'AWOL' |
Commonly known as 'Absent Without Leave'; but really
meant that young soldiers, wishing for a bit of time
off, had forgotten to advise their superiors of their
travel plans. |
'BA
MOI BA' |
A type of local beer
brewed in villages -- almost undrinkable. |
'BAIT LAYER' |
Cook. |
'BANGERS' |
Bangkok: (For Rest & Recreation Leave). |
'BLACK DUCK' |
Swan Lager: A beer
brewed in Perth, Western Australia - often suspected for
the water having been sourced from the upper reaches of
the Swan River - in an area populated by dairy farm
runoff and swamps. |
'BLANKET FOLDER' |
Storeman. |
'BLOWFLY' |
Hygiene Representative: This man was responsible for the
cleaning and maintenance of latrines and shower areas. |
'BOMBS' |
Last course of
anti-malarial tablets. They went through the system
as the name suggests. |
'BOOZER' |
A place in which to purchase alcohol in each company
area. ( A Company was approximately 110 men). The
express purpose of this facility was to get as full
as possible, as quickly as possible. |
'BREW' |
A drink of tea or coffee, made with muddy or
chlorinated water. |
'BUKU' |
A word derived from
French 'beaucoup', meaning plenty. The Vietnamese
often used this term and it was adopted by the
Yanks, Kiwis and Aussies. |
'BUSHMAN SCOUT' |
Not a type of Jeep. This was a 'local', whose role
was described in his title. |
'CHICKEN
MAN' |
A morning program on
Armed Forces Radio
Vietnam.
(Click HERE
for a sample). |
'CSM' |
The Company Sergeant Major: A warm, compassionate,
caring person, often misunderstood by young
soldiers, especially when placed on a 'Fizzer'
(see below). |
'DAPSONE' |
Not a town west of
Dubbo in outback New South Wales. It was an
anti-malarial pill, taken twice daily. (See also
Paludrine). |
'DAT
DO DOGS' |
Dat Do was a nearby
village, never frequented by Aussie troops.
Reinforcements were told upon arrival in the unit
that there were regular dog races, in an attempt to
advise them that non-existent entertainment was
available. |
'DEAD HORSE' |
Sauce: Also known as ketchup. Used as a flavouring
agent or to camouflage the taste of various meals. |
'DI
DI MAU' |
Vietnamese for "go away", "get out", or "piss off". |
'DUSTOFF' |
acronym for: “Dedicated Unhesitating Services To Our
Fighting Forces”. |
'EATING IRONS' |
Knife/Fork/Spoon Set. Shorter and dirtier than those
at home. |
'FANG' |
Loves a feed |
'FARTER' |
The soldier's bed:
usually a narrow pneumatic mattress, with
lightweight nylon-type blanket or "silk". The
inflated mattress would sometimes make a sound when
you turned over, thereby giving rise to the name. |
'FIZZER' |
A charge sheet:
These were for the express purpose of ensuring that
young soldiers knew who was running the show. |
'FURPHY' |
Not to be confused with
the early-style water carts of Australia. A real
furphy was a rumour which spread like wildfire
within the ranks. |
'GETTERS' |
Thongs/Sandals. |
'GOFFER' |
A soft drink. |
'GHENGIS' |
Lt. Col Colin Khan
DSO, commanding officer during the Battalion's
second tour. |
'GINGER BEERS' |
Army Engineers. |
'GRUNT' |
THE AUSTRALIAN
INFANTRY SOLDIER. |
'HEAD' |
Navy talk for
'pissaphone' (see below). |
'HEPPO ROLL' |
Also known as
Hepatitis Rolls. These were meat and salad-filled
bread rolls purchased from street stalls in Vung
Tau. Their effect on the body is evidenced by their
name. |
'HEXI STOVE' |
A small collapsible
metal frame designed to hold a cup or food container for
heating for the soldier's individual use. A hexamine
tablet was placed in the base, and ignited. If no
hexamine was available, a small piece of plastic
explosive did the same job. |
'HO
CHI MINH' SANDALS |
VC foot-ware made
from old tyres; they had a distinctive tread,
recognisable in the dirt. |
'HONKERS' |
Hong Kong (For Rest
& Recreation Leave). |
'HOOTCHIE' |
Another term for free accommodation -- four men in base
camps, one man in field situations. The description
sounds good, but in reality it was a four-man leaky
tent, surrounded by sandbags. |
'HOMER' |
Return to Australia: (Usually after being wounded). |
"THE
J" |
Jungle. |
'JACK RATIONS' |
A supplementary food
supply, purchased by the individual soldier, for his
personal survival. |
'JOOBIE JUICE' |
A name given to the
awful cordial powder supplied by the USA to our
troops in an attempt to flavour our water. Varieties
included raspberry, lime and grape. I knew of one
digger, the late David Fazackerley, who mixed the
grape cordial with Scotch. He shared his brew with
nobody, because nobody dared help him drink it! |
'LAMBRO' |
A three-wheeled
motor scooter fitted with an enclosed seating area over
the rear wheels. Used as taxi cabs in Vung Tau. The
carrying capacity of these machines was usually dictated
by the amount of soldiers in any group, and the amount
of lubrication that these soldiers may have consumed.
