C's: C-rations, C-rats, Charlie rats, or combat rations: Canned meals used in military operations. The term "Charlie" was both the phonetic alphabetization of the "C" in C-rations and signified the enemy or enemy activity.
C & C: Command and Control.
C-123: Twin engine, propeller driven, Fairchild built cargo airplane, nicknamed the "Provider". Larger than the C-7A Caribou.
C-130: Four engine, propeller-driven, Lockheed cargo plane. Looked very similar to the C-123, except it has four engines as compared to two on the C-123. Nicknamed the "Hercules". Also called "Fat Albert"
C-141: Four engine, jet aircraft, Lockheed built for carrying cargo and personnel. Nicknamed the "Starlifter". Until the introduction of the C5 Galaxy, it was the largest cargo plane in the Air Force inventory.
C-4: Plastic, putty textured explosive carried by infantry soldiers. A very stable plastic explosive carried by infantry soldiers. "C-4" was a plastic explosive popular among soldiers in Vietnam because of its various properties. It was easy to carry because of its lightweight, stable nature, and had a potent explosive power. It burns like sterno when lit, and was used to heat C-rations in the field.
C-5A: Four engine, jet transport plane manufactured by Lockheed and nicknamed "Galaxy". It was sometimes referred to as "Fat Albert". It was the successor to the C-141 Starlifter and carried much more cargo and personnel than the C-141.
C-7A: Twin engine propeller driven, De Havilland built cargo plane nicknamed the "Caribou". Could haul large quantities of cargo but was slow flying.
CA: combat assault. The term is used to describe dropping troopers into a hot LZ.
CACA DAU: Vietnamese Phrase for "I'll kill you."
CACHE: Hidden supplies
CAL: Caliber
CAMMIES: Camouflage uniforms. Some Coastguardsmen wore any of the various types and styles used in Vietnam.
CAO DOI: A religious and political sect formed in the 1920s by a group of South Vietnamese intellectuals, combining the three major religions of Vietnam --Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity -- with the worship of Vietnamese and Western heroes. With a strength of more that 1,500,000 followers, groups of Cao Ðài still waged a stubborn resistance war against the Communists (especially in Tây Ninh Province) even after the U.S. troop withdrawal.
CAP: Civil action program. U.S. military personnel working with Vietnamese civilians.
CAPPING: Shooting at, capped: shot
CAR: Carbine Rifle, predecessor to the M-16, the Carbine, CAR-15.
CAR-15: carbine- M-16 rifle with a telescopic butt and short barrel.
CARBINE: A short-barreled, lightweight automatic or semiautomatic rifle.
CARIBOU: Nickname for the slow flying, twin engine C-7A cargo aircraft. Could carry a whopping load but boy was it slow……..
CAS: Close Air Support, missions flown in support of infantry forces in contact with NVA or VC hostiles.
CAV: Nickname for air cavalry. Also refered to armored cavalry using M113 APCs, and other light armored vehicles.
CC: Company commander.
CCB: Command & Control Boat. A converted landing craft of the Monitor class of riverine boats, packed with radios, designed for forward command and communications. Traveling with the flotilla of boats and landing craft of a typical riverine operation, it was used for relaying communications between the commanders in the field and the Army's Tactical Operations Center and Fire Support groups.
CG: Coast Guard.
CG: Commanding general.
CH-54: Sikorsky built helicopter nicknamed "Skycrane". It was the largest of the American helicopters, strictly for cargo. Also called "Flying Crane".
CHAO: Hello or goodbye, depending upon the context.
CHARGE: An amount of explosive, powder, etc required to perform a task.
CHARLIE, CHARLES, MR. CHARLES, CHUCK: Viet Cong--short for the phonetic representation Victor Charlie, i.e., the VC.
CHARLIE: Military phonetic for the letter "C"
CHEAP CHARLIE: GI who is frugal with his money while in a bar.
CHECK IT OUT: A slang as ubiquitous as "okay" during the late sixties, meaning to have a close look at something or someone. The saying was prominently featured in Andrew Lloyd Webber's MISS SAIGON.
CHERRY: A new troop replacement; someone who had never been under fire. Slang term for youth and inexperience; a virgin.
