WORDS WE USED IN THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM AND AFTER OUR RETURN HOME

It is important for Vistors and students to build up thier knowledge of terms used by us veterans and those who write about the Vietnam War. Some of this slang was invented by returning veterans.The Vistors to this page our advised that this contains obscene language and should have Parental control while reading this page.

A = ALPHA

A1 Vintage WWII propeller driven aircraft that was the workhorse of air support for ground troops in Southeast Asia. It was configured in a variety of systems from the A1A to A1G. It could carry a tremendous payload and linger over a target far longer than the jet supporting aircraft. (see Skyraider)

AAA Anti Aircraft Artillery also “Triple A.” The FWF in South Viet Nam had little to worry regarding enemy air attacks but the VC and the NVA employed everything the could to prevent helicopters and fix-winged aircraft from operating against them, from the bolt-action M91 Mosin-Nagant rifle to SA-7 shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles.

ABF Attack by fire: to place direct of indirect fire on a given target

ACAV Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle: The M113 and M114 armored troop carrier

ACofS Assistant Chief of Staff

AFVN Armed Forces Vietnam Network

AFRTS Armed Forces Radio and Television Services: The unit that provided radio and television services in-country.

AG Adjutant General

Agent Orange A defoliant/herbicide containing trace amounts of toxic contaminants called dioxins. It derived its name from the Orange band on the 55-gallon drums in which it was stored. A one-to-one mixture of n-butyl esters of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). It was used against broad-leave vegetation. It contained 1.77 to 40 ppm of dioxins (TCDD) amounts. Lesser known but still employed defoliants and their dioxin contents were:

Agent Blue 32.8 to 45 ppm Narrow Leaf

Agent Pink 65.6 ppm Any vegetation

Agent White 65.6 ppm Broad leaf

Agent Silver 1 to 70 ppm Fungicide

AHC Assault Helicopter Company

AID Agency for International Development

Aid pouch a web pouch carried on the load-bearing gear that contained a sterile gauze bandage for use by the individual soldier when injured or wounded.

Aid Bag Waterproof triple-tiered bag used by the combat medics to carry bandages, medical supplies and instruments.

Air Burst Munitions that, through a time or barometric fuze explodes before hitting the ground.

Aid Kit a small bag, bigger than a pouch but smaller than a bag for carrying necessary survival medical items e.g. Merthiolate, morphine syrette, etc.

AIK Assistance In Kind – to mean money or goods

Aircraft Anything that flies – fixed or rotary-wing

Air America CIA proprietary airline used throughout Southeast Asia for clandestine operations

Airburst Munitions using a timer or barometric pressure device to cause it to explode at a certain height. (used for AAA and artillery against dug-in personnel.

Airborne (ABN) Classification of an individual or unit that is required to be on “Jump status.” A Paratrooper. Jump qualified personnel. Personnel and equipment dropped by Parachute. 2. Flying above the surface of the earth Getting ready to be the Best of the Best! 101st Airborne and those other guys-82nd Airborne too:)and Don't forget the 173rd-The Herd.

Airmobile Personnel and equipment inserted by helicopter: designation of a unit whose primary mode of transporting personnel and equipment is with helicopters.

AIT Advanced Individual Training: the training following Basic Training that awards each soldier his/her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)

AK-47 Automat Kalashnikov 1947: the 7.62x39mm Soviet assault rifle. It weighs 11.5 pounds and carries a 30-round steel magazine. The weapon was copied from the Germans’ prototype MP-44 assault rifle seized by the Soviets at the end of WWII. The Chicom copy was designated Type 56 assault rifle and had a permanent triangular bayonet pinned to a swivel on the underside of the barrel.

ALC Area Logistic Command

ALCE Airlift Control Element – regional Tactical Airlift Command

Alpha Bravo Phonetic for Ambush

All American 82^nd Airborne Division(Always Needing help from their brothers in the 101st:)

All Hands Everybody (Navy/Marine)

Ambush a surprise attack by an armed group on another for the purpose of defeating the ambushed. The principal tactic used by guerrillas to attain superiority over a larger enemy. Stealth and surprise are paramount for its success.

