Common terms from the Vietnam War. Please post a comment at the end of this page if you think we've missed anything.
A | B | C | D | EF | G | H | IJ | KL | M | N | O | PQ | R | S | T | UV | WXYZ
1st Australian Logistic Support Group, based at Vung Tau |
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1st Australian Task Force; brigade sized formation based at Nui Dat |
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161 Battery RNZA (Royal New Zealand Artillery) |
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2 (or 4 or 6) RAR/NZ (ANZAC) |
Anzac battalion in which NZ companies served |
Second in command |
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2,4-D |
2,4 dichloro-phenoxyacetic acid; component of Agent Orange |
2,4,5-T |
2,4,5 trichloro-phenoxyacetic acid; component of Agent Orange |
Assistant Command Post Operator | |
Single-seat carrier-based dive bomber and torpedo carrier flown by the USN, USAF, and VNAF during the Vietnam War | |
An officer who assists a more senior officer with the organisation, administration, and discipline for a battalion or regiment | |
Admin |
Administration; preparing for and maintaining personal and unit readiness for operations |
Agent Blue |
Water-based herbicide; a non-systematic desiccant used primarily against grasses, taking effect in 24 - 48 hours and killing leaves in 2 - 4 days |
Oil-based herbicide; a systematic defoliant effective against broadleaf vegetation, achieving maximum effect in 4 - 6 weeks, with a duration of approximately 12 months |
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Agent White |
Water-based herbicide; a systematic defoliant effective against broadleaf vegetation, achieving maximum effect in 6 - 8 weeks, with a duration of approximately 12 months |
North Vietnamese Army (NVA) or Viet Cong (VC) semi or fully automatic assault weapon using 7.62mm short ammo |
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Albatross |
Call-sign of Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) Iroquois helicopter; also known as a 'Huey' |
Anti-personnel mines |
Mines designed for use against humans; to injure – as opposed to killing – as many enemies as possible in order to increase the logistical (mostly medical) support required by such an enemy force |
Ambush |
Attempt to kill from cover without warning, planned or done quickly |
Ammo |
Ammunition, usually bullets but including grenades and other carried munitions |
ANPRC-25 |
Very high frequency (VHF) portable radio used at the sharp end for most variety of communication – called '25 set' |
ANPRC-77 |
Improved VHF man portable radio; gradually replaced the 25 set – called '77 set' |
ANZAC |
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps; designation created in First World War when both countries fought together for the first time (Gallipoli, 1915); also used to describe a 'common spirit of brotherhood' i.e. the Anzac spirit |
Area of operations; terrain ground forces patrolled and fought to dominate |
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AP |
Anti-personnel mine, as in 'AP mine' |
APC |
Armoured personnel carrier: M113 for troops, M125 mortars, M548 cargo, M577 ACV, M579 fitters |
Arc |
Area a weapon or soldier was required to cover in an all-round protective posture |
Arc light operations |
Code name for the devastating aerial raids of B52 Stratofortresses against enemy positions in South-East Asia |
Artillery forward observers |
Artillery men attached to rifle companies; acted as middle men between artillery and soldiers, giving co-ordinates to artillery at base |
Artillery of any calibre, tracked or towed; most common included 105mm, 155mm, 8-inch howitzers, 40mm 'dusters' |
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ASCO |
Services Canteens Organisation (Australian Canteen Service) |
ARVN |
Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnamese government forces) |
ATF |
Australian Task Force; see 1ATF |
Aussie |
Australian |
AWOL |
Absent without leave, unauthorised absence from duty or place |
Load carrying back pack for field equipment and spare stores, dumped whenever a contact occurred; typical weight around 65lb/30kg; also known as field pack; see belt order |
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Baggy (arse) |
Private soldier; derived from ill-fitting baggy trousers |
Bandolier |
Shoulder-carried ammunition pouch |
Base camp |
Semi-permanent field headquarters and centre for a unit usually within its tactical area responsibility; usually contains all or part of a unit's support elements |
BC |
Battery Commander |
Beehive |
Direct-fire artillery round which incorporated steel darts (flechettes), used as primary base defence munition against ground attack |
Personal load carrying belt and suspenders containing fighting equipment not otherwise carried in back pack, which remained on or close to the individual at all times; typical weight around 40lb/18kg; see back pack |
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Bird |
Any aircraft, usually helicopters |
Birddog |
Small fixed-wing reconnaissance aircraft used to spot for ground-attack aircraft, especially Cessna L-19/O-1 |
Bn |
Battalion; military unit of around 500 - 1500 men usually consisting of between 2 and 6 companies and typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel |
