this glossary attempts to explain the technical detail of a situation, and the types of slang in use during the period
click a letter for quick search:  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  numeral
AAB [No]	Australian Army Book, as in the field notebook issued to commanders being AAB 64
active service	A force or serviceperson on active service is one engaged in warfare against the enemy - for pension and legal purposes it requires a declaration of active service by a legal authority
admin	administration, action of preparing for and maintaining personal and unit preparedness for ops
AK47	NVA/VC semi or fully automatic assault weapon using 7.62mm short ammo
ambush	attempt to kill from cover without warning, can be planned or done quickly to meet circumstances
ammo or SAA	small arms ammunition, usually bullets but can include grenades and other carried munitions
ANPRC-25	VHF man portable radio used at the sharp end for most variety of communication - called '25 set'
ANPRC-77	improved VHF man portable radio which gradually replaced the 25 Set - called '77 set'
ANZAC	Australia New Zealand Army Corps, a designation from Gallipoli 1915 when both countries fought together for the first time, also used to describe a 'common spirit of brotherhood and shared values'
AO	area of operations, as in the terrain ground forces patrolled and fought to dominate
AP	anti-personnel, as in 'AP mine'
APC	armoured personnel carrier, M113 for troops, M125 mortars, M548 cargo, M577 ACV, M579 fitters
arc	the area a weapon or soldier was required to cover in an all-round protective posture
arty	artillery of any calibre, tracked or towed - common were 105mm, 155mm, 8" howitzers, 40mm 'dusters'
ARU	Aust Reinforcement Unit – a training and reinforcement pool held in-country by 1ATF
ARVN	Army of the Republic of Viet Nam, South Vietnamese government forces
atch	attached to another unit in a support role or as a temporary deployment
Aussie	Australian, also shortened to 'Aust' in documents
awakey	the final day when only one sleep [wake up] remained before a return to 'the world'
AWOL	absent without leave, unauthorised absence from duty or place
back pack	(or field pack) a grunts load carrying back pack containing field equipment and spare stores, which was dumped whenever a contact occurred; typical weight around 65Lb/30Kg.  See belt order
baggy	private soldier [from ill-fitting baggy uniform]
BC	abbreviation found in official reports to signify 'body count', VC KIA and body found on the scene
belt order	a grunts personal load carrying belt and suspenders containing all his fighting equipment not otherwise carried in the individual back pack, which remained on or close to the individual at all times.  Typical weight around 40Lb/18Kg.  See back pack
bergen	a large Scandinavian designed back pack favoured by SAS and radio operators
bn	battalion, usually four rifle and two other coy with bn HQ; ANZAC bn had a fifth rifle coy
bodycount	borrowed from US forces, term used to describe the success or ferocity of engagements, as in 'there was a high bodycount of enemy KIA'
booby trap	improvised trap designed to main or severely injure an individual
boonies	borrowed from US forces, see bush
boss	the informal bush title for an officer, also used to address an officer instead of 'sir'
boundary	edge of AO [to be close to or to cross a boundary required permission, called a 'mousetrap']
brass	to fire lots of ammo, as in 'we brassed up the track with the M60', also empty ammo cases
brew	hot drink, as in 'want a brew..?'  coffee, milk and two sugar was called 'NATO standard'
BT	abbreviation found in official reports to mean 'blood trail left by wounded VC'
burst	controlled firing of five or more rounds of automatic fire, more depending on urgency
bush	jungle, area outside the base perimeter where fighting took place
C&C	command and control, as in title applied to helicopter [usually with extra radios fitted] with sunray onboard flying above AO directing ground operations, or a person doing 'C&C' for a task
callsign	radio talk to identify or summon particular organisations or people for a radio conversation
cans	usually beer, see goffer, 'in the can' meant arrested and locked up
CASEVAC	casualty evacuation, an admin reaction to having wounded soldiers [see DUSTOFF and MEDEVAC]
CET	combat engineer team, assigned to support inf or APC elements likely to require immediate engineer assistance
chalk	group of personnel grouped together for travel, like 'your chalk travels on that slick', also 'stick'
charlie	slang for VC [phonetically 'victor charlie']
charwallah	name for small food stall within the 1RNZIR lines, run by local people offering credit to soldiers
chopper	any model of helicopter [but usually US model Iroquois UH-1D troop lift and utility helicopter] flown by allied forces Army Aviation or air force units
Chicom	Chinese communist - describes equipment made in Communist China
Chieu Hoy	'Open Arms', programme that allowed VC to defect, and receive money for surrendered weapons
civvies	civilians, as in people who had no idea what we were doing, also clothes when out of uniform
clacker	electrical firing device used to detonate the Claymore AP mine, from sound made on use
Claymore	US model directional anti-personnel mine with 700 ball-bearings, electrically fired singly or in a bank
click	kilometre, as in 'travel six clicks south..'