AMERICAL 23^RD Infantry Division

Angry Ten slang for the AN/GRE-10 AM radio, a WWII vintage long range radio used extensively by the Special Forces for contacting higher headquarter from areas of operations in Morse Code.

Ankle biter the enemy’s answer to the steel boot inserts to prevent penetration of the punji stake through the bottom of a boot. The bamboo or steel barbs where driven into a board with a hinge, placed in a pit and camouflaged using the same tactics as a regular punji booby-trap. When an unwary soldier stepped into the trap his weight would press down on the middle of the hinged board making the two sides come together violently piercing the ankle of the victim.

AN/TPQ-10 Ground-based aircraft radar guidance system

ANZAC Australia-New Zealand Assistance Command

AO Area of Operation

AP Armor Piercing

APC Armored Personnel Carrier or Accelerated Pacification Campaign

ARA Aerial Rocket Artillery: helicopter mounted rockets

AR-15 Lightweight assault rifle in 5.56mm (.203 caliber) designed by Eugene Stoner and first built by Armalite Co. in 1956, later manufactured by Colt Industries it developed into the XM16E1, then the standard issue M16A1 battle rifle.

Arc Light B-52 Bombing mission

ARCOM Army Commendation Medal:

Armed Dau Trang armed communist revolutionary cadre team first developed by Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap to initiate first phase guerrilla warfare and subvert local authority. These organizations later coalesced into the Viet Minh in 1945 and where reactivated in South Viet Nam in 1954.

ARTY Artillery

As you were! Correction or resume what you are doing.

ASA Army Security Agency

ASAP As Soon As Possible

ASH Assault Support Helicopter

Ash & Trash term similar to “milk run” or “pigs & rice,” used by a/c crews to describe non-combat sorties. It didn’t mean you weren’t going to get shot at, just that you were not flying into combat – usually into a base camp.

Asian Viper A poisonous pit viper, it grows to 5 feet in length and is found just about everywhere in Viet Nam. It is sluggish in movement but needs little or no provocation to attack. The bite is very painful and results in bleeding, swelling and discoloration lasting several days. In severe cases, there is intense thirst, nausea, projectile vomiting, general hemorrhage; respiratory failure; death.

ASP Ammunition Supply Point

ASPB Assault Support Patrol Boat

ASRT Air Support Radar Team

ATC Air Traffic Controller

A Team The basic 12-man Special Forces unit

ATSB Advanced Tactical Support Base

Article 15 a summary disciplinary judgment applied to a soldier by his commander. It is an action less severe than a court martial; usually company punishment (latrine detail, etc.) but could go as high as monetary fines and confinement in the stockade. Its name is derived from its number in the UCMJ.

Article 31 Parallels the “Miranda” rights in the military service and, just as in civilian arrests, it must be read to the detainee before any questions are asked.

Article 32 Investigation Military investigation to determine if there is probable cause to bring charges against a member of the armed forces

ARVN Army of the Republic of Viet Nam

Atropine Syrette A single, self-contained dose of nerve gas antitoxin. The needle is sharp enough to pierce through a soldier’s protective gear and into the thigh muscle.

AW Automatic Weapon – any weapon which is fed from the action of gasses or recoil and automatically feeds the next cartridge into the chamber ready to fire using one pull of the trigger.

AWOL Absent Without Authorized Leave: being absent from your place of duty without permission

Azimuth A compass bearing – Lensatic compasses are marked with 360⁰ (degrees) in increments of 1 degree beginning with North which is represented by 0 degrees clockwise and 360 degrees counter-clockwise. Thus 90⁰ represents due East, 180⁰ due South, and 170⁰ due West.

B = Bravo

B-40 See RPG

B-52 Stratofortress Heavy strategic bomber capable of carrying large loads of nuclear, conventional (dumb) or radar-guided bombs.