BOD |
Base Ordnance Depot |
Bodycount |
Term borrowed from US forces to describe the success or ferocity of engagements, i.e. 'there was a high bodycount of enemy killed' |
Improvised trap designed to maim or severely injure an individual |
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Bookoo |
Much; derived from the French word 'beaucoup' |
Boom boom |
Sex; 'bookoo boom boom' meant 'much sex' |
Boom boom house |
Slang for brothel |
Boonies |
Term borrowed from US forces; see bush |
Boss |
Informal bush title for an officer; alternative address to 'sir' |
Boundary |
Edge of AO; to be close to or to cross a boundary required permission, called a 'mousetrap' |
BQMS |
Battery Quarter Master |
Brass up |
Concentrated fire into an area |
Brew |
Hot drink, as in 'want a brew?'; coffee, milk and two sugar was called 'NATO standard' |
BRIAM |
British Advisory Mission Vietnam; advised government of South Vietnam (GVN) on hamlet programs and counter insurgency generally; 'Malaya experts' |
Brigade |
Basic military organisational unit; during the Vietnam War, a division was organised into three brigades each commanded by a colonel; a division consists of approximately 20,000 people |
Bristol 170 Freighter |
Utility transport aircraft; used by RNZAF for supply missions to South Vietnam 1968-1975 |
US OV-10 twin-engine aircraft armed with rockets and miniguns; used by the USAF and USMC for forward air control and scouting missions |
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Toilet paper |
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BSM |
Battery Sergeant Major |
Bunds |
Royal Australian Artillery (RAA) and Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA) name for sandbag defensive artillery positions created by small bulldozers |
Burst |
Controlled firing of five or more rounds of automatic fire, more depending on urgency |
Jungle; area outside the base perimeter where fighting took place |
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Australian Iroquois helicopter gunship |
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Long-range, subsonic, jet-powered, strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1955 |
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Command and control; title applied to helicopter (usually with extra radios) with sunray on board flying above AO directing ground operations, or a person doing 'C & C' for a task |
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Cadres |
Small groups of covert political organisers in villages; members helped recruit, train and support Viet Cong military wing; always competed with the South Vietnamese government structure and services |
Call-sign |
Radio code-word to identify or summon particular organisations or people for a radio conversation |
Canister |
Anti-personnel artillery or tank round containing flechette |
Cans |
Usually beer; 'in the can' meant arrested and locked up; see goffers |
de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou; a twin-engine light transport aircraft operated by the US Army, USAF and RAAF in Vietnam. |
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Carpet-bombing |
Heavy, indiscriminate bombing of an area by plane, usually causing widespread destruction |
CASEVAC |
Casualty evacuation of injured soldiers from the field; see dustoff and MEDEVAC |
CCRSFF |
Commander Central Region SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organisation) Field Force |
Australian battle tank |
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Chalk |
Group of personnel grouped together for travel |
Charlie |
Slang for Viet Cong (VC); from radio designation 'victor charlie' |
Cheyenne |
Medium-sized high-speed observation helicopter |
'Open arms', programme that allowed VC to defect and receive money for surrendered weapons |
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Large twin-rotor helicopter; see Geronimo |
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Any model of helicopter, usually US model Iroquois UH-1D troop lift and utility helicopter flown by allied forces Army Aviation or air force units |
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Choges |
Vietnamese people |
Civvies |
Civilians; clothes when out of uniform |
Clacker |
Electrical firing device used to detonate claymore mine; from sound made on use |
US model directional anti-personnel mine with 900 ball-bearings, electrically fired singly or in a bank |
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Click |
Kilometre, as in 'travel 6-clicks south' |
Commando Vault |
BLU-82 15,000 pound bomb dropped from a C130 |
Comms |
Communications, verbal or electronic, as in 'get comms with'[call-sign]' |
Conex |
Container Export (used as platform for claymore mine control posts); see claymore |
Contact |
Engagement, often sudden, with enemy; cry/radio message used to warn that enemy is engaged, as in 'contact front' |
Coord |
Co-ordination; bringing together different agencies to achieve a common task; artillery support for infantry attack with FAC available to direct air strikes; engineer support to clear mines |
Coy |
Company; organisation of soldiers for administrative and tactical reasons; usually commanded by a major |
Coyote |
Small high-speed reconnaissance helicopter |
