Glossary of Military Terms & Slang from the Vietnam War D-J

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DA

Department of the Army

Dac Cong

Viet Cong special forces

Dai Doan Ket

Party of Great Solidarity. Organized in 1954 to unify the non-Communist nationalist organizations in South Vietnam in the period before Ngo Dinh Diem came to full power. Headed by Diem's brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, this was the forerunner of the Can Lao.

daily-daily

daily anti-malarial pill

dai uy

Vietnamese for captain

Dai Viet

formed in 1930 as a non-Communist revolutionary and political organization throughout Vietnam. Though more widespread and with a larger membership than Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh or Lao Dong Party, the Dai Viets were fragmented into regional factions. The assassination of Truong Tu Anh, the Dai Viet leader, in 1946 by Ho's agents further fragmented the Dai Viets. By the mid-1960s the Dai Viets had evolved into two major parties that both played key roles in opposing or supporting the various South Vietnamese governments. Since 1975, there has been severe repression against Dai Viet members, some of whom still carry on resistance to the Communist government.

dap

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. Used by black soldiers, highly ritualized and unit specific.

DCI

the Director of the CIA

de-Americanization

early term for Vietnamization

DELTA

military phonetic for the letter 'D'

DEROS

date of expected return from overseas. The day all American soldiers in Vietnam were waiting for.

det-cord

detonating cord used with explosives

deuce-and-a-half

two-and-a-half ton truck

dew

marijuana

DH5

Viet Cong claymore mine

DH10

Viet Cong claymore mine

di

go

dicks

derogatory expression referring to both male genitalia and the enemy

diddy-bopping

walking carelessly

didi

slang from the Vietnamese word di, meaning "to leave" or "to go"

didi mau

slang Vietnamese for "go quickly"

dink

derogatory term for an Asian

dinky dau

to be crazy

district team

American personnel assigned to act as advisors to Vietnamese military and civilian officials at the district level.

District Mobile Company

the major Viet Cong fighting unit organized within each district in Vietnam. The District Mobile Company was assigned to carry out various assignments from direct offensive operations to sabotage and terrorism.

DMZ

demilitarized zone. The dividing line between North and South Vietnam established in 1954 at the Geneva Convention.

doc

medic or corpsman

dong

unit of North Vietnamese money about equal to a penny

doo-mommie

English approximation of the Vietnamese du ma, meaning literally "fuck mother"

double veteran

Having sex with a woman and then killing her made one a double veteran.

DP

displaced person

D-ring

a D-shaped metal snap link used to hold gear together

DRO

dining room orderly

drops

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

DTs

defensive targets

dung lai!

stop!

dust-off

medical evacuation by helicopter

DX

direct exchange. Also, to discard or dispose of, or to kill someone.

eagle flights

large air assault of helicopters

Early-Outs

a drop or 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

military phonetic for the letter 'E'

elephant grass

tall, razor-edged tropical plant indigenous to certain parts of Vietnam

Eleven Bravo

the MOS of an infantryman

EM

enlisted man

EOD

explosive ordinance disposal. A team that disarms explosive devices.

E-tool

entrenching tool. Folding shovel carried by infantrymen.

ETS

date of departure for overseas duty station; estimated time of separation from military service.

evac'd

evacuated

expectants

casualties who are expected to die

F-4

Phantom jet fighter-bombers. Range: 1,000 miles. Speed: 1400 mph. Payload: 16,000 lbs. The workhorse of the tactical air support fleet.

FAC

forward air controller; a person who coordinates air strikes

fast mover

an F-4

fatigues

standard combat uniform, green in color

FB

firebase

FDC

fire direction control center

finger charge

explosive booby-trapping device which takes its name from the size and shape's being approximately that of a man's finger

fire base

temporary artillery encampment used for fire support of forward ground operations

firefight

a battle, or exchange of small arms fire with the enemy

Fire Track

flame-thrower tank

five

radio call sign for the executive officer of a unit

flack jacket

heavy fiberglass-filled vest worn for protection from shrapnel

flaky

to be in a state of mental disarray, characterized by spaciness and various forms of unreasoning fear

flare

illumination projectile; hand-fired or shot from artillery, mortars, or air

flechette

a small dart-shaped projectile clustered in an explosive warhead. A mine without great explosive power containing small pieces of shrapnel intended to wound and kill.

FNG

fucking new guy

FO

forward observer. A person attached to a field unit to coordinate the placement of direct or indirect fire from ground, air, and naval forces.

foo gas

a mixture of explosives and napalm, usually set in a fifty-gallon drum

fours

F-4s

FOXTROT

military phonetic for the letter 'F'

frag

fragmentation grenade; verb form of "fragging"

fragging

the assassination of an officer by his own troops, usually be a grenade

freak

radio frequency. Also, a junkie or a doper.

Freedom Bird

the plane that took soldiers from Vietnam back to the World

free fire zone

free strike zone

free strike zone

area where everyone was deemed hostile and a legitimate target by U.S. forces

French fort

a distinctive triangular structure built by the hundreds by the French

freq

radio frequency

friendly fire

accidental attacks on U.S. or allied soldiers by other U.S. or allied soldiers

FUBAR

acronym for "Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition," used to describe any disorganized operation

fuck

along with fucked and fuckin', the most commonly used word in the GI vocabulary other than the article 'a'

fucked up

wounded or killed. Also, to get stoned, drunk, or to be foolish or do something stupid.

fugazi

fucked up or screwed up

FULRO

United Front for the Struggle of Oppressed Races. Resistance organization in the highlands of Vietnam made up of Montagnards, Cham, and ethnic Khmer. FULRO is still conducting resistance against Communist operations to subjugate the indigenous tribal peoples.

