Thanks for the heads up...I already know if you're talking to GCC-related personnel, it's the ARABIAN Gulf, not Persian.
Amazing how defensive nations can get about the slightest dispute.
Just remember to never use a map of the Aegean that has lines on it near Greek or Turkish islands or say the word "Kurdistan" when addressing a Turkish audience.
It's a good idea to forget that you ever saw the movie, "Midnight Express" too.
Funny thing. I was talking about that the other day. I was stationed in Yoko and would go back and forth to Korea all the time. East and West Seas as opposed to the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan, and the teeth sucking you hear when you say Korean Strait. I managed to not make any of those mistakes. Thank the Lord on high I didn't have to do a brief about a battleship. 
LT Black---this is what the aviators refer to as "situational awareness."
Back in the days when we were on speaking terms with both the Gulf Arabs and the Iranians one of the potential pitfalls was showing a chart to the Arabs that referred to a certain body of water as "the Persian Gulf" (or vice versa).
Roger that, sir. We were briefed it was a big no no. I managed to stay alert enough to remember in which country I had been sent. It was great fun to watch the ROK Major crank call people during gas drills to make them speak through their masks. Try that Skippy, it will brighten the cave for about 15 minutes. Then you have to find something else to keep you awa..., I mean sharp.
I left my mask at home.......and behind. I don't do that any more.
They never call GAS GAS GAS when the CINC is there. I was there when our LCDR on our watch had curly hair. It was regs, but not high and tight. The CINC walked by, took a pinch of it and said, "Nice hair Hollywood." When the LCDR went in to brief the CINC and DCINC (ROK General), they paused, the CINC whispered to the DCINC and started laughing, "HA HA he is a movie star!!" For the rest of that tour, he was Hollywood. You do what you can to make a watch interesting in those exercises. Why were the eggs always green though? I never got an answer to that one.
When I first got to Korea and I was not familiar with North and South Korean term difference. Once I translated English word "Korean People's Army" which I end saying Hanguk InminGun instead of Chosun Inmingum. ROK generals were not too happy about it but I explained to my ROK counterpart that I am not professional translator like he was. I was picked out from the line up of Korean American officers who spoke Korean last minute.
That is interesting. Here in Japan South Korea is "Kankoku". But North Korea is "Kita Chosen". However one never refers to South Korea as "Minami Chose" which would be the literal translatio of the English. I've never understood why.
Commenting by HaloScan
