Death in the Jungle (39 page)

Leave:
Authorized absence in excess of 48 hours.

Lee:
Direction away from the wind.

Leeward:
In a lee direction. Pronounced “lu’ard.”

Liberty:
Authorized absence of less than 48 hours. More accurately, a sailor’s favorite time of the day.

Libsville:
Same as liberty.

Line:
Seagoing term for rope; also, the equator.

Lookout:
Seaman assigned duties involving watching and reporting to the Officer of the Deck (OOD) any objects of interest; the lookouts are “the eyes of the ship.”

Loran
(long range navigation):
A navigational system that fixes the position of a ship by measuring the difference in the time of reception of two synchronized radio signals.

LRRPs (from “Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol”):
Individual combat meals designed for long-range patrols, when pack weight was a concern. They were fairly good meals if a large quantity of Tabasco sauce was applied. If there was plenty of fresh water available and we were miles from friendly lines, it sure beat having to pack a lot of heavy C rats on our backs.

Lucky bag:
Locker for stowage of personal gear found adrift. The chief master-at-arms controlled the lucky bag. Depending on the gear found adrift, a mate may or may not get extra duty for his forgetfulness. This is because when at sea, if a ship catches fire or begins to founder, loose gear may well block the pumps.

Magazine:
Compartment used for stowage of ammunition and explosives.

Marking panel:
Generally made of satin and international orange. SEAL platoons used them to mark their positions, especially when they wished to remain tactically clandestine.

Marlinspike:
Pointed iron instrument used in splicing line or wire.

Mess/mess deck/chow hall:
To eat; group of men eating together. In the Teams the mess could be literally anywhere, especially while going through training or in the field.

Mighty Moe:
An LCM-6 converted to a sort of gunboat, and used to insert and extract SEAL personnel. It was manned by Boat Support Unit’s personnel. There was an 81mm mortar mounted for direct fire just aft of the ramp. It also had a .50-caliber machine gun adapted to mount above the mortar tube. When the ramp was lowered for the insertion of a platoon of SEALs, the 81mm mortar/.50-caliber machine gun was manned and ready. She also had a 57mm Recoilless Rifle mounted near the coxswain’s area for accurate fire against distant targets. There were three .50-caliber MGs on starboard and three on port. There was also one 40mm, hand-cranked Honeywell MK-18 grenade launcher on the opposite side of the coxswain and the 57mm RR.

Most of
Mighty Moe’
s well deck was protected by a steel roof covered with sandbags. SEAL personnel felt very secure while aboard
Mighty Moe
. Sadly, she was left with the South Vietnamese Navy when the last SEAL platoon pulled out of Vietnam in December of 1971.

Mind your rudder:
Warning to helmsman to watch his course carefully.

Misfire:
Powder charge that fails to fire when the trigger has been pulled.

Morse code:
Code in which the letters of the alphabet are represented by combinations of dots and dashes. It is used in radio and visual signaling.

Nautical mile:
6,080.2 feet, or about a sixth longer than a land mile.

Net:
A group of intercommunicating radio and/or landline stations; a barrier of steel mesh used to protect harbors and anchorages from torpedoes, submarines, or floating mines.

NVA (North Vietnamese Army):
The standing army of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, frequently deployed in the South. They were generally well trained, and very well motivated. Because of the NVA’s professional bearing, there were times we SEALs felt we were fighting for the wrong side. Generally, North Vietnamese military leadership was superior to the South Vietnamese.

Objective of War:
Impose the will of the state, group of states, or segment of the people upon the enemy.

Officer of the deck (OOD):
The officer on watch in charge of a ship or command.

Old Man:
Seaman’s term for the commander (captain) of a ship or other naval activity.

Order:
Directive telling what to do, but leaving the method to the discretion of the person ordered.

Ordnance:
Weapons of destruction (i.e., missiles, rockets, M-16s, ammunition, hand grenades, et cetera).

Out of bounds:
Buildings or areas off limits to military personnel.

Overhead:
On a ship, equivalent to the ceiling of a building ashore.

Pacer:
Usually two men were assigned the task of recording the distance traveled by counting the paces. They generally used a knot line and were separated in the formation.

