AIT Advanced Individual Training
AK-47 standard Communist 7.62mm automatic rifle
Amtrac LVTP5 amphibious tractor
AO Area of Operations
Arty artillery
ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Birddog O-1E observation plane
BLT Battalion Landing Team
Blueline a stream or river
C&C Command-and-control helicopter used by commanders to supervise field activities
CAR15 shortened, all-metal version of the M16 5.56mm automatic rifle
CAS Close Air Support
C-4 plastic explosive
Chicom Chinese Communist (usually refers to enemy hand grenade)
Chinook CH-47 transport helicopter
Claymore aboveground antipersonnel mine
CO Commanding Officer
CP Command Post
Crusader Navy A-7 jet fighter-bomber
DHCB Dong Ha Combat Base
DMZ Demilitarized Zone, dividing line between North and South Vietnam on the 17th parallel
E-tool Entrenching tool, military term for a collapsible shovel
FAC Forward Air Controller
FO Forward Observer
FSB Fire Support Base
H&S Headquarters & Service Company
HE High Explosive
HHC Headquarters and Headquarters Company
HST Helicopter Support Team
Huey nickname for the UH-1 series of helicopter
Illum illumination round or rounds
KIA Killed In Action
Kit Carson scout Communist soldier who defected to the allies and volunteered to serve with U.S. units as a scout interpreter
Laager nickname for a unit’s night defensive position
LAW 66mm Light Antitank Weapon
LCU Landing Craft, Utility LD Line of Departure
LIB Light Infantry Brigade
LP Listening Post LZ Landing Zone
M14 nonstandard U.S. 7.62mm automatic rifle
M16 standard U.S. 5.56mm automatic rifle
M60 standard U.S. 7.62mm machine gun
M79 standard U. S. 40mm grenade launcher
MAB Marine Amphibious Brigade
MAF Marine Amphibious Force
MAW Marine Aircraft Wing
MIA Missing In Action
Monitor LCM-6 gunboat with revolving turret
NCO Noncommissioned Officer NVA North Vietnamese Army
OCS Officer Candidate School
OP Observation Post
Opcon Operational Control
Otter M76 amphibious tracked vehicle
Phantom F-4 jet fighter-bomber
RPD standard Communist 7.62mm light machine gun
RPG Rocket-Propelled Grenade
RTO Radiotelephone Operator
S1 personnel officer
S2 intelligence officer
S3 operations officer
S4 logistics officer
Sea Horse CH-34 helicopter (Korean War vintage)
Sea Knight CH-46 transport helicopter
Sea Stallion CH-53 transport helicopter
Sitrep Situation report
Skimmer nickname for the fourteen-foot assault boats used by the Marines (they were made of fiberglass and had 35-horsepower Mercury outboard motors)
SKS Communist rifle
Skyhawk A-4 jet attack-bomber
SLF Special Landing Force
Spooky AC-47 gunship
TacAir Tactical Air Support
TAOR Tactical Area of Responsibility
TF Task Force
TOT Time On Target (method of artillery fire involving several batteries firing on the same target at the same time)
VC Viet Cong
Ville village
WIA Wounded In Action
WP White Phosphorus (“Willie Pete”)
XO executive officer