Extra passengers have been known to have been carried on
the roof of the passenger area. |
'LINES' |
Our canvas homes.
(See Hootchie, above). |
L.O.B. |
Left Out Of
Battle??? (See POGO below). |
'MOB
3' |
A soldier's movement
or transfer order. |
'MEATHEADS' |
Our military police
friends. Lovely people really. When they found young
soldiers after curfew in Vung Tau, they would give
them a lift back to base, and even accommodate them
overnight. They were very security conscious ...
even their walls had bars. |
'NATIONAL SERVICE' |
The Australian
Government's recognition of young men growing up in the
'60s, and granting them to a free overseas trip. |
'NINE MILE SNIPERS' |
Artillery Personnel. |
'NUMBER 10!' |
A term used by
Vietnamese Nationals to express their feelings of
Australian troops, when they were not given gifts.
When gifts were provided, Aussie soldiers were
suddenly NUMBER 1! |
'PADDY FIELD' |
An open rice field:
These were known to raise the sweat of even the
coolest soldier - patrolling across these,
completely open, no protection; frightening. Also
could be a name for a soldier of Irish heritage |
'PALUDRINE' |
Not to be confused
with the 1960's TV show Paladin, starring Richard Boone.
This was an anti-malarial drug, taken once daily. |
'PISSAPHONE' |
A urinal: fashioned
by the use of a semi-circular drum dug into the
ground, allowing troops to urinate in open spaces
within base camps. Specifically designed for Vietnam
Troops. |
'POGO' |
Personnel
On Garrison Operations? In any
case, those assigned this name were not at the 'sharp
end'. |
'POGO STICK' |
Weapons used by our military police friends. |
'PULL THROUGH' |
A means of cleaning
the interior of a weapon's barrel / a very skinny
person. |
'QUEENSLAND SAND' |
Sugar. |
'RAT
PACK' |
Our food supply,
courtesy of the USA. Included delicacies such as dog
biscuits. |
'RATION ASSASSIN' |
Cook. |
'RSM' |
Regimental Sergeant
Major Just like the CSM
(see above) only much bigger! |
'SHINY-ARSE' |
Clerk. |
'SINGERS' |
Singapore: (Rest & Recreation Leave). |
SCHMICK. |
Hard to explain how the brain operated, but it
worked this way: It takes a million Schmicks to make
half a Schmoo. It takes a million Schmoos to make
half a clue. And some people wouldn't have a
Schmick. Loosely translated, one could hear through
the ranks: "So and so wouldn't have a schmick". |
'SWAN' |
A patrol. |
'THE
HILL' |
Part of the leisure
resort at Vung Tau. To gain entry, all a soldier had to
do was the wrong thing, and be sentenced to a period of
time filling sandbags and then emptying them. He got to
do this every day. Better than any fitness camp. |
'TRUE BLUE' |
Loyal friend, good mate. |
'TURRETHEADS' |
Armoured Corps Personnel. |
'TV
SHOW' |
Smile -- you're on Candid Claymore! |
'UC
DAI LOI' |
Vietnamese for "Australian". |
'VB' |
Victorian Bitter, also known as 'vomit bomb', 'Vitamin
B', 'Vietnamese beer' etc. Probably better than Swan
Lager. |
'VUNG TAU FERRY' |
HMAS Sydney: This
ship, an aircraft carrier which had been converted
to carry troops, was remodelled on the
cork-in-the-ocean principle. The ship behaved in the
same way when sailing to and from Vietnam. |
'VUNGERS' |
The city of Vung
Tau: Used by Aussie soldiers for 'Rest &
convalescence'. |
'WAKEY' |
Last sleep before
return to Australia. |
'WEDEVAC' |
A system where young
soldiers, surprised to learn of their impending
fatherhood, were able to take leave to return to
Australia for matrimony, and to get to meet the new
in-laws. |
'WHITE MICE' |
South Vietnamese police: dressed in white, vocal on the
whistle and with a reputation for shooting first and
asking questions later. Young soldiers tended to respect
these people. |
'WINGY' |
Lt. Col John Warr,
commanding officer of the Battalion during its first
tour. Permanently bent arm due to being wounded
during the Korean War. |
'WIRE' |
Similar to a suburban fence, identifying boundaries, but
also allowing close contact with some neighbours. |
'YIPPEE' |
A western/cowboy
paperback book. |
'YIPPEE SHOOT' |
An unauthorized,
illegal, discharge of multiple weapons into the
bush. |
'XXXX' |
Beer from Queensland, Australia - some blokes couldn't
spell Queensland, hence the easier name. |