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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexM51eSSFL
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcl0e5mfl6
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4hTmeQGuJ
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ARVN: Army of the Republic of Vietnam, usually pronounced "arvin."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvnVjIy4e4
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AWOL: Absent Without Leave.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDhRT1kwd5
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJ00iNKYoF
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFB8vklofYU
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Bird: girl/woman949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FAXYsJCU6
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbU3ME51dz4
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Chalk: The group of passengers for a single aircraft.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMmX9EIyGK
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Charlie: The enemy, from VC = Viet Cong = Victor Charlie in radio phonetics.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcinXIgQnWM
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CO: Commanding Officer.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfV2ksJtk4
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CP: Command Post949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCjAGeN0Mw
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CSM: Company Sergeant Major.
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Corps: The British army is composed of various corps e.g. infantry, artillery, transport, dental, etc. Everyone belongs to one of them.
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBKUUhkznA
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DMZ: The so-called Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYfHbPotvW
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMN1XfOQur
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvYJZPMXk4
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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."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPG4jKLvONi
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GVN: Government of Vietnam, the Saigon regime.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXK1RBRPRvX
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Hutchi: Japanese (possibly Korean) word for house or shelter, corrupted to mean the soldier's tent in the field. American "hooch" or "hoochi."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeN9grrOsh
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Huey: UH-1 Helicopter, became Huey.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5SGfp6xs9
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IO: Intelligence Officer.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApjkiuAfgi
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmz8ZRqaKA
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J: Jungle.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2o9KZhsCj
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KIA: Killed In Action.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxIg0F9Sxp
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Locstat: Location statement, present location.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9J7sBcFya
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LO: Liaison Officer949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ebMXCW8wp
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJaNuV6b3z
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LZ: Landing Zone949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNRhnGaBB8
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnH7mwcOnf9
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MASH: Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtCQLPTD33
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Military Region: The National Liberation Front had divided Vietnam into these areas for their own administrative and operational purposes.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ol7hYdodl
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9hW7zgsLJ
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MP: Military Police.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho1wTnbHpa
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78JWw0DpZN
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NVA: North Vietnamese Army. Never admitted by Hanoi to be in South Vietnam, an assertion believed only by the very naive.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9kocN37G8
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OC: Officer Commanding. A company has an OC, a battalion a CO, a division a COC---General Officer Commanding.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjs4apVVFH
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Orders Group: A gathering for the purpose of passing on orders to subordinates.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb4TVLBRj2
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aQxc5kAA4
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jXfAAqMLJ
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSHjGZH9zD
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PPS: Russian submachine gun of World War II vintage, firing a 7.62mm round.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJFjLSTpEO
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PX: Post Exchange = US Canteen.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ieNc2aeXP
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RATTV: Royal Army Training Team, Vietnam.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GDDD232tw
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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."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMRpMCI59L
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RPD: Russian light machine gun for section or squad use. The initials stand for the Russian words, the D being for Degtyarev, the designer.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpts9WA35tc
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RMO: Regional Medical Officer, the battalion doctor.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxlkrR9LOt
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RSM: Regimental Sergeant Major, the senior noncommissioned officer in the unit, responsible to the CO for discipline.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSPAHALLfZ
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RV: Rendezvous949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiRoQk5fk6
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Slicks: Troop-carrying helicopters, as opposed to armed versions, the "gunships," called "pigs"949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbdWI7RIgJ
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Slope: U.S. term for Asian, similar to the British "wog."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPl2pBQMlJ
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SLR: Self Loading Rifle; the British-modified Belgian FN, produced at Birmingham, firing the standard NATO 7.62mm round, pronounced "slur."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLB6wBUqEMg
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Smoke: To shoot, kill949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZPz6UvRoO
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Tommy: A British soldier.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgo0frmlw2
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Twenty mike mike: 20-millimeter cannon, from 20mm.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2aTwod6d1
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VC: Viet Cong, the Vietnamese for Vietnamese Communist.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡov0RmxLJnO
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VNAF: Vietnamese Air Force.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9qUW5NY2S
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIFQOSTQRs
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Wog: British slang for an Asian: more fully "Westernized Oriental Gentleman." Plural is "wogs" and the land is sometimes referred to as "Woggeria."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmxz5qCyiH
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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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KuC579ODs
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WIA: Wounded in Action. 949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdKVuudeps
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Yank(s): citizen(s) of the United States of America.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwFqA8Bwpd
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