Glossary of Vietnam Terms Airmobile – troops and supplies transported by helicopter Amnesty – an official pardon or forgiveness for breaking the law Artillery- cannons and other large guns designed to strike an enemy from a distance Battalion- In the military table of organization, a tactical unit commanded by a lieutenant colonel. Infantry battalions usually nine-hundred troops and artillery battalions contained about five-hundred personnel. During the Vietnam War, American battalions were much smaller than that. Booby trap – An explosive charge hidden in a harmless object, which explodes on contact. Boonies - Slang term for the field; jungles or swampy areas far from the comforts of civilization Bunker – A defensive fortification that is an artificial hill of dirt and stone, which hides and protects a cannon, machine gun and its crew Campaign – A series of major military operations designed to achieve a long-term goal Cavalry – Originally combat troops mounted on horses. In modern military units, cavalry units are one of two types: air cavalry, which uses helicopters, and armored cavalry, which uses tanks. “Charlie”- Slang for Viet Cong guerrillas, taken from the military phonetic alphabet V (Victor) C (Charlie) Communism – a way of organizing a country so that all the land, houses, and factories belong to the government, and the profits are shared by all Court-martial – a trial for members of the military accused of breaking rules or committing a crime Deferment – an approved postponement of required military service DMZ – Demilitarized Zone. The border between North and South Vietnam established in 1954 at the Geneva Convention in which no troop movements or military operations were to occur. Dove – those that wanted the war to end Dustoff – The nickname for a medical evacuation helicopter mission Firefight – Exchange of small arms fire between opposing combat units Flank – the right or left side of a military unit Friendly fire- The mistaken shooting of combat forces by allies or their own units Grunt – Slang for an infantryman in Vietnam; supposedly derived from the sound one makes from lifting his rucksack Guerrilla – one of a group of soldiers who strike at the enemy in small numbers and then quickly retreat Guerrilla warfare – Military operations conducted in enemy-held or hostile territory by irregular, nonuniformed, predominantly indigenous forces Gunship – A helicopter armed with machine guns and rocket launchers Hawks – those in favor of the U.S. involvement in the war Hippie - were young people in the 1960s and 1970s who rejected conventional ways of living, dressing, and behaving, and tried to live a life based on peace and love. Hippies often had long hair, and many took drugs Huey – Nickname for the UH-series helicopters; utility helicopter Hump – To march on patrol in enemy territories Hot LZ – a loading area for a helicopter that is coming under enemy fire Infantry – soldiers trained to fight on the ground Insignia – A badge of office, rank, or membership in a group Medal of Honor – The highest military decoration awarded in all branches of the Unites States for gallantry and bravery above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy Medic – a soldier trained to treat the wounded; Navy medics were known as corpsmen Medivac- Medical evacuation by helicopter; also called a dustoff MIA –Missing in Action, the official designation of military personnel whose location is unknown, generally as a result of combat operations Napalm – Gasoline thickened to a gel and used as an incendiary weapon against enemy troops and positions Offensive – In military operations, a plan of attack Pacifist - a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable Platoon – in the military table of organization, a unit composed of approximately forty-five personnel, commanded by a lieutenant Primary Source – first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it including speeches, diaries, art work, articles written by someone involved, photos, survey data, autobiographies POW – Prisoner of War. The official classification of military combatants captured by the enemy and housed in special fenced and guarded detention compound called POW camps. Reconnaissance – In military terms, the process of obtaining information about enemy intentions, troop movements, etc. Rout – In military terms, the disorderly and panic-stricken retreat of defeated troops Search and destroy – Offensive operations designed to find and eliminate enemy forces Secondary Source - created by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions including most books, articles, biographies, analysis of data, reviews Sentry – An armed guard of a military camp whose duty is to give a warning of danger Shrapnel – Fragments of the casing around an explosive device such as a bomb, grenade, or a mine, resulting from the detonation of the device Sortie – In the military, the mission of one aircraft Tet – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Viet Cong – Communist guerilla forces stationed and conducting combat and terrorist operations in South Vietnam. Also known as “Charlie” Viet Minh – Short for “Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi” or the Vietnamese Independence League, the original political organization for Vietnamese patriots Vietnamization – U.S. policy initiated by President Nixon late in the war to turn over the fighting to the South Vietnamese army during the phased withdrawal of American troops
Glossary of Terms - WWII Air Raid - a bomb attack from the air
Air Raid Shelter- a place that afforded protection from bombs during an air raid for example, and underground bunker Alliance- a group of allies who have agreed to act in cooperation; allied countries often set our their shared aims in an official treaty