Bamboo Vietnamese Tre: giant grass with jointed, hollow stems, yellow-green or nearly black; some striped with white or yellow. This plant can grow 40-50 feet and up to 6 inches in diameter.

Banana Clip An elongated 30-round magazine – the label was originally used for the extended magazine issued for the .30 caliber M2 carbine – it has now come to mean any extended magazine.

Bandoleer a cloth, web or leather carrier for extra ammunition or extra loaded magazines that a combatant carries slung over one shoulder. M16A1 ammunition came inserted in bandoleers for issue to combat troops both in 10-round stripper clips or previously loaded magazines.

BAR Browning automatic rifle – designed by Robert Browning in 1914 it saw limited service during WWI. Issued to the ARVN and self-defense forces in South Viet Nam. With the bipod and steel shoulder brace, it weighed 18 pounds, and each magazine carrying 20 .30-06 caliber rounds weighed 2.2 pounds. The web gear made especially for this weapon held twelve 20-round magazines.

Base Camp Operational field headquarters for a military unit, usually located inside that unit’s Area of Operation. It normally housed the unit’s support elements.

Battalion (Bn.) Organization within the Army/Marine Corps usually comprised of 3 line (combat) companies, 1 headquarters company + support element commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel (0-5). An Army infantry battalion TO&E calls for approximately 900 people, an artillery battalion about 500.

Bazooka Generic WWII name applied to any of a series of individual rocket launchers and included the WWII M20, 3.5” rocket launcher, the disposable M72, 66mm LAW and the Soviet family of RPGs.

BC Body Count: the toll of enemy killed in a given operation

BCD Bad Conduct Discharge

BDA Bomb Damage Assessment (after an Arc Light mission)

Beaver The U-6A a single engine fixed wing medium utility aircraft flown by US Army pilots

Beehive An artillery round filled with hundreds of 2” stamped metal darts called fleshettes used for direct fire defense against an assaulting enemy too close for indirect fire.

Belay Stop, quit (Navy and Marines)

Bennies Special comfort items not found in the normal military supply chain e.g. coca-cola, beer, watermelons, ice cream, etc.

BGen Brigadier General [one star] (US Army, Marines, Air Force)

Billet Assignment or job (Navy/Marines/) Place of residence (Army/Air Force)

Big nose(s) a derogatory term used by Asians to describe occidentals, particularly Americans.

Big Red One 1^st Infantry Division

Big Shotgun a 106mm recoilless rifle using antipersonnel canister rounds

Bingo flyer’s term for that point in the flight where the aircraft has only enough fuel remaining to return to base.

Bipod A two-legged support stand either affixed to or attached to the front of the barrel of small arms: BAR, M14, M16A1, M60s, etc.

Bird (a) (the) an aircraft, any aircraft

Bird Dog The 0-1 (USAF) or L-19 (Army) single engine fixed wing aircraft seating two people used for reconnaissance and forward air control.

Blackbird C-130 fitted out for Special Operations – particularly the Fulton Recovery

System used for air-to-ground extraction.

Black Box Special electronic warfare equipment used in connection with ground sensors to detect enemy movements on the Ho Chi Minh trail

Blackhorse 1. Support base northeast of Saigon. 2. One of the names used for coding numbers to be transmitted on the radio

Black Panthers 2/47^th Mechanize Infantry Battalion of the 9^th Infantry Division also: a radical African-American group organized in the early 1960s

Bladder Bag 1-gallon collapsible canteen.

Blasting Cap a small highly sensitive heat or electrically initiated device causing an explosion that activates a larger, less sensitive explosive

Blivet A collapsible hard rubber container for carrying POL – also used to describe an article or equipment that did not fit back into the container it came in “two pounds of shit in a one-pound bag”

Blouse to tuck the pants into your boots also a fatigue shirt in the Navy or Marines

Blousing Bands Elastic bands used to secure fatigue or utility trousers

Blues Dress uniform

Blue line a river on a map

Body Bag a hard plastic bag issued by the Quartermaster Corps Graves Registration to transport the remains of the dead.

