Keith Payne - No One Left Behind

A-Team

Twelve-man detachment of United States Special Forces members, also referred to as Green Berets.

AATTV
(The Team)

Australian Army Training Team the first and longest-serving Australian military unit committed to the war in Vietnam.

Agent Orange

Herbicide and defoliant chemical used to denude plants of foliage, denying cover to the enemy. Later linked to birth defects and serious illnesses.

AK-47

Russian-designed Kalashnikov 7.62 millimetre assault rifle, widely used by Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army units.

ARVN

Army of the Republic of Vietnam (pronounced ARViN), the military forces of South Vietnam.

B-52

United States Air Force Stratofortress strategic bomber, designed to carry nuclear weapons, used to bomb enemy ground positions during the Vietnam War.

B40

North Vietnamese Army designation for the Russian-designed RPG-2, a shoulder launched rocket-propelled grenade launcher (precursor of the RPG-7).

battalion

Military formation, generally comprised 600-800 soldiers.

BDA

Bomb damage assessment the practice of evaluating the toll in damage and casualties of aerial bombing.

Beaucoup

French for many or much, commonly used in US military slang in Vietnam.

Bird Dog

Cessna O-1, a high-winged, single-engine monoplane light aircraft used by the United States Air Force in a forward air control role, co-ordinating air strikes.

C4

Plastic explosive used for a variety of military applications.

casevac

Casualty Evacuation, generally by helicopter.

Charlie

Short for Victor Charlie, the phonetic alphabet abbreviation of Vietcong (see Vietcong and VC).

CHICOM

Abbreviation of Chinese Communist, common name for the Dh 10 directional mine. Similar to the US M18 claymore, the CHICOM was placed above ground and fired hundreds of steel rods when detonated.

Chinook

CH47, twin-rotor medium lift helicopter, used by the US Army in the Vietnam War and subsequent conflicts.

claymore

US Army M18 directional mine. Placed on the ground with a sign reading front towards enemy, the claymore fired hundreds of ball bearings in the direction of placement when detonated.

CMF

Citizen Military Forces part-time Australian military units; the name changed to Army Reserve in 1980.

CO

Commanding Officer, usually referring to a Lieutenant Colonel, commanding a battalion.

company

Military formation, generally of 90100 members.

CSM

Company Sergeant Major. An appointment, normally held by a Warrant Officer Class 2. The CSM is the senior non-commissioned officer in the company, responsible for administration, discipline and standards. (Also Command Sergeant Major in the US Army.)

Dien Bien Phu

A French military base in North Vietnam, established in order to draw the Viet Minh into a set piece battle. The base was besieged by General Vo Nguyen Giap, and eventually capitulated, in 1954.

DVA

Department of Veterans Affairs - Australian government department charged with delivering support to veterans.

flechette

Metal anti-personnel darts, designed to be fired from shotgun cartridges, 40 millimetre grenades and artillery shells.

FSB

Fire support base, a military outpost generally established during the Vietnam War to provide artillery or mortar support to an area of operations.

Green Berets

Nickname for United States Special Forces members, taken from their distinctive headgear, first approved by President John F. Kennedy.

H and I missions

Harassment and interdiction random artillery fire into (unpopulated) areas where Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army personnel were thought to be hiding or massing.

Hill 668

Located near the Ben Het Special Forces base and named for its elevation, this position became famed as the site where Keith Payne VC and his Montagnard troops launched from.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A complex network of roadways and jungle paths reaching from North Vietnam to South Vietnam via the bordering neutral countries of Cambodia and Laos, named after the leader of North Vietnam. The trail was used by the North Vietnamese to move soldiers, arms, ammunition and materiel to support their war against the South.

Huey

Abbreviation of UH-1 (Utility Helicopter 1), the military designation of the Bell Iroquois helicopter, used in troop carrying, casualty evacuation and early gunship roles during the Vietnam War. The Huey was licence-built for European and other markets in Italy as the Agusta 206.

JPAC

Join POW/MIA Accounting Command, the US inter-service organisation charged with locating unaccounted-for prisoners of war and those missing in action.

K-Force

Korea Force, an Australian government recruiting initiative which called for men to enlist for three years, including one years service in the Korean War, to bolster army numbers.

Luc Luong Dac Biet (LLDB)