THE VIETNAM WAR

ARMY AVIATION, GI and GENERAL

JARGON & TERMS

AAA= anti-aircraft artillery

AC= aircraft, usually helicopters -

"Choppers"= usually UH-1 "Iroquois" B, C, D, or H model "Huey" (Bell) helicopters in the Army inventory, Air Force had F models and twin-engine M models, and Marines had some other designations (maybe J models?)

"Slicks"= earliest slicks were B model Hueys, that after about 1967 were replaced with D or H model Hueys configured as troop lift ships with only two M60, 7.62mm, machine guns mounted one on each side

"Guns"= normally UH-1C model Hueys configured heavily armored with weapons including 2.75" rocket pods on each side, 7.62mm mini-guns (very rapid fire rate), M49 grenade launcher (mounted under the nose), and anything else the crew could get strapped on the AC and still get off the ground, including the occasional TOW missile. Guns also included the AH-1 Cobra (also referred to as a "Snake") gunship built specifically for armored attack

"Loach"= initially the OH-6A (Hughes) "Cayuse" was used as a "Light Observation Helicopter" (thus the term LOACH), generally single pilot AC employed as Aerial Scouts to observe the battlefield, direct gunship air coverage and act as an enemy fire 'magnet.' Later during the Vietnam war the OH-6A was replaced by a more powerful, but less maneuverable (and less crash worthy) , OH-58 (Bell) "JetRanger" AC, but Scouts were always generally referred to as "Loach."

AC= aircraft commander, the "command" authority in an aircraft, generally over any other authority regardless of rank, and generally the pilot with the most time in-country, and the most experience, combat flight hours and missions

AHC= assault helicopter company

AK-47= enemy rifle, standard Warsaw Pact weapon, about .30 caliber size

AO= area of operations, terrain

Arc Light Operations= code name for the devastating aerial raids of B-52 Stratofortresses against enemy positions in Southeast Asia, the first B-52 Arc Light raid took place on June 18, 1965, on a suspected Vietcong base north of Saigon. In November 1965, B-52s directly supported American ground forces for the first time, and were used regularly for that purpose thereafter. B-52 bomb strike often used hundreds of 500lb to 2000lb bombs, so that it actually felt like an earthquake if you were close enough and at the least it sounded like "rolling thunder."

ARVN= Army of the Republic of Vietnam soldiers

ASAP= (pronounced "A-sap") as soon as possible; a request for extreme urgency in a military assignment or operation

Ash & Trash= ASH stands for assault support helicopter (resupply, cargo lift, etc.) & trash means administrative type flying of passengers, VIPs, AC parts, etc., the term applied to any type of non-combat type aviation mission

ASHC= assault support helicopter company, usually CH47 "Chinook" helicopters

A Teams= 12-man Green Beret, Special Forces units

Bag Drag= the last day in-country, the day you left for home was considered the day you drag your duffel bag of junk and memorabilia to the plane

Base Camp= a semi-permanent field headquarters and center for a given unit usually within that unit's tactical area of responsibility. A unit may operate in or away from its base camp. Base camps usually contain all or part of a given unit's support elements.

BDA= bomb damage assessment

Beehive Round= a direct-fire artillery round (usually 105mm howitzer) which incorporated steel darts called 'fleshettes', used as a primary base defense munition against ground attack

Berm= a defensive wall of earth around a military encampment, or gun position, etc.

BIC (biet)= Vietnamese term for "understand" (usually pronounced 'bick' by GIs)

Bird= any aircraft, usually a helicopter

Bird Dog= O-1 Army fixed-wing aircraft used for arial observation

Bladder= a heavy-duty, rubberized collapsible petroleum drum ranging from 2,000 to 50,000 gallons

Body Bag= the plastic bags used for retrieving bodies on the battlefield

BOHICA= short for "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again!" usually describing another undesirable assignment

BooKoo (beaucoup)= Vietnamese/French term for "many," or "lots of"

Boondocks, Boonies, Bush= expressions for the jungle, or any remote area away from a base camp or city; sometimes used to refer to any area in Vietnam

