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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREY2qvEhcM
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXw6rPu0fn
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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2q1dUWBeTt
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejzxx5G5V3
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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6mWIiY4g2
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiR6acK2qW
ARVN: Army of the Republic of Vietnam, usually pronounced "arvin."973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhL929mFFKK
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AWOL: Absent Without Leave.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1DRQyCUUj
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgYADafW9K
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQ9ByEjuvY
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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsJqkqhVq5
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Bird: girl/woman973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6wlGCinGk
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf81UMIT2Ip
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdituVOEF8F
Chalk: The group of passengers for a single aircraft.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdNkRelpp8
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Charlie: The enemy, from VC = Viet Cong = Victor Charlie in radio phonetics.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeASLcDnam
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CO: Commanding Officer.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ9Ub3nkj6
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CP: Command Post973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3TYLtdDqh
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7p6eOXvpTt
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEjnmjJANA
DMZ: The so-called Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYmEdtNJYW
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop0ELbgLbg
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe27D6ZbylM
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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiP7AiJxKJ
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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."973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5lbvToKVu
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmA2hADtjA
GVN: Government of Vietnam, the Saigon regime.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueRapvKC98
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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."973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TP9bORg90
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Huey: UH-1 Helicopter, became Huey.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTDzwJiqhQ
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IO: Intelligence Officer.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBJmWai4RS
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXjkxzNqvw
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J: Jungle.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAK5eeglZf6
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KIA: Killed In Action.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThAia9PTTZ
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Locstat: Location statement, present location.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByzI1cMkzK
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LO: Liaison Officer973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrAg0es4GY
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSIG6HCzuD
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LZ: Landing Zone973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnLlfPBYFn
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDvHcDEG3C
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MASH: Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1ltialfvR
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Military Region: The National Liberation Front had divided Vietnam into these areas for their own administrative and operational purposes.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwORaVj0f5H
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGweSoQhENA
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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUyAVwtgzh
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFAcC1kweT
MP: Military Police.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeZQORuHzR
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLhJ2PGEtD
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrfRgjRakC
NVA: North Vietnamese Army. Never admitted by Hanoi to be in South Vietnam, an assertion believed only by the very naive.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Vpb0dgVhH
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIc5UA767Wb
OC: Officer Commanding. A company has an OC, a battalion a CO, a division a COC---General Officer Commanding.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4Hwn792bH
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Orders Group: A gathering for the purpose of passing on orders to subordinates.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsAa9Jfarj
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyMCPtcSe1
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZiflnLN4z
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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0y9J9XiUJf
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5lHQmnd66
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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRq6VCMjLj
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLgzODush3
PPS: Russian submachine gun of World War II vintage, firing a 7.62mm round.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qx740DboR
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYzezrIS8u
PX: Post Exchange = US Canteen.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4o8TOwzvR
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RATTV: Royal Army Training Team, Vietnam.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVLkBHM44g
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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."973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIduhKCWSMC
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWeskNltOx
RPD: Russian light machine gun for section or squad use. The initials stand for the Russian words, the D being for Degtyarev, the designer.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUDBQ3fBI1
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aynCUb3zL
RMO: Regional Medical Officer, the battalion doctor.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvey4f4XdN
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RSM: Regimental Sergeant Major, the senior noncommissioned officer in the unit, responsible to the CO for discipline.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2SpTw6vKR
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RV: Rendezvous973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHSCKaYkoy
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Slicks: Troop-carrying helicopters, as opposed to armed versions, the "gunships," called "pigs"973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHt71Ynyuq
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFBBXtVwgc
Slope: U.S. term for Asian, similar to the British "wog."973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvRuCa7AjQ
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzf6WVrf0op
SLR: Self Loading Rifle; the British-modified Belgian FN, produced at Birmingham, firing the standard NATO 7.62mm round, pronounced "slur."973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOMPaUAsPy
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Smoke: To shoot, kill973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiHQQAqN1d
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Tommy: A British soldier.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHnwthirUS
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Twenty mike mike: 20-millimeter cannon, from 20mm.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7DZBHdCkz
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VC: Viet Cong, the Vietnamese for Vietnamese Communist.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfb2CBS47zV
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VNAF: Vietnamese Air Force.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BZtJYAIFX
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzl3dCM0RK
973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiJL9GKEes
Wog: British slang for an Asian: more fully "Westernized Oriental Gentleman." Plural is "wogs" and the land is sometimes referred to as "Woggeria."973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKJBTuQ810
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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.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJC9fw4AKRR
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WIA: Wounded in Action. 973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4IQgw4TdA
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Yank(s): citizen(s) of the United States of America.973Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJRT1Yhp18
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