The Bahrain Conspiracy

Please read, use and enjoy this READER’S COMPANION for the novel. The READER’S COMPANION is intended to enhance the reader’s experience by providing additional background information for the reader. Below you will find:

ISLAMIC WORDS AND PHRASES

NAVY / ARMY RANKS OF UNITED STATES

MILITARY ABBREVIATIONS

UNDERSTANDING UNIVERSAL TIME COORDINATED (UTC)

ISLAMIC WORDS AND PHRASES

 

 The Author notes that there may be different spellings or slightly different interpretations of these words and phrases. The Author further notes that the other spellings or interpretations of these words and phrases have value and meaning in areas of the Muslim world. However, it is the Author’s intent that in this fictional novel the meanings are as defined here.

 

Adhan – The call to mid-morning prayer

Allah Akbar - Allah is Great

Al-Mumit – 61st name of Allah – The Destroyer

Al-Muntaqim –81st name of Allah – The Avenger

As Salamu’Alaykum - Peace Be With You

Bisht – A loose robe

Burqa - a female garment that covers all but the eyes

Fi Amanullah - May Allah protect you

Hady – Sacrificial animal

Insha’Allah – If Allah wills it

Isha - Late evening prayers

Jannah – Paradise

Jihad – Holy war

Khobz – Unleavened bread

La Illah Illah Allah – There is no God but Allah

Masha’Allah - As Allah has willed

Muhammad Rasul Allah –  Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah

Mujahid – An Islamic warrior

Mujahideen – A group of Muslim warriors engaged in jihad

Nasraani – Christians

Quiblah – Towards Mecca  

Qahiriyat – A fried sugar and almond pastry shaped something like a pretzel

Sharia – Islamic Law

Shawarma – A spit cooked lamb

Subhan’Allah – Glory to Allah …May also be ‘wow’

Thawb – The robes worn in Saudi Arabia by men

Wa Alaykum us-sallam – And to you peace

Yehoodi – Jews 

Yur-Hummaa-Kul-Lah - May Allah have mercy on you

 

 

 

 

 

 

US NAVY / ARMY RANKS

 

US Navy Officer Designations                                        US Army Officer Equivalents

 

(Highest to Lowest rank)                                    

FADM- Fleet Admiral                                                         General

ADM – Admiral                                                                   Lieutenant General

VADM- Vice Admiral                                                         Major General

RADM- Rear Admiral                                                        Brigadier General

CPT – Captain                                                                    Colonel

CDR – Commander                                                            Lieutenant Colonel

LCDR- Lieutenant Commander                                        Major

LT – Lieutenant                                                                 Captain

LTJG- Lieutenant Junior Grade                                       1st Lieutenant

ENS- Ensign                                                                       2nd Lieutenant

 

US Navy Enlisted Rank Designations                          US Army Enlisted Equivalents

 

(Highest to Lowest rank)

MCPON – Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy      Command Sergeant Major of the Army

CMCPO- Command Master Chief Petty Officer           Command Sergeant Major

FMCPO- Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer                     Sergeant Major

MCPO- Master Chief Petty Officer                                 1st Sergeant    

SCPO- Senior Chief Petty Officer                                    Master Sergeant

CPO- Chief Petty Officer                                                  Senior Staff Sergeant  

PO1- Petty Officer 1st Class                                            Staff Sergeant

PO2- Petty Officer 2nd Class                                           Sergeant         

PO3- Petty Officer 3rd Class                                           Corporal / Specialist

 

US Navy Enlisted Rank Designations                          US Army Enlisted Equivalents

 

AN – Airman                                                               Private First Class

CN – Constructionman

FN - Fireman

HN- Hospitalman

SN – Seaman                                                              

 

AA – Airman Apprentice                                             Private 2

CA – Constructionman Apprentice

FA- Fireman Apprentice

HA – Hospitalman Apprentice

SA- Seaman Apprentice                                                          

 

AR- Airman Recruit                                                     Private 1

CR – Constructionman Recruit

FR – Fireman Recruit

HR – Hospitalman Recruit

SR – Seaman Recruit 

           

 

MILITARY ABBREVIATIONS

                                                         A

AA – Anti Aircraft

APC – Armored Personnel Carrier

AST – Alaska Standard Time

AWACS – Airborne Warning And Control System

AWOL – Absent With Out Leave

                                          B

BCP – Basic Combat Package – essentially a cargo container full of weapons, ammunition, communication devices and rations for 1 platoon for 1 week 

BDU – Battle Dress Uniform

BFD – Big Flipping Deal

BMOC – Battle Management Operations Center

BRC –  Biological / Radiological / Chemical

BRC Suit – A Biological / Radiological / Chemical resistant suit

BUD/SEAL – Basic Underwater Demolition / Special Operations Operative Training

                                          C

 

CENCOMPAC – Central Command Pacific

CIA – Central Intelligence Agency

CO – Commanding Officer

COS – Chief Of Staff

CST – Central Standard Time

CVN – USN Aircraft carrier designation

 

