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The following are included as explanatory remarks, not exact definitions, for the reader who may not be familiar with the terms.
ACV: Armoured Command Vehicle.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvjYuasaOr
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdL2CwjBPUl
Ao-dai: The Vietnamese national dress, a close-fitting top and bodice, with long flowing panels from the waist, under which long pants or trousers are worn. Pronounced "ow zhy," by the Northerners and "ow why' by the Southerners.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PemmC76PG
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNj6fap970
Arc of fire: Each weapon is positioned to fire over a certain piece of ground, which has left and right boundaries. If this is planted on a map, the area would be represented as an arc of the extremities of the boundaries. There are primary (main) and secondary arcs of fire.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsVedLKxws
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4PBFo6ELQ
ARVN: Army of the Republic of Vietnam, usually pronounced "arvin."992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaE8G93gzmW
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pBIede8AA
AWOL: Absent Without Leave.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Vtm7aw045
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVDLbxsdCR
Back-up: With reference to meals, coming back for a second serving.
Base-bludging: Bludging in a base or rear area. Anyone who is farther back from the enemy than oneself is a base-bludger. They rarely, if ever, go forward of the wire.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSjtpGZHiN
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcPGzPSUw4
Base-up! Make camp.
Basic Webbing: Generally the minimum harness that a soldier can wear and carry to enable him to perform his basic fighting functions: waist belt, shoulder harness, ammunition pouches, water bottles, bayonet, entrenching tool, and whatever else the unit deems necessary. On this "basic" webbing the thoughtful army can build big and little packs, bedding, radios, and so on.
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BHQ: Battalion Headquarters.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMJvnco2nV
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Bird: girl/woman992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBohs8d3acD
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Jt11SSRli
Brass-up: To shoot, be shot at, as in "they brassed up two Charlies," and "they got brassed up by a machine gun."
CHQ: Company Headquarters.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNjI8uzLAR
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHT5GIobP3o
Chalk: The group of passengers for a single aircraft.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1FWKIMbm4
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Charlie: The enemy, from VC = Viet Cong = Victor Charlie in radio phonetics.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonPOHGG2sF
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CO: Commanding Officer.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHo3aT3Ajy
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CP: Command Post992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7fK3zImZS
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CSM: Company Sergeant Major.
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVD6YBoHHMM
Corps: The British army is composed of various corps e.g. infantry, artillery, transport, dental, etc. Everyone belongs to one of them.
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1wRVhGZ9t
III Corps Conference: South Vietnam was divided into four Corps Tactical Zones (CTZ): I, II, III, and IV. These were a means of dividing the country into areas of responsibility in which the various units operated, and had nothing to do with the infantry, artillery, etc., kind of corps. The III Corps HQ was almost adjacent to the airbase and the Conference was attended by a British representative.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fQkqvBk3G
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTk3phAWkRx
DMZ: The so-called Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8fN0bcTjg
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmOlTk2FRx
Dust-off: Radio callsign for a medical evacuation helicopter, the crews of which were renowned and revered for their efforts to lift wounded out of battle and back to the medical facilities despite bad weather and enemy gunfire. Spoken usage included: "We require Dust-off for six," and "Nigel got Dusted-off to Saigon," i.e., Nigel was evacuated to Saigon by helicopter.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rkwun1X0W
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5Gij0TS6e
FAC: Forward Air Controller: a pilot who flies a small (Cessna) aircraft into the battle area to locate, mark, and guide the fighters or bombers onto the targets. A high degree of skill and courage was needed.
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FN: Fabrique Nationale, the Belgian firm of arms makers.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDNwdgFjLv
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MgXcMBnmh
Forward of the wire: Outside the barbed-wire perimeter of the unit or base, i.e., out where the enemy may be met. See "basebludger" and "pogo."992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoM6dn5seTX
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GVN: Government of Vietnam, the Saigon regime.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqsVeo6JdO
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78IYF3mjpr
Hutchi: Japanese (possibly Korean) word for house or shelter, corrupted to mean the soldier's tent in the field. American "hooch" or "hoochi."992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYqhAYpi0p
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuad7EZ6lT
Huey: UH-1 Helicopter, became Huey.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6kI95Ier5
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IO: Intelligence Officer.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JDyt0NSvc
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Iron Triangle: A jungle area, roughly shaped like a triangle, about 30 miles west of Saigon, used by the Viet Cong as a base area.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbbmlPiGPl
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J: Jungle.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjbSlt9p6E
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KIA: Killed In Action.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DpJSC2pF4
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Locstat: Location statement, present location.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SuFQMtw5g
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LO: Liaison Officer992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDTdsowCA8
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Local Force: The Viet Cong National Liberation Front organized their fighting forces on several levels. At the bottom was the village guerilla, then units organized to operate in their home area----but larger than the usual village squad, and given tasks of a more demanding military nature, naturally enough these were called local force units. Above them were regional units and finally the main force.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxt6S0I5mP
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LZ: Landing Zone992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFaNT8C7B3
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Main Force: Units of soldiers who have graduated from the village guerillas, local and regional force units, are full-time members of the armed forces, and are now regular troops who can be given military tasks such as those given to regular units of the NATO armies.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJBRGwX2MV
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MASH: Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUb5DshKXZ
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Military Region: The National Liberation Front had divided Vietnam into these areas for their own administrative and operational purposes.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmRSsKK0w2
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MPC: Military Payment Certificate. "Play money" or "Monopoly money" issued by the military authorities in an attempt to halt the flow of dollars into the black market, etc. It is only good in the military system such as canteens, messes, etc. The type or pattern of MPC would be changed at very short notice, and all unchanged old MPC would then be so much paper. There are said to be people throughout Asia with boxes of old MPC, hoping for the day when the particular pattern is again issued, and they will get rich.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSqw8x5N8B
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MP: Military Police.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRxDHDzz5Q
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NCO: Non-Commissioned Officer, i.e., below the rank of 2nd lieutenant.
