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thedrifter
01-03-04, 07:27 AM
Nam’s Jargon Headed for History
by Paul J. Constantino

‘You had to have been there . . .’


During the past decade, most of the Vietnam-era veterans in the U.S. Army have retired. I can no longer say to a soldier, “Do you remember back when . . .” because chances are the soldier was born after the war. It was his father or uncle who served in Southeast Asia. The Vietnam veteran is becoming a retiree. It seems uncool or unhip to recollect anything prior to (insert year). Nevertheless, I recently asked some Army officers/noncommissioned officers (NCOs) whether they knew what a donut dollie was, what “REMF” meant, or what going home through Hamilton referred to. I received blank stares from the soldiers, and I felt apologetic for asking. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be . I also felt a sense of diminishment in that some very colorful military language and expressions were unfamiliar to today’s soldiers. I decided, therefore, to share with you some of the Vietnam War (or “American War” as the Vietnamese now call it)-era military acronyms and jargon from down memory lane. These oldies are going, going, and may only be remembered by those of us who served over “there,” or in “Nam.” Marine Vietnam veterans will also recognize most of these expressions as well.

AK–47—Also called an AK; standard infantry weapon used by Viet Cong/North Vietnamese (VC/NVA) soldiers; a 7.62mm assault rifle originally produced by Kalashnikov Company in the Soviet Union; made a signature sound and fired green tracers.


APC—An armored personnel carrier.


ARVN—Army of the Republic of Vietnam; the former South Vietnamese Army.


Agent Orange—A toxic chemical herbicide used (abused) on a wide scale and designed to defoliate vegetation/jungle and to deprive VC/NVA soldiers of natural cover.


Amerasians—Name for children born of union between Vietnamese women and American servicemen during the war.


Ao Dai—Attractive long dress worn by Vietnamese women.


Arc Light—Saturation or blanket bombing by B–52s (carrying up to 58,000 pounds of conventional bombs) and when done at night, a burst of light stretched across the horizon . . . like an arc light.


Arty—Artillery.


Beaucoup—Pronounced “boo coo” by the Vietnamese. A French word and one of the most common Vietnamese expressions. It means many.


Beehive—Rounds (shells) filled with small metal flechettes (darts) that were deadly direct fire antipersonnel weapons. (One of the most devastating weapons used by Marines, the 106mm recoilless rifle, fired these rounds.)


Berm—Fortification; a sandbagged or earthen wall/parapet to protect soldiers, buildings, artillery pieces.


Bird—A helicopter that was also called a slick or chopper; some 4,869 helicopters were lost in the Vietnam War, which many called a helicopter war. A “birddog” was a small, fixed-wing observation aircraft.


Body Count—Casualty count. With few frontlines or territorial objectives, the numbers of enemy killed became one measure of U.S. military success; e.g., the famous quote, “We had to destroy the town to save it.”


Boonies—Out in the field; jungle or countryside of South Vietnam, also called “Indian Country.”


Boot—Slang for a newly arrived soldier; a soldier just out of boot camp; untested soldier, also called a “cherry,” “newbie,” or “greenie.”


Bouncing Betty—A landmine designed to spring an explosive 60mm mortar round upward to waist level before detonation.

Boxie—Pronounced “bac-si.” Vietnamese word for doctor; U.S. military physicians were also commonly called by this term.


Bro—A comrade, friend; a soul brother or black soldier.


Bronco—A twin-engine OV–10 propeller aircraft equipped with minigun(s)/rockets and used by aerial observers (AOs) who were called “Red Barons.”


Brown Bar—A second lieutenant, aka “Butterbar.”


Bug Juice—Mosquito repellent.

Bush—In the field or in a nonpermanent military position; in the soldier’s language, “In the grass up to your ass.”


C–4—Plastic explosive; although intended for detonating, it was known to heat C-rats.


C-Rats or Chow (Also known as Cs)—Standard U.S. Government field meal inside a cardboard container that contained cans of rations (C-rats) and, yes, packets of coffee and cigarettes. There were some colorful—unprintable—expressions describing them.


CAP—Civil Action Program, whereby individual units/soldiers helped the South Vietnamese build/rebuild public facilities, such as roads, schools, orphanages, medical clinics. There also was a MedCAP (Medical Civil Action Program) that provided South Vietnamese villagers with U.S. medical care.


Cammies—Camouflaged jungle fatigues, also called cammo.