BOHICA! Bend Over, Here it Comes, Again!

Boom-Boom sexual intercourse – slang

Boondocks (Boonies) Rugged isolated backcountry or jungle terrain

Boonie Rat a field soldier, a grunt, an infantryman

BOQ Batchelor Officer’s Quarters

Bouncing Betty an anti-personnel mine designed to explode after one takes his foot off the mine. It then detonates a propellant charge that sent the mine approximately 3 feet into the air, exploding at the victim’s waist level causing severe injuries or death.

Brass Officers

Break squelch used when radio silence is in effect, to acknowledge a communication –the push-to-talk switch is pressed momentarily causing a clicking/hissing sound on the receiving speaker.

Brig Jail (Navy and Marines)

Bring Smoke to direct all available firepower at a given enemy position

Broken Arrow code word used by artillery forward observers to alert all elements monitoring their radio that a unit was in danger of being overrun by the enemy – It gave priority of all artillery and air assets to that unit.

Bronco 0V-10 Twin Engine Turboprop Aircraft used for reconnaissance and Forward Air Control. Also called “Push me – pull me” because of its twin propellers.

Browning Hi-Power Belgium manufactured Model 35, 9mm semiautomatic pistol used by MAC-SOG reconnaissance teams. It was primarily preferred because it was fed with a 15-round magazine.

BSZ Border Surveillance Zone – Area contiguous to RVN borders

BUFF B-52 Bomber (Big Ugly Friendly F* * ker)

Bug Juice Mosquito repellent

Bulkhead Wall (Navy and Marine)

Bushmaster highly skilled in jungle operations

Butter bar Second (2^nd) Lieutenant

Buy (bought) the farm to die or be killed

By-the-numbers In proper sequence

BX Base Exchange (sundries store in a military base)

C = Charlie

C-3 Composition–3: the forerunner of C-4 (see below). While also stable and malleable, it was saturated with nitro-glycerin and if the handler did not use gloves it stained the hands yellow and a severe headache ensued. Old demolitionist knew to place a small amount under the tongue before handling the explosive to prevent the migraine. It was still in use during the late 1950s and early 60s by the ARVN.

C-4 Composition–4: a very powerful plastic explosive compound that is highly stable, lightweight, and malleable. It can only be exploded using detonation cord or blasting caps. Since it burns so hot, field soldiers used a 1” ball to heat up C-rations or water when Heat tablets where not available.

C’s (C-Rats) C-Rations – canned combat meals for field use – three meals constituted one ration. Shipped 12 meals to a box, each meal contained a “main course” a can of crackers and peanut butter or pound cake, and a fruit or nut-roll or the ever-popular fruitcake. A plastic packet supplied: a matchbook; a spoon (some new one came with a “spork”; a roll of toilet paper (enough for one sitting); a pack of 5 cigarettes; powered cocoa, instant coffee, sugar and powered cream. The chocolate ring that came with the crackers was laced with vitamin A, which gave it a strange taste. See Ham and Motherf * * * * * rs.

CA Civic Action or Civil Affairs

Cannon Cocker Artilleryman

Cargomaster The C-133 aircraft in its many configurations

Carry-coat Buoyant Ammunition carriers designed as jackets for use in operations by the SEALs. There were three designs: Type I – Rifleman; Type II – Grenadier; and, Type III – Radioman, each with special pockets to hold ammunition and field items, e.g. compass, flashlight, etc.

Cammies Camouflaged jungle uniforms – just about everybody had their own pattern in Viet Nam

Cane Pressure Mine Chicom manufactured mine used by the VC/NVA that started to appear hung on trees at likely helicopter landing zones in the Central Highlands of South Viet Nam around 1968. The mine was activated by a detonator set off by downward air pressure generated by a landing helicopter

Canteen issued water jug with a 1qt. capacity. Originally made of aluminum – later issue where made of hard plastic that initially had a message embossed on the side that said, “Do not hold over a fire to heat water. Some people still did.

