rucksack A kind of knapsack strapped over the shoulders.
foxhole A hole dug in the ground as a temporary protection for one or two soldiers against enemy gunfire or tanks.
perimeter A boundary strip where defenses are set up.
heat tabs Fuel pellets used for heating C rations.
C rations A canned ration used in the field in World War II.
R & R Rest and recuperation, leave.
Than Khe (also Khe Sahn) A major battle in the Tet Offensive, the siege lasted well over a month in the beginning of 1968. Khe Sahn was thought of as an important strategic location for both the Americans and the North Vietnamese. American forces were forced to withdraw from Khe Sahn.
SOP Abbreviation for standard operating procedure.
RTO Radio telephone operator who carried a lightweight infantry field radio.
grunt A U.S. infantryman.
hump To travel on foot, especially when carrying and transporting necessary supplies for field combat.
platoon A military unit composed of two or more squads or sections, normally under the command of a lieutenant: it is a subdivision of a company, troop, and so on.
medic A medical noncommissioned officer who gives first aid in combat; aidman; corpsman.
M-60 American-made machine gun.
PFC Abbreviation for Private First Class.
Spec 4 Specialist Rank, having no command function; soldier who carries out orders.
M-16 The standard American rifle used in Vietnam after 1966.
flak jacket A vestlike, bulletproof jacket worn by soldiers.
KIA Abbreviation for killed in action, to be killed in the line of duty.
chopper A helicopter.
dustoff Medical evacuation by helicopter.
Claymore antipersonnel mine An antipersonnel mine that scatters shrapnel in a particular, often fan-shaped, area when it explodes.
Starlight scope A night-vision telescope that enables a user to see in the dark.
tunnel complexes The use of tunnels by the Viet Cong as hiding places, caches for food and weapons, headquarter complexes and protection against air strikes and artillery fire was a characteristic of the Vietnam war.
The Stars and Stripes A newsletter-style publication produced for servicemen by the U.S. Army.
Bronze Star A U.S. military decoration awarded for heroic or meritorious achievement or service in combat not involving aerial flight.
Purple Heart A U.S. military decoration awarded to members of the armed forces wounded or killed in action by or against an enemy: established in 1782 and re-established in 1932.
entrenching tool A shovel-like tool, among its other uses, used to dig temporary fortifications such as foxholes.
zapped Killed.
freedom bird Any aircraft which returned servicemen to the U.S.
sin loi From Vietnamese, literally meaning excuse me, though servicemen came to understand the term as meaning too bad or tough luck.