Charlie—The nickname for the VC; a Vietnamese Communist and enemy soldier; a follower of the National Liberation Front.


Chieu Hoi—Means “open arms” in Vietnamese and referred to the leaflet and rehabilitation program encouraging enemy soldiers to surrender/defect to the South.


Chop Chop—Chinese for fast or to hurry up; not to be confused with a “chopper,” which is a helicopter.


Co—Vietnamese for a girl or unmarried woman.


Cobra—Name for a snake, but also for a heavily armed attack helicopter.


Concertina Wire—Rolls of barbed wire rolled out and stretched along your perimeter to prevent/slow a ground attack by VC/NVA soldiers.


Connex—Large corrugated metal container used for shipping or storage that sometimes was sandbagged at fire bases to act as a bunker.


Counterpart—A South Vietnamese soldier of equal rank with whom you might train or work.


Cowboy—A gambler and mistrusted individual; one who viewed the war as a passport for valor and was more interested in self-aggrandizement (medals) than the welfare of the troops.


Cyclo—Name for pedicab or bicycle rickshaw.


DEROS—The sweetest word in Vietnam; referred to date of expected return from overseas service or when a soldier’s tour of duty was over. Not to be confused with ETS which referred to your estimated time of separation from military service.


DMZ—A demilitarized zone, as a result of the Geneva Accords of 1954, was established. It divided North and South Vietnam along the 17th parallel and, in the words of the soldiers, “There ain’t any ‘D’ in DMZ.”


Di Di Mau—Vietnamese expression for hurry up or fast, or “Let’s get out of here.”


Dear John Letter—A letter that you hoped you would never receive; namely, one from your sweetheart back home saying goodbye and that she was going with someone else.


Dinky-Dao—Vietnamese expression for “crazy.”


Donut Dollie—An affectionate expression for Red Cross or USO (United Service Organization) ladies who always had a friendly smile and fresh snacks for the soldiers.


Draft—A five letter word that is not an acronym. In the 1960s it was one of the most terrifying of words, but also a real motivator for many Americans to attend college and graduate school(s), and/or live abroad. During the Vietnam War approximately 1.8 million men were drafted into the U.S. Army. (And for a brief period draftees were also Marines. As they stood in line in the induction center, a Marine recruiter would walk down the line pointing to those “lucky” men who would go to Marine boot camp.)


Dustoff—Medical evacuation of wounded soldiers by helicopter.


E-Tool—Standard military issue entrenching tool; a small shovel.


FIGMO—Expression meaning, “Fu__ it, got my orders.”


Firebase—or FB—A temporary artillery base set up in hostile territory that supported the infantry operating in the AO.


Flak Jacket—Heavy but necessary fiber-filled vest worn for protection from shrapnel wounds or low-velocity bullets, but when flying in helicopters, you sat on it.


Flechette—Antipersonnel rounds containing darts and usually fired from an M79 grenade launcher or field artillery; deadly effective against a direct attack by enemy soldiers.

FNG—”Fu_____ new guy,” or new boot in the unit. Because the tour of duty was for 1 year (13 months for Marines), there was a constant departure of experienced soldiers and arrival of new recruits.


Frag—A fragmentation hand grenade.


Fragging—Assault on a fellow soldier/officer with a grenade.


Freak—A soldier who uses marijuana or narcotics.


Free Fire Zones—Areas with no restrictions on firing. Areas designated by the South Vietnamese military as being under enemy control that permitted indiscriminate use of artillery and airpower (i.e., Con Thien, DMZ, A Shau Valley, along the Laotian border, etc).


Freedom Bird—Name given to the contract commercial jet airliner that brings in new soldiers and winged back to the world with soldiers who completed their tours.


Friendlies—People who supported the South Vietnamese Government.


Friendly Fire—Air, artillery, or small arms fire mistakenly directed at U.S. or friendly forces.


FSB—Fire support base.


FUBAR—Derogatory expression meaning that something was “fu____ up beyond all recognition” that this soldier learned from Saving Private Ryan was actually a World War II expression.

Gaggle—A group of helicopters flying on a mission; the troops within were sometimes called “sky soldiers.”

Gook—A Korean word for “person,” but a derogatory word for enemy soldiers; used by American soldiers in Korea and Vietnam.


Grunt—An infantryman. In World War II soldiers were called GIs (government issue) or dog faces, but in Vietnam a soldier was a “grunt;” some called themselves “boonie rats” or “legs.”


