Tales From Tay Ninh

Vietnam in-country combat during 1969-1970 by a squad

in Charlie Co, 2nd BN, 7th Cav, 1st Cav Div

Monday, October 28, 2019

Glossary

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

Agent OrangeA 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-47Soviet 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.
alphaThe letter "A"
APCarmored 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.
ARVNArmy 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-52Giant US Air Force bomber
batteryan artillery unit consisting of towed or self-propelled howitzers and big guns.
BellonaAncient 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.
bandoliera cloth belt slung over the chest with pockets for seven M-16 magazines, each containing 18 rounds of 5.56 mm ammo
BDAbomb damage assessment
Bird Dogsmall, single-engined prop airplane used by forward air controllers and for recon, radio relay and adjusting artillery. See FAC.
bitch boxintercom used to communicate between compartments of a ship or a bullhorn used to communicate to troops on a base.


C-rationscanned or pre-cooked rations
CharlieU.S. for VC (Viet Cong) or NVA (North Vietnamese Army). Or simply the letter "C"
CIBcombat infantry badge. Award for being under enemy fire in combat. Worn in a designated place on the uniform. Much coveted.
CIDCriminal Investigation Division
clickone kilometer
CowboysSaigon's roving gangs of armed Vietnamese teenagers
CobraBell AH-1 Cobra, two blades, single engine attack helicopter aka Huey Cobra
concertina wirecoils of barbed wire used as an obstacle
CPCommand Post or “hole”
CS gasThe 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 corddetonating cord, a thin plastic cord filled with PETN, used to connect individual charges and their igniting devices.
Đi đi mauslang Vietnamese for "go quickly"
Deuceubiquitous M35 2 1/2 ton medium truck aka deuce and a half.
DJdisk jockey
DODDepartment of Defense
DuckO-2 Skymaster twin propeller reconnaissance plane, the military version of the Cessna 337
Duffel baglarge, 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.
DusterM42 self-propelled twin 40 mm antiaircraft gun

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

FACforward air controller; a person who coordinates air strikes so they don't injure friendly forces. See Bird Dog.
flechetteliterally, "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.
FNGFucking New Guy
fragfragmentation grenade; assassination of an officer by his own troops, usually by a grenade

grenadeas in pomegranate
gung hoderived from an Asian word by soldiers in WWII. Overly enthusiastic. Can't wait to rush in and attack.


HEhigh explosive
hogM60
howitzera short cannon used to fire shells at medium velocity and relatively high angles.
HueyBell UH-1 Iroquois
humpingmarching or hiking with a heavy backpack. In general, any heavy work.

IGInspector General

J. R.Jerry R. Olson. We were drafted together and went to Charlie Company together.
Jackson, Bobfellow squad member from New Jersey

KIAkilled in action
KillerSgt. Lyman F. Dunnuck, 3rd squad leader d. 24 Aug 1990
Kit Carson Scoutsprogram initially created by the Marines to use former combatants as intelligence scouts.
Kuehn, Sammy fellow squad member

lifera term used to ridicule persons committed to a lifetime career in the army that the draftees disliked or disrespected.
LOHlight observation helicopter "Loach"
Log Birdlogistical (resupply) helicopter
Log Padlogistical (resupply) helicopter landing pad
LRPpronounced "lurp," Long Range Patrol
Lt.Lieutenant 
LZlanding zone. A small, secure clearing for helicopters. Some may become base camps.

M16Colt 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.
M48A3The "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.
M60machine gun. United States Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm based on the German WWII MG42.
M79hand-held grenade launcher. Looks like a large bore rifle.
M134 MinigunGatling-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 minutedid not originate with the Vietnam War but with the British Army infantry skill-at-arms rapid fire test before WWI.
meat wagonhelicopter ambulance
meat factoryhospital
MEDEVACMEDical 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.
MIAmissing in action
Montagnardsthe 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.
mortarmuzzle-loading cannon with a short tube that throws projectiles with low velocity at high angles.
MOSmilitary occupational specialty
MPCmilitary payment currency. What U.S. soldiers were paid with.

MuleM274 Truck, Platform, Utility 1/2 Ton, 4X4. A 4-wheel utilitarian makeshift vehicle. A steering wheel, seat and motor on a flat bed.

muzzle coverremovable 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.

NamVietnam

Napalm-Bnasty 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.
NDPnight defensive position

NLFNational Liberation Front aka. Viet Cong
NCOnoncommissioned officer e.g. sergeant. 
noncomsee NCO
NVANorth Vietnamese Army

ODOlive Drab

Papa SanU.S. for any older Vietnamese man
Parris, Bobbymy fellow squad member from rural Georgia. He carried a shotgun instead of an M16.
PAVNPeople's Army of Vietnam aka. North Vietnamese Army
PDQpretty damn quick
PETNfast 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.
pigM60
pillboxconcrete emplacement with loopholes for firing weapons like a machine gun or antitank gun. Named after their similarity to medical pill boxes.
pineapplesgrenades
PIOPublic Information Officer for public relations
PTphysical training
PTTPush To Talk button
PXPost exchange. A store on an army base selling consumer goods and services to active duty personnel only.

R and Rrest and recreation
Re-upto reenlist
RevetmentStructures 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.
RPGrocket-propelled grenade.
RTOradio telephone operator

SKSSamozariadnyia Karabina Simonova, Russian military carbine
slickscrude sandals made from tires. Called Ho Chi Minh Racing Slicks by the G.I.s
SNAFUsituation normal, all fucked up
SP4Specialist Fourth Class
Squelchas 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 StripesU.S. military's so-called independent newspaper.

TACtactical air strikes
TetTet Nguyen Dan or Feast of the First Morning of the First Day
TOtactical officer
TOCtactical operations center

VCViet Cong

White MiceSouth Vietnamese policemen unaggressive in enforcing peace on the streets.
WIAwounded in action

Yardsee Montagnard

zippoboat or vehicle with a flame thrower


3 comments:

  1. Excellent stuff. Is that an account from your actually been there, or an account somebody told you? Your profile has no information. I saw 'Killer' getting a lot of bad press on a ytube clip, and thought unfair, and so decided to research this man. He's seems well respected from the bits you have of him from here. I'd love to know if you were in Charlie company.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to hear from you!

      I was in the army but not in Vietnam. The account is from a vet in the infamous Charlie Co. I am a friend of his from way back, writing a balanced, realistic account. We are still revising existing stories and adding new ones. Check back from time to time. Best place to start and keep up to date is with the Charlie Co Table of Contents.

      BTW I have other stories not related to Charlie Co. on the storeeze blog.

      Delete
  2. I was also in in the 2/7 Cav but a bit later in mid 1970. I was in the recon platoon of E-Co. I heard a different account of what happened to Pondetuer "Gene" Williams. How did you happen to know Terry McClish?

    ReplyDelete