Bouncing Betty= explosive mine that propels up from the ground about four feet into the air and then detonates for more lethal shrapnel effect

Break Squelch= to send a "click-hiss" signal on a radio by depressing the push-to-talk button without speaking, used by LLRPs and others when actually talking on the microphone might reveal their position

Bring Smoke= to direct intense ground fire, artillery fire, air force close-air fire or Spooky "rain of fire" on an enemy position

Bunker= a protective shelter, generally underground and made of concrete (if you were lucky), otherwise it was made of timbers and earth and often portals for firing out toward the enemy

C-4= a very stable plastic explosive carried by infantry soldiers

CA= combat assault (troop insertion or extraction), fully coordinated airmobile operation

CAB= combat aviation battalion, next higher command over a company

Caca Dau= (pronounced "cock ie dow" by GIs) Vietnamese phrase for "I'll kill you."

CAG= combat aviation group, next higher command over a battalion

CAV= nickname for air cavalry, also referred to armored cavalry using M113 APCs, and other light armored vehicles

CCN, CCC, CCS= Command and Control, North (Central or South), the special ops units that ran the clandestine and covert operations in South East Asia

CE= crew engineer, "crew chief" the helicopter mechanic that kept it in the air, also manned one of the M60 machine guns on a "Slick", or other weaponry on a gunship

Central Highlands= a plateau area at the southern edge of the Truong Son Mountains, was a strategically important region of South Vietnam throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Constituted most of I and II Corps Field Forces AO. Nearly one million people, primarily Montagnard tribesmen, lived in the 20,000 square miles of the Central Highlands in 1968. The region was economically known for its production of coffee, tea, and vegetables.

Chicken Plate= chest protector (body armor) worn by helicopter pilots and gunners, sometimes gunners sat on their chicken plate to protect other vital parts

Chinook= the CH-47, twin rotor, cargo helicopter; also called "Shithook" or "Hook"

Chogie, "Cut A Chogie"= to move out very quickly; a term brought to Vietnam by soldiers who had served in Korea

Choi Oi= (pronounced "choy oye") Vietnamese term, exclamation like "holy cow," or "What the hell!"

CIB= The Combat Infantry Badge was awarded only to combat veterans holding an infantry MOS and several award levels based on number of tours in a combat zone (meeting the base requirement each time)

CIDG= (pronounced "sidgee") Civilian Irregular Defense Group, often Montagnard or Vietnamese national guard types

Close Air Support= air strikes against enemy targets, usually by Air Force A-10 aircraft ("Wart Hog" due to its 'ugly' appearance), that are close to friendly forces, and requiring intimate contact and coordination between ground and air units

CO= commanding officer, often called "the old man"

Contact= in contact with the enemy, or firefight, also spotting a target or LZ from the air

Conex= a large metal military container about 6'x6'x7' tall, used for shipping military supplies and equipment, and more often for bunkers, showers, living in, etc.

CONUS= the continental United States of America, "state-side"

CP= command post where the unit operations center was located

C-Rations, Cs = canned rations issued to GIs for field operations, NOT very tasty

Crew Chief= the helicopter crewmember responsible to maintain the daily operational status of the aircraft, and in Hueys to fly along on all missions to fix mechanical problems and act as door gunner (usually left side of the AC)

CYA= cover your ass

DA= density altitude, the higher the DA the less lift a helicopter can achieve, because high DA corresponds to low air density, thus less lift on the rotor blades

DEROS= Date of Expected Return from Overseas, the date you were allowed to go home

Didi= Vietnamese for get away from me, or move out, or on the run

Didi Mau= Vietnamese for get away from me NOW!, rapidly

Dinks= Vietnamese, (actually a Korean word for "foreigner")

Dinky Dau= Vietnamese term for "crazy"

Di Wee= (pronounced "die-wee") Vietnamese for rank of captain

DMZ= demilitarized zone around the Seventeenth Parallel, the temporary division line between North and South Vietnam established by the Geneva Accords of 1954