Canteen Cup issued with the canteen – continued to be made of light weight aluminum

Canteen Cover issued to carry the canteen and cup.

Capt. (Cpt.) Captain (US Army/Marines/Air Force: company grade officer) (US Navy/Coast Guard (Field Grade officer equivalent to Colonel)

Carry On! Resume what you were doing – see “As you were.”

Car-15 Shortened version of the M16A1 rifle. Also misnamed “Colt Commando.” The original military designation was XM177E2.

CARE Co-operative for American Relief Everywhere. The worldwide Catholic relief organization

Caribou (‘boos) DeHavilland twin-engine cargo airplane initially assigned to the US Army as the CV-2 and later (1966) turned over to the US Air Force (designated C-7A)

CAS Close air support – aircraft flying in support of ground troops in contact

Casualty Staging Area a dispensary, clinic, mobile hospital or temporary area where the wounded are taken to be given first aid, stabilized (triaged) and sent forward to the more extensive medical care.

CBU Cluster Bomb Units – smaller high explosive bombs delivered in a large container that opened above enemy troops or armor and exploded over a wide area

C&C Command and Control

CCC Command and Control Central (MACV-SOG)

CCN Command and Control North (MACV-SOG)

CCS Command and Control South (MACV-SOG)

C-Day Conversion day – the date MPCs where exchanged for a new version (making the old version obsolete. See MPC

CDC Container Delivery System: a method of air delivery of pre-packaged supplies for troops in the field. Each container had critical items e.g., ammunition, water, medical supplies, radio batteries or radios, etc. and each classification was numbered so all the unit in the field had to request was the number, quantity and give the location of the drop zone.

CDEC Combined Document Exploitation Center: a detachment under the CICV – Received all daily document seizures from field units, by 1969 the CMIC could scan a set of captured documents, identify those important to a particular Allied unit, translate it when necessary and have it back to the field unit within 24-36 hours.

CESE Civil Engineering Support Equipment

CG Commanding General

Check it out! Look at that!

CH-46 Boeing Sea Knight medium cargo helicopter the workhorse for the Marines

CH-53 Sikorsky Sea Stallion heavy cargo helicopter

Chest Pouch pouches carried by the VC/NVA to house ammunition and accoutrements. The one for the AK-47 housed three 30-round magazines and cleaning gear. The one for the SKS allowed the wearer to carry 10 rounds of ammunition in 10-round stripper clips.

CHICOM Chinese Communist

Chicken Plate early body armor discarded by grunts and used to sit on by mechanized troops and pilots to protect themselves from rounds fired up into their crafts.

Chinook CH-47 Heavy Cargo Helicopter: One of these was equipped with a 20 mm cannon on each side and an automatic grenade launcher under the nose. It destroyed itself when one of the pins holding one of the 20 mm cannons came off causing the gun to point straight up. Before the gunner could stop firing the bullets had destroyed the front propeller blades.

Cherry new to the unit: no experience in combat. See FNG

Cherry jump first parachute jump with one’s assigned airborne unit after completing jump school

Choke Peanut Butter

Chow Food (Chinese)

Chow Hall Dining room – mess hall

CIA Central Intelligence Agency

CIB Combat Infantryman’s Badge – awarded to infantrymen for sustained combat service [normally not less than six months.]

CICV Combined Intelligence Center, Viet Nam

CIDG Civilian Irregular Defense Group

CINCPAC Commander in Chief, Pacific

CINCSAC Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command

Clacker (also Klacker) a hand-operated spring-loaded firing device which when pressed produced an electrical charge to detonate the Claymore Mine or other electrically detonated devices. “One Claymore Mine came in every box of clackers.”

Claymore M18A1: a slightly curved antipersonnel mine – contains 700 double-0 size pellets in front of one pound of C-4 that, when detonated, has a forward lethal zone of 50 meters in an arc of 60 degrees.