CO	Bn commanding officer, usually a LtCol
combat power	mix of weapons, intelligence, communications and personnel capabilities concentrated against enemy forces
comms	communications, verbal or electronic, as in 'get comms with..[callsign]'
contact	sudden engagement with the enemy, or the cry/radio message used to warn that the enemy is engaged, as in 'Contact Front' or 'Contact Fire Mission Two Mortars'
coord	coordination, bringing together different agencies to achieve a common task: arty support for inf attack at a certain time with FAC available to direct air strikes, or engr support to clear mines
coy	company, organisation of soldiers for administrative and tactical reasons, such as a rifle company
CP	command post
CQMS	Company Quartermaster Sergeant, a senior NCO responsible for stores and resupply
CSM	Company Sergeant Major, senior OR in company, OC's 'right hand man' and responsible for ammunition
C130	called 'Hercules', US model tactical troop and cargo aircraft used extensively by USAF and RNZAF
C4	type of plastic explosive, commonly found inside the Claymore AP mine
dacrons	material and name for Kiwi dress uniform in the tropics, worn with beret and medal bar.  An Australian lanyard designating the ANZAC battalion the soldier was posted to was also worn
D&E Pl	HQ 1ATF Defence and Employment platoon, which when HQ 1ATF was not deployed undertook operational tasks
'danger close'	indirect fire deliberately adjusted to within 250 metres or closer of troops because significant numbers of enemy are within that range and posing a real danger of overwhelming the troops
DF	defensive fire, usually refers to arty fire called to land close to the allied perimeter, can be fired and recorded in anticipation of a VC attack, a 'silent' DF was not fired but still recorded on a register
digger	slang for Australian soldier, although the term might have first started in New Zealand 50 years earlier
double-tap	snap shooting technique - two rounds are quickly fired at the centre of a target before the firer changes position
DOW	died of wounds some time after being wounded
drill	see IA
DUSTOFF	urgent removal of battle casualties from a contact, usually by chopper (rotor blades stirred up the dust)
duty officer log	read this explanation
engage	fire at or close with...
engr  E	engineer, support troops used for construction, demolition or battlefield mine/booby trap clearance
FAC	Forward Air Controller, usually airborne, who could call for and direct air strikes
FFI	'free from infections', a routine medical inspection to check for skin and other medical problems
field dressing	large cotton pad with strapping carried by every grunt and used for emergency first aid to stop bleeding, usually taped to designated equipment [like the individuals rifle butt] for easy location.
firebase	semi-permanent defended location in an AO from which a unit supports ops with arty and logistics
firetrail	bulldozer clearing of bush to provide better observation of likely VC routes
FOO	arty forward observation officer provided from the Bn close support artillery battery, usually travelled with Coy HQ to assist the coy commander coord fire support
FOO(A)	arty forward observation officer assistant, a NCO or gnr, in W3 Coy usually travelled with 3Pl as fire support coordinator in place of MFC
free fire zone	area free of civilian population, ROE allowed any target to be considered enemy and could be immediately engaged
Freedom Bird	a name US servicemen called their final flight out of Vietnam [see World]
FSCC	Fire Support Coordination Centre, an arty command post to manage fire from all deployed guns
FSPB	Fire Support Patrol Base 'Name' [often an important woman in the sunrays life] - see firebase
goffer	can of soft drink [coke etc]
gollock	issue machete, rarely used except in FSPB as the noise attracted enemy attention [see secateurs]
gooks	see VC
GPMG	general purpose machine gun, used at section level for fire support, belt fed [see M60]
greens	green coloured uniform designed for field wear to blend into the bush
grunt	US slang for infantry soldier, as in 'the only answer you get from a foot soldier is a grunt...' Australian slang for infantry was 'crunchie', from the sound made when marching on gravel
GSW	gun shot wound, as different from shrapnel injury or traumatic amputation
guns	see arty
GVN	Government of (South) Vietnam
happy pills	daily anti-malarial tablets
harbour	bush location where field troops rest and protect themselves
H&I	harassment and interdiction, unobserved artillery, mortar or air bombardment on locations [suspected camps, track systems] which might be used by enemy forces, usually fired at night
HE	high explosive, the destructive force in artillery shells, mortar bombs, aerial bombs
Hercules	see C130
hexie	hexamine [solid kerosene] cooking tablet, of UK origin used in training in Malaysia
hoochie	borrowed from US slang, hooch meaning house, tent or other living space
HQ	headquarters, at any level describes the commanders staff structure
IA	immediate action, the instinctive drill in a given circumstance, e.g. ambush or contact
inf	infantry
instls	installations - broad description for any support infrastructure by either side
INTREP	intelligence report on enemy locations, movement and intentions
J [jay]	jungle [see bush]
jungle penetrator	heavy bulb device with fold away seats, lowered from a helicopter by winch to extract people where a landing is not feasible, such as no available LP due to trees
KFS	knife fork spoon, used with mess tins.  The preferred field KFS were plastic to reduce noise in the bush
KIA	killed in action during a contact [see WIA]
Kit Carson	a VC defector that then served with allied forces as a scout or interpreter [see Chieu Hoi]
Kiwi	nickname used both internationally and within New Zealand to describe people from New Zealand [NZ'er]..  The name derives from the flightless bird unique to New Zealand, the national bird. Many US service people queried the reason a New Zealand unit would display on their vehicles a stylised 'fat arsed chook'.  It is not k1w1..!