Gung Ho—An enthusiastic soldier, from the Chinese word “kung ho” or “work together.”


continued......

thedrifter
01-03-04, 07:29 AM
H&I—Harassment and interdiction; mortar or artillery fire directed at enemy troops or suspected enemy concentrations at night.


Hamburger Hill—Memorable firefight in May 1969 between 101st Airborne Division/NVA soldiers; its name reflected the bloodshed and devastation.


Hamilton—As in “going home through Hamilton”; referred to the fact that filled body bags/temporary caskets were flown across the Pacific to the mortuary at Hamilton Air Force Base (now closed), north of San Francisco, CA.


Hanoi Jane—Reference to Jane Fonda and her highly publicized tour and meeting with North Vietnamese officials.


Heart—The Purple Heart; medal for being wounded in action.

Ho Chi Minh Trail—The trail (actually a network of roads) named after that determined leader of North Vietnam; stretched southward through Laos into Cambodia over which troops and thousands of tons of ammo, rations, weapons, and equipment were transported and funneled into South Vietnam.


Honcho—Slang for squad/detachment unit leader; i.e., the “head honcho.”


Hooch/Hootch—A tent, bunk, or Vietnamese villager’s hut; could be anything from a poncho or even a “house” made out of bamboo and flattened beer cans for siding.


Hot Pursuit—Policy requested by infantry and artillery commanders who were engaged in a firefight/bombardment only to have enemy soldiers escape to sanctuary across the border into Laos or Cambodia.


Huey—Popular name for the UH–1 helicopter; a multipurpose, widely used helicopter in the war, also called a Slick; produced by Bell Corporation.


Hump—You didn’t walk or march in Vietnam, you humped.


Illum—An illumination flare that can be air dropped but was usually fired by a crew-served (mortar/artillery) weapon.


Incoming—Enemy fire on you, your position, or base.


Indian Country—Out in the field or enemy territory.


Insert—To deploy to another location by helicopter.


Iron Triangle—Heavily contested AO northwest of Saigon that was at the south end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.


Jo or Projo—Name for an artillery round; a projectile.


Jody—Person back on the block who took your girl when you were away.


KIA—Killed in action; someone who was zapped, greased, offed, wasted, or simply “bought the farm.”


Kit Carson—A VC/NVA soldier who surrendered under the Chieu Hoi program could after reindoctrination become a Kit Carson; a scout, advisor, or interpreter for U.S./Vietnamese forces.


Klick—Slang for kilometer which is approximately .62 miles.


LBJ—If you screwed up, you faced the prospect of seeing LBJ, not President Johnson, but the Long Binh Jail, the largest military stockade in South Vietnam.


LOH—pronounced “loach”; light observation helicopter.


LRRP—Long-range reconnaissance patrol performed by leg (infantry) units; pronounced “lerp.”


L-T—A lieutenant (2d or 1st).


LZ—Landing zone; a helicopter pickup or dropoff spot in the field.


Lai Dai—Vietnamese expression for “come here.”


Lifer—A derogatory term for a career soldier. (Also the Service number prefix “US” designated a draftee and “RA” an enlistee.)


M16—Standard semiautomatic rifle; fired 5.56mm bullets; made by Colt Firearms. The standard machinegun was the M60 and the grenade launcher was the M79.


MAAG—Military Assistance Advisory Group; U.S. soldiers who worked with ARVNs.


MIA—Missing in action.

MPC—On payday you received Military Payment Certificates, what soldiers called “funny money.”


Mad Minute—A drill or sudden/short burst of fire from M16s, machineguns—even field artillery—that raked the area in front of your berm or perimeter to test your defenses against sapper infiltration or enemy attack.


Mail Call—A dose of reality and the singularly most important—vitally important—link to home and reality. A treasured moment each day, especially if you received a letter.


Mama San—A Korean expression that referred to an elderly woman; used by soldiers when referring to South Vietnamese female civilians.


Mars Call—Communications system that enabled soldiers to send a message home from Vietnam.


McNamara Line—Plan named after Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara for a line of wire, mines, sensors, and observation posts reinforced by a patchwork of artillery firebases along the DMZ that was intended to permanently seal off NVA infiltration into the south.


Medevac—A “dust off,” or medical evacuation, usually by helicopter.


