|
Albatross: callsign of the RAAF Iroquois(Huey)
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.
Arty: artillery
Baggy Arse: private soldier.
Base Camp: semi-permanent field headquarters and center for a given unit
usually within that unit's tactical areas 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.
Battalion: organizational institution in the
Army. Commanded by a lieutenant colonel, an infantry battalion usually has around 800
soldiers.
Beehive: a direct-fire artillery round which incorporated steel darts
(fleshettes), used as a primary base defense munition against ground attack.
Bird: any aircraft, usually helicopters.
Bookoo: much
Boom Boom: sex. Bookoo Boom Boom: much sex.
Borneo Design Battery - RNZA nomenclature for a form of artillery battery
using only four guns instead of the normal six. Specifically, it meant four, L-5 (105mm)
pack howitzers served by 89 gunners, 13 reinforcements and a 17 man logistical Det. 161
Bty RNZA was also allowed a 5th tube when it deployed to VN which was supposed to be a
spare, however it was used as part of the Bty makeup almost from the start and without the
permission of the NZ Govt, as the extra firepower was needed and prudent. The Borneo
configuration was standard for the 161 Bty RNZA from 1965 until 2Jul66, when a six gun
battery was finally authorized. Later, the US M2A2 105MM Howitzer replaced the lighter,
shorter-ranged and less durable L-5s. Until the arrival of Chinook helicopters in large
numbers, the New Zealander’s L-5 was the only howitzer deployable by UH-1.
Brigade: basic military organizational institution. During the Vietnam
War, a division was organized into three brigades, with each brigade commanded by a
colonel. A division consists of approximately 20,000 people.
Brass Up: concentrated fire into an area.
Bushranger: Australian Iroquios Gunship
Bunds: RAA/RNZA name for sandbag defensive artillery positions employed
because it was impossible to dig down in their AO without striking water.
Charlie: viet cong(VC)
Cheap Charlie: used by vietnamese to describe someone who would not spend
money on them or buy anything from them.
Company: organizational institution
commanded by a Major and consisting of four or more platoons; varied widely in size
according to mission.
Contact. to be in a fire fight with enemy.
Chieu Hoi: (chew hoy)Vietnamese meaning ememy soldier who surrended under
the SVN government program for surrended soldiers.
Choges: vietnamese people.
Di di mau: (diddy mow -ow as in cow) go away or any other explisite
meaning same.
DMZ: demilitarized zone
Dustoff: nickname for a medical evacuation helicopter or mission.
Firefight or Contact: exchange of fire between opposing units.
Friendlies: Australian troops, allies, or anyone not on the other side.
Friendly Fire: euphemism used during the war in Vietnam to describe air,
artillery, or small-arms fire from our own forces mistakenly directed at our positions.
Gat: a rifle
Goffer: can of soft drink.(5-10 cents)
Gollick: a machete
Gonk: dozing
Grunt: popular nickname for an infantryman in Vietnam; supposedly derived
from the sound one made from lifting up his pack.
Hanoi Hilton: nickname American prisoners of war used to describe the Hoa
Loa Prison in Hanoi.
Hepatitis roll: bread roll baked locally
Hootchy: tent, house, living quarters or a native hut
Hot LZ: landing zone under hostile fire
Hook into: to attack agreesively
Hutchie:(hootchie) small tent used by Australian soldiers.
In Country: In Vietnam .
J: the jungle
Kiwis - Nickname for the troops of the New Zealand Artillery (161 Bty)
and Infantry.
Klick, K: short for kilometre (.62 miles).
Munger: food
Light Up: to fire on the enemy.
LZ: landing zone .
Nasho: national serviceman
Nog or Noggy: a vietnamese person.
Number One: good
Number Ten: bad
Number Ten: very bad
Platoon: approximately 40 men belonging to a
company. Commanded by a lieutenant, a platoon is an organizational unit composed of three
or more sections.
POW: Prisoner of War
Pogo: a person not involved in combat. Usually stayed in protected areas.
Possum: radio callsign for Bell Sioux helicopter
Prop: stop, halt
Reg: a regular (full time) soldier
Reo: a soldier reinforcement for a unit
PTSD: post-traumatic stress disorder
Recon: reconnaissance
Rock 'n' Roll: to put a M16A1 rifle on full automatic fire.
R & R: rest-and-recreation vacation taken during a one-year duty tour
in Vietnam. Out-of-country R & R was at Bangkok, Hawaii, Tokyo, Australia, Hong Kong,
Manila, Penang, Taipei, Kuala Lampur, or Singapore. In-country R & R locations were at
Vung Tau.
RVN: Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
Search and Destroy: offensive operations designed to find and destroy
enemy forces rather than establish permanent government control.
Tail-end charlie: last man in patrol
The dat: Nui Dat - base area for the Task Force
Splintex - The Australian/New Zealand Artillery’s anti-personnel,
105mm cannon round that was apparently equivalent to the US Beehive round.
Skipper: leader or commander of a platoon
Slopes: a vietnamese person
Sunray: commander of that unit radio callsign.
Short Timer: individual with little time remaining in Vietnam
Sortie: one aircraft making one takeoff and landing to conduct the
mission for which it was scheduled
Stand-Down: period of rest and refitting in which all operational
activity, except for security, is stopped.
Stand To: period where troops were on full alert with weapons ready.
Normally conducted at first light and last light daily.
Uc Dai Loi: (ook-daa-loy) Australian.
Vungers. Vung Tau.
Tin Trunk - The RNZA nomenclature for the firing artillery registrations
of pre- set Defensive Targets (DF task registrations), or Delta Tangos, as they were known
by US forces
Vietnam Shower: RNZA Gunner’s nickname for a bathing technique used
during the mid May-Nov Monsoon season. Involved stripping inside a tent, stepping out to
get wet, stepping inside again to lather and then stepping out again to rinse.
Wakey: the final night before an event like going home.
Wallaby: RAAF Caribou aircraft, known as "Wallaby Airlines"
Warburtons: nickname for the Nui Dinh and Nui Thi Vai hills. Lines from a
song which went' "dont go near Warburton mountain if you are looking for a
fight".
Weapon Pit: A pit dug in the ground with sandbag protection and sometimes
an elevated roof of sheetmetal, reinforced with sandbags. Sized for one or two troops,
fighting holes might be dispersed around a company or battery area for defensive use
during a ground attack.
White Mice: South Vietnamese police; nickname came from their uniform
white helmets and gloves
Xin Loi: (sin loy) sorry about that. | |