Km	kilometres, 1000 metres distance on a map or across country
lay-on	action where an arty bty anticipates a fire mission and lays the guns onto a likely target reference, then waits the order to fire - allows a quick response to a contact fire request
LFT	light fire team, UH-1D helicopter armed with forward firing mini-guns and 2.75" Zuni rocket pods, plus twin M60 in each door, RAAF callsign 'bushranger', two or more were called a HFT [heavy fire team]
lilo	Australian model air mattress with inner air tubes that seemed always to deflate in the middle of rest
LO	liaison officer, an officer from one formation co-located with another formation to assist both formation commanders with coordination and reporting.
LOB	Left Out of Battle - personnel routinely rested from ops [see poque]
loc	abbreviation for located or location [to be read in context of paragraph or report]
LOCSTAT	indication of location of a force or activity, typically a coded grid reference
LOH	light observation helicopter, in 1ATF the Bell 47 Sioux nicknamed 'possum'
long drop	a deep trench over which toilet seats are positioned, used in static positions to control faeces
LP	landing point, single helicopter pad or area in bush capable of allowing one chopper to land
LtCol	Lieutenant Colonel, rank of a battalion commander
LZ	landing zone, several LP in size and capable of simultaneous multiple chopper landings and movements
MAINTDEM	routine supply to field troops of essential items like food and water, clothing, batteries [see OPDEM]
MEDEVAC	medical evacuation [indicates a medical emergency rather than a battle injury], see DUSTOFF
medic	medical orderly or trained grunt who would provide medical support and firdt aid when required
mess	dining hall, also the barbeque area after the coy returned from ops and relaxed by the beer trailer
mess tins	metal dishes used to cook and eat meals, or as a container for shaving water, etc
MFC	infantry mortar fire controller [a misnomer as once outside mortar range the MFC directed arty and other fires]
MG	machine gun, any model
MID	mentioned in dispatches [recognition of outstanding duty]
mini-gun	'Gatling' type machine gun, 6 or more rotating barrels and a very high volume of fire
mortar	infantry support weapon which fires bombs in a high trajectory that then plummet onto a target
mossie	mosquito, as in 'mossie net'
MPC	military payment certificates, having a face value of US currencies but only valid for use by service personnel at Allied facilities, an attempt to control the local black market
mug	field cup used to heat brews and rats
M16	US designed AP jumping mine [read this article]
M16-A1	US model 5.56mm [.203in] lightweight personal rifle [see SLR]
M18-A1	designation for Claymore AP mine
M60	US model GPMG, heavy but reliable
M72	US model shoulder fired 72mm light shaped charge rocket used to attack bunkers
M79	US model 40mm grenade launcher
Nasho	Australian national serviceman, a two-year conscript  [Kiwi troops were all volunteers]
NCO	non-commissioned officer, section commander, platoon sergeant type ranks
NDP	night defensive position, a small temporary harbour for supporting arms like tanks
NE	north-east, a direction on a map
NOK	next of kin - the person registered to receive bad news about a soldier
NOTICAS	casualty notification, an abbreviated radio message using a standard format, also 'NOTICAS FATAL'
Nui xx	Nui means high ground as in Nui Dat, or Nui May Tau [Dat meaning dirt or earth]
NVA	North Vietnamese Army, usually highly skilled and motivated, a capable and well armed enemy [see VC]
NW	north-west, a direction on a map
NZ	New Zealand or New Zealander, see Kiwi
OC	Officer Commanding, the coy commander, sunray
O Gp	orders group, a meeting of personnel to be tasked for future ops
OHP	overhead protection - hard cover built as a protective roof over a fighting pit or bunker
OPCON	operational control, a status of command where an element works with a different unit who direct its activities, while remaining part of their parent unit
OPDEM	urgent supply to field troops of war fighting materials [ammo and weapons], usually to replenish munitions before continuing the fight [see MAINTDEM]
op(s)	operation, usually followed by a name, also see AO
OR	other ranks, term used to describe soldiers who are not commissioned officers
