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Project Jenny KLIK - 1st Inf Di v Women in Vietnam RELATED-- To AFVN To Saigon To Vietnam Further Afield Index
-- H --
H & I - Harassment and Interdictory (artillery) fire.
Half-Track - An M16 light armored vehicle with .50 cal machine guns.
Hai Van Pass – A mountain pass north of Da Nang – south of Phu Bai - the scene of many ambushes.
Haight Ashbury - The area in San Francisco that was originally a center of flower power children, but turned into a run down drug
area by the end of the sixties.
Haiphong - The major supply port of North Vietnam.
HAL-3 - Helicopter Attack Light (UH-1 Hueys)
HAL-3 - Helicopter Attack Light (UH-1 Hueys) Squardon
Halozone Tablet - Used by US military personnel to purify drinking water obtained from streams and rivers in Vietnam.
Ham & Limas - The least favored C-ration meal in Vietnam. Paste with bad taste (and other colorful names).
Hamburger Hill - 430 were killed in the battle fought in A Shau Valley in May 1969.
Hamlet - A village in Vietnam.
Hanoi - The capital of North Vietnam during the war.
Hanoi Hilton – The American nickname for the Hoa Loa Prison in Hanoi.
Hanoi Hannah - The female Disc Jockey broadcasting from North Vietnam. She babbled on about US atrocities and on the Wall
Street connection while playing music.
Hanoi Hilton - The American nickname for the North Vietnamese Hoa Loa Prison where where US POWs were kept in Hanoi.
Hard Hats - The name given the group supporting the War in Vietnam in 1970. They were, typically, the working class
in the U.S.
Harriman, Averel - The U.S. delegate to the Paris Peace Talks in 1968.
Hasting - See: Operations.
Hawk - A person who is pro-war.
Hawkeye - E2-A, US Navy plane used to direct aerial assaults.
HC-1 - Helicopter Combat Support Squadron One
HE - High Explosives.
Head - A person who smoked marijuana, or used other illicit drugs.
HEAT – “High explosive, anti tank” artillery/tank round.
Heat Tab - A smokeless chemical tablet used to heat rations or water.
Heavies - Slang for high-ranking staff personnel and unit commanders.
HECP - Harbor Entrance Central Post
Helicopter - There were many different helicopters used in Vietnam… the most famous is the UH-1 Huey – there were
several models. A total of 4,865 helicopters were shot down.
Herbicide - A chemical substance used to destroy, or inhibit the growth of plants, especially weeds. Many herbicides
kill by over stimulating the growth of the plant (hormones). Herbicides can be selective (killing specific
plants), or non-selective (killing everything in the area in which they are used).
Hercules - C-130 plane (slang - Herkee-bird).
Highway 1 – The main road south to Saigon.
Hill 861 - The hill number made famous in the Battle of Khe Sanh.
Hill Numbers - Represented the hill height in meters.
Hippie - The name of those who dropped out of society during the sixties.
Hispanic - Is the largest minority group on the Wall in Washington D.C.
HM - Helicopter Squadron
HMH - Marine Heavy Lift Helicopter Squadron
HMM - Marine Medium Lift Helicopter Squadron
HMR - Marine Transport Helicopter Squadron
Ho Chi Minh - Vietnamese statesman who declared Vietnam independence (quoting the US Declaration of Independence),
September 2, 1942. (yet condoned mass murder).
Ho Chi Minh Sandals – Originally sandals cut from enemy tires (originally French – later US) and worn by VC soldiers. An
entrepreneur in the US later copied the tire tread foot ware from Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh Trail - The - A network of trails that began in North Vietnam into Laos, ending in South Vietnam.
Homecoming - See: Operations.
Hon Tre - An island off the coast of Vietnam used for intense Recondo School.
Hooch (hootch) - A small hut where Vietnamese lived. US personnel sometimes referred to their living quarters as hootches.
Hook - The radio, or radio hand set.
Horn, The - The radio.
Horse - Heroin.
Hospital - The only combat renal (kidney) unit was in 3rd Field Hospital, Saigon. Survival rate was 97.4%. 82% of injured
were transported alive to a hospital.
Hostile(s) - Encounter with the enemy – an expression of the enemy.
Hot - Referred to an LZ or area when enemy troops were in the area.
Howitzer - A relatively short range, high angle of fire canon usually with a 105mm, 115mm, 155mm, etc., shell. The cannon
is named for the man who invented it.
HPE - Harbor Patrol Element
HQ - Headquarters.
HQV - Vietnamese Navy (from the Vietnamese Hai Quan)
HSAS - Headquarters Support Activity, Saigon
Hue - “Lotus Flower” is the nickname for this Vietnamese city. It was built by the Emperor Gia Long in the 19th Century;
the Imperial Capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. The longest battle of the war was fought in Hue
during Tet 68. Between 500 and 5,000 civilians were murdered while the VC held this city.
Huey - UH-1 Bell helicopter, or any of the UH series of helicopters. Officially called the “Iroquois”, most people knew
it as the “Huey.” The “U” refers to its mission designation – Utility. It was in the US Army inventory
starting in 1959. It had a range of over 300 miles and cruised over 100 knots.
Human Be-In - A rock concert held in Golden Gate Park (San Francisco) in January 1967.
Hump – To walk around the jungle carrying your combat gear.
Humphrey, Hubert - The Democratic vice-president challenged Republican Richard Nixon in the 1968 election.
Humpin' or hump - Going on patrol in the jungle (bush), or perform any laborious task.
Hunter/Killer team - The Hunter was a LOH armed with mini-guns and the Killer was a Cobra. If the Hunter spotted anyone or
drew fire, he would do whatever the situation required. The Cobra came in when the Hunter drew fire.
Huskie - HH-43B twin-rotor helicopter used by air rescue teams.
An "Unofficial" Vietnam
Dictionary
Written by Paul Kasper
Edited by Bob Nelson
Dedicated to all Vietnam Veterans--"Especially those who didn't come home."