DOD= Department of Defense

Donut Dolly= American Red Cross Volunteer - female, namesake of their World War I counterpart; supposed to help the morale of the troops

Dope= term for marijuana and other illegal drugs

Dustoff= a nickname for a medical evacuation helicopter or mission, also "Medevac"

E & E= Escape and Evasion

Elephant Grass= tall, sharp-edged grass found in the highlands of Vietnam, often reaching 6' tall or more making judgement of where the ground actually was very difficult for helicopter pilots, or troops jumping out of the chopper, and making booby traps in LZs very easy to conceal

Exfil, exfiltrate, exfiltration= to sneak out/pick up/extract ground personnel, or the point of exit from an AO

Extraction= withdrawal/removal by airmobile resources of troops from any AO

FAC= usually US Air Force Forward Air Controller, but sometimes Army fixed wing

Fast mover= a jet, usually an F-4 Fantom

Feet Wet= expression used by pilots to indicate they were over water, or directions from air traffic controllers to help locate AC on radar

FINI (pronounced "feeny" with emphasis on the Y)= French term for finished, to GIs it meant "I'm done!" or "I'm outta here!"

Firebase= a remote artillery position, usually quite isolated with airlift support the main means of resupply

Flack Jacket= heavy fiberglass-filled vest worn for protection from light shrapnel primarily, different from the "chicken plate" in that it was worn as a vest and it was flexible, not rigid ceramic and metal

FNG= f---ing new guy

Free Fire Zone= an area in which US troops could shoot at any target they identified as hostile without prior permission (which became very few after about 1969) and was designated for "clearing weapons" on the AC to make sure they were working properly

Freq= radio frequency

Friendlies= U.S. troops, allies, ARVN, or anyone not on the enemy side

FUBAR= short for "F---ed Up Beyond All Recognition" to describe really bad situations, equipment, people, or mission directives from higher HQ

Gooks= derogatory term for Vietnamese soldiers, and often civilians too

GPM= gallons per minute fuel consumption

Grease Gun= M3/M3A1 sub-machinegun, .45 caliber automatic weapon

"GRUNT"= affectionate name for Infantry type soldiers or "ground pounders" - stands for "ground replacement usually not trained"

Gunner= helicopter crew member acting as machine gunner, could be almost anyone, but most often an AC mechanic still learning the job

Hanoi Hilton= nickname American prisoners of war used to describe the Hoa Loa Prison in Hanoi, North Vietnam

Heat Tabs= fuel pellets about the size of a half-dollar that burned slowly and were used for heating C-Rations, or other purposes

HHC= headquarters and headquarters company of a battalion or higher unit

Hootch= house, native hut, or GI living quarters

Horn= term for radio, or landline telephone ("Get Intruder 6 on the horn.")

HQ= any headquarters unit, also where ever the CO is located

Huey= the Bell UH-1 "Iroquois" helicopter, generally configured with a 1,400 shaft horse power (SHP) Avco Lycoming engine, with a cruising speed of about 100 knots and a range of 300 miles, the workhorse of the Vietnam airmobile war

Hump= to trudge around on foot, also carry something heavy like an M60 machine gun

I Corps (pronounced "eye core")= northernmost military region in South Vietnam beginning around Danang and going to the DMZ, headquarters of I Corps was located in Danang

II Corps (pronounced "two core")= area of operations just south of I Corps from south of Danang to south of Cam Ranh Bay

III Corps (pronounced "three core")= from south of Cam Ranh Bay to north of Saigon

IV Corps (pronounced "four core")= southern tip of South Vietnam located in the Mekong River Delta to north of Saigon

Incoming= receiving enemy mortar or rocket fire on your position

INTEL= intelligence information, also G-2

IP= instructor pilot, authorized to certify other pilots as flight ready

Jesus Nut= main rotor retaining nut that holds the main rotor onto the rest of the rotor mast, so name because if it came off only Jesus could help you survive

Jolly Green Giant= an Air Force HH-53 heavy rescue helicopter, or also a heavily armed Air Force C-47 aircraft supporting troops

Klick, "K"= a kilometer, the U.S. military map metric measure equal to 1,000 meters or about .6 mile