CHICKEN PLATE: Chest protector (body armor) worn by helicopter gunners.
CHICOM (Cheye-com): A term describing a Chinese Communist or weapons manufactured in China.
CHICOM MINE: Chinese mine; can be made of plastic
CHICOM: Chinese communist
CHIEU HOI (Choo Hoy): "Open arms." Program under which GVN offered amnesty to VC defectors.
CHINOOK: Nickname for the CH-47 cargo helicopter; also called "Shithook" or "Hook."
CHOGIE, CUT A CHOGIE: To move out quickly. Term brought to Vietnam by soldiers who had served in Korea.
CHOI OI: Vietnamese term, exclamation like "Good heavens" or "What the hell!"
CHOKE: Peanut butter.
CHOLON: The predominently Chinese area of Saigon, almost like a twin city.
CHOP CHOP: Slang for food
CHOPPER: Helicopter.
CHURCH KEY: Bottle opener.
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency or simply "The Agency" or "The Company."
CIB: Combat Infantry Badge for actual time in combat. The CIB was awarded only to combat veterans holding an infantry MOS and several award levels based on number of tours in a combat zone (meeting the base requirement each time).
CIC: Combat Information Center. Also, Communications and Information Center, but not aboard ship.
CIC: Commander-in-Chief. (President of the United States)
CIDG (Sidgee): South Vietnamese Civilian Irregular Defense Group.
CINCPAC: Commander in Chief, Pacific Region.
CLACKER: Firing device ('exploder') for triggering claymore mines and other electrically initiated demolitions. A small hand-held firing device for a claymore mine claymore: an antipersonnel mine carried by the infantry which, when detonated, propelled small steel cubes in a 60-degree fan-shaped pattern to a maximum distance of 100 meters.
CLAYMORE: A popular, fan-shaped, antipersonnel land mine. Widely used in Vietnam, the claymore antipersonnel mine was designed to produce a directionalized, fan-shaped pattern of fragments. The claymore used a curved block of C-4 explosive, shaped to blow all its force outward in a semicircular pattern. A large number of pellets were embedded in the face of the explosive, creating a devastating blast of fragments similar to the effect of an oversized shotgun.
CLEARANCE: Permission from both military and political authorities to engage the enemy in a particular area clutch belt: cartridge belt worn by Marines
CLEATS: A strong device, usually metal, used to secure (tie down) to. Such tie-down points, for instance, would line a pier and provide places for mooring lines to attach to.
CLOSE AIR SUPPORT: Air strikes against enemy targets that are close to friendly forces, requiring detailed integration of each air mission with the fire and movement of those forces.
CLUSTER BOMBS: A generic term for a number of different CBUs: "SADEYE/BLU-26B" Cluster Bombs, later nicknamed "guava" bombs by the Vietnamese. These one-pound, baseball-sized bombs were usually dropped in lots of 600 or more. The bomblets were released from
CLUSTER FUCK: Any attempted operation which went bad; was grossly disorganized. See also BOONDOGGLE.
CMB: Combat Medical Badge. Awarded to medics who served with the Infantry while under direct enemy fire.
CMH: Congressional Medal of Honor. The highest U.S. military decoration awarded for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.
CO CONG: Female Viet Cong members
CO VAN ADVISOR: American assigned to Vietnamese military units or to political division within the country to help direct and train Vietnamese military and civilian officials.
CO: Commanding officer
CO: Vietnamese term for an unmarried woman; used as a title, like "Miss"
COASTIES: Nickname used to identify the United States Coast Guard servicemen and women.
COBRA: Nickname for the AH-1G "attack helicopter." Also called by some the "Shark" or "Snake." The Cobra carried 2.75s, mini-guns, and a 40mm gun mounted in a turret under the nose of the aircraft. There were other configurations, also. The old "D" model Hueys were fazed out and the Cobras used in greater strength around 1968. Most of the Cobras were painted with eyes and big, scary teeth like a shark for psychological impact.
COCHIN-CHINA: The French name for its southern Vietnam colony, encompassing the III Corps and Mekong Delta rice-producing lowlands, which earlier was part of Cambodia.
CODE OF CONDUCT: Military rules of conduct for U.S. soldiers taken prisoner by the enemy.