Medic—A Navy corpsman or Army medic was never referred to as a bedpan commando. The soldiers called them “Doc” and eminently respected them and never allowed them to pull any duty. Their accomplishments in the field were noteworthy/newsworthy and helped pave the way for the modern medical specialist known as the physician’s assistant.


Midnight Requisition—Soldiers who lived and fought in the boonies were amazed at some of the luxuries (i.e., air conditioning/refrigerators) enjoyed by rear echelon troops and—at times—“liberated” the goods that became known as midnight requisitions. Also, historically practiced by Marines on any Army unit. The unofficial requisition system of the U.S. Navy was called Comshaw.


NVA—The North Vietnamese Army.


Nam—Short for the Republic of Vietnam.


Napalm—Jellied gasoline dropped from aircraft that ignited with devastating effect.


Newbie—Slang for a new body or soldier in the squad or unit who was also called a “greenie” or “cherry.”


No sweat—Something that was easy.


Number 1—Good; excellent; the best.


Number 10—Terrible; couldn’t get any worse; the lowest.


P–38—Official name for the small hinged metal can opener for C-rats. Marines called it a John Wayne.


POW—Prisoner of war. The Hanoi Hilton was not a Far East rest and recreation destination. It was the main POW compound in North Vietnam.


PTSD—Posttraumatic stress disorder.


Papa San—A Korean expression that referred to an elderly man; used by soldiers when referring to South Vietnamese male civilians.


Paris Peace Talks—In March 1968 (following the Tet Offensive), President Lyndon B. Johnson announced a unilateral halt to air/naval operations against North Vietnam. In response, North Vietnam, in April, agreed to enter peace negotiations in Paris. Said talks dragged on and on (fighting while negotiating), month after month and year after year. In the words of the soldiers in Vietnam, “Did you hear the latest joke? The Paris Peace Talks.”


Parrots Beak—That portion of Cambodia north of the Mekong and southeast from Phnom Penh that is west of Saigon and indents into the former South Vietnam some 30-odd miles.


Peace Sign—The “V” sign made with your fingers was an unofficial greeting among soldiers.


Pee’s—Slang for the South Vietnamese currency that officially was called the piaster.

Phoenix Program—Operation in South Vietnam by the Central Intelligence Agency that sought to eliminate VC soldiers by capture, defection, or killing.


Puff—As in “Puff, the Magic Dragon”; C–130 (or C–47) outfitted with 7.62mm miniguns that fired 6,000 rounds a minute. From the ground the concussion/impact sounded like an ominous roar in the sky. Purportedly, it could cover the size of a football field with a round every inch.


Punji Stick—Primitive type of “mine”; pointed/sharpened bamboo stake dosed with poison/excrement inserted into the ground and covered over and concealed. (You’ll ruin your day by stepping on it.)


R&R—Rest and recreation (or recuperation). What kept many servicemen motivated was the thought of a future week’s vacation to Bangkok, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Sydney, or Taipei.


RAC—Slang for a royal ass chewing.


REMF—Derogatory expression for someone in combat service support; that is, a rear echelon M_____ F___er.


RPG—Rocket propelled grenade, a favorite of the VC.


RSU—Slang for a royal screw up.


RTO—Radio telephone operator who was the vital communications line between a squad/unit and higher headquarters and/or close air or artillery support; during the heat of battle became a one-man fire coordination center.


Remington Raider—Slang expression for those REMFs who served in Vietnam as clerk typists.

Rock ‘n Roll—Expression used when firing a weapon on full automatic.


Rome Plow—Also called the “jungle eater”; large Caterpillar D9 bulldozers with a large blade used in vegetation/jungle clearing to achieve a better field of fire (named for the site of its manufacturer in Rome, GA).


Round Eye—Slang for a western person.


Route 1—Major coastal highway that stretches from the Delta south of Saigon northward through Da Nang and into the DMZ north of Dong Ha.


Saigon Tea—Nonalcoholic beer/beverage ordered by Vietnamese bar hostess (sometimes referred to as a “short-timer”) but billed to the soldier as whisky, and at an exorbitant price.


Sandbag—Expression for when the workload is oppressive and you are asked to do more—a response may be, “Don’t sandbag me.”


Sapper—VC/NVA soldier(s) trained in explosives/demolition and infiltration.

Shake ‘n Bake—Slang for an NCO who on graduation from NCO school became a buck sergeant and was immediately sent to Vietnam; also called an “instant” or a cherry sergeant.


Short—Description for a soldier whose 1-year tour of duty was almost over; a “short-timer.”