"Knots"= nautical miles per hour used for stating military aircraft airspeed

KIA= killed in action

Lai Dai (pronounced "la day")= Vietnamese for "come here"

LZ= landing zone "Hot" LZ= one active with enemy fire, or expected fire

LZ Prep= "prepare" an LZ for landing aircraft and troops by suppressing enemy action through gunship rocket and machine gun fire, artillery bombardment, Air Force fighter jet heavy weapons, and even on rare occasions Navy ship bombardment from off-shore

LZ, "Cut an"= using a large bomb (500lb or more) with a 6" long protruding fuse, a C-130 aircraft would fly over an AO and "cut" an LZ because the bomb would explode horizontally, not creating a crater but clearing vegetation and debre, bombs were also referred to as "Daisy cutters" since they only cleared the ground's surface

LRRP= long range reconnaissance patrol, generally Special Forces Green Berets, also applied to Marines - pronounced "lurp"

LRRPs= in jargon "lurps" also applied to the freeze dried rations that LRRP patrols were issued, light weight, mix with water (hot preferably) and eat - VERY TASTY!



M-1= US Army carbine rifle, semi-automatic firing .30 caliber bullet, mostly used in Korea but a few were still found in Vietnam

M-14= US Army rifle, semi-automatic firing 7.62mm bullet initially used in Vietnam, but replaced by the M-16

M-16= US Army rifle, semi-automatic & fully automatic firing a 5.56mm bullet

M-60= US Army machine gun firing a 7.62mm bullet at aprox. 550 rounds per minute

MAC-SOG= Military Assistance Command Studies and Observation Group, mission of covert operations in SEA

MACV= (pronounced "Mac-vee") Military Assistance Command, Vietnam

Mama-San= an older Vietnamese woman who usually was employed to do laundry and clean hootches

McGuire Rig= special harness and rope device for lifting ground troops out of a dense jungle canopy by helicopter, named after the inventor SGM McGuire

Medevac= medical evacuation of injured/wounded personnel often by Medevac helicopter units, also called "Dust Off"

MIA= missing in action, a soldier whose body was not recovered, or not confirmed KIA

Mic (pronounced "mike")= microphone

Mike(s)= minute(s)

Mike Force, MSF= Special Forces Mobile Strike Force; composed of US and indigenous troops, and used as a reaction or reinforcing unit

Montagnard= one of the indigenous mountain tribes people of Southeast Asia (usually pronounced 'mountainyard' by GIs, or just 'yards')

MPC= Military Payment Certificate, used in lieu of cash or dollars in Vietnam, also "funny money"

Napalm= highly flammable explosive used by Air Force fast-movers to burn up an area of suspected enemy activity, or lay down a barrier between friendlies and enemy

NEWBIE= any person with less time in Vietnam than the person speaking to them

Newbie WOJG (pronounced "wo-gee")= brand new Warrant Officer "Junior Grade" generally meaning WO1 with no-time-in-grade

Nuoc Mam= fermented fish sauce used for cooking and spicing Vietnamese food, made by drying fish on racks in the sun, which created a smell that could permeate 1000' altitude and could make most GIs puke

NVA= North Vietnamese Army soldiers/units

OD= "olive drab" color, standard Army issue green color, also, Officer of the Day

P-38= GI issue can opener for canned C-rations

Papa-San= an older Vietnamese man who usually was employed to do general labor around a compound including filling sandbags, and cleaning latrines

Piaster, "P"= monetary unit of RVN, generally bills, coins were called "dong"

PBO= property book officer

PIC= pilot in command, different from AC in that PIC was whoever was senior between the two pilots and had not yet received official unit designation as AC

PP, "Peter Pilot"= affectionate name for a co-pilot who generally was too inexperienced to be considered of much use other than to change radios, watch AC gauges, and maybe follow the map

Poncho liner= light camouflage colored nylon insert to the military rain poncho, generally used as a blanket

Pop Smoke= to mark a team sight location, or LZ, or target with a colored smoke grenade, then a pilot would ID the color to ensure the right location

