RA: Regular Army, prefix to serial number of enlistees.
RACK: Bed or cot.
RALLIER: Defector from the Viet Cong.
RANGERS: Elite commandos (U.S. Army) and infantry specially trained for reconnaissance and combat missions.
RAP: Rocket assisted projectile. A device whereby the range of a shell from a 5" gun is extended to a ridiculous length with absolutely no accuracy.
RAPPEL: Descend using a rope.
RAT: A meat staple that was dried and sold in markets throughout South East Asia. This wild creature could kill a cat in the U.S., and give a domestic U.S. dog a hard time (most people in the U.S. did not believe stories about these rodents even though most were true). A uninvited guest (rodent) in most bunkers. These things were BIG......
RBF: Reconnaissance by fire.
RC: Radio control, as in radio control models.
REACT: For one unit to come to the aid of another under enemy fire.
RECON: Reconnaissance.
RED ALERT: The most urgent form of warning. Signals an imminent enemy attack.
RED CROSS: This organization had more women stationed in Vietnam than three branches of the U.S. military (excluding the Army). Held the contact for U.S. military personnel who needed to get a message State-side.
REDLEG: Artilleryman. Slang for Artillery. In the Civil War, Union Artillery men had red stripes on their pants.
REDBALL: An enemy high speed trail or road.
REDBIRD: Nickname for the Cobra, AG-1H assault helicopter.
RED SAND: The distinct soil coloration of the Can Ranh Bay region.
RED TEAM: Two AH-1G Cobra gunships.
RED LZ: Landing zone under hostile fire.
RE-EDUCATION CAMPS: Political prisons and labor camps of varying degrees of severity and size that comprised the Soviet-style gulag system throughout Communist Vietnam.
REGIMENT: A military unit usually consisting of a number of battalions.
REGIONAL FORCES: Militia units organized within each district in South Vietnam to engage in offensive operations against local Viet Cong forces. RF units were better paid and equipped than PF units and could be assigned duties anywhere within the home district.
REMF: Rear Echelon Mother Fucker. Nickname given to men serving in the rear by front-line soldiers. Could also be RAMF attributed to the U.S. Marine Corps: Rear Area Mother Fucker.
REP: Range Error Probable.
REPO DEPO: Replacement detachment.
RESCAP: Rescue combat air patrol.
REST & REPOSE: The name for U.S. Navy hospitals in Vietnam.
REVETMENT: Sandbagged or earthen barrier. Often used in conjunction with PCP (Pierced steel planking).
RF/PF: Regional Forces and Popular Forces of South Vietnam; also known as "Ruff-Puffs." Regional Forces and Popular Forces of the VietNamese military. Somewhat similiar in make-up and deployment to the American National Guard of the 1960s. Generally operated in the areas where they were recruited. Not especially effective, militarily, against main-force, enemy units.
RICE: Main product and staple food of the Vietnamese. The basis of the economy of Vietnam. Rice & Rubber are the major export crops of Vietnam.
RICE BEETLE: A dark colored bug that many considered delectable eating in South East Asia. Most often found around rice paddies.
RICE PADDY: The common gardening spot for the major crop grown in Vietnam. Dikes surround these water filled areas.
RICE PADDY RACERS: Rubber shower shoes used by GIs.
RIF: Reconnaissance in force. A heavy reconnaissance patrol. Later, RIF came to mean reduction in force; an administrative mechanism for retiring career soldiers prior to the end of their twenty year term.
RINGKNOCKER: Graduate of a military academy. Refers to the ring worn by graduates.
RIVER RAT: Navy patrol boats and Seawolf choppers were in this group.
ROCK 'N' ROLL: To put a M16A1 rifle on full automatic fire.
ROCKS: Rockets.
ROGER: Radio communications term for understand or agree.
ROKs: Republic of Korea ground troops.
ROME PLOW: Large bulldozer fitted with a large blade, used to clear jungle and undergrowth in order to make friendly operations easier in that area.
ROMEO: Military phonetic for the letter 'R'.
RON: Remain-overnight operation.
RONONE: USCG Squadron One.
RONTHREE or RON3: Larger Coast Guard vessels assigned off-shore patrol work.
ROTC: Reserve Officer's Training Corps. Program offered in many high schools and colleges, geared to prepare students to become military officers.
ROTATE: To return to the U.S. at the end of a year's tour in Vietnam.
ROUI: A thin, long worm that is harvested (twice a year) and considered a delicacy.
ROUND EYE: Slang term used by American soldiers to describe another American or an individual of European descent.
ROUTE 1: The name of the highway that went through Hue.
ROUTE 9: The road from Hue to Khe Sanh (impassable because of the VC/NVA). It continued on to Quang Tri.
RPD: A 7.62 mm Communist machine gun with a 100-round, belt operated drum that fires the same round as the AK-47.
RPG: Russian-manufactured antitank grenade launcher; also, rocket-propelled grenade.
RPG SCREEN: Chain link fence erected around a valuable position to protect it from RPG attack by causing the enemy rocket to explode on the fence and not on the protected bunker, etc.
R & R: Rest-and-Recreation vacation taken during a one-year duty tour in Vietnam. Out-of-country R & R was at Bangkok, Hawaii, Tokyo, Australia, Hong Kong, Manila, Penang, Taipei, Kuala Lampur or Singapore. In-country R & R locations were at Vung Tau, Cam Rahn Bay or China Beach.
RTO: Radio telephone operator who carried the PRC-25.
RUCK, RUCKSACK: Backpack issued to infantry in Vietnam.
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: The specific regulations for the conduct of air and surface battles by U.S. and allied forces during the Vietnam war.
RUMOR CONTROL: The most accurate source of information prior to the actual occurrence of an event.
RVN: Republic of (South) Vietnam.
RVNAF: Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces.