CP |
Command post |
CPO |
Command Post Operator |
Company Quartermaster Sergeant; senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) responsible for stores and resupply |
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Crunchie |
Australian slang for infantry, from the sound made by walking on gravel |
Company Sergeant Major, senior other rank (OR) in company; 'right hand man' for officer commanding (OC) |
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US model tactical troop and cargo aircraft used extensively by USAF and RNZAF; known as 'Hercules' |
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C4 |
Type of plastic explosive, commonly found inside claymore AP mine |
New Zealand dress uniform in the tropics, complete with regimental belt, beret and black rank; Australian lanyard designating the ANZAC battalion the soldier belonged to was also worn |
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Drug used by Australians and New Zealanders as a malaria suppressant, taken in combination with Paludrine |
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DAQMG |
Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General |
Defoliant |
Chemical sprayed or dusted on trees or plants to make leaves fall off |
Laundry | |
DF |
Defensive fire; usually refers to artillery fire called to land close to the allied perimeter; can be fired and recorded in anticipation of VC attack; a 'silent' DF target was calculated from a map (i.e. without using ranging shots) and recorded on a register for use in an emergency |
Digger |
Slang for Australian soldier |
Div Loc Bty |
Divisional Locating Battery |
Div Postal |
Divisional Postal Unit |
Div Pro Coy |
Divisional Provost Company |
Div Sal Coy |
Divisional Salvage Company |
DMZ |
Demilitarised Zone |
Dong |
Vietnamese unit of currency |
Double-tap |
Snap shooting technique where two rounds are quickly fired at the centre of a target before the firer changes position |
DOW |
Died of wounds some time after being wounded |
Drill |
see IA |
DTA |
Division tactical area; an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) DTA comprised two or more provinces; the DTA commander was also the ARVN division commander, and the DTA was his permanent tactical area of responsibility (TAOR) |
Duffel bag |
Ground based personnel sensing devices |
M42 40mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun; see M42 |
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Radio code-word for removal of battle casualties from a contact, usually by helicopter |
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Call-sign for switchboard at 1 Australian Task Force (1ATF); could indicate specific officers/office, e.g. 'Ebony 12' as reference in correspondence |
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Engr |
Engineer; support troops used for construction, demolition or battlefield mine/booby trap clearance |
EOD |
Explosive Ordnance Disposal |
Extraction |
Withdrawal by air of troops from area of operation via helicopter; see AO |
Two-seat, twin-engined, long-range supersonic interceptor jet fighter/fighter-bomber flown in Vietnam by the USN and USAF | |
Forward air controller, usually airborne, who could call for and direct air strikes |
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FDC |
Fire-Direction Control Centre; place where requests for fire support were interpreted into specific information for ground artillery. Also co-ordinated artillery and mortar fire |
FFI |
Free from infections; routine medical inspection to check for skin and other medical problems |
Field dressing |
Large cotton pad with strapping soldiers carried for emergency first aid to stop bleeding, usually taped to equipment such as rifle butts |
Semi-permanent defended location in an AO from which a unit supports operations with artillery and logistics |
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Firetrail |
Land clearing of bush to provide better observation of likely VC routes |
Individual dart from either flechette artillery or tank round; each round contains several thousand individual flechettes designed to break up massed infantry assaults |
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FOO |
Artillery forward observation officer, usually a captain, who travelled with infantry to co-ordinate artillery support |
FOO(A) |
Artillery forward observation officer assistant; a NCO or gunner (gnr) who travelled with infantry as fire support co-ordinator in place of mortar fire controller (MFC) |
Forward scout |
Soldier in front of platoon, seeking out likely enemy ambush sites and booby traps |
Frag |
Fragmentation hand grenade |
Fragging |
Assassination of unpopular officers by allied soldiers, often by means of fragmentation grenade; there are no recorded incidents of NZ troops fragging officers during the Vietnam War |
Friendlies |
Australian troops, allies, or anyone not on the other side |
Friendly fire |
Air, artillery, or small arms fire from own forces mistakenly directed at own positions |
FSCC |
Fire Support Co-ordination Centre; artillery command post to manage fire from all deployed guns |
Fire support patrol base followed by a particular name, usually of a woman; see firebase |
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FWMAF |
