The Things They Carried Military Vocab

Military Acronyms

AO- Administration Officer

RRVN- Army of the Republic of South Vietnam

AWOL-Absent without leave

CID – Criminal Investigation Unit

CO – Commanding Officer

DZ – Demilitarizes Zone (either side of the 17^th parallel)

 KIA – Killed In Action

LT - Lieutenant

LZ – Landing Zone

MP – Military Police

NCO – Non-commissioned Officer

NVA – North Vietnamese Army

PFC – Private First Class

RF – Reserve Force

R&R – Rest and Recuperation

RTO – Radio/Telecommunication Officer

SOP – Standard Operation Procedure

VC - Vietcong

USO – United Service Organization

The Things They Carried

Misc. Terms

Boonies – rural country or jungle

Claymores – explosive mines activated by a remote

Dustoff – helicopter lift off or evacuation

Green Berets – elite US Special Forces nicknamed by their dress

Napalm – soap of fatty acids that, when mixed with gasoline, makes a jelly used in bombs and flam-throwers

Platoon – a subdivision of a company of troops, two or more squads or sections commanded by a lieutenant

Vietcong – Vietnamese belonging to the (communist) National Liberation Front of South Vietnam