I REALIZE military commanders are under certain restrictions when coming up with code names for strategic operations, but still it is embarrassing to see an armed conflict assigned such a silly, euphemistic term in the news as “Operation Odyssey Dawn.” Even if military personnel refer to it as such, is it necessary for the public and journalists to accept the term? The rash mindlessness and indefinite purpose of this country’s attack on Libya, launched without Congressional approval, is sickeningly highlighted by the sentimental name. Ed O’Keefe in The Washington Post says the phrase sounds like “the title of a rock album, video game or — as some have suggested — the name of a pornographic movie star.”

                                               — Comments —

Joe Long writes:

These are just from an anonymous conservative humor “forward” on the Internet, but I thought you might appreciate them nonetheless. 

Top 10 Rejected Obama Mission Names

10.Operation Nine Months In The Senate Didn’t Prepare Me For This
9. Operation Organizing for Libya
8. Operation Double Standard
7. Operation FINE! I’ll Do Something
6. Operation Enduring Narcissism
5. Operation So That’s What the Red Button Does
4. Operation France Backed Me Into A Corner
3. Operation Start Without Me
2. Operation Unlike Bush Wars This One Is Justified Because Hey Look A Squirrel
1. Operation Aimless Fury

Peter S. writes:

It could be worse. From a memorandum of Winston Churchill – one of the great masters of English prose and, coincidentally, Prime Minister – dated August 8th, 1943: 

1. Operations in which large numbers of men may lose their lives ought not to be described by code words which imply boastful and overconfident sentiment, such as “Triumphant,” or, conversely, which are calculated to invest the plan with an air of despondency, such as “Woebetide,” “Massacre,” “Jumble,” “Trouble,” “Fidget,” “Flimsy,” “Pathetic,” and “Jaundice.” They ought not to be names of a frivolous character such as “Bunnyhug,” “Billingsgate,” “Aperitif,” and “Ballyhoo.” They should not be ordinary words often used in other connections such as “Flood,” “Smooth,” “Sudden,” “Supreme,” “Fullforce,” and “Full-speed.” Names of living people – Ministers and Commanders – should be avoided, e.g, “Bracken.”

2. After all, the world is wide, and intelligent thought will readily supply an unlimited number of well-sounding names which do not suggest the character of the operation or disparage it in any way and do not enable some widow or mother to say that her son was killed in an operation called “Bunnyhug” or “Ballyhoo.”

3. Proper names are good in this field. The heroes of antiquity, figures from Greek and Roman mythology, the constellations and stars, famous racehorses, names of British and American war heroes, could be used provided they fall within the rules above. There are no doubt many other themes that could be suggested.

Michael S. writes:

The Churchill passage quoted by Peter S. (no relation, I presume) makes me wonder — who came up with the name for Operation “Market Garden”? 

Peter S. responds:

Alas! No relation. Market Garden was a combined Allied paratroop-ground offensive aimed at outflanking the Siegfried line and encircling the Ruhr, Germany’s industrial heartland. Market designated the airborne operation and Garden the ground operation. The original plan – an airborne offensive code-named Comet – was so designated by Montgomery; it’s not clear that any specific individual was responsible for the modified code-name. In discussing Market Garden, I would be remiss without mentioning Cornelius Ryan’s book, A Bridge Too Far, along with the film of the same title. As an aside, Churchill was directly responsible for the code-name Overlord, the combined Allied invasion of Normandy.

Michael S. writes:

Clearly Peter S. is a military history nerd (like me). :D

Overlord is a much more imposing name than Market Garden.

I also recall reading somewhere how Allied code names followed a pattern that was designed to avoid giving a clue to the nature of the operation — unlike German code names of the same period, such as Operation Sea Lion (proposed invasion of Britain) and Operation Barbarossa (invasion of the Soviet Union).

Eric writes:

Odyssey Dawn? Could be a dish detergent. May I suggest: 

Orgasm Deluxe
Obama Deranged
Obscure Destination
Obliterated Dollars
Ordnance Depleted
Obvious Defeat
Overwhelming Depression

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