K-BAR: combat knife with a six-inch blade and hard leather handle, used
mostly by the Marine Corps. HOT: dangerous, such as Hot LZ (where aircraft are receiving enemy fire)
Pg. Later, 1969-70, incorporated pyroceramic
plates to protect back and chest from rifle-fire. TRI-BORDER: in SEA, the area where Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos meet. I've
had grunts tell me I had it backwards or totally wrong. GP: general purpose, as in general purpose tent: large rectangular
tent sleeping 10 to 12 men with an aisle down the middle. TET: Vietnamese Lunar New Year holiday period. In 1961 a more powerful
version, the UH-1B, was introduced. Pg. The literal translation is "excuse me.". Also see Red. 520
SPOOKY: C-47 gunship - 7.62 mini guns mounted in side windows. On July 10, 1965, two F-4Cs shot down two MiG-17
fighters over North Vietnam with Sidewinder missiles. M11: large, anti-malaria pill (Chloroquine). 517
PBR: short for PATROL BOAT RIVER. Pg. shoulder patch. Pg. Also a door
gunner on a helicopter. During the course of the
Vietnam War, the following U.S. military units fought in I Corps: II CORPS: Central Highlands military region in South Vietnam. Charlie: [noun] the Viet Cong in Vietnam during and the American Vietnamese war. The forces of the Cambodian Communist Party. CREW CHIEF: Huey crewmember who maintains the aircraft. Out-of-country R & R was at Bangkok, Hawaii, Tokyo,
Australia, Hong Kong, Manila, Penang, Taipei, Kuala Lampur or
Singapore. FATIGUES: standard combat uniform, green in color. FIRE BASE or FB: (sometimes called a fire support base) temporary
artillery firing position often secured by infantry. STOL: short takeoff and landing. Also seen as "Doughnut
Dolly(ies)." 508. Standard-designed buildings of
corrigated tin roofs; walls of horizontal-louvered boards four feet up
from the bottom, and screen from the bottom to the roof inside; some
were on concrete pads and some were on blocks; some had sandbags around
them about 30 inches from the wall and waist high; you could walk inside
the sandbags from door to door; wooden walkways between buildings so you
didn't have to walk in mud; a few sandbags were place on the roofs to
keep them from blowing away in a hurricane. It was used for firebase and convoy security. WEB GEAR: canvas belt and shoulder straps used for packing equipment and
ammunition on infantry operations. Pg. 514, LOCK AND LOAD: (Editor's Note: We've had some fun with this one. The first United States Air Force (USAF) F-4s were deployed to Southeast
Asia in early 1965 and became involved in significant air operations
during the summer. SHORT ORBIT: aircraft circling to land; small, close orbit by aircraft
overhead. Gens Seamans & De Puy
with the Big Red One from Dian went up this route to clear it in '66
so that the rice harvest could get into the city. 511
GUNG HO: very enthusiastic and committed. In its multitude of roles in Vietnam, the
Huey became a familiar sight on the television screens of
America. Transmitted the explosive chain at 25,000 feet
per second. Pg. TRIP-WIRE: thin wire used by both sides strung across an area someone may walk through.Usually
attached to a mine, flare, or booby trap. 517 & 518
PONCHO LINER: nylon insert to the military rain poncho, used as a
blanket. The U.S.S. Nasty stuff. ILLUM: illumination. Pg. 511, GUNG HO: very enthusiastic and committed. In '69, while with the Big Red One, we received a directive that we were
no longer allowed to use the term "search and destroy" to refer to our missions. Pg. They were
awarded the green beret headgear as a mark of distinction. The horse-mounted cavalry gave
way during the twentieth century to armored
personnel carriers and tanks. VIETNAM WOMEN'S MEMORIAL:
Diane Carlson Evans, RN, is the founder of this Memorial
project. In Jan of 1970, they changed "Revolutionary" to "Rural." 523
ZONE AND SWEEP: artillery tactic/fire pattern to cover a target with an "X" pattern of fire. 507 & 511, GSW-TTH: casualty report term meaning 'gunshot wound, thru and thru. LIMA-LIMA: low level, as in aircraft altitude GCI - Ground-Controlled Intercept.