Gene Autry (1907–1998) Western movie star known as the “Singing Cowboy.”
shipped off to Japan To be sent to an American military hospital in Japan, usually for serious wounds.
gangrene Decay of tissue in a part of the body when the blood supply is obstructed by injury or disease.
VC Viet Cong.
Highway 1 Major throughway for transportation through Vietnam.
Harmon Killebrew (b. 1936) a baseball player known as a power hitter who slugged home runs. He had a 22-year career with Washington, Minnesota, and Kansas City.
boonies Boondocks; hinterland.
stand-down A period of rest for combat soldiers during which they return to a base and halt all operations except security.
salt tabs Tablets made of salt that servicemen placed along the inside of their cheeks to forestall dehydration by hastening the production of saliva.
a couple of klicks Two kilometers.
Charlie Cong Viet Cong.
Mary Hopkins Folk singer from the mid-1960s whose hit single was “Those Were the Days” from the album Postcards.
trip flare A flare rigged to ignite when an intruder moves a thin wire hidden along the outside perimeter of a base or encampment meant to signal the approach of enemy troops.
American Legion An organization of veterans of the armed forces of the U.S., founded in 1919.