FUNCINPEC

National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia. Prince Sihanouk's non-Communist political and military organization which attempted to drive the Vietnamese occupation forces out of Cambodia and reestablish independence. In 1982 FUNCINPEC joined the Cambodian Coalition Government and shared the seat at the United Nations.

funny papers

topographic maps

FWMAF

Free World Military Assistance Forces. The Allies.

G-3

division level tactical advisor; a staff officer.

Garand

the M-1 rifle

ghosting

goldbricking or sandbagging; fucking off

GI

government issue. Usually refers to an American soldier.

Glad bag

slang term for body bag

GOLF

military phonetic for the letter 'G'

gook

derogatory term for an Asian; derived from Korean slang for "person" and passed down by Korean war veterans

Green Berets

U.S. Special Forces

greens

Army Class A uniform

GR point

graves registration point. That place on a military base where the identification, embalming and processing of dead soldiers takes place as part of the operations of the quartermaster.

grids

map broken into numbered thousand-meter squares

grunt

infantryman. Originally slang for a Marine fighting in Vietnam but later applied to any solder fighting there; a boonierat.

GSW

gunshot wound

the Gun

the M-60

gung ho

enthusiastic (usually about military matters and killing people)

gunship

armed helicopter

GVN

Government of South Vietnam

HALO

high-altitude, low-opening jumping for insertion of troops behind enemy lines. The jump is begun from 15,000 feet.

hamlet

a small rural village

hammer and anvil

an infantry tactic of surrounding an enemy base area, then sending in other units to drive the enemy out of hiding.

hand frag

a fragmentation grenade thrown by a soldier

H&E

high explosive

H&I

harassment and interdiction. Artillery bombardments used to deny the enemy terrain which they might find beneficial to their campaign; general rather than specific, confirmed military targets; random artillery fire.

hardstand

a pierced steel plate (PSP) platform over sand

hard-stripe sergeant

rank indicated by chevron insignia, equivalent to an E5 or E6, but denoting some limited authority as well. Others of the same rank without the stripes were little more than PFCs.

Heart

a Purple Heart award for a wound; the wound itself

heat tabs

flammable tablet used to heat C-rations. Always in short supply.

Hercules

a C-130

HES

Hamlet Evaluation System. An evaluation system devised and run by Americans in Saigon which required monthly computerized reports from all the DSAs in the country.

HHC

headquarters and headquarters company

higher-highers

the honchos; the command or commanders

HM

Navy hospital corpsman; a medic

Hmong

A dominant Laotian hill tribe, around sixty percent of whom opposed the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao, in alliance with the Americans and Royal Lao government. After 1975 the Communists stepped up repression against the Hmong, who refused to be collectivized. Massive numbers of Hmong have been killed or driven into Thailand.

Hoa Hao

a Buddhist sect of two million in the western Mekong Delta, founded in the 1930s. Since the assassination of the founder and prophet, Huynh Phu So, by Ho Chi Minh's forces, the Hoa Hao have been fiercely anti-Communist.

Ho Chi Minh slippers

sandals made from tires. The soles are made from the tread and the straps from inner tubes.

Hoi-Chanh

Vietnamese Communist soldiers and cadre who rallied to the South Vietnamese government under the Chieu Hoi amnesty program.

honey-dippers

people responsible for burning human excrement

honky

African American vernacular term for white people.

hooch

a hut or simple dwelling, either military or civilian. Also spelled hootch.

hoochgirl

Vietnamese woman employed by American military as maid or laundress

hook

a radio; a radio handset

horn

radio microphone

hot

area under fire

HOTEL

military phonetic for the letter 'H'

hot LZ

a landing zone under enemy fire

howitzer

a short cannon used to fire shells at medium velocity and with relatively high trajectories

HQ

headquarters

Huey

nickname for the UH-1 series helicopters

hump

march or hike carrying a rucksack; to perform any arduous task

I Corps

the northernmost military region in South Vietnam

II Corps

the Central Highlands military region in South Vietnam

III Corps

the densely populated, fertile military region between Saigon and the Highlands

IV Corps

the marshy Mekong Delta southernmost military region

IG

Inspector General of the U.S. Army

illum

an illumination flare, usually fired by a mortar or artillery weapon

immersion foot

condition resulting from feet being submerged in water for a prolonged period of time, causing cracking and bleeding.

in-country

Vietnam

increments

removable charges attached to mortar fins. If they become wet, the mortar round misfires and falls short.

INDIA

military phonetic for the letter 'I'

insert

to be deployed into a tactical area by helicopter

Iron Triangle

Viet Cong dominated area between the Thi-Tinh and Saigon rivers, next to Cu Chi district

JAG

judge advocate general, the legal department of the Armed Services

jet jockey

Air Force fighter pilot

Jody

the person who wins your lover or spouse away 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 and gone / sound off...."

john wayne

can opener. Also used as a verb to describe the actions of someone who exposes himself to danger. For an example of what some GIs though of John Wayne, see Robert Flynn's essay, "John Wayne Must Die."

JULIET

military phonetic for the letter 'J'

jungle boots

footwear that looks like a combination of combat boot and canvas sneaker used by the U.S. military in a tropical climate, where leather rots because of the dampness. The canvas structure also speeds drying after crossing streams, rice paddies, etc.

jungle utilities

lightweight tropical fatigues