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NLF: National Liberation Front. No Communist Revolution is complete without this title.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXmqe6eSh8
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ghGhZvir3
NVA: North Vietnamese Army. Never admitted by Hanoi to be in South Vietnam, an assertion believed only by the very naive.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLx9Cinnjyx
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjUjnt1vee
OC: Officer Commanding. A company has an OC, a battalion a CO, a division a COC---General Officer Commanding.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45hWhEJxMI
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIhjFrgNiX
Orders Group: A gathering for the purpose of passing on orders to subordinates.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6Y07D7MOd
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtn7UGkdtG4
Political Officer: The communist forces, being the armed effort of the political organization, are always subject to strict political control, which is achieved by placing a political infrastructure paralleling that of the military command, at all levels from company on up. The political officer has the final word in disagreements between the military and political. Called commissars in earlier times, they are a very important and effective means of ensuring control, motivation, and explanation of policy to the soldiers.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBLU18o7sG
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLYzGk3r9f
Pepper-pot: A tactic for advancing under fire where one or two soldiers at a time leap up, run forward a few paces, go down, roll away, and fire on the enemy while their comrades are doing likewise. The enemy is presented with fleeting targets all across his front, making it very hard for him to take on an accurate shot. Like many other things, it requires practice and teamwork.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXF3m2Ji3W
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4WnS4jt8t
Pogo: See Basebludging. Pogos are the same, but worse. They supposedly spend their time bouncing aimlessly around the rear areas on a pogo-stick and are thus of no use to the fighting troops, i.e., anyone closer to, or likely to be closer to, the enemy.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdu3j8nUZo
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XYTM2O0GT
PPS: Russian submachine gun of World War II vintage, firing a 7.62mm round.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgpkPtD2yY
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PX: Post Exchange = US Canteen.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5bhvBDjOS
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RATTV: Royal Army Training Team, Vietnam.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGK2LNwNdgJ
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uXZNggl4H
Regional Force: Along with a similar organization called the popular force, were part-time troops of the Saigon Regime, used for guard and other light military duties, which could include operations to search for the VC, normally operating in their home locations or areas. Abbreviated in RF/PE so immediately were called "ruffpuffs."992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzCXGQKuRe
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nMgyyIF0m
RPD: Russian light machine gun for section or squad use. The initials stand for the Russian words, the D being for Degtyarev, the designer.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItwl3CCfVA
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGG3LKJu8c2
RMO: Regional Medical Officer, the battalion doctor.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EjSVyDlx4
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJodw1Jw1e0
RSM: Regimental Sergeant Major, the senior noncommissioned officer in the unit, responsible to the CO for discipline.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk72zOYqeJ6
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiAtizffGP
RV: Rendezvous992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgHn34ctN1
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Hc2QeCR61
Slicks: Troop-carrying helicopters, as opposed to armed versions, the "gunships," called "pigs"992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡII1cjC9QWK
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BTixNhNET
Slope: U.S. term for Asian, similar to the British "wog."992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sCeLw4fKA
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93NPKMQH5t
SLR: Self Loading Rifle; the British-modified Belgian FN, produced at Birmingham, firing the standard NATO 7.62mm round, pronounced "slur."992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqf8PGzYag
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw20d6cttra
Smoke: To shoot, kill992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXy0cmWq95
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Tommy: A British soldier.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0as4Sl9Pp9
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Twenty mike mike: 20-millimeter cannon, from 20mm.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxT98ZzQRB
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1axQxL2hSK
VC: Viet Cong, the Vietnamese for Vietnamese Communist.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqa3J9UwkF
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ726zfaXQwp
VNAF: Vietnamese Air Force.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjebOSlfJ4
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡme4Mp8yWSu
War Zone D: A term dating from the 1950s war against the French, for a large expanse of jungle about forty miles northeast of Saigon, in which the VC had base camps, training areas, etc., and which was rarely entered by government forces prior to 1965; also called D-Zone or Zone D. Zone C was farther to the southwest, and others were to the north.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0LOVLGBjf
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjT3eZzq6V
Wog: British slang for an Asian: more fully "Westernized Oriental Gentleman." Plural is "wogs" and the land is sometimes referred to as "Woggeria."992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgFhveFKnV
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Watch your front!: Do not stare down your shirt buttons and trouser fly, but pay attention to the area of ground before you, your arc of fire.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2gRmwM59v
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yj9hy2fFw
WIA: Wounded in Action. 992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiYz5lA2Dn
992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlMRWGynaU
Yank(s): citizen(s) of the United States of America.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lnWtxW5S9
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