Definition: That stomach-dropping moment when camouflage meets civilian signs, and the government deploys infantry trained for Fallujah to face its own citizens holding cardboard. Friendly fire in reverse—where the ‘enemy’ speaks your language and quotes the Constitution you swore to defend.
The air crackles with mismatched rules of engagement: protest chants vs. live rounds, Molotov cocktails vs. decades of urban warfare muscle memory. It’s democracy’s self-check failing as grunts become political props, and every trashcan might as well scream “IED” to jumpy 18-year-olds with rifles. Pray the trigger discipline holds.
Example:
Veterans watched grimly as camouflage met cardboard protest signs, a stark vision of friendly fire in reverse unfolding on Main Street.
The young soldier scanned the crowd, every discarded backpack screaming “IED” in his mind, praying his trigger discipline held against the rising panic.