Low Level Hell: A Scout Pilot in the Big Red One

GLOSSARY

ACAV—armored cavalry assault vehicle

AK-47—Russian 7.62-caliber assault rifle

APC—armored personnel carrier M113

Arc Light—B-52 bomb strike

ARP—aerorifle platoon

ARVN—Army of the Republic of Vietnam

BDA—bomb damage assessment

C and C—command and control

CAR-15-—carbine version of M-16 automatic rifle

Charlie Echo—crew chief

chicken plate—ballistic armor chest plate worn by aerial crew members

CH1COM—Chinese Communist

Claymore—antipersonnel mine, directional in nature

Cobra (snake)—Bell AH-IG helicopter gunship with two crew members

CS grenade—riot control agent similar to tear gas

DEROS—date estimated to return from overseas

didi—Vietnamese slang for get out of here

Dustoff—callsign of medical evacuation helicopters

FAC—forward air controller, prop aircraft for tac air direction

fast mover—jet fighter or bomber

Firefly—UH-IH mounted with spotlights, night observation devices, miniguns, and a .50-caliber machine gun

fox mike—FM radio frequency

frag order—fragmentary order (change in mission)

FSB—fire support base, home to ground and artillery units

Guard—emergency frequency, 243.0 UHF and 121.5 VHF

gun—Cobra or snake AH-IG gunship

hootch—Vietnamese dwelling or American tropical hut

Huey—Bell UH-IH troop carrier with two pilots and two door gunners

hunter-killer team—one AH-IG and one OH-6A

ICU—intensive care unit

KBA—killed by air

KIA—killed in action

Kit Carson scout—former VC or NVA who has defected to the ARVN and scouted for U.S. troops

klick—military slang for kilometer

Loach—Hughes OH-6A light observation helicopter (LOH) with one pilot and one or two gunner-observers LZ—landing zone

M16—Colt 5.56-caliber rifle, standard U.S. government issue M48—M-48A3 main battle tank with 90mm main gun

M113—U.S. armored personnel carrier, basis for ACAV

M551—Sheridan armored airborne reconnaissance vehicle with 152mm main gun

minigun—General Electric 7.62-caliber electric Gatling gun, 2,000 to 4,000 rounds per minute

NDP—night defensive position for armored, mechanized units

Old Man—military slang for commander

OV-10—North American Bronco FAC aircraft with one or two crew members

PBR—patrol boat, riverine with two .50-caliber guns, one .30-caliber machine gun, and one 40mm grenade launcher

Pipe Smoke—UH-ls and CM-47s that recover downed aircraft

PSP—perforated steel plank construction material

push—frequency R

and R—rest and recuperation

red team—two AH-1G Cobra gunships

RESCAP—rescue combat air patrol

rocks—rockets

Rome plow—heavy bulldozer for clearing jungle

RPD—Chinese copy of Russian PK crew-served 8mm machine gun

RPG—rocket-propelled grenade

RTO—radio telephone operator

satchel charge—explosives charge

SGM—Russian .30-caliber crew-served medium machine gun

sitrep—situation report

slick—UH-1H, same as Huey

snake and nape—retarded speed bombs and napalm

Spooky/Spectre/Shadow—USAF fixed-wing gunships—AC-47, AC-130, and AC-119

squadron—unit containing four troops

tac air—tactical air, same as fast movers

TAOR—tactical area of operational responsibility

TOT—turbine outlet temperature

troop—armor or aviation unit, two hundred men, forty vehicles

Uniform—UHF radio frequency

USARV—U.S. Army Republic of Vietnam

VC—Viet Cong

Victor—VHF radio

VNAF—Vietnamese Air Force

VR—visual reconnaissance

white team—two OH-6A scouts

Willie Pete—white phosphorous

Zippo—flamethrower mounted on M-113 vehicle