Passageway:
Corridor or hallway on a ship.

Pass the word:
To repeat an order or information for all hands.

Patrol Leader:
Responsible for the overall conduct of the mission and the safety of his men. He had to maintain command and control at all times and make tactical decisions in a timely and decisive manner. He had to be skilled in coordinating and directing all types of fire support (i.e., helos, artillery, jets, et cetera). An effective PL would seldom have time to fire his weapon. All of his energies had to be directed toward command and control.

Pay out:
To increase the length of anchor cable; to ease off, or slack a line.

PBR:
Patrol Boat, River.

Peacoat:
Short, heavy blue coat worn by enlisted men and CPOs.

Pelican hook:
Hinged hook held in place by a ring; when the ring is knocked off, the hook swings open.

Pilot:
An expert who comes aboard ships in harbors or dangerous waters to advise the captain as to how the ship should be conned (manipulated); also a man at the controls of an aircraft.

Pipe down:
An order to keep silent; also used to dismiss the crew from an evolution (activity).

Pipe the side:
Ceremony at the gangway, in which sideboys are drawn up and the boatswain’s pipe is blown, when a high-ranking officer or distinguished visitor comes aboard.

Pitch:
The heaving and plunging motion of a vessel at sea.

Plan of the day:
Schedule of day’s routine and events ordered by executive officer; published daily aboard ship or at a shore activity.

Plank owner:
A person who has served aboard ship, or command, from its commissioning.

Platoon:
Generally consisted of fourteen SEALs, with twelve enlisted men and two commissioned officers. Each platoon was made up of two squads.

PLO:
The Patrol Leader’s Order, given prior to the conduct of each mission, which contains detailed instructions concerning the conduct of the mission. The basic outline is: 1) situation; 2) mission; 3) execution; 4) administration and logistics; 5) command and signal.

Point man:
Responsible for navigating the best and safest route for the patrol. He is to maintain an appropriate distance forward of the patrol leader, yet maintain visual contact with him, unless instructed otherwise. He must be ever watchful for booby traps and signs of enemy activity. He should be a good tracker, preferably a country boy with a lot of hunting experience.

Pollywog:
Person who has never crossed the Line (the equator).

Poop deck:
Partial deck at the stern over the main deck.

Port:
Left side of ship facing forward; a harbor; an opening in the ship’s side, such as a cargo port. The usual opening in the ship’s side for light and air is also a port. The glass set in a brass frame that fits against it is called a port light.

POW:
A prisoner of war.

Pricker:
Small marlinspike.

Principles of War:
Mass:
The concentration of means, at the critical time and place, to the maximum degree permitted by the situation.
Objective:
The destruction of the enemy’s armed forces and his will to fight is the ultimate military objective of war.
Simplicity:
Uncomplicated plans clearly expressed in orders, promoting common understanding and intelligent execution.
Surprise:
Striking the enemy when, where, or in a manner for which he is unprepared.
Unity of Command:
Obtains unity of effort by the coordinated action of all forces toward a common goal.
Offensive:
Permits the commander to exploit the initiative, and impose his will on the enemy.
Maneuver:
Positioning of forces to place the enemy at a relative disadvantage.
Economy of Force:
To conserve means. To devote means to unnecessary secondary efforts, or to employ excessive means on required secondary efforts, is to violate the principles of both mass and objective.
Security:
Those measures necessary to prevent surprise, avoid annoyance, preserve freedom of action, and deny to the enemy information of our forces.

Property pass:
Signed, printed form authorizing a person to remove personal property from a ship or station.

PT:
A series of physical training experiences designed to maintain maximum strength and stamina of all muscle groups. Regular PT would last approximately thirty minutes followed by a four- or six-mile run. Occasionally there would be a “burn-out” PT which lasted forty-five minutes to one hour. These usually occurred on Friday mornings, which gave the old timers Saturday and Sunday to recover.

Punt
: Rectangular, flat-bottomed boat usually used for painting and other work around the waterline of a ship.

Pyrotechnics
: Chemicals, ammunition, or fireworks that produce smoke or lights