(Atlantic) Matti Friedman - When I was serving in the Israeli army in Lebanon, I heard a lot about "Buttercup," a radar that alerted us to incoming mortar shells, and also about the "Artichoke" night-vision system for tank gunners. Not much in our verbal arsenal was warlike - there was very little in the spirit of the "Hellfire" missile or the "Predator" drone. Our base was called Outpost Pumpkin. The artillery battery that helped us out when necessary was called Sycamore. Near us were outposts Basil, Citrus, and Red Pepper. In the Israeli army there is a unit sent undercover after terrorists called "Cherry." Another elite outfit is "Pomegranate." According to the Israeli linguist Ruvik Rosenthal, the floral euphemisms reflect the fact that while Israelis recognize the necessity of war, they don't celebrate it and would rather not think about it. The writer, a former journalist for AP in Jerusalem (2006-11), is the author of Pumpkinflowers: A Soldier's Story (2016).
2016-05-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive