Dictionary Of The Modern United States Military: Over 15,000 Weapons, Agencies, Acronyms, Slang, Installations, Medical Terms and Other Lexical Units of Warfare vol 2 - Softcover

S.F. Tomajczyk is the author of 11 nonfiction books who specializes in military affairs and terrorism. He is the Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

This dictionary of 15,000 terms does not have to rely on its definitions of weapons systems to justify its place in reference departments. The language of the individual soldier, who remains the primary weapon, receives most of the author's attention. Everyday terms relating to disease, crime, communication, drugs, food, hygiene, prisoners, and retirement are defined. See also references help users identify related terms, and acronyms are defined. Of major reference value is the "Topical Index," which groups terms together under 124 broad subject headings, such as Terrorism, Space, President of the United States. Definitions are complete and easily understood; care has been taken to include illustrative quotations, many of which are amusing. There are no personal-name entries, and word treatment aids such as pronunciation, syllabication, or parts of speech are not included. The typeface is perhaps too small for easy reading. All entries are arranged in letter-by-letter order; e.g., Electronic Warfare Technician precedes Electronic War. The work includes an extensive bibliography, but entries are not linked to sources in any way. There are four appendixes: tables of chemical agents, military designations, military ranks, and military protocol (e.g., the vice president of the U.S. receives a 19-gun salute).

The dictionary provides interesting definitions for terms used by military personnel on a day-to-day basis and deserves a place in many academic library reference collections.