Free World Military Assistance Forces (US, NZ, Australian, South Vietnamese and other allied forces) |
Rifle |
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Nickname for US CH-47 Chinook helicopter; based on aircraft call-signs |
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GI |
Nickname for American soldiers; from the term 'Government Issue' which was stamped on all equipment used by the soldiers |
Can of soft drink |
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Issue machete, rarely used except in FSPB as the noise attracted enemy attention; see secateurs |
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Gook |
Slang for Viet Cong; see VC |
GPMG |
General purpose machine gun, used at section level for fire support; see M60 |
GPO |
Gun Position Officer; a lieutenant or captain responsible for a battery's technical tasks and for operating the battery command post |
Greens |
Green uniform designed for field wear |
Ground clearance |
Permission given by land force commander for air or artillery clearance to fire/fly into or over his area of operations |
US slang for infantry soldier, as in 'the only answer you get from a foot soldier is a grunt' |
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Gun shot wound |
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Guns |
Artillery; see arty |
Government of [South] Vietnam |
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Anti-malarial tablets |
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Bush location where field troops rest and protect themselves |
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H&I |
Harassment and interdiction; unobserved artillery, mortar or air bombardment on locations which might be used by enemy forces, usually fired at night |
HE |
High explosive; destructive force in artillery shells, mortar bombs, aerial bombs |
Hepatitis roll |
Bread roll baked locally |
Hercules |
Transport aircraft; see C130 |
Hexamine or solid kerosene; British-made cooking tablet used mainly in Malaysia |
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Hoi Chanh |
Viet Cong or North Vietnamese soldier who defects and joins the government of South Vietnam forces or ceases fighting against them; see Chieu Hoi |
Hoochie |
House, tent or other living space; from US slang; also known as hutchie |
Hook into |
To attack aggressively |
Withdrawal of troops from area of operation via helicopter while under enemy fire |
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Hot LZ |
Landing zone under hostile fire |
HQ |
Headquarters, at any level describes the command staff structure |
AH-1 Cobra - two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter; also known as Snake | |
Hutchie |
Small nylon sheets rigged up to branches to provide shelter |
Immediate action; instinctive drill such as ambush or contact |
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In country |
In Vietnam |
Inf |
Infantry |
INTREP |
Intelligence report on enemy locations, movement and intentions |
Model of US helicopter operated in Phouc Tuy province by 9 Squadron RAAF; see UH-1D |
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Jungle; see bush |
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Anti-personnel mine; known by Americans as a 'bouncing betty' |
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Jungle penetrator |
Heavy bulb device with fold away seats, lowered from a helicopter by winch to extract people where a landing is not feasible |
Knife, fork, spoon, used with mess tins, preferably plastic to reduce noise in the bush |
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KIA |
Killed in action during a contact; see WIA |
'Kit Carson' |
Viet Cong defector who then served with allied forces as a scout or interpreter; Australians called them 'bushman scouts'; see Chieu Hoi |
New Zealander; nickname used internationally and within New Zealand to describe people from New Zealand; derived from flightless bird native to New Zealand |
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105mm L5 pack howitzer gun used by 161 Battery in Vietnam, 1965-1967 |
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LAD |
Light aid detachment |
LFT |
Light fire team; comprised two UH-1D helicopters armed with forward firing mini-guns and 2.75-inch Zuni rocket pods with twin M60 in each door; RAAF call-sign 'bushranger' |
Lilo |
Australian model air mattress with inner air tubes |
Left out of battle; personnel routinely rested from operations; see pogue |
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Statement of location of a force or activity, typically a coded grid reference |
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Landing point, single helicopter pad or area in bush capable of allowing one helicopter to land |
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LZ |
Landing zone, capable of multiple helicopter landings and movements |
Routine supply to field troops of essential items like food and water; see OPDEM |
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MEDCAP |
Medical Civic Action Program; normally conducted in a secure area and could involve psychological operations to display humanitarian treatment and improve the image of occupying forces |
Medical evacuation |
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Medic |