CLC Central Logistics Command

Clip See mag. or magazine

Cluster Bomb One-pound baseball-sized bomblets with varying configurations some were time delayed, some high explosive, some with thermite for burning.

CMB Combat Medical Badge – equivalent to CIB. Presented to medical personnel participating in ground combat

CMD Capital Military District – the security area around Saigon

CMEC Combined Materiel Exploitation Center – all new enemy weapons and equipment were turned over to this unit for assessment of its efficiency and utility on the battlefield. New weapons models, variations or devices were forwarded to the Department of Defense for further testing and evaluation.

CMIC Combined Military Intelligence Center

CN Tear gas

C.O. 1. Commanding Officer. 2. C.O. Conscientious Objector: Classification used by the draft board to classify those who, according to their religious believes, would not serve in the armed forces.

Cobra (Asiatic) a reptile native to both North and South Viet Nam, it can grow to 7’ in length. Usually lives in holes between the roots of large trees. Not aggressive and will avoid humans. Most active at night, it is sometimes found on trails and road getting warm. Venom is highly toxic; a nerve poison which can be fatal in 2 to 24 hours depending on amount injected and victim’s state of health.

Code Any method of transposition or substitution used to deny the enemy information: a simple numbers substitution code is to find any 10-digit word that does not repeat any letter e.g. blackhorse or champion, substitute the numerals 1-0 for the letters and transmit the letters. The receiving station must know what word you are using. See SOI

COFRAM Controlled Fragmentation Munitions

Col. Colonel

Collins Single Sideband Radio Model 32S-3 used extensively by Special Forces communications personnel. It could transmit in Morse code or voice and was usually packed in a civilian-style set of suitcases.

Colors The flag – national colors – the stars and stripes

Colt Commando First version of the shortened M16 rifle for use by Special Forces (see CAR-15.)

Combat Pay Additional pay awarded to In-country servicemen and women. It ranged from $50 to $65.00 depending on rank

Company A military unit of approximately 250 officers and enlisted men commanded by a Captain (0-3) consisting of three or more platoons. In the artillery a like organization is called a battery, in the cavalry it is called a troop.

Combat jump a jump made into a hostile area or for the purpose of engaging the enemy. Only five (5) officially recognized combat jump where made in South Viet Nam during the Vietnam War.

173^rd Abn Bde 2/27/67 C-130 845 jumpers War Zone C III CTZ

5^th SFG: 4/2/67 C-123 39/314 “ Bunard III CTZ

5^th SFG: 5/13/67 C-130 20/374 “ Nui Gai IV CTZ

5^th SFG 9/5/67 C-130 25/355 “ Bu Prang II CTZ

5^th SFG 11/17/68 C-130 25/495 “ 7 Mts. Region IV CTZ

Elements of or attached to the 173^rd where:

HHC 173^rd Abn Bde (minus)

2^nd Bn, 503^rd Inf. (Airborne)

Battery A, 3^rd Bn, 319^th Arty

Figures for jumpers are approximate. Figures to the right of the slash represent CIDG Mike Force; figures to the left represent USASF or Pathfinder personnel. Participants are authorized to wear a small bronze star on their jump wings.

Comics/Comic book Map (also, funny papers)

COMINT communications intelligence

COMUSMACV Commander, United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam

Comm. Communications

Commo Check Communications Check on the radio

Concertina Wire barbwire used for defenses and restricting movements. The wire came in rolls dropped by supply aircraft. It was once estimated that the warring factions in South Viet Nam had installed enough barbwire In-country to make a three-foot high fence encircling the planet.

CONARC Continental Army Command

Contact engagement (combat) with the enemy – of any size or under any condition

Cook-off a round that is fired spontaneously because excessive firing has heated up the chamber of the weapon

CORDS Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (later Civil Operations and Rural Development Support)’

Corduroy Road a road constructed over swampy or muddy terrain using logs and vegetation

Cork name for the drug Lomotil, used by members of LRRPs, SF and SEAL teams causing constipation and the need to defecate while operations.

