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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStGLUwNijg
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHr5nBCTDq
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IWC7wgV9J
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ARVN: Army of the Republic of Vietnam, usually pronounced "arvin."1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPEz9ImORL
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AWOL: Absent Without Leave.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJad4QBHyI
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZox41SGTE
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IHkQV9Tvb
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Bird: girl/woman1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PZGyl37RB
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacei58Zrqp
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Chalk: The group of passengers for a single aircraft.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9mOqrdBjY
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Charlie: The enemy, from VC = Viet Cong = Victor Charlie in radio phonetics.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkq33XCq2gd
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CO: Commanding Officer.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfwjEmEDCl
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CP: Command Post1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwQ44zzxky
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNsd3x9rE4
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DMZ: The so-called Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QQDk8eIXm
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOeT2D5s4X
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsjsy3F59D
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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."1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VLsjBf0Iq
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GVN: Government of Vietnam, the Saigon regime.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOnuE5e3Pj
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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."1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUux2Awk1Bl
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Huey: UH-1 Helicopter, became Huey.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhZ2WvhagJ
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IO: Intelligence Officer.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44CYOXPtOy
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbNBnsFeTg
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J: Jungle.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPMWFM65Ch
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KIA: Killed In Action.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPA0R1SR3DZ
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Locstat: Location statement, present location.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwT1YjEYfPc
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LO: Liaison Officer1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RX0L3Ktjx
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZUJkORsMM
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LZ: Landing Zone1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXn6KPmpCT
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXlyGoMibR
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MASH: Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcMAA39pSL
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Military Region: The National Liberation Front had divided Vietnam into these areas for their own administrative and operational purposes.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSgpw3PrSN
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3naiQlN7gF
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MP: Military Police.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqkdQgMhlo
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45V9W37hX2
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgtRmqN0kb
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OC: Officer Commanding. A company has an OC, a battalion a CO, a division a COC---General Officer Commanding.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHUIOi310s
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Orders Group: A gathering for the purpose of passing on orders to subordinates.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktA7cNMRZh
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMk0nTRpcU
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusp73yopZq
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07D90FJU9h
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PPS: Russian submachine gun of World War II vintage, firing a 7.62mm round.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiXTXzYdRk
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PX: Post Exchange = US Canteen.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyT5osEoWF
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RATTV: Royal Army Training Team, Vietnam.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmka46yLFI
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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."1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMmgsxpJ1E
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzP69vEg8yb
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RMO: Regional Medical Officer, the battalion doctor.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECjCYOQZB4
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RSM: Regimental Sergeant Major, the senior noncommissioned officer in the unit, responsible to the CO for discipline.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61K219uHNd
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RV: Rendezvous1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NRMhG8USV
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Slicks: Troop-carrying helicopters, as opposed to armed versions, the "gunships," called "pigs"1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AINhnJKDF
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Slope: U.S. term for Asian, similar to the British "wog."1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXiwGLLdyo
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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."1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnt74lMitx1
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Smoke: To shoot, kill1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmSPpQZuRs
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Tommy: A British soldier.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yu3uajBs4
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Twenty mike mike: 20-millimeter cannon, from 20mm.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKe6WifoYda
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VC: Viet Cong, the Vietnamese for Vietnamese Communist.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZLBqr1uGt
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VNAF: Vietnamese Air Force.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSxyI6h0GN
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnT0hM4i5U
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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."1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFP40zAH8I
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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.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCDksbD5ND
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WIA: Wounded in Action. 1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPX8UrApNTA
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Yank(s): citizen(s) of the United States of America.1049Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLl3MyJ5uHV
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