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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


-- M --

M-1 -                         A .30 cal, semiautomatic, 8-shot rifle.                                                                        
M11 –                       Large, pink, anti-malaria pill (Chloroquine) issued to all soldiers once each week.  Many soldiers refused the pills

                                              as they caused persistent diarrhea.
M-14 -                       A rifle issued to US troops in 1965 . Considered by some to be a better weapon than the M-16, it was heavier

                                              in weight, fired a heavier 30 caliber round, and had a “select-fire” adapter that allowed it to be fired in

                                              single or multiple bursts..
M-16 -                      Military rifle first issued for US fighting forces in Vietnam - (5.56mm).
M-203 -                    Designation for the over-under, M-16 and 40mm grenade launcher.
M-60 -                       (The Pig)  A light, 7.62mm,belt-fed machine gun.
M-79 -                       A grenade launcher.  Fired 40mm high explosive (HE) and buckshot rounds.  A very effective weapon in Vietnam;

                                              nicknamed “The Blooper” or “Thumper.”
Mad Minute –          Concentrated fire of all weapons in a unit for a brief period of time at the maximum rate of fire.
McNamaras Folly -         The electronic sensing equipment that ran across the entire DMZ supposedly to alert troops of the enemy

                                              troops crossing over.
MAC-SOG –             Military Assistance Command Studies and Observation Group.        

MAAG -                    Military Assistance and Advisory Group    
MACV -                     (Mac-V) Military Assistance Command Vietnam.  Headquarters for US advisors to Vietnamese forces.
Mag -                        Magazine (ammunition).

MAJ -                         Major (O-4)
Majestic Hotel -     The hotel in Paris, France where the Peace Talks were held.  There was also a Majestic Hotel in Saigon that was

                                              used to house American military personnel.
Mama san -             Older Vietnamese woman.
Mandarin –             From the Chinese, an official of high standing.
Mansfield Amendment -        Legislation passed re withdrawal the US military from Vietnam (but, its purpose was hampered by

                                              US Government officials).
Mansfield, Senator Mike -       The US Senator who objected strongly to American involvement in Vietnam when John Kennedy was

                                              President. He was the Senate Majority Leader at the time.
Marijuana -              The weed harvested and sold by Vietnamese to US military personnel in Vietnam.
MARS -                     Military Affiliate Radio Station.  Used by some US personnel in South East Asia to call home.  MARS operators

                                              around the world “passed” the message to the operator nearest the soldier’s home – the only cost

                                              for the call was from the home of the operator to the home of the soldier.                       
Marxism –               The form of communism originated by Karl Marx.
MASH -                     Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.
Mass Cal -                Large influx of casualties.

MB1 -                        Mobile Support Base One

MB2 -                        Mobile Support Base Two
McCarthy, Senator Eugene -          A Peace Candidate, challenged President Johnson in the Democratic primary in 1968.

MDMAF -                  Mekong Delta Mobile Afloat Base
Medal of Honor (MH) -            238 were awarded during the Vietnam War among the 2.6+ million who served in Vietnam.
MEDCAP -                Medical Civilian Action Projects.
Medevac -                Medical evacuation by helicopter.  See: Dust-off.  The medevac helicopter, developed during the Korean War,

                                              proved it’s worth – almost 98 percent of wounded personnel were evacuated alive.  Evac hospitals were

                                              set up so they were never more than one hour flying time from a battlefield.  The term “Dust Off”

                                              originated 1964 after the death of Lieutenant Paul B. Kelly who was killed while on a medevac mission –

                                              his call sign was “Dust Off.”
Mekong -                 The largest river in Vietnam.  The Mekong River is the border of Laos and Thailand to Vietnam.  The Mekong

                                              Delta has more than 4,000 miles of waterways.
Menu -                      See: Operations.
MIA -                         Missing In Action.  Over 2000 men are still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.
Mig -                         Soviet built jet aircraft (Mikoyan-Gurevich) used by the North Vietnamese Air Force.   Russian made, all Soviet

                                  fighters had this first name regardless of the model number.
Mig-21 -                   Gave the F-4s problems during the last years of the Vietnam War.                     
MIGCAPS-                Combat air patrols performed by F-105F fighters and EB-66 ECM planes against MiG aircraft in the North.
Mike Force           -  “Special Forces Mobile Strike Force” - the force was composed of indigenous personnel led by SF advisors in a

