the Last Run (1987) (57 page)

They held each other tightly as they walked down the slight grade past the polished black granite panels covered with too many names. Tliey stopped at die seventeenth panel and began their search. It was Preacher who pointed, finding what they sought, but Matt turned away, overcome by the emotions that seemed to engulf him. Woodpecker tearfully put his hand on the last two names on the thirty-sixth row-Cart Rostov and Jeremiah Flowers-and looked at the other team members. 4'Three-one!"

Preacher hugged Woodpecker and put his hand on top of the redhead's. 44Three-one!"

Thumper put his arm around Matt's shoulder and spoke softly. 44It's time, Matt."

The ex-team leader raised his head and took in a deep breath to stop his crying and looked at his friend, forcing a smile. Yeah. It really is."

He walked to the wall, following Thumper, who threw his arm around Woodpecker and Preacher and slapped his hand on top of the others. 44Three-one!"

Matt looked into the faces of his crying team members and joined their embrace. He slowly raised his hand, laid it on his men's, and shut his tear-filled eyes. Then he could see Rose's grin and Russian's litde smile as they joined him in saying, 4 "Three- one!"

October 1983

Men of the newly activated First and Second Battalions of the Seventy-Fifth Infantry Airborne Rangers parachuted under fire onto the Communist-controlled airfield at Port Salinas, Grenada. The Rangers took the airfield, spearheading the successful invasion. It ain't never over!

*

GLOSSARY

Airborne Personnel or equipment dropped by parachute.

Airmobile Personnel or equipment delivered or inserted by helicopter.

AK-47 A Soviet-Bloc produced semi-automatic or automatic 7.62mm assault Rifle, known as the Kalashnikov AK-47, easily identified by its distinctive popping sound.

AO Area of Operation. -

Arty Artillery.

ARVN (AR-VIN) the South Vietnamese Army. Sometimes referred to as "Litde People."

Assets Aircraft Support.

AWOL Absent Without Leave.

Azimuth A direction in degrees from North, a bearing.

Ballgame An operation.

Base Camp An administrative and logistical camp for a unit, usually semi-permanent and contains unit's support elements, i. E., mess hall, supply.

Baseball Baseball-shaped grenade, 2lh inches in diameter.

BDA Bomb Damage Assessment.

Beaucoup French for big or many. We pronounced it Boo-Coo.

Berm Parapet around fortification or buildings.

Bird Helicopter or plane.

Bird dog L-19, Light fixed-wing observation airplane. O-IA or O-IE.

BN Battalion. 400 to 600 men in U. S. Unit. 200 to 500 NVA battalion.

Boonie hat Soft jungle flop hat.

Boonie rat Infantrymen, grunt, dogfaces, line doggies.

Boonies The bush, jungle, field.

C's C-rations, canned meals.

C-4 Plastic explosive.

C-130 Air Force medium cargo plane.

CAR-15 Colt Automatic Rifle . . . Colt Commando submachine gun, same as M-16 but shorter.

C&C Command and Control.

CH-47 Chinook, a large twin-rotor cargo helicopter.

Charlie Mike Continue the Mission.

Cheap Charlie Stingy or Cheap.

Cherry New Troop.

CHICOM Chinese communist, weapon or equipment made in China.

Clacker Electricell detonating device for Claymore mines.

Claymore Fan-shaped lightweight anti-personnel mine, detonated electrically. Plastic cased with a C-4 charge behind a plastic wall of steel balls.

Co Company.

Cobra AH-1G Huey Cobra Helicopter Gunship-Snake.

Commo Communications.

Conex Large corrugated metal container.

C Rats C rations.

CS Riot control gas.

Daisy chain To attach one Claymore to another by det cord, firing one also fires the other. No limit to number of Claymores that could be attached in this manner.

Det Cord Detonating cord for explosives, used in daisy chaining in ambushes.

Didi {Dee Dee) Vietnamese to run, move out quickly.

Dinks Derogatory expression for Vietnamese, enemy and friendly.

Doughnut Dollies Red Cross girls.

Escort Armed helicopter flying escort.

Extraction Withdrawal of troops by air.

FAC Forward Air Controller, Air Force spotter, to coordinate artillery or Air Strikes.

East Movers An Air Force F-4 Phantom Jet.

FVag Grenade. Also a term to mean "kill a lifer."

Ereq Frequency.

Green Used to mean safe.

Gook Derogatory term for enemy or any oriental person or thing.

Gunship Armed helicopter. HE High explosive.

Heat Tabs An inflammable stick tablet used to heat C's or boil water for Lurps. Hootch Your bunk, whether a room or poncho. Horn Radio handset.

Hump To walk carrying a rucksack or to perform tough duty. Insertion Placement of soldiers in AO by helicopter. Jody Bastard who takes your girl when you're gone. KIA Killed in action. Klick Kilometer. Lifer Career soldier.

LOH floach) Light Observation Helicopter.

LRRP (Lurp) Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol.

Lurps Long Range Recon Soldier or lightweight freeze dried food packet. LZ Landing Zone.

M-16 Rifle used by U. S. soldiers, weighs 7.6 pounds. M-60 U. S. light machine gun, fires 7.62mm bullets. M-79 Single shot 40mm grenade launcher. Medevac Medical evacuation by helicopter. MP Military Police.

Nap-of-the-Earth Flying as close to the ground as possible. NCO Noncommissioned Officer: Sergeant. No sweat Easy.

Number one (Numba one) The best, first place, the highest.

Number ten (Numba ten) The worst, loser, the lowest.

Nuoc mam Tangy Vietnamese sauce.

NVA North Vietnamese Army or solider.

OD Olive Drab.

OJT On Job Training.

On Station Gunships, Slicks or fast movers in position for mission or operation. OPS Operations-Tactical Operations Center. P-38 C-ration can opener, small and folds, comes in C-ration case. PZ Pick up zone. R&R Rest-and-Recreation vacation. Recon Reconnaissance.

REMF (Rim-ph!) Rear Echelon Mother Fucker.

Rock-n-roll Firing full automatic.

RPD Soviet bi-pod mounted, belt fed light machine gun similar to American M-60. RPG Russian made anti-tank grenade launcher. RTO Radio Telephone Operator. Ruck, Rucksack Backpack issued to infantrymen. Same-Same The same as, or to do likewise. Sapper Enemy soldiers trained in demolition and infiltration. Sit Rep Situation Report.

Short-short timer A soldier who has litde time left in country.

Sky To leave or move out quickly.

Slackman The second man behind the point man.

Slicks Lift helicopter, Hueys.

Snakes Cobra gunships.

Tee Tee Vietnamese, small or litde.

TOC Tactical Operations Center, Operations.

TOP First sergeant of a company.

USMA United States Military Academy.

Ville Village.

VHF Variable High Frequency.

Wake-up Short timer expression "four days and a wake-up"

(going home). Waste Kill.

WIA Wounded in Action.

WIMP Weak Incompetent Malingering Pussy.

World U. S. of A.

X ray Commo site.

XO Executive Officer. About the Author

Leonard B. Scott is a career Army officer who served in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne and 75th Rangers as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Patrol Platoon Leader, and Operations Officer. His combat decorations include the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman Badge. His hometown was Minco, Oklahoma. He now lives with his wife and children wherever the Army assigns him.