Ammunition- bullets and shells fired from weapons
Amphibious- able to move on both land and water
Antiaircraft Gun- a gun with enough range to fire at and damage incoming enemy aircraft
Anti-Semitic- holding views that discrimate against and persecute jews
Armistice- end of hostilities
Atomic Bomb- an extremely destructive and powerful weapon, in which the energy comes from nuclear fission- the splitting of an atom from a radioactive element such as uranium or plutonium
Atrocity- an appaling evil act
Auxiliary- describes something or someone providing help or backup
Axis- the name given to the alliance of Germany, Italy, Japan and their allies
Barrage Balloon- a tethered balloon, strung with cables used to obstruct low-flying aircraft
Blood Transfusions- injecting blood taken from a donor into the veins of a patient who is losing blood
Bunker- an underground bomb shelter
Camoflage- coloring and patterns designed to blend in with the background
Cipher- a secret code that substitutes letters or symbols according to a set key
Communist- a supporter of communisim- a belief system that opposes the free market and aims to create a classless society
Concentration Camp- a prision camp for nonmilitary prisoners
Convoy- merchant ships traveling together, protected by a naval escort
Cryptographer- someone who studies, creates, or deciphers codes
Demobilization- dispersing troops after active service
Democratic- based on the principles of democracy, where government is determined by the people, through elected representatives
Dictator- a ruler who takes total control of a nation, without allowing the people to have a say
Espionage- spying Evacuate- move people away from a place where they are in danger
Evacuee- someone who has been moved away from a place where they are in danger
Fascist- a supporter of fascism- a belief system opposed to democracy and in favor of a powerful armed state
Fuselage- the body of an airplane
Gas- in the content of war, a poisonous gas used to choke, blind, or kill the enemy. Although all sides had supplies of gas, it was never deliberately deployed as a weapon in WWII
Gas Mask- A breathing device worn to cover the nose, mouth, and eyes to give protection from a gas attack
Gestapo- Nazi secret police service
Grenade- A small bomb that is hurled by hand
Holocaust- The mass murder of millions of Jews and others by the Nazis during WWII
Imperial- to do with an empire or emperor
Incenediary- describes a bomb, bullet, or other device designed to cause fire
Infantry- foot soldiers
Intelligence- useful military or political information, or the spies that gather it
Land Girl- A young women who worked to help the war effort, usually on farms to produce food. Women were also put to work producing other valuable resources, from raw materials such as wood to weaponry and parachutes
Liberation- freeing from enemy occupation
Machine Gun- an automatic gun that fires bullets in rapid succession
Mine- an underground chamber packed with explosives; a bomb laid on the ground that detonates when it is stepped on or driven over; a loating or lightly submerges bomb placed in the sea in order to destroy ships and submarines
Minesweeper- a ship that drags the water to find undersea mines
Morale- strength o purpose, confidence or faith
Morse Code- a code where each letter of the alphabet is represented by a sequence of dots and dashes, or by short and long signals of light or sound
Mortar Bomb- A heavy bomb usually fired from a tank
Nationalist- someone who believes in nationalism- the belief in the importance and dominance of their own nation, state
Occupation- the time when an enemy forece takes over a country
Paratrooper- a soldier who is air-dropped into territory, wearing a parachute
Partisan- a member of a resistance movement working in enemy-occupied territory
Penicillin- a mold extract ther prevents the growth of bacteria. Its antibacterial properties were discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. Ny 1942, penicillin was available in large quantities to treat soldiers with wound infections
POW- short for "prisoner of war" - someone captured in wartime; most but not all, POW's were members of the armed forces
Propaganda- information intended to convince people of a particular viewpoint; it may take the form of posters, broadcasts, or air-dropped leaflets
Radar- a detection system that uses radio waves to locate objects; their position is determined by the way the radio waves bounce back; radar stands for "radio detection and ranging"
Radiation Sickness- illness caused by exposure to radioactivity
Rationing- restricting provisions, such as food and clothing, in a time of scarcity
Refugee- someone foreced to flee their country in search of safety
Resistance- an organization oppossed to an occupying enemy, especially the European groups that sabotaged the Nazis during the occupation of Europe
Sabotage- a deliberate action designed to destroy or disrupt
Shell- an explosive device that is fired from a cannon or other launcher
Surrender- give up control
Swastika- an ancient symbol consisting of a cross with each arm bent at a right angle; it was adopted by the Nazi as their emblem
Torpedo- a self- propelled underwater missle that can be fired from a boat or submarine
Treaty- a formal agreement between nations
U-Boat- a german submarine
Ultimatum- a final demand which, if it is not met, will result in serious consequnces and a total breakdown of communication
Utility- describes clothing, household objects, or furniture produced in wartime Britian under the Utility Scheme; all items were designed to waste as little as possible, in terms of both raw materials and the manufacturing process
Source: Eyewitness Books - World War II, DK Publishing, 2004