T&T: Through and through wound. One in which a bullet or fragment has entered and exited the body.
TA-50: Individual soldier's standard issue of combat clothing and equipment
TAC: Tactical air strikes; fighter bombers.
TAIL END CHARLIE: Last unit in a long column on the move.
TAILBOOM: The back 1/3 of a Huey.
TALLY-HO: Or just "Tally": acknowlegement by a pilot that he had visually acquired another aircraft or ground target which had been called to his attention.
TANGLEFOOT: Single-strand barbed wire strung in a meshwork pattern at about ankle height. A barrier designed to make it difficult to cross the obstructed area by foot. Usually placed around permanent defensive positions.
TANGO BOAT: Armored Troop Carrier (ATC). Sorta like an APC that really did float, but didn't do so good on land. The originals were LCM-6s with armor plate and bar armor added. They had nine seats for the troops and a canvas top to keep the sun out. Each tango could carry a fully equipped rifle platoon. They had two twin .50 cal. machine gun mounts on and a canvas top to keep the sun out. Each tango could carry a fully equipped rifle platoon. They had two twin .50 cal. machine gun mounts on the boat deck and four Browning .30 cal. light machine guns rechambered for NATO 7.62 mm in the well deck. In 1968 the Navy deployed two new river assault squadrons with tango boats built from the keel up specifically for riverine operation.
TANGO: Military phonetic for the letter 'T'.
TC: Tactical commander.
TEE-TEE: Vietnamese term for "A little bit."
TET OFFENSIVE: A major uprising of the National Liberation Front, their sympathizers, and NVA characterized by a series of coordinated attacks against military installations and provincial capitals throughout Vietnam. It occurred during the lunar New Year at the end of January, 1968.
TET: Vietnamese Lunar New Year and January holiday, Buddhist lunar New Year. Buddha's birthday.
TFES: Territorial forces evaluation system. The companion report of the HES. A computerized military evaluation system devised by American authorities in Saigon and used by them to assess the readiness of the militia forces. Each month advisors at the district level had to fill out the long computer print-out sheets and report on many different aspects of quantity and quality in the militia forces. Like all computer programs, the quality of this one's output was dependent upon the quality of the input.
THE ROCK: Guam. Anderson Air Force Base.
THE WORLD: The United States
THERMITE: A mixture of powdered aluminum and metal oxide which produces great heat for use in welding and incendiary bombs.
THREE: Radio call signal for the operations officer three-quarter: a three-quarter ton truck.
THUD: Nickname for the Republic built F-105 aircraft, who nickname was the "Thunderchief".
THUMPER (THUMPGUN): M-79 grenade launcher.
THUNDER ROAD: Highway 13, from Saigon to Loc Ninh, known for many mines, ambushes, etc.
TIGER BALM: A foul-smelling oil used by many Vietnamese to ward off evil spirits.
TIGER SUITS: Camouflage fatigue uniforms.
TIGHT: Good friends are close to ("tight" with) each other.
TO&E: Table of Organization and Equipment
TO: Tactical officer
TOC: Tactical Operations Center.
TOMMY-GUN: .45cal, Thompson sub-machinegun, fully automatic shoulder fired weapon.
TONKIN GULF YACHT CLUB: The U.S. Navy in operations offshore of both North and South Vietnam.
TONKIN: Northern section of Vietnam.
TOP: The top sergeant in an organization, usually the 1st Sergeant or the Command Sergeant Major.
TOT: Time on target. Prearranged mortar or artillery barrage, set to occur at a specific time in order to coordinate with an infantry assault.
TRACER: A round of ammunition chemically treated to glow or give off smoke so that its flight can be followed. Usually the tenth or fifteenth round in a magazine. In Vietnam, the Viet Cong used Green tracers, while U.S. and allied forces used red ones.
TRACH: A tracheotomy. Making an opening into the windpipe to facilitate breathing.
TRACKS: Any vehicles which move on tracks rather than wheels.
TRIAGE: The procedure for deciding the order in which to treat casualties.
TRI-BORDER: In SEA, the area where Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos meet.
TRIP FLARE: A ground flare triggered by a trip wire used to signal and illuminate the approach of an enemy at night.
TRIPLE CANOPY: Thick jungle, plants growing at 3 levels: ground level, intermediate, and high levels.
TRIP-WIRE: Thin wire used by both sides strung across an area someone may walk through. Usually attached to a mine, flare, or booby trap.
TROI OI: Exclamation of surprise, My god!
TRUNG WEE: Sergeant.
TU DAI: A big concern in country was booby traps. The VC used to warn the locals of booby trapped areas by posting little wooden signs with those words on it just at the edge of the wood line. Ironically it was pronounced "To Die." The term "Tu Dai Area" was used in sit-reps.
TURTLES: New replacements. They were called turtles because it took so long for them to arrive.
TWO DIGIT MIDGIT: Referred to those who had less than 100 days left in-country.
TWO: Radio call signal of the intelligence officer.
TWO-NINER-TWO: The RC-292 ground plane antenna which was used to extend the range of the MAT and the district team's PRC-25.
