13th Valley (102 page)

Battery:
    An artillery unit the equivalent of a company. Six 105mm or 155mm howitzers or two 8-inch or 175mm self-propelled howitzers.

BDA:
    Bomb Damage Assessment.

beaucoup:
    French for many. Boonierats usually pronounced this word boo-coo. Many thought it was Vietnamese.

berm:
    The perimeter line of a fortification—usually raised above surrounding area.

bird:
    A helicopter.

bird dog:
    A FAC or forward air controller, usually in a small, maneuverable single-engined prop airplane.

blue feature:
    Any water feature, so called because of the color used to designate water on topographic maps.

boo-coo:
    Beaucoup.

boonie hat:
    A soft hat worn by a boonierat in the boonies.

boonierat:
    An infantryman.

boonies:
    The field, the bush, the jungle. Any place the infantry operates that is not a firebase, basecamp or ville. From boondock.

bowl:
    A pipe used for smoking dope.

BRAVO
:
    The military phonetic for the letter B. Also Company A's call for medic.

breaking squelch:
    Disrupting the natural static of a radio by depressing the transmit bar on another radio set on the same frequency.

Bro:
    Also Brother. A black soldier or soul brother. Also, at times, boonierats from the same unit.

BS:
    Bullshit. Also, BSing; Bullshitting, as in chewing the fat, telling tall tales, or telling lies.

C-4:
    A powerful plastic explosive.

C-123:
    A small cargo airplane, The Caribou.

C-130:
    A medium cargo airplane, The Hercules.

C-141:
    A large cargo airplane, The Starlifter.

CA:
    Combat Assault.

CAR-15:
    A carbine rifle.

CC:
    Company Commander.

C & C:
    Command and Control (helicopter).

CG:
    Commanding General.

CH-47:
    A Chinook.

CH-54:
    The largest of all American helicopters, strictly for cargo, The Flying Crane or Skycrane.

CHARLIE:
The military phonetic for the letter C. Also, the Viet Cong.

Charlie-Charlie:
    C & C.

Charlie Four:
    C-4.

Charlie Foxtrot:
    Similar to FUBAR or SNAFU, Cluster Fuck.

cheap Charlie:
    A GI who is frugal with his money while in a bar.

cherry:
    A new troop.

Chi-Com:
    Also Chicom. Chinese communist. Used in conjunction with an object this denoted manufactured in Red China. Used alone Chicom usually meant a Chinese manufactured hand grenade.

Chieu Hoi:
    Vietnamese for Open Arms. An amnesty program to encourage enemy soldiers to rally to the GVN.

Chinook:
    A large twin-rotor cargo helicopter, CH-47, often referred to as a Shit-hook because of the discomfort caused by the rotor wash to anyone in the vicinity of its landing. Wind velocity at the tip of the rotors reportedly is 130 mph.

Chuck: or Chas
    The enemy.

clacker:
    A small hand-held firing device for a claymore mine.

Claymores:
    Anti-personnel mines with one-pound charge of C-4 behind 600 small steel balls.

CO:
    Commanding Officer.

Cobra:
    An assault helicopter. AG-1H.

comics:
    Topographic maps.

commo:
    Communication.

CONEX:
    Container Exchange. Corrugated metal packing crate of large dimension, often used as shelter atop firebases.

COSVN:
    Communist Office of South Vietnam. Thought to be located in the Parrot's Beak area of Cambodia, it was never found.

CP:
    Command Post.

CQ:
    Charge of Quarters.

C-rats:
    Combat rations. After two weeks they all taste the same.

Cs:
    C-rats.

DA:
    Department of the Army.

daily-daily:
    Anti-malaria pills taken daily.

dap:
    A soul handshake and greeting which may last up to ten minutes and is characterized by the use of both hands and often comprised of slaps and snaps of the fingers. Highly ritualized and unit specific.

dee-dee:
    Also dee-dee mau (Vietnamese,
didi—
to run). Get the hell out of here.

DELTA:
    The military phonetic for the letter D.

DEROS:
    (Dee-ros) Date Estimate Return from Overseas. The day a soldier is scheduled to go home or the act of going home.

dew:
    Marijuana.

dicks:
    A derogatory expression meaning or referring to the enemy.

dime:
    The number ten.

dime-nickel:
    A 105 mm howitzer.

dinks:
    A derogatory expression meaning or referring to the enemy.

DMZ:
    Demilitarized Zone (a word game).

DRO:
    Dining Room Orderly.

drops:
    Reduction in length of tour caused by overall reduction and withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam.

DTs:
    Defensive Targets. Also known as Delta Tangos.

Dust-Off:
    Medical evacuation by helicopter.

DX:
    Direct exchange. Also, to discard or dispose of, to kill some-one.

E-l:
    Private One. The lowest army pay grade.

E-2:
    Private Two. The E stands for enlisted. Pay grades run from E-l to E-l 1.

Early-Outs:
    A drop, or a reduction in time in service. A soldier with 150 days or less remaining on his active duty commitment when he DEROSed from Vietnam also ETSed from the army under the Early Out Program.

ECHO:
    The military phonetic for the letter E.

Eleven Bravo:
    Also 11-B, the MOS of an infantryman.

EM:
    Enlisted Man.

ET or E-T:
    An Entrenching Tool, a small collapsible shovel, pick and mattock combined in one instrument.

ETS:
    Estimated Termination of Service. The scheduled date of getting out of the army.

F-4s:
    Phantom Jet fighter-bombers. Range—1000 miles. Speed—1400 mph. Pay load—16,000 lbs. The workhorse of the tactical air support fleet. Often called a fast mover.

FAC:
    Forward Air Controller. See BIRD DOG.

fast mover:
    An F-4.

