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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuECpIT0trN
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Ao-dai: The Vietnamese national dress, a close-fitting top and bodice, with long flowing panels from the waist, under which long pants or trousers are worn. Pronounced "ow zhy," by the Northerners and "ow why' by the Southerners.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHea7B3MRs
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Arc of fire: Each weapon is positioned to fire over a certain piece of ground, which has left and right boundaries. If this is planted on a map, the area would be represented as an arc of the extremities of the boundaries. There are primary (main) and secondary arcs of fire.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4cW2YpNvU
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ARVN: Army of the Republic of Vietnam, usually pronounced "arvin."1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBeyafPdZr
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AWOL: Absent Without Leave.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqdf2rbe41
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVNesPrenJ
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Base-up! Make camp.
Basic Webbing: Generally the minimum harness that a soldier can wear and carry to enable him to perform his basic fighting functions: waist belt, shoulder harness, ammunition pouches, water bottles, bayonet, entrenching tool, and whatever else the unit deems necessary. On this "basic" webbing the thoughtful army can build big and little packs, bedding, radios, and so on.
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BHQ: Battalion Headquarters.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIHEZ6XeBX
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Bird: girl/woman1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVIU7W0BGP
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QVVdh0vsi
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Chalk: The group of passengers for a single aircraft.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaRmxXCyiw
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Charlie: The enemy, from VC = Viet Cong = Victor Charlie in radio phonetics.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkRdqErT6w
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CO: Commanding Officer.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCTb9T00sd
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CP: Command Post1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkD8OGkNDZ
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVUhb6OytD
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DMZ: The so-called Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6gnIweHIW
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vHEXjftwi
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FAC: Forward Air Controller: a pilot who flies a small (Cessna) aircraft into the battle area to locate, mark, and guide the fighters or bombers onto the targets. A high degree of skill and courage was needed.
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FN: Fabrique Nationale, the Belgian firm of arms makers.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xBLBMKgJf
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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."1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexpmOc5bvf
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GVN: Government of Vietnam, the Saigon regime.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUGMZrdJxZ
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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."1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgf840e02t
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Huey: UH-1 Helicopter, became Huey.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4Ai7MhGoR
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IO: Intelligence Officer.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTyN3worEM
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5dCZMjy5u
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J: Jungle.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iPKDePdZx
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KIA: Killed In Action.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyA4t7IpnR
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Locstat: Location statement, present location.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3tzkM5QCs
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LO: Liaison Officer1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapyfxWZGHm
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mBeGRD80U
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LZ: Landing Zone1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdapmZL7UiL
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRlbg8z4Sw
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MASH: Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGaUljnqFh
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Military Region: The National Liberation Front had divided Vietnam into these areas for their own administrative and operational purposes.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkb71xRUdN
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MPC: Military Payment Certificate. "Play money" or "Monopoly money" issued by the military authorities in an attempt to halt the flow of dollars into the black market, etc. It is only good in the military system such as canteens, messes, etc. The type or pattern of MPC would be changed at very short notice, and all unchanged old MPC would then be so much paper. There are said to be people throughout Asia with boxes of old MPC, hoping for the day when the particular pattern is again issued, and they will get rich.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfnMEDcJLG
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MP: Military Police.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCH3WNNpZR
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYH4bKGX5CS
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NVA: North Vietnamese Army. Never admitted by Hanoi to be in South Vietnam, an assertion believed only by the very naive.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEr42FsErC
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OC: Officer Commanding. A company has an OC, a battalion a CO, a division a COC---General Officer Commanding.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡse8aoRTZgU
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Orders Group: A gathering for the purpose of passing on orders to subordinates.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlvofxWShV
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUvzQLrcih
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Pepper-pot: A tactic for advancing under fire where one or two soldiers at a time leap up, run forward a few paces, go down, roll away, and fire on the enemy while their comrades are doing likewise. The enemy is presented with fleeting targets all across his front, making it very hard for him to take on an accurate shot. Like many other things, it requires practice and teamwork.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhGnpm313y
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Pogo: See Basebludging. Pogos are the same, but worse. They supposedly spend their time bouncing aimlessly around the rear areas on a pogo-stick and are thus of no use to the fighting troops, i.e., anyone closer to, or likely to be closer to, the enemy.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzZ0CoiD4s
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PPS: Russian submachine gun of World War II vintage, firing a 7.62mm round.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAzGjFm6hq
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PX: Post Exchange = US Canteen.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYL3Th9i0pG
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RATTV: Royal Army Training Team, Vietnam.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlkP7TED3N
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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."1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXyNmp5FEX
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RPD: Russian light machine gun for section or squad use. The initials stand for the Russian words, the D being for Degtyarev, the designer.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYEeEBqDMn
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RMO: Regional Medical Officer, the battalion doctor.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1HsRcTEHS
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RSM: Regimental Sergeant Major, the senior noncommissioned officer in the unit, responsible to the CO for discipline.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNIcUbbkV0
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RV: Rendezvous1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSa1c4WqYIL
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Slicks: Troop-carrying helicopters, as opposed to armed versions, the "gunships," called "pigs"1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZ0pxWOXgv
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Slope: U.S. term for Asian, similar to the British "wog."1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLtPv0ztZn
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SLR: Self Loading Rifle; the British-modified Belgian FN, produced at Birmingham, firing the standard NATO 7.62mm round, pronounced "slur."1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7yvUeUqQv
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Smoke: To shoot, kill1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHFks7kjfY
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Tommy: A British soldier.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjepSEEj5Hr
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Twenty mike mike: 20-millimeter cannon, from 20mm.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRbozeY703
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VC: Viet Cong, the Vietnamese for Vietnamese Communist.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LcnQmJIYB
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VNAF: Vietnamese Air Force.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtX9HK8mZv
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJH4NhRpKf
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Wog: British slang for an Asian: more fully "Westernized Oriental Gentleman." Plural is "wogs" and the land is sometimes referred to as "Woggeria."1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMG1ZlgZtnM
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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.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkB8edfj2qw
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WIA: Wounded in Action. 1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqi8uEQdRWU
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Yank(s): citizen(s) of the United States of America.1017Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnl85ukoE5G
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