Glossary of Terms

AIF

Australian Imperial Forces

AMP

Australian Mutual Provident Society

ANZAC

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

APC

armoured personnel carrier

1 ATF

First Australian Task Force

ARVN

Army of the Republic of Vietnam

casevac

casualty evacuation

chopper

helicopter

Dustoff

acronym: Dedicated untiring service to our fighting forces—a helicopter for casualty evacuation

field ambulance

a cross between an aid post and a field hospital

free fire zone

an area where civilians were prohibited and there were few restrictions on firing

hootchie

nylon cover carried on patrol

Jade

radio callsign used by forward air controllers

Kiwi

nickname for New Zealanders

maintdem

maintenance demand for stores or equipment

MBE

Member of the Order of the British Empire (honour)

medevac

medical evacuation, the Hercules aircraft flight returning wounded to Australia

mm

millimetre (calibre)

nasho

national serviceman; conscript

NCO

non-commissioned officer

NVA

North Vietnamese Army

picquet

sentry

pink team

US Army helicopter teams, who at a certain amount of risk, drew fire in order to locate enemy for the jet bombers

pogo

personnel on garrison operations—anyone serving in a base installation

RAAF

Royal Australian Air Force

RAR

Royal Australian Regiment

recce

reconnaissance

shellscrapes 

shallow dugouts for protection against shrapnel

sign

evidence of enemy presence—usually footprints

silk

a lightweight sleeping bag liner

stand to

be on alert

US

United States of America

VC

Viet Cong

VHF

very high frequency (radio band)

white mice

South Vietnamese police—socalled because of their uniforms

 

Weapons

 

AK-47

Russian 7.62 mm assault rifle (commonly known as a Kalashnikoff)

claymore

anti-personnel directional above ground mine

GPMG

general purpose machine gun, 7.62 mm

M16

5.56 mm Armalite assault rifle (US)

M26

high explosive grenade

M79

40 mm grenade launcher

RPG

rocket propelled grenade, the weapon called B-40 or RPG-2 (and larger RPG-7)

SLR

7.62 mm self-loading rifle

XM203

the experimental forerunner to the 5.56 mm M16 rifle with the M79 grenade launcher fitted below, also known as the ‘under and over’

 

Aircraft

 

A37

Super Sky Master, fighter ground attack aircraft

Bell Jet Ranger

light observation helicopter

Bronco

aircraft used by forward air controllers (US)

B52

strategic jet bomber (US)

Cessna

fixed wing light aircraft

Cobra

assault helicopter

F4 Phantom

jet bomber

Pilatus Porters

fixed wing aircraft