Editor’s Note: Geo’s memoir, Brothers of the Cloth, a true account of special mission unit soldiers, is now available. You can purchase it here

“Spooge” somehow became the nickname for the cans of spray adhesive we used to stick paper targets, bull’s eyes, and the like to a target silhouette downrange. It simply was the quickest and most convenient way to quickly attach paper to cardboard and get on to the business of sending maximum rounds down range on almost a daily basis. In Delta, time is a valued commodity.

Spooge. That is simply the entry-level name as it was handed down to us trainees by the brothers of the training cadre. Why… I don’t even remember it ever being called anything different. If anyone had ever asked me for a can of spray adhesive, I would have blinked at them blankly. It was simply spooge; spooge is simply what it was — it was SPOOGE!

https://i0.wp.com/www.camouflage.ca/images/products/large/GOL1394.jpg?resize=715%2C715&ssl=1
A typical flashbang grenade used by Law Enforcement; no fragmentation, just extreme loud noise and flash. Flashbangs are categorized as non-lethal riot control devices.

Spooge was for sticking paper to cardboard. For attaching cardboard to a wooden target we preferred slat roofing tacks. A roofing tack is a short nail with a very flat and wide head. It happened that when our Delta brother, Cuz, was hurriedly attaching a fresh target paper he noted his target backing and pulling apart from the wooden target slat.