POW= Prisoner of War, something to avoid at all cost

PRC-25 (called "prick 25") lightweight infantry field FM radio, the PRC-77 version incorporated an encryption feature for secure communication

Pucker Factor= gauge of the level of fear or anxiety in the risk or difficulty in a mission

Puff the Magic Dragon= an Air Force AC-47 aircraft fitted with side-firing miniguns and flares to support night operations and defense of enemy attacks on firebases

R&R= rest and recuperation, generally out-of-country for most people (Hawaii or Thailand), but the "grunts" could get a little R&R in-country just by NOT being in the field

Radios= FoxMike - FM (frequency modulation, low band width Infantry compatible)

UHF - Ultra high frequency (Air Force, Navy and ATC compatible frequencies)

Victor - VHF - very high frequency (Army command and control frequencies, ship-to-ship communication and local control tower communication)

RECON= reconnaissance

REMF= Rear Echelon Mother F---er, derogatory name for those serving in the safer rear areas, given freely to many types of positions by front-line soldiers

Revetment= the parking place for helicopters

RoadRunner Team= team of about 5-6 Green Berets and ARVNs that went in secretly to scout/recon and were extracted secretly - if possible

ROKs= Republic of Korea soldiers/units WHRID= White Horse ROK Infantry Division

RON= "remain over night," or somewhere other than your own hooch/bed/cot

RTO= radio telephone operator who carried the PRC-25, or any radio operator

RPG= rifle-propelled grenade, Russian-manufactured antitank grenade launcher

Sappers= North Vietnamese Army or Vietcong demolition commandos who infiltrated friendly compounds and planted explosives

SEA= South East Asia, meaning all of that area (not just South Vietnam), including Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam, etc.

SHADOW= C-119 gunship with 7.62mm and/or 20mm mini guns mounted in side windows.

Short= number of days left until DEROS, going home, even FNGs were 364 days "short"

Short Final= aircraft preparing to land within a minute at an airfield or in an LZ

Single-Digit Midget= a person who was "so short" to DEROS that they only had single digit days left

Sin Loi (pronounced "sin loy")= Vietnamese for "too bad," or "tough sh_t" often followed by other descriptive expletives

SIT-REP= situation report

Slick= helicopter used to carry troops or cargo with only self protective armaments, see Huey Slick above

Slope= a derogatory term used to refer to Asians

Snake= the AH-1 Cobra gunship built specifically for armored attack

Sniffer Missions= slicks configured with ammonia sensory devices attached to the skids would low-level above the canopy very slow to detect high levels of ammonia from urine as an indication that enemy troops were, or had been in the area

Snoopy Missions= a mission flown often where one ship flew at tree-top level, trying to draw enemy fire from hidden troops, and the gun ships at higher elevation would locate the enemy and dive and attack

SOG= Studies and Observations Group, also, Special Operations Group

Sortie= one aircraft takeoff and landing to conduct a mission

Spooky= a C-47 gunship with 7.62 mini guns mounted in the side windows

Stand-Down= the unit is ordered to rest, re-outfit, and repair for future operations, during which time all operational activity, except for security, is ceased

StarLight Scope= night-vision telescope, used by snipers and basecamp defense troops to see in the dark

Strap Hanger= a term that comes from the Airborne meaning someone who is not a regular member of the unit or operation but is just along for the ride

Tailboom= the back end of a Huey just behind the engine compartment

TOC= Tactical Operations Center, pronounced "tock" also called "flight ops" the place in an Avn. Co. where flight missions are generally assigned and posted, a daily and nightly stopping place for crew members

Tracer= a bullet that leaves a visible trail from its phosphorus tip as it travels, usually red

Triple canopy= thickest jungle with vegetation growing at 3 levels; ground level, intermediate, and high levels

Trung Wee= Vietnamese for sergeant

USARPAC= United States Army, Pacific Command

VC= Viet Cong (Vietnamese guerilla s, local militia basically)

WP, "Willie Pete"= a white phosphorus artillery round, rocket or grenade that explodes phosphorus and burns whatever it contacts



