Glossary

1st Sgt.—First sergeant. The senior noncommissioned officer of a company. Handles administration and personnel.

Agent Orange—A powerful chemical defoliant used by U.S. military forces in Operation Ranch Hand during the Vietnam War to destroy forest cover for enemy troops and the crops to feed them. It was named after the orange stripe on the 55-gallon drums. The dioxin in Agent Orange caused serious health problems (death, tumors, birth defects, rashes, psychological symptoms and cancer) in numerous U.S. troops and Vietnamese. Many legal battles arose from the use of Agent Orange.

AK-47—Soviet 7.62 mm caliber magazine-fed assault rifle firing a three-round burst or full-automatic. Standard NVA/VC rifle of the Vietnam War. Has the firepower of a submachine gun and the accuracy and range of a rifle. 10.5 lb loaded.
alpha—The letter "A"
APC—armored personnel carrier designed to carry troops to the battlefield known as The Green Dragon. The M113 was armored, tracked and had a .50 caliber M2 machine gun mounted on top.
ARVN—Army of the Republic of Vietnam aka the South Vietnamese Regular Army

B-40 (bazooka 40 mm) or B-50 (bazooka 50 mm)—North Vietnamese variants of the Russian RPG-2 hand-held antitank grenade rocket launcher.

B-52—Giant US Air Force bomber

battery—an artillery unit consisting of towed or self-propelled howitzers and big guns.

Bellona—Ancient Roman goddess of war, twin sister of Mars, the god of war. She loves to spill blood, especially the foreign kind. She carries a spear, a sword, a shield and a fiery torch while she shouts orders and war-cries over the roar of battle. She's said to bring good luck.
bandolier—a cloth belt slung over the chest with pockets for seven M-16 magazines, each containing 18 rounds of 5.56 mm ammo
BDA—bomb damage assessment
Bird Dog—small, single-engined prop airplane used by forward air controllers and for recon, radio relay and adjusting artillery. See FAC.
bitch box—intercom used to communicate between compartments of a ship or a bullhorn used to communicate to troops on a base.

C-rations—canned or pre-cooked rations

Charlie—U.S. for VC (Viet Cong) or NVA (North Vietnamese Army). Or simply the letter "C"

CIB—combat infantry badge. Award for being under enemy fire in combat. Worn in a designated place on the uniform. Much coveted.
CID—Criminal Investigation Division
click—one kilometer

Cowboys—Saigon's roving gangs of armed Vietnamese teenagers

Cobra—Bell AH-1 Cobra, two blades, single engine attack helicopter aka Huey Cobra

concertina wire—coils of barbed wire used as an obstacle

CP—Command Post or “hole”

CS gas—The main constituent of tear gas. The name is derived from the names of Corson and Stoughton, the scientists who discovered it in 1928. CS has limited effect on animals.

DEROS—date estimated return overseas

det cord—detonating cord, a thin plastic cord filled with PETN, used to connect individual charges and their igniting devices.

Đi đi mau—slang Vietnamese for "go quickly"

Deuce—ubiquitous M35 2 1/2 ton medium truck aka deuce and a half.
DJ—disk jockey
DOD—Department of Defense
Duck—O-2 Skymaster twin propeller reconnaissance plane, the military version of the Cessna 337

Duffel bag—large, cylindrical cloth bag with a drawstring closure at the top used for luggage. The name comes from Duffel, Belgium, where the bag's thick cloth was originally made.

Duster—M42 self-propelled twin 40 mm antiaircraft gun

E-5—the rank and pay grade of a buck sergeant

FAC—forward air controller; a person who coordinates air strikes so they don't injure friendly forces. See Bird Dog.

flechette—literally, "little arrow" or "dart." A steel nail with a vaned tail for stable flight. Delivered in bulk by artillery shells from 105 mm howitzers or tank-mounted 90 mm guns to halt human wave attacks or blast troops in the open.

FNG—Fucking New Guy

frag—fragmentation grenade; assassination of an officer by his own troops, usually by a grenade

grenade—as in pomegranate
gung ho—derived from an Asian word by soldiers in WWII. Overly enthusiastic. Can't wait to rush in and attack.

HE—high explosive

hog—M60

howitzer—a short cannon used to fire shells at medium velocity and relatively high angles.

Huey—Bell UH-1 Iroquois

humping—marching or hiking with a heavy backpack. In general, any heavy work.

IG—Inspector General

J. R.—Jerry R. Olson. We were drafted together and went to Charlie Company together.

Jackson, Bob—fellow squad member from New Jersey

KIA—killed in action
Killer—Sgt. Lyman F. Dunnuck, 3rd squad leader d. 24 Aug 1990
Kit Carson Scouts—program initially created by the Marines to use former combatants as intelligence scouts.
Kuehn, Sam—my fellow squad member

lifer—a term used to ridicule persons committed to a lifetime career in the army that the draftees disliked or disrespected.

