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Aa
aardvark noun
an F-111 combat aircraft or any aircraft that is awkward-looking or difficult to fly US, 1963
• — Linda Reinberg In the Field, p. 1, 1991
Able Dog noun
the propeller-driven Douglas AD Skyraider US, 1961
Based on the phonetic alphabet. The Skyraider was manufactured between 1946 and 1957; it saw service in Korea and Vietnam.
• — J. E. Lighter, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 1, p. 1, 1994
ace verb
to kill someone US, 1975
• Of all the words American troops used to describe death in Vietnam, aced, blown away, bought it, croaked, dinged, fucked up, greased, massaged, porked, stitched, sanitized, smoked, snuffed, terminated, waxed, wiped out, zapped – the one I heard most was “wasted.” — John Laurence, The Cat from Hue, p. 442, 2002
acting Jack noun
1 a lance sergeant US, 1917
• I took my “acting jack” job most seriously, and was thought to be a shoo-in for the “best trainee” (an honor that included a promotion to PFC on completion of the course until a week before basic was over[.] — David H. Hackworth, About Face, p. 41, 1989
2 a soldier temporarily appointed to higher rank, especially to serve as a platoon leader in basic training US, 1942
• — Carl Fleischhauer, A Glossary of Army Slang, p. 1, 1968
actual noun
a unit commander US
• — Linda Reinberg, In the Field, p. 2, 1991
air noun
air support, air power, bombing US
• — Linda Reinberg, In the Field, p. 5, 1991
air-to-mud adjective
(used of shots fired or bombs dropped) from the air to the ground US, 1961
• Air-to-ground bombing or shooting missiles from an airplane to a target on the ground. Sometimes called air-to-mud. — Robert Wilcox, Scream of Eagles, p. 293, 1990
AK amp noun
an amputation at the knee US
Vietnam war medic usage.
• —Gregory Clark, Words of the Vietnam War, p. 18, 1990
Alamo Hilton nickname
a heavily fortified bunker beneath the Khe Sanh base in South Vietnam during the Vietnam war US
• The grunts called it the Alamo Hilton and thought it was candy-assed, while almost every correspondent who came to Khe Sanh tried to get a bed there. — Michael Herr, Dispatches, p. 124, 1977
albatross noun
a Grumman HU-16 amphibian aircraft, best known as a rescue aircraft during the Korean and Vietnam wars US
• — Linda Reinberg, In the Field, p. 6, 1991
all-purpose capsule nickname
the APC tablet freely dispensed by Army medics US
The tablet contained aspirin, phenacetin (an analgesic), and caffeine.
• —Carl Fleischhauer, A Glossary of Army Slang, p. 34, 1968
all-the-way man noun
an ambitious officer destined for success US
• At the time of the la Drang fight, Hal Moore was already being described as an “all the way” man, meaning four stars and probably Chief of Staff one day. — David H. Hackworth, About Face, p. 487, 1989
Aloha Airlines nickname
an aviation unit attached to the 25th Infantry Division during the Vietnam war US
• — Linda Reinberg, In the Field, p. 7, 1991
alpha alpha noun
an automatic ambush US
From the phonetic alphabet.
• — David Hart, First Air Cavalry Division Vietnam Dictionary, p. 2, 2004
alpha sierra
an air strike US
From the phonetic alphabet and the initials AS.
• Right now, they’re putting in an air strike, or Alpha Sierra, about a click away, but the trouble is the fighters are making their passes parallel with our perimeter. — Don Bishop, Letters Home: Vietnam, p. 101, 4 March 1969
aluminum box noun
an armored personnel carrier US
• The “aluminum boxes” were easy targets, and all it takes is a nervy NVA with an armor-piercing rocket. — Fred Brown, Vietnam War Diary, p. 221, 1998
ambush academy noun
training in jungle warfare, especially of the unconventional sort US
• The Tropic Lightning’s Ambush Academy teaches all the basics necessary for a success...