FB:
    Firebase.

FDC:
    Fire Direction Control. (Artillery)

firebase:
    An artillery firing position, usually atop a hill or ridge, which would be secured by infantry and supplied by helicopter. They could be established very rapidly and were often in existence for only a brief period of time although many were permanent all-weather bases.

FO:
    Forward Observer.

FOXTROT:
    The military phonetic for the letter F.

Frag:
    A fragmentation hand grenade.

fragging:
    Using a FRAG to wound or kill a person, usually a LIFER.

freak:
    Frequency, radio. Also a junkie or pothead.

freq:
    Frequency.

fuck:
    Along with Fucked and Fuckin—the most commonly used word in a GI's vocabulary other than the article
a
.

fucked up:
    To be wounded or killed. Also, to get high on marijuana or other drugs. Also, to get drunk. Also, to be foolish or do something stupid.

funny papers: or comics.
    Topographic maps.

FWMAF:
    Free World Military Assistance Forces. The allies.

ghosting:
    Goldbricking or sandbagging.

GOLF:
    Military phonetic for the letter G.

gooks:
    An NVA soldier. Also, any Oriental human being.

grunt:
    A BOONIERAT.

gunship:
    Early in the war this meant any extra-heavily armed helicopter used primarily to support infantry troops. Later, it referred to a Cobra AH-1H equipped with a particular configuration of rockets, 40mm cannons and mini-guns.

hardstand:
    A pierced steel plate (PSP) platform over sand.

HE:
    High Explosive. (Artillery)

heat tabs:
    An inflammable tablet used to heat C-RATS. Always in short supply.

H & I:
Harassment and Interdiction. (Artillery)

HHC:
    Headquarters and Headquarters Company.

Higher-Higher:
    The honchos. The command or commanders.

hook:
    A radio; a radio handset.

hootch:
    A billet, sometimes a bunker, sometimes an office building.

horn:
    A radio handset.

HOTEL:
    
The military phonetic for the letter H.

Hueys:
    UH-1 helicopters of various series. This Utility helicopter was the primary troop insertion/ extraction aircraft for the 101st. Also used as Dust-Off birds and C & C birds. Called Slicks.

Hump:
    To patrol carrying a rucksack; to walk; to perform any arduous task.

I Corps:
    (The Roman numeral I here is pronounced ‘eye'.) The northernmost military region of South Vietnam.

IG:
    Inspector General.

INDIA:
    
The military phonetic for the letter I.

insert:
    To be deployed into a tactical area by helicopter.

Jody:
    The person who wins your lover while you are in the Nam. From the marching song, or cadence count,
“Ain't no use in goin' home/Jody's got your girl an' gone/sound off.…”

JULIET:
The military phonetic for the letter J.

k:         In lower case, pronounced kay; a kilometer.

KBA:
    Killed By Artillery.

KBH:
    Killed By Helicopter.

KCS:
    Kit Carson Scout, a Vietnamese working with an American infantry unit as an interpreter and scout under the Luc Long 66 Program.

KIA:
    Killed In Action.

KILO:
    The military phonetic for the letter K.

klick:
    A kilometer.

LAW:
    Light Anti-tank Weapon. A 66mm rocket in a collapsible, discardable firing tube. Effective against bunkers.

LEMA:
    The military phonetic for the letter L.

lifers:
    Career military personnel, derogatory.

little people:
    The enemy.

lit-up:
    Fired upon.

LMG:
    Light Machine Gun—the Soviet made RPD, a bi-pod mounted, belt fed weapon similar to the American M-60 machine gun. The RPD fires the same cartridge as the AK-47 and the SKS carbine.

Log Bird:
    Logistical (resupply) helicopter.

LOH:
    Light Observation Helicopter.

LP:
    Listening Post.

LRRP:
    Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol.

LSA:
    Lubricant, Small Arms.

LZ:
    Landing Zone.

M-16:
    A gas-operated, air cooled automatic/semi-automatic assault weapon weighing 7.6 pounds with a 20-round magazine. Maximum range 2350m. Maximum effective range 460m. Automatic firing rate 650-700 rounds/ minute, sustained automatic firing rate 100-200 rounds/ minute.

M-60:
    The standard American light machine gun. A gas-operated, air cooled, belt fed, automatic weapon. Often referred to by boonierats as THE GUN.

M-79:
    An American single-shot 40mm grenade launcher. Called the thumper.

MA:
    Mechanical Ambush. A euphemism for an American-set booby trap.

mad minute:
    A weapons free-fire practice and test session.

MARS:
    Military Affiliate Radio Station. Used by soldiers to call home via Signal Corps and ham radio equipment.

MEDCAP:
    Medical Civilian Assistance Program.

Medevac:
    Medical evacuation by helicopter.

mermite:
    Large insulated food containers.

MIA:
    Missing In Action.

MIKE:
    The military phonetic for the letter M.

mike-mike:
    Millimeter.

Mini-Gun:
    An electric Galling gun, 7.62mm. Capable of firing 6000 rounds/ min.

Monday pills:
    Anti-malaria pills taken once a week on Mondays.

Monster, the:
    A PRC-77. See below.

MOS:
    Military Occupational Speciality. Job title code.

MFC:
    Military Payment Certificates; GI play money.

Nam:
    Vietnam.

NCO:
    Non-Commissioned Officer.

NDP:
    Night Defensive Position.

net:
    Radio frequency setting, from network.

nickel:
    The number five.

no sweat:
    Easy. Can do.

NOVEMBER:
    The military phonetic for the letter N.

numba one:
    The best.

numba ten:
    The worst. Often said by bar girls to CHEAP CHARLIES.

numba ten thousand:
    An exaggeration of how bad things can be.