Medical orderly or trained soldier who would provide medical support |
Mess |
Dining hall; barbeque area |
Mess tins |
Metal dishes used to cook and eat meals; container for shaving water, etc |
MFC |
Mortar fire controller attached to infantry; mortar sections often accompanied companies in the bush; MFC directed artillery fire in absence of forward observation officer |
MG |
Machine gun |
MID |
Mentioned in despatches; lowest form of decoration |
Electric Gatling gun; 7.62mm machine gun comprising 6-10 rotating barrels firing up to 6000 rounds per minute. They were usually mounted on airplanes and helicopters to be used on gound targets |
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Grumman OV-1 Mohawk observation aircraft; designed for battlefield surveillance and light strike capabilities |
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Mortar |
Infantry support weapon which fires bombs in a high trajectory that plummet onto target |
Mossie |
Mosquito |
MPC |
Military payment certificates with face value of US currency but only valid for use by service personnel at Allied facilities; issued to control the local black market |
MPO |
Medical Petty Officer |
Mug |
Field cup used to heat food and drink |
105mm howitzer gun used by 161 Battery in Vietnam, 1967-1971; also designated M101A1 |
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US designed anti-personnel jumping mine; also known as a Jumping Jack |
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US model 5.56mm lightweight personal rifle; see SLR |
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US model smoke grenade used for signalling; available in four colours – violet, green, yellow, and red |
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Designation for claymore anti-personnel mine |
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US model fragmentation grenade |
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40mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, often used for point security, convoy escort or perimeter defence in Vietnam; also known as the Duster | |
US model general purpose machine gun |
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US model shoulder fired 72mm light shaped charge rocket used to attack bunkers |
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US model 40mm grenade launcher |
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Armoured personnel carrier designed to carry and position troops and supplies; used to transport the L5 pack howitzer guns of 161 Battery 1965-67 |
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M125 |
M113 variant; self-propelled armoured personnel carrier with 81mm mortar firing through large, circular roof hatch in hull rear |
M548 |
M113 variant; unarmoured cargo carrier |
M577 ACV |
M113 variant; command vehicle used as a tactical operations centre; includes command and control equipment and long-range communications through hand-cranked extendible antenna system |
M579 fitter |
M113 variant; repair and recovery vehicle fitted with crane attachment |
Mixture of gasoline and detergent, which, when it exploded, sucks oxygen from the air, either killing people through asphyxiation or burning them alive; often used during firefights |
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Australian national serviceman or two-year conscript |
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Non-commissioned officer; section commander; platoon sergeant type ranks |
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NDP |
Night defensive position; a small temporary base for supporting arms like tanks |
Neptune |
P-2 US Navy aircraft |
NEWZAD |
The New Zealand Army Detachment Vietnam; engineer detachment which served in Vietnam, June 1964 - July 1965 |
Night hunter |
Co-ordinated radar, artillery and air cavalry |
Night raid |
Planned operation against an intelligence target |
Nitecap |
Integrated civic action programme during darkness with particular emphasis on psychological operations |
Nog/Noggie |
NZ/Australian slang for Vietnamese |
North Vietnamese Army; regular army of North Vietnam |
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NZ |
New Zealand or New Zealander; see Kiwi |
NZATTV |
New Zealand Army Training Team Vietnam |
NZV Force |
New Zealand Army Force (Vietnam) |
Officer commanding; also known as the company commander or sunray |
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OCTU |
Officer Cadet Training Unit |
Orders group; meeting of personnel to be tasked for future operations |
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Urgent supply to field troops of ammunition and weapons; see MAINTDEM |
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Op(s) |
Operation (usually followed by a name); see AO |
Other ranks; soldiers who are not commissioned officers |
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Orion |
P-3 US Navy aircraft |
Oscar Deuce |
Cessna 0-2 Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft |
OTLP |
One Time Letter Pad; a code book system used by patrols in the field; each page would be used only once |
OUMC |
Otago University Medical Company |
See LP |
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Drug used by Australians and New Zealanders in Vietnam as a malaria suppressant, taken in combination with Dapsone |
