Fair enough aquarivs if that is the case... however I've yet to hear the term spider hole reference once in the media, prior to saddam being found in one. I was indeed implying that the term was keenly used to paint him as a villain, when such language was unnecessary. If you can point me to a media reference referring to a spider hole that is dated prior to the discovery of saddam, I'd be much obliged.

TurnRightThenLeft

Spider-hole; American Vietnam era-American Pacific era descriptor. You would have to find a news article no earlier than April 1975 to find such a reference. More likely even earlier?
News reporters in combat zones like to think that microphone they carry is a 80lb ruck and a FN all wrapped up in one. The first thing they want to learn is the jargon, not realizing most field jargon is fairly black humour. It's the soldiers way to find the bright side in a difficult situation.

There's this spider, called a trap door spider. Ambushes it's prey from these holes that they burrow and then make little lids out of spider webbing. Some bug comes crawling past unawares and spidie nabs it on the way by.

Japanese used them during the Pacific war, and the North Vietnamese did the same during their war with South Vietnam and the American army.

When your head is already on a swivel and your bladder or your sphincter holds the key to your last nerve ending, having an enemy pop out of nowhere dead in front or more like behind you... If you survive, naming that moment becomes important.
Not many think to carry a change of pants. :-)

funguy

Thanks - just did a little research.

The comments particularly from TRTL and aqvarivs are getting mighty interesting.

AQVARIVS I'm assuming you served in Vietnam and maybe a bit later on...? You can bring many learned perspectives on what it might be like in Iraq and Afghanistan that we "civvies" can only imagine.

Pete

Pete

I did get to Vietnam in the '80's and that war had long past but, one could still be killed by undetected land mines. Even today I think?

Elsewhere I did a bit of urban house to house. Kicking in doors and throwing grenades and clearing the place room by room. Dashing from pillar to post and spying around the corner. Wouldn't have been so bad if there had been just one side to the street. You spend most of your time with your shoulders scrunched up around your ears while you try to get further into your helmet. I spent a lot of time trying to find a way to get my butt under my helmet. I figured I could take one in the leg as long as I was pointed in the right direction to escape that first burst of gunfire.

Whats going on in Afghanistan and Iraq is even worse. Those poor soldiers have to police the streets as well as defend themselves from attack and they can't defend themselves until they're shot at. Which means a car bomb ignites, or an IED is triggered, or a man drops in front of you before you react. And if you do get ambushed by a bunch of al-qeada or talibani types and some civilian gets clipped in the firefight. Well, guess which side gets blamed.

I don't think the Americans lost a single soldier getting to Baghdad(?) but, lost 3000 as police.

Me. I'll go in hard and take my chances. I'm not going to go in and stand around in the sunshine with a poster board saying, "over here!"
:-)
Cheers!

aqvarivs

Thanks for the description mate.

Regards

Pete

Touche aquarivs. Clearly you have more knowledge of military lingo than I. It's probably more a case of the media running with the ball in this instance.
In review, I must admit I haven't seen as many negative suggestive terms during the course of the war, aside from 'axis of evil.'
I guess by and large the propagandists prefer positive spin, such as 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' or when legislating, items like the 'Patriot Act.'

I've yet to hear Saddam's palace referred to as a 'Fortress of Darkness' but heck, let's see what Ahmadinejad's referred to as in the upcoming weeks.