Silent Heros—The silent majority or some 3 million plus U.S. military personnel who from 1957–75 fought in Southeast Asia. They didn’t go to Vietnam for God and country; they just followed orders and did what they had to do. They weren’t political, Satans, or trying to be heros. They were trained, were conscientious, and did their job. They simply hoped to survive their tours of duty and return home in one piece.


Sin Loi—Vietnamese expression for “excuse me.”


continued......

thedrifter
01-03-04, 07:30 AM
Single-Digit Midget—Expression for a soldier with less than 10 days left in-country; a real “short-timer.”


Skate—An easy job or assignment with little risk; i.e., the lifeguard at China or Eagle beaches or at Vung Tau on the south coast.


Smokey the Bear—A light plane—usually an OV–1 (also called a birddog)—that dropped smoke grenades or flares to mark or to illuminate a position.


Sneaky Pete—A special forces soldier.


Song—Vietnamese word for river.


Spider Hole—More descriptive and realistic expression for a soldier’s foxhole.


Standdown—A unit’s return from the boonies to a secure area to perform maintenance, training, refitting, or resupply.


Strategic Hamlets Program—Program of the South Vietnamese Government and the U.S. Army that forcibly removed peasants into fortified villages to deny the VC bases of support.


Suntans—Name given to the Vietnam-era lightweight, tan-colored summer uniform.


Tee Tee—A Vietnamese word for very small.


Tet—Vietnamese Lunar New Year, a major holiday, but refers to when, on 30 January 1968, VC sappers invaded the U.S. Embassy in Saigon and launched the Tet Offensive attacking towns/villages throughout South Vietnam.


The World—Home or back in the good old United States of America.


Thud—Slang for an F–105 Air Force jet bomber that performed close ground support.


Toe Popper—A small antipersonnel mine or boobytrap; if you stepped on it, could blow off your foot.


Top—Name for the highest ranking NCO in the unit, usually the first sergeant.


Track—Any vehicle with treads; e.g., tank, artillery, etc.


Trip Flares—Flares attached to trip wires; were set off by intruders or sappers.


Tunnel Rat—A soldier who descended into tunnels looking for VC/NVA soldiers.


Two-Digit Midget—Expression describing a soldier with less than 100 days left in-country.


Two Stepper—Name for the poisonous krait snake. Once bitten, it was said you’d take two steps before collapsing.


VC—Shortened from Victor Charlie; a term for Vietnamese Communist or VC soldiers.


Vietnamization—Process of turning the warfighting over to the Vietnamese forces that began in 1970. The South Vietnamese welcomed U.S. military assistance/aid, but it became their battle and war after the phased withdrawal of U.S. ground forces.


Ville—Vietnamese village/settlement, called ban in Vietnamese.


WIA—Wounded in action; a “million dollar wound” was a nonfatal and nondisabling injury that qualified you for evacuation and recuperation and a one-way ticket “back to the world.”


White Mice—Slang for the white uniformed South Vietnamese city police.

Willie Peter—Name given to white phosphorus or incendiary rounds.


Yard(s)—Slang for Montagnards, indigenous, hill-dwelling people who lived in the interior and along the Annamese Mountains of South Vietnam.

Zippo—A flamethrower.


>Mr. Constantino was a draftee who served with the 8th Bn, 4th Artillery at various DMZ firebases west of Dong Ha and rose to the rank of sergeant in the field artillery. He is the recipient of a Bronze Star, Army Commendation, and Army Achievement medals. He is an attorney in private practice in Burlingame, CA and can be reached at his e-mail address: attorneys@Kubota-constantino.com.

http://www.mca-marines.org/Gazette/2003/03Constantino.html


Sempers,

Roger
:marine:

Sparrowhawk
01-03-04, 11:20 AM
The first one that comes to mind is,

Back in the world-America

reddog4950
01-04-04, 11:43 AM
http://www.usmcpress.com/

This will explain most terms used in the Corps. from Nam to now.
hope this helps. Reddog4950

SHOOTER1
01-18-04, 02:22 PM
Damm Roger,a trip thur memory lane. Cam on ong,Thuy Quan Luc Chien

wayne553
01-24-04, 07:29 PM
All I can say is I remember

wc

reddog4950
01-25-04, 12:05 PM
Boo coo dinky dau, Marines number 1, and dogpatch do you remember these?
S.F. reddog4950