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Patrol |
Activity; selection of soldiers from three to company size on task in the bush |
PC |
Slang for APC, as in 'mount that PC' |
PE |
Plastic explosive such as C4 |
People sniffer |
Electro-chemical device to detect humans |
Pepper-pot |
Advance to contact in an unpredictable manner using small groups who cover movement with observation and aimed fire; in appearance like shaking pepper from a pot |
Pit |
Hole dug or scraped in the ground as protection from incoming fire |
Pl |
Platoon; military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 30 - 50 soldiers |
Pl comd |
Platoon commander; usually an officer of lieutenant rank |
Pl sgt |
Platoon sergeant, responsible for platoon administration and deputising for commander |
Picket duty |
Sentry duty |
Derisory slang for someone permanently left out of battle; see LOB |
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POO |
Point of Origin; map referencing system in which prearranged grid references on a map were used as a point of origin by jungle patrols |
Pop smoke |
To throw a coloured (red, yellow, or green) smoke grenade to assist helicopters identify correct landing place |
Possum | Call-sign for aircraft or helicopter of 161 Reconnaissance Flight |
POW |
Prisoner of war |
Private; lowest grade of trained soldier; also Gnr (gunner – artillery), Sig (signaller – Corps of Signals), Spr (sapper – engineers), Tpr (trooper – armoured corps) |
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Puff the magic dragon | C-47 aircraft equipped with three mini-guns; see spooky |
Punji |
Sharpened stick; see booby trap |
PX |
Post Exchange; retail stores operating on United States military installations worldwide. Known as Base Exchange (BX) on Air Force bases, and Navy Exchange (NEX) on Navy bases |
Quartermaster store; reserve stores in base area |
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Royal Australian Artillery |
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Royal Australian Air Force; helicopters and transports supporting 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) |
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Ranch hand |
Tactical military project for aerial spraying of herbicides in South Vietnam |
Rank |
Designation of experience and authority; see Pte, NCO, CQMS, CSM, OC |
RAP |
Regimental aid post; first level medical facility |
RAR |
Royal Australian Regiment; Australian infantry structure of nine battalions, three of which were designated ANZAC and had New Zealand companies |
Rats |
Rations |
Raven |
US UH-23 observation helicopter |
Recce |
Reconnaissance; US abbreviation was 'recon' |
resup |
Resupply; see MAINTDEM |
RF/PF |
Regional force or popular force militia; part of ARVN; also known as ruff puffs |
Rolling thunder |
US air campaign against North Vietnam |
Rounds |
Ammunition |
Soviet or Chinese model shoulder-fired rocket propelled grenade; used as local firepower by VC |
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Royal New Zealand Artillery |
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RNZAF |
Royal New Zealand Air Force |
RNZIR | Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment |
RNZN | Royal New Zealand Navy |
RNZNVR | Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve |
RSVN | Republic of South Vietnam |
RTNZ |
'Return to New Zealand' from overseas posting |
R in C |
Rest-in-country; a 48-hour recreational break at Peter Badcoe Club Vung Tau |
R&C |
Rest and convalescence; 5-day leave for NZers outside South Vietnam |
R&R |
Rest and recreation sponsored by US Forces; 5-days off outside South Vietnam |
Lowest grade of field engineer; special force VC or NVA soldiers who penetrated bases to destroy infrastructure |
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Special Air Service, either Australian or New Zealand; lived on 'SAS Hill', the highest point in Nui Dat |
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Scout |
First and second soldier in patrol; role to give early warning of danger |
SEATO |
South East Asia Treaty Organisation |
Hand-held pruning shears used to remove bush during movement; see gollock |
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Military earthwork used as a sleeping space for soldiers in the field |
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Short |
Time still remaining to serve in a tour of duty |
Sig |
Signaller or radio operator; see Pte |
SITREP |
Situation report, usually a coded radio message using a standard format |
Sky crane |
See superhook |
British model 7.62mm semi-automatic self-loading personal rifle; see M16-A1 |
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Slick |
Single helicopter movement; slang for an individual troop carrying helicopter |
Sioux |
US OH-13 observation helicopter |
AH-1 Cobra - two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter; also known as HueyCobra |
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Snakepit |
Revetments at Vung Tau airfield where AH-1 Cobra gunship helicopters were based |
Snatch |
Rapidly planned and executed operation to exploit information obtained from enemy |
US aircraft tasked to scan jungle with a range of human detecting sensors |