                                          D

DDG – USN Destroyer class designation

DEVGRU – Naval Special Warfare - Development Group

DOD – Department of Defense

                                          E

EMP – Electro-Magnetic Pulse

EST – Eastern Standard Time

                                          F

FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigations

FDR – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

                                          G

GID – Gaseous Ionization Detector

GMT – Greenwich Meridian Time – the same as ZULU or UTC

                                          H

HST – Hawaiian Standard Time

IED – Improvised Explosive Device

                                           I

IKE – Nickname for CVN-69 Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier

INS – Immigration and Naturalization Services

                                           J

JDS – Japanese Defense Ship

JMSDF – Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces

JSDF – Japanese Self-Defense Forces

JST – Japanese Standard Time

                                          K

KIA – Killed In Action

                                          M

M4 – A 5.56mm fully automatic shoulder fired rifle

MIA – Missing In Action

MP – Military Police

MST – Mountain Standard Time

                                          N

N-1 – Personnel Division

N-2 – Intelligence Division

N-3 – Operations Training

N-4 – Logistics Division

NH4 NO3 – Ammonium Nitrate

NDC – National Defense Command

NHSA – National Home Security Agency

NOAA – National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

NSA – National Security Advisor or National Security Agency

NYPA – New York Port Authority

NYPD – New York Police Department

                                          O

OPS – Operations

                                           P

PST – Pacific Standard Time

PTRR – Physical Training Rehabilitation and Remediation platoon

                                           R

RDX – Royal Demolitions Explosives

RFN – Russian Federation Navy

RPG – Rocket Propelled Grenade

                                           S

SCA – Suez Canal Authority

SCUBA – Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

SEAL – Sea Air Land operative (SEa Air Land = SEAL)

SNAFU -  Situation Normal All Fouled Up

SOD – Secretary of Defense

SOPATCOM – Special Operations Atlantic Command 

SOPMOD –Special Operations Modified

SOPS – Special Operations

SOS – Secretary of State

SAM – Surface to Air Missile

SSM – Surface to Surface Missile

                                         U

UAV – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

UARV – Unmanned Aerial Reconnaissance Vehicle

UNREP – Underway Replenishment

USA – United States Army / United States of America

USAF – United States Air Force

USCG – United States Coast Guard

USCGC – United States Coast Guard Cutter

USN – United States Navy

UTC – Universal Time Coordinated – Same at ZULU or GMT

                                          V

VSST – Voice Scrambled Satellite Telephone

                                          W

WMD – Weapon(s) of Mass Destruction

                                          X

XO – Executive Officer

                                          Z

ZULU – (time) Same as UTC or GMT

 

UNDERSTANDING UTC

 

Universal Time Coordinated = UTC = ZULU Time = GMT = Greenwich Meridian Time = Greenwich Mean Time = Prime Meridian = 0 hour +/-.   

As humans we have evolved sufficiently to agree to a worldwide system of time keeping. Our planet revolves 1 time in 24 hours and we have agreed to divide the planet into 24 equal parts, each representing the distance the Earth revolved in that one hour. We refer to these divisions as Time Zones. Each zone is approximately 15° of arc.

We agreed in 1675 to begin these 24 divisions at the Prime Meridian. The names in the 1st paragraph all refer to the point we have agreed begins our numbering. It may be called any or all of those or simply 0° Longitude. It is where the first ‘official’ timepiece was kept at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. Clocks would be an hour later for all Time Zones East of the Prime Meridian; Clocks would be an hour earlier for Time Zones West of the Prime Meridian. Twelve hours East or West of the Prime Meridian is 180° Meridian and is known as the International Date Line.

So, if you were three Time Zones East of Prime Meridian, say in Bagdad, Iraq, you would be PM +3 hours. Therefore if it were 12:00 Noon in Greenwich, England, it would be 3:00 PM in Bagdad. If you were in Japan on JST (Japan Standard Time) and it was Noon at Prime Meridian it would be 9:00 P.M. in Tokyo, which is PM +9 hours.

Prime Meridian was replaced by the term UTC or Universal Time Coordinated.

The method is the same whether it is GMT, ZULU, PM, or UTC

Time added to or subtracted from UTC as shown. 

Japan = UTC +9

China = UTC +8

Kazakhstan = UTC +6

India = UTC + 5.5 (yeah, always someone different but so is Iran and Venezuela)

Moscow, Russia and Bagdad, Iraq = UTC +3

Cairo, Egypt and Most of Eastern Europe = UTC +2

Paris, France and Most of Europe = UTC +1

England (Greenwich) = UTC - 0

Brasilia, Brazil = UTC -3

La Paz, Bolivia = UTC -4

New York EST = UTC -5

Chicago CST = UTC -6

Denver MST = UTC -7

Los Angeles, CA PST = UTC -8

Anchorage, AK = AST = UTC -9

Honolulu, HI = HST = UTC -10


ABOVE: MAP SHOWING TWENTY FOUR TIME ZONES