, the odd-numbered teams—One, Three, Five, and Seven—are stationed on the West Coast at Coronado, California. (Team Nine hasn't been created, but if the Teams expanded, it would probably be next.) The even-numbered teams—Two, Four, Six, Eight, and Ten—are located on the East Coast at Little Creek, Virginia.

Shiite:
Followers of one of the two main sects of Islam. Iran is predominantly Shiite, and although Syria is mostly Sunni, Shiites control the government, including the military and police.

SIG Sauer P226 Navy 9mm:
SIG stands for Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft, which is German for “Swiss Industrial Company.” The P226 pistol has phosphate corrosion-resistant finish on the internal parts, contrast sights, and an anchor engraved on the slide. Holds fifteen rounds in the magazine. Designed especially for the SEALs.

Sunni:
Followers of the more popular of the two main sects of Islam. Lebanon is predominantly Sunni, and although Iraq is mostly populated with Shiites, under the rule of Saddam Hussein, Sunnis controlled the country.

XO:
Executive Officer. The second in command, under the CO.

Zoaf:
Iranian knockoff of the SIG Sauer 9mm pistol (see SIG Sauer P226 Navy 9mm).

I would like to thank God for my success and my blessing at being born an American. As I never thought I would live past forty, I am in awe of my world being seen through fifty-year-old eyes. My first grandchild, Emma, has changed and inspired me and has made life seem even more precious.

Special thanks to Jo-Ann and Harley Grove. Without their input and editing skills there is no doubt that my part of the project would not have been as constructive.

Last, thank you to the hundreds of thousands of you who have bought and enjoyed our books. You have both humbled and inspired me.

God bless America and our troops.

Dr. Howard E. Wasdin D.C.

I'd like to thank Reiko, Kent, and Maria for their emotional support and inspiration. Also, I appreciate Carol Scarr for her excellent editing advice for earlier drafts of
Outcasts
and
Easy Day for the Dead
.

Stephen Templin

ALSO BY HOWARD E. WASDIN AND STEPHEN TEMPLIN

OUTCASTS: A SEAL TEAM SIX NOVEL

Gallery Books

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the authors' imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Gallery Books hardcover edition December 2013

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Jacket design by Alan Dingman

Jacket photograph by Arcangel

Author photograph of Stephen Templin by © Silvy Tompkins

Author photograph of Howard E. Wasdin by © Howard E. Wasdin

ISBN 978-1-4516-8297-7

ISBN 978-1-4516-8298-4 (ebook)