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SOP |
Standard operating procedure; agreed way to do certain actions or reports |
Spider holes |
Shoulder-deep hole, often covered by a camouflaged lid and linked to a tunnel system; the VC stood and fired a weapon, then closed the lid to disguise the hole |
Splinter team |
Small group of field engineers attached to rifle units for mine, booby trap or obstacle clearing tasks |
Term for round filled with flechettes |
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Call sign for C-47 gunship; see puff the magic dragon | |
Sqn |
Squadron, military subunit of company equivalent; air force unit |
Stag |
Rostered sentry duty |
Period at dusk and dawn when all activity ceases; change from day to night routine or vice versa |
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Stick |
Group of men ready to board helicopters |
Stokes litter |
Rigid stretcher with straps to immobilise a casualty before winching aboard a dustoff helicopter |
Radio term for officer commanding; see OC |
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CH-54 cargo helicopter; also known as sky crane |
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SVN |
South Vietnam |
Sweep |
Tactical move through an area to check for bodies, wounded, equipment etc |
Last person in a patrol, responsible for covering tracks backwards observation |
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Tan Tay Lan |
Vietnamese for 'New Zealander' |
TAOR |
Tactical area of responsibility; unit's operating area; area around Nui Dat and other firebases |
TCDD |
2,3,7,8 tetrachloro-dibenzodioxin |
The Dat |
Nui Dat, base of 1Australian Task Force (1ATF) combat units, as in 'heading back to the Dat' |
TOD |
Tour of duty (usually one year); period of time for a task or posting |
Tracer bullets |
Special bullets containing a phosphorous that burns brightly while in motion to show where they are going |
Triangle |
Easily understood shape of a harbour position; adapted as a drill for ambushes and halts |
Troopie |
Slang for ANZAC soldier |
Vietnamese for 'Australian' |
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Model of US helicopter operated in Phouc Tuy province by 9 Squadron RAAF; see Iroquois |
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Uncle Ho |
Nickname for Ho Chi Minh used by his supporters during the war and still widely used in Vietnam |
United States Air Force |
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United States Marine Corps |
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United States Navy |
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VCI |
Viet Cong infrastructure; the covert cadres in villages |
Very high frequency; radio frequency between 30-300 MHz |
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Victor |
V Company RNZIR; there were successive company replacement drafts, each with a numeral to indicate order - V5 Coy was the fifth V Coy to arrive in Vietnam |
Armed forces of the communist National Liberation Front, more formally known as the People's Liberation Armed Forces |
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Viet Minh |
National liberation movement formed by Hồ Chí Minh in 1941 to seek independence for Vietnam from France as well as to oppose the Japanese occupation |
VIS |
Vietnamese Information Service, responsible for interpretation and dissemination of South Vietnamese government programme and information |
(South) Vietnam Air Force; now defunct |
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VTSZ |
Vung Tau special zone |
Vung Tau Airlines |
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Vungers |
Slang for Vung Tau |
Final day of service in Vietnam; from 'wake up and go home' |
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Webbing |
See belt order |
Whisky/Whiskey |
W Coy RNZIR; there were successive company replacement drafts, each with a numeral to indicate order - W3 Coy was the third W Coy to arrive in Vietnam |
White mice | Derogatory name for South Vietnamese police; derived from their uniform of white helmets and gloves |
White phosphorous | Explosive round fired from artillery, mortar, or rockets, which dispersed thick smoke and caused serious burns; also known as willie peter |
Wounded in action; see GSW |
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Nickname for white phosphorous explosives |
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WO |
Warrant Officer Class 1; New Zealand Army rank; see NCO |
WO2 |
Warrant Officer Class 2; New Zealand Army rank; see NCO |
Zippo |
Cigarette lighter |
The terms in this glossary come from a number of sources, including 'Glossary', Australian War Memorial, accessed 24 April 2008 and 'Glossary of Words/Slang', W3 Company Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, accessed 11 February 2008.
Many publications about Vietnam include useful lists of terms. See Further information
Comments
Oscar Deuce: Cessna 0-2
Oscar Deuce: Cessna 0-2 FAC aircraft //
Snake: AH-1 Cobra gunship helicopter //
Snakepit: Revetments at Vung Tau airfield where the Snakes were based //
Commando Vault: BLU-82 15,000 pound bomb dropped from a C130. ( "Instant helicopter pad") //
Vung Tau Airlines: No. 35 Squadron RAAF (Caribou)
Thanks Robin - I've added