COMIC BOOKS OR COMICS (FUNNY BOOKS): Military maps; topographical maps.
COMM (COMMO): Communications.
COMMO BUNKER: Bunker containing vital communications equipment. Usually included in the last redoubt of established defensive positions.
COMPANY: A company is an organizational institution commanded by a captain and consisting of two or more platoons. It varies widely in size according to its mission. An artillery company is
COMPOUND: A fortified military installation
CONCERTINA WIRE: Coiled barbed wire used as an obstacle.
CONG BO: Water buffalo.
CONG KHI: Monkey.
CONG MOUI: Mosquito.
CONNEX BOX OR CONTAINER: Corrugated metal packing crate, approximately six feet in length
CONTACT: Condition of being in contact with the enemy, a firefight, also "in the shit."
CONUS: Continental United States.
COOK-OFF: A situation where an automatic weapon has fired so many rounds that the heat has made it continue to fire off rounds, even after the trigger has been released. The only way to stop it is to pull the clip or rip the ammunition belt.
CORDS: Civil Operations (and) Revolutionary Development Support. In Jan of 1970, they changed "Revolutionary" to "Rural." Civil Operations and Rural Development Support was the MACV advisory effort to the government of VietNam's pacification program.
CORK: A drug used in the field with small teams to prevent defecation. Also, burnt cork was used for facial camouflage.
CORPS: Two or more divisions, responsible for the defense of a Military Region. The term "corps" has a dual meaning in the armed services. It can be used to designate any group of military personnel performing a similar function, like the Signal Corps or the Medical Corps. As an organizational element in the military, a corps is a unit made up of at least two divisions. The corps commander, usually a lieutenant general, controls combat operations by issuing directives to division commanders and coordinating the work of artillery and cavalry groups. There were four corps operating in Vietnam during the war: III Marine Amphibious Force, The XXIV Corps, I Field Force Vietnam, and II Field Force Vietnam.
COSVN: Central office of South Vietnam. Communist headquarters for military and political action in South Vietnam.
COUNTERINSURGENCY: Antiguerrilla warfare.
COUNTRY TEAM: The staff and personnel of an American embassy assigned to a particular country.
COWBOYS: Saigon motorcycle gangs who rode around on Honda motorcycles and did mischief, some of it quite serious. Some of them were either VC or VC symphathizers. They were responsible for more than a few bombings and sniping attacks at U.S. and allied forces in and around the Saigon area.
COXSWAIN: The person, generally a Boatswain's Mate, in charge of steering and/or directing the crew of a boat. A boat is defined as a vessel smaller than a ship.
CP PILLS: Anti-malarial pills. They were big, orange, and you took one a week. They gave you diarrhea which lasted about a week or until time for the next one.
CP: Command Post.
CQ: Charge of Quarters. An officer or enlisted person officially in charge of a unit headquarters, barracks, or other facility at night.
CRACKER BOX: Field ambulance.
C-RATIONS: Combat rations. Canned meals for use in the field. Each usually consisted of a can of some basic main course, a can of fruit, a packet of some type of dessert, a can of large flat crackers, peanut butter, a packet of powdered coca, sugar, powder cream, coffee, a small pack of cigarettes, two pieces of chewing gum, and toilet paper.
CREW CHIEF: The Enlisted person responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of an aircraft or helicopter.
CRID (Crid): Republic of Korea Capitol Infantry Division. Americans called it the "Tiger" Division.
CRISPY CRITTERS: Those wounded suffering burns.
CROSSCHECK: Everyone checks everyone else for things that are loose, make noise, light up, smell bad, etc.
CS: Composite Service. Also, riot control gas agent, such as a CS-grenade, used widely to clear out enemy tunnel works. Also, a type of tear gas.
CT-O: communications technician--Operation Branch.
CUMSHAW: The unofficial trading, begging, bartering, or stealing from other branches of the service.
CYA: Cover your ass.
CYCLO or CYCALO (Sick-lo or Sick-a-lo): A three-wheel passenger vehicle powered by a human on a bicycle or a motorized motorcycle. Unlike the Rickshaw of China, Cycalo's had the seat in front, so you sat in front of the driver, instead of behind. Made for some rather hair-raising rides, especially in traffic, as there was nothing in front of you but air………
