Alphabetical Index

(Click on a letter.)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Numbers

Alphabetical Index

(Click on a letter.)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Numbers

-- V --

VA - Attack Squadron

VAL - Heavy Attack Squadron

VAL - Light Attack Squadron

Vann, John Paul - Characterized the war in Vietnam with his statement, “A bright and shining lie.” His first tour of duty in Vietnam

was with the US Army – he elected to leave the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel and was later hired as a

civilian to become a Province Director with USAID. Later he became Deputy for CORDS (Civil Operations

and Revolutionary Development Support).

VAP - Heavy Photographic Squadron

VAQ - Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron

VARS - Visual Airborne (Recon)

VAW -                       Carrier Airborne Early Warning System
VC -             Viet Cong; Vietnamese Communist. Slang included Mr. Charles, Victor Charlie.
VC/NVA soldier - Profile: 23 years old, 5'3" tall, 115-120 lbs., Buddhist, and single.
VCI –               Viet Cong Infrastructure – the leaders, cadre, all providers to VC units and individual personnel. The "Phoenix

                                              Program" was started In an effort to eradicate the VCI.
Veterans -     The average age of Vietnam in-country U.S. personnel was 23.
Vetti, Eleanor and Betty Oslo -     Female POWs. They were helping in a leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot when captured. There was

also a German nurse (Monika Schwinn) held at the Hanoi Hilton - the only woman held there.

VF - Fighter Squadron

VFP - Light Photographic Squadron

VFR - Refrigerated Covered Lighter (self-propelled)

Viet Cong – The Vietnamese guerilla Army that wanted independence for Vietnam without any outside interference to

include any from communism.
Viet Minh - Ho Chi Minh created this party in 1941. They originally fought against the French, then the Japanese, then

against the French following the end of WWII, then finally against the Americans. The term stands

for Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong M inh Hoi (Vietnamese Independence League).
Vietnam facts - Land area is approximately the size of New Mexico.
Located on the Asian continent.
Population estimated to be 58,000,000 in 1990.
Weather - Tropical-Monsoon climate. 40 Fahrenheit is the coolest temperature in Vietnam (in the

                                                       valley/Mekong areas) during December-January.
        The current government suppresses religious freedom.
The official language is Vietnamese. It is monosyllabic and belongs to the Mon-Khmer family.
    Education is compulsory for children ages 6 to 11. Vietnam boosts a 94% literacy rate.
Only 15% of the population has access to safe drinking water (a warning for travelers).
Per capita income is 175 (US) dollars annually.

Vietnam Monument - (The Wall) in Washington D.C. was dedicated Veteran's Day, 1982. It was created by Vietnam Veteran

Jan C. Scruggs. The design for the Wall was drawn by a Yale architectural student – Maya Lin. The Wall

started with much controversy; called by some as the “Black Gash of Shame,” the controversy was

heightened when it was revealed that the designer was oriental by birth. Through the years the Wall

has met with universal acceptance by Vietnam veterans and their family members.
Vietnamese - 25% of the rural (Vietnamese) population became refugees during the war. 518,000 were (estimated to be) killed

during the war.
Vietnamization - The plan by Nixon to turn the war over to the South Vietnamese while the US withdrew from the conflict with

honor.
Ville – A term used by US personnel to describe the nearest town, village, hamlet…as in “the Ville”.

Vinh Tau - A city at the mouth of the Mekong River. It was the location of a 60-foot (US military) communications dish that

sent messages all over Vietnam.
VMA - Marine Attack Squadrn

VMF -                        Marine Fighter Squadron
VNAF -          South Vietnamese Air Force
VNN -                      South Vietnamese Navy
Vo Nguyen Giap -       The North Vietnamese General commanding the siege of Khe Sanh. He was also the commander at Dien Bien

Phu the location of the 1954 defeat of French Forces in Indochina (Indochine).
VooDoo - F-101, a high flying jet used to photograph North Vietnam.

VP - Patrol Squadron

VQ - Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron
VR - Air Transport Squadron

VRC - Air Transport Squadron

VSF - Anti-Submarine Fighter Squadron
Vung Tau - A city at the mouth of the Saigon River. Support and troop ships for the 173rd Airborne landed there in May

1965. On that same date C-130 Hercules aircraft ferried base elements in to Bien Hoa Air Base. The

173rd set up their first headquarters in the Michelin Plantation immediately adjoining the airfield.
VVAW - Vietnam Veterans Against the War. On April 23, 1971, this group marched in Washington D.C. and let the world

know that they "...identified the enemy. He is us." They tossed their combat medals on the Capital lawn.

An "Unofficial" Vietnam

Dictionary

Written by Paul Kasper

Edited by Bob Nelson

Dedicated to all Vietnam Veterans--"Especially those who didn't come home."