Corps 1. Military unit comprising several divisions and its support elements commanded by a Lieutenant General (0-9.) 2. The US Marine Corps 3. In Viet Nam the designation of each military region: I Corps (Northern) II Corps (Central Highland) III Corps (Middle) IV Corps (South) 4. Term used to describe specialized military services: Medical Corps; Finance Corps; Signal Corps; Transportation Corps.

COSVN Central Office for South Vietnam: The politico-military leadership of the southern opposition that ostensibly was made up of both communist and anti-communist nationalist guerrillas. It was not a place. It was an activity.

Counter Mortar Radar the AN/MPQ-4 radar set. This radar could pick up the in-coming round fired from an enemy mortar, artillery tube or rocket launcher and, almost instantly compute backwards to the firing location. This information was relayed to the Counter Mortar Battery, a unit prepared to immediately execute a fire mission on the given coordinates.

Cover 1. Anything that will protect from hostile action: It applies to anything that can offer protection from direct or indirect fire. 2. Navy/Marine for hat

Coxswain the person, generally a Boastwain’s Mate, in charge of steering and/or directing the crew of a boat. A boat is defined as any craft smaller than a ship.

CP Command Post

CPDC Central Pacification and Development Council

C.Q. Charge of Quarters: The NCO left in charge of a headquarters after it shuts down operations for the day.

Cracker Box a field ambulance

Crew Chief Enlisted man in charge of the aircraft: in helicopters (s)he is in charge of maintenance. In fixed-wing a/c (s)he may be the loadmaster.

CRIMP Consolidated Republic of Viet Nam Armed Forces Improvement & Modernization Program

CRIP Civilian Reconnaissance Intelligence Platoon

Crosscheck used before going out of a friendly perimeter to conduct operations to insure no one is carrying that makes noise, not camouflaged, lights up, etc.

Crusader F-8 jet aircraft used by the US Navy – mainly employed as reconnaissance

CS Teargas

CSCC Combat Support Coordinating Center

CSP Combat Security Police – Air Force “infantry” equipped and trained to act as a reaction force for airfield protection. These units where created as a result of the communist 1968 Tet Offensive in South Viet Nam.

CTC Central Training Command

CTZ Corps Tactical Zone

Cutting and slashing the time spent opening a trail through elephant grass and bamboo.

CYA Cover Your Ass: anything done to make sure you don’t take the blame.

Cyclo three wheeled taxi holding two or three people and driven by a person peddling in back. A very common form of transportation used in Southeast Asia.

D = Delta

DA Department of the Army

DAO Defense Attaché Office

Daisy Chain The linking of two or more antipersonnel mine (Claymore) by detonating cord to explode simultaneously.

Daisy Cutter a 10-15,000 pound high explosive bomb that will clear a ground area of approximately 300 meters when detonated. It will create an “instant” landing zone. There are no bombers in our inventory to haul these behemoths and they are dropped from a cargo aircraft or a flying crane.

Dapzone Medication issued to US forces once a week to prevent leprosy

DCO Deputy Commanding Officer

DD Form 4 Enlistment contract with the US Armed Forces

DD Form 214 Formal record of military service – provided at discharge or release from active duty – lists time of active service, promotions, highest rank held while active, schools attended and awards and decorations received.

DD Form 1049 Military Personnel Transfer Request Form

Dead Zone/Space area(s) not covered by effective or interlocking weapons fire.

De Oppresso Liber “To Free the Oppressed” US Army Special Forces Motto

Deck Floor (Navy/Marine)

Decompression Time spent between leaving the battle area and being returned to the United States. Not enough time was spent in this very needed process (recommended time and again by the military psychologist). Most combat troops went directly from the field to the “States” within one or two days without transition that many times caused adjustment problems for the individual.

Defoliant A chemical which when sprayed or dusted on living vegetation will cause it to die – see Agent Orange.