                                              quick reaction or reinforcing mode.  
Military, US -            Some facts--

                                              First official U.S. military personnel land in South Vietnam - March 1965.
                                              The first American military man killed in Vietnam was Lt. Col. Peter Dewey, 1945.
                                               June 13, 1968 - Marked the 2,376th day of war, the US longest war.
                                              Of the 2.6+ million U.S. military personnel involved in the Vietnam War, 1.6 million were in combat

                                                          or exposed to combat.
                                              Ratio of personnel in-the-bush (humpin') v. the supporters was 1 to 10… Called “tooth to tail” ratio.
                                              The US was officially involved in Vietnam from 1964-1973.
                                              US troop strength (in-country) at the peak of the Vietnam War was 542,000.
                                              US presence prior to the Tonkin Gulf Resolution in 1964 was advisory.

Millipede -                The multi-legged creepy-crawler with a nasty bite (a six-inch one was not rare).   Its cousin in the U.S. is

                                              the centipede.
Minigun -                 7.62mm, Gatling styled machine gun that could shoot 6,000 rounds a minute.
Minorities -             There were 37 in Vietnam.

MIUWS -                  Mobile Inshore Undersea War Surveillance

MLMS -                    Minesweeping Launch
Mohammed Ali -    A boxer who objected to being drafted, and was later barred from boxing (formally known as Cassius Clay). 

                                              He said he objected to fighting, but fought many ring fights for millions of dollars.
Mohawk -                OV-1 turbo prop airplane primarily used for aerial reconnaissance.
Monday Pill -           Weekly anti-malaria pill.
Moon -                      July 19, 1969, a man walked on the moon.
Moon Beam -          A command control aircraft flown at night to illuminate the ground – each plane carried several powerful

                                              searchlights.
Monkey -                  A jungle animal captured by Vietnamese mountain tribes to be kept as pets and/or eaten.  Monkeys would

                                              often chase deer, but rarely (if ever) kill them.
Monkey Pod Wood -     Easy to carve lightweight wood from which useful objects were made throughout South East Asia.
Monsoon (Rainy) Season -      July to September in Vietnam – 90 percent of the rain occurred in Vietnam during this time of the year.

                                              The rainy season was a natural occurrence that hampered US troops, but was welcomed by the VC/NVA.
Montagnard Bracelet -      Made of brass and presented to selected personnel who worked with Montagnard (indigenous)

                                              tribes people.
Montagnards -        Indigenous people of the highlands in Vietnam. They are much like the American Indians who once roamed

                                              the US.  These nomads were trained as combat troops to seek out VC in the Central Highlands.
Monitor or Mike Boat -     Converted LCM-6 landing craft. Armed with a 40mm Bofars gun, two 50cal machineguns, a 20mm gun,

                                              and a 81mm mortar in the well deck midships.

Mo Ped -                  Two-wheeled imported motor bike used in South Vietnam as an economical means of transportation.
MOS -                       Military Occupational Specialty – a soldier’s job code.
Mosquitoes -          These flying insects were so bad you'd swear that if they all flew at once, you might fly away.
MP -                          Military Police
MPC -                       Military Pay Currency – used in place of US “green” dollars.  Called funny or Monopoly money by soldiers.
Mr. H -                      Heroin

MRF -                        Mobile Riverine Base

MSB -                        Minesweeper Boat (Non-Magnetic)

MSC -                        Minesweeping Coastal (Non-Magnetic)

MSC -                        Military Sealift Command

MSF -                        Minesweeper, Fleet

MSM -                      Minesweeper, Medium

MSO -                       Minesweeper, Ocean

MSP -                        Minesweeper, Patrol

MSR -                        Minesweeper, River

MSS -                        Minesweeper, Special

MSTS -                       Military Sea Transportation Service
My Lai -                    (Me lie) The hamlet where several hundred Vietnamese civilians were murdered by a US Army unit in South

                                              Vietnam.   Lt. William Calley was convicted for the crime.
MRB -                       Mobile Riverine Base. The ships that were the command center, housing and supply for the mobile riverine force.
MRF -                        Mobile Riverine Force. The combined forces of the Navy and Army units in the Mekong Delta.
Mule –                      A small four wheeled cargo vehicle – soldiers reported it’s reliability as being very poor. 


An "Unofficial" Vietnam

Dictionary


Written by Paul Kasper

Edited by Bob Nelson

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