LOH—light observation helicopter "Loach"
Log Bird—logistical (resupply) helicopter

Log Pad—logistical (resupply) helicopter landing pad

LRP—pronounced "lurp," Long Range Patrol

Lt.—Lieutenant 
LZ—landing zone. A small, secure clearing for helicopters. Some may become base camps.

M16—Colt 5.56 mm caliber magazine-fed assault rifle firing three-round bursts or full-automatic. Standard U.S. rifle of the Vietnam War. Has the firepower of a submachine gun and the range and accuracy of a rifle. Weighs 8.79 lb fully loaded.

M48A3—The "General Patton" medium tank, the main U.S. battle tank used in Vietnam. 600 were deployed in infantry-support roles, since only a few tank vs. tank battles occurred. Weighs 99,000 lbs. Crew of 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver). Sports a 90 mm main gun. 750 hp diesel motor, speed 30 mph, range 287 miles.
M60—machine gun. United States Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm based on the German WWII MG42.
M79—hand-held grenade launcher. Looks like a large bore rifle.
M134 Minigun—Gatling-style six-barreled machine gun, caliber 7.62 mm, electrically driven, pod mounted. It's rate of fire was a phenomenal 4000 rounds per minute without overheating.
mad minute—did not originate with the Vietnam War but with the British Army infantry skill-at-arms rapid fire test before WWI.
meat wagon—helicopter ambulance
meat factory—hospital
MEDEVAC—MEDical EVACuation. Removal and en route treatment of wounded, injured or ill persons from the battlefield to a Medical treatment facility. Hueys with Red Cross markings and a crew of two pilots, one crew chief and one medic were normally used. These air ambulances suffered 3.3 times more losses to hostile fire as all other helicopter missions in Vietnam.
MIA—missing in action
Montagnards—the mountain men of Vietnam. Yard was the term used by U.S. military personnel. The proper term is Người dân tộc thiếu số ("minority people"). They were antagonistic to the Vietnamese majority and heavily recruited by the U.S.
mortar—muzzle-loading cannon with a short tube that throws projectiles with low velocity at high angles.
MOS—military occupational specialty
MPC—military payment currency. What U.S. soldiers were paid with.

Mule—M274 Truck, Platform, Utility 1/2 Ton, 4X4. A 4-wheel utilitarian makeshift vehicle. A steering wheel, seat and motor on a flat bed.

muzzle cover—removable plastic cap that fit over the barrel of the M16 to keep out mud, dirt, and moisture and to prevent dew from condensing in the barrel at night.

Nam—Vietnam
Napalm-B—nasty jell of benzene, gasoline, and polystyrene, more difficult to ignite than the napalm used in WWII. Napalm-B kills in three ways: by burning, heat, or asphyxiation. Burns at 1,500°F to 2,200°F.
NDP—night defensive position

NLF—National Liberation Front aka. Viet Cong

NCO—noncommissioned officer e.g. sergeant. 
noncom—see NCO
NVA—North Vietnamese Army

OD—Olive Drab

Papa San—U.S. for any older Vietnamese man

Parris, Bobby—my fellow squad member from rural Georgia. He carried a shotgun instead of an M16.

PAVN—People's Army of Vietnam aka. North Vietnamese Army

PDQ—pretty damn quick

PETN—fast burning explosive, abbreviation of pentaerythritol tetranitrate, a highly explosive organic compound belonging to the same chemical family as nitroglycerin and nitrocellulose. PETN has the chemical formula C5H8N4O12.
pig—M60

pillbox—concrete emplacement with loopholes for firing weapons like a machine gun or antitank gun. Named after their similarity to medical pill boxes.

pineapples—grenades

PIO—Public Information Officer for public relations

PT—physical training

PTT—Push To Talk button

PX—Post exchange. A store on an army base selling consumer goods and services to active duty personnel only.

R and R—rest and recreation

Re-up—to reenlist

Revetment—Structures to secure an area from artillery, bombing or stored explosives. Built around barracks to protect against incoming rockets, or mortars. Airstrips had revetments twelve to fifteen feet high along flight lines on to protect fixed wing airplanes from incoming rounds.

RPG—rocket-propelled grenade.

RTO—radio telephone operator

SKS—Samozariadnyia Karabina Simonova, Russian military carbine
slicks—crude sandals made from tires. Called Ho Chi Minh Racing Slicks by the G.I.s

SNAFU—situation normal, all fucked up

SP4—Specialist Fourth Class

Squelch—as in "breaking squelch." Static sound made when the the transmit bar on the radio handset is pressed, breaking the squelch circuit. The squelch circuit suppresses the constant static on the channel.

Stars and Stripes—U.S. military's so-called independent newspaper.

TAC—tactical air strikes

Tet—Tet Nguyen Dan or Feast of the First Morning of the First Day
TO—tactical officer

TOC—tactical operations center

VC—Viet Cong

White Mice—South Vietnamese policemen unaggressive in enforcing peace on the streets.
WIA—wounded in action

Yard—see Montagnard

zippo—boat or vehicle with a flame thrower