I've been on this documentary kick the past week and I've noticed an odd thing while watching the ones about the Iraq war. There's a lot of "dude" being thrown around, and I'm not just talking between the enlisted, but among the officers as well. This one scene, they get a call to head out into the field, and one of the enlisted men asks his Captain, "What do we have, dude?" The officer just tells him what the mission is… without correcting the soldier. Another scene, a Lieutenant is briefing his men and reports three British soldiers being killed in a firefight the night before by saying, "Three British guys were killed last night…" I totally respect our service members and this isn't about them, it's just about the new lingo being so informal. I was in the military in the late 80's and there was a definite line between the enlisted and officers… if you didn't say sir, by god, you'd get your ass chewed out. Anyway, back to watching TV… dude.