pad	see LP
patrol	an activity, or a selection of soldiers from three to company size on task in the bush
pax	radio jargon for passenger, as in 'put eight pax on the slick'
PC	slang for APC, as in 'mount that PC'
PE	plastic explosive, such as C4
pepper-pot	advance to contact in an unpredictable manner using small groups of grunts who cover each others movement with observation and aimed fire, in appearance like shaking out pepper from a pot
pit	hole dug or scraped in the ground as protection from incoming rounds and explosives
pl comd	platoon commander, usually an officer of Lieutenant rank but others could be 'acting' for the officer if he were absent, e.g. platoon sergeant stepping up as acting pl comd
pl sgt	platoon sergeant, usually rank of sergeant, responsible for pl admin and deputising for pl comd
pop smoke	to throw a coloured smoke grenade on command to assist helicopters identify the correct LP
poque	derisory slang for a permanent LOB
Pte	Private, first grade of trained soldier, below NCO.  Equivalent in other corps: Gnr (gunner - artillery), Sig (signaller - Corps of Signals) Spr (sapper - engineers) Tpr (trooper - armoured corps) Distinction between rank and appointment is whether grade starts with Capital [rank] or no capital [appointment] e.g. Sig Jones acted as gnr...
ptl	see patrol, abbreviation is commonly used for small groups temporarily absent from a larger element
PUBLINTICAS	message advice with details of a significant event of interest to general media, such as NOTICAS
punji	sharpened stick at bottom of camouflaged hole, see booby trap
PUO	pyrexia of unknown origin - an undiagnosed body affliction affecting individual performance accompanied by high temperature etc, sometimes in appearance like heat stroke.
PW	prisoner of war, combatant captured by the other side
psy ops	psychological operations, 'winning hearts and minds', 1ATF Psy Ops unit task
PZ	see LZ, but the 'P' distinguishes a site where troops are 'picked up' from
Q store	Quartermaster store - location of reserve stores held in the base area
qty	abbreviation for quantity, as in 'loc qty of SAA'
RAAF	Royal Australian Air Force, the helicopters and caribou transports supporting 1ATF
rainfall	rainfall in the wet season [May - November] was measured either in inches or points.  A 'point' is rainfall measured by the horizontal lines on the cylinder every 0.2 mm (0.007"), less than 0.1 mm rainfall (0.2 mm in the USA) is generally referred to as a trace.
rank	designation of experience and authority - see NCO, Pte, CQMS, CSM, OC
RAP	Regimental Aid Post, 1st level medical facility in an infantry bn or similar sized unit
RAR	Royal Australian Regiment, Australian infantry structure of nine bn, three of which were during their tour designated ANZAC and had Kiwis attached
rats	rations [see this link for more details]
RC-292	tubular potentially 30-foot radio mast used in static locations to increase radio coverage
recce	short for reconnaissance, US abbreviation was 'recon'
REMF	said as written, American term for soldiers who rarely lived dangerously - rear area M F don't ask! [see poque]
resup	resupply, see MAINTDEM
RF/PF	Regional Force / Popular Force militia, a part of ARVN
RIF	'reconnaissance in force', a patrol searching through an area of bush and staying to fight or ambush
RNZAF	Royal New Zealand Air Force, flew resupply from Singapore and attached pilots to 9 Sqn RAAF and USAF
RTNZ	'return to New Zealand' from overseas posting
ROD	remained on duty after being WIA, injuries did not require immediate evacuation
ROE	Rules of Engagement - restrictions imposed on allied soldiers as to where and when they could shoot
rounds	usually refers to ammo, as in 'I fired 20 rounds'
RPG	Soviet or Chinese model shoulder fired rocket propelled grenade, used as local firepower by VC
R in C	rest in country, a 48-hour recreational break at Peter Badcoe Club Vung Tau, about five times during TOD
R&C	rest and convalescence, one short period of leave, for NZ'ers usually 5-day's outside SVN, probably in Singapore
R&R	rest and recreation sponsored by the US Forces, one 5-day period outside SVN at different destinations
RV	prearranged rendezvous, an agreed map location where two or more patrols meet
SA or SAA	abbreviation for small arms [rifle, pistol, machine gun] or small arms ammo [5.56mm, 9mm, 7.62mm]
SAS	Special Air Service, either Aussie or Kiwi, lived on SAS Hill the highest point within Nui Dat
SATS	scheduled air transport service - weekly RNZAF B-170 logistics flight from Changi to Nui Dat
scout	first and second soldier in a patrol, upon which others relied for their safety and early warning of danger
SE	south-east, a direction on a map
secateurs	hand held pruning shears used to quietly remove bush during movement  [see gollock]
sentry	all troops at rest had sentries to ensure their safety and to give early warning of danger, at night usually two people together for support and with staggered start times so one person was always fresh
short	period of time left in TOD, as in 'I'm getting short, only 25 and awakey'
sig	small 's' means appointment as radio operator [but also a rank, see Pte]
SITREP	situation report, usually a coded radio message using a standard format
SLR	British model L1A1 7.62mm [.308in] semi-automatic self-loading personal rifle [see M16-A1]
slick	single helicopter movement, or slang for an individual troop carrying helicopter
SNCO	senior NCO [see NCO]
snoopy	US aircraft tasked to scan jungle with a range of human detecting sensors
SOP	Standard Operating Procedure, the agreed way for everyone to do certain actions or reports
splinter team	small group of field engr attached to rifle units for mine, booby trap or obstacle clearing tasks
sqn	squadron, military subunit of company equivalent except in Air Force
stag	rostered sentry duty, as in 'your stag starts at 2AM' [sentry rosters had staggered change times]
stand to	period at dusk or dawn when activity ceases and arcs are observed, changing from day to night routine or vice versa
Stokes litter	rigid stretcher with straps to immobilise a casualty before winching aboard a dustoff helicopter
sunray	radio term for the boss of a group of soldiers
SVN	South Vietnam
SW	south-west, a direction on a map
sweep	tactical move through an area to check for bodies, wounded, equipment and sign
Swingfog	thermal fogging machine dispensing chemicals as fine aerosol droplets in an extensive dense fog
Tail-end Charlie	last person in a patrol, responsible for covering the patrols tracks and observing back over their route to mitigate surprise contact with any following enemy
Tan Tay Lan	Vietnamese for 'New Zealander'
TAOR	tactical area of responsibility, the area around Nui Dat and other firebases scoured by TAOR patrols
TCV	troop carrying vehicle, a International Harvester truck with open tray and seating facing outwards
the Dat	Nui Dat, base of 1ATF combat units, as in 'heading back to the Dat'
TOD	tour of duty, period of time for a task or posting. SVN TOD were 1 year [typically 364 and a 'wakey']
TPM	teleprinter message, the military telegram system common until the 1990's
tracks	slang for APC; as in 'moving in the tracks down the coast...'
triangle	easily understood shape of a harbour position, known as 'triangular harbour' but also adapted as a drill for ambushes and halts, in SVN suited Claymore deployment and internal control
troopie	slang for an ANZAC soldier
Uc Dai Loy	Vietnamese for 'Australian'
UH-1D	model of American chopper operated in Phuoc Tuy province by 9 Sqn RAAF, called 'Iroquois'
VC	Viet Cong, the guerrilla army of the communist National Liberation Front, local provincial soldiers often not well armed and frequently lacking in logistical support
Victor	V Coy RNZIR, with numeral to designate which V Coy, as in V5 coy for fifth V Coy
Vungers	slang for Vung Tau, as in 'next trip to Vungers I'm going to...'
wakey	number of days left in SVN, as in '187 days and a wakey' [wake up and go home]
webbing	see belt order
Whiskey	also Whisky, W Coy RNZIR, with numeral to designate which W Coy, as in W3 coy for third W Coy
WIA	wounded in action and later restored to something like good health [see GSW]
World	"the World was anywhere but Vietnam and a Freedom Bird was any aircraft which took you to the World"
1ALSG	1st Australian Logistic Support Group, the 1ATF 'logistic tail' based at Vung Tau
1ATF	1st Australian Task Force, a brigade sized formation based at Nui Dat
161	161 Battery RNZA [Royal New Zealand Artillery]
2IC	second in command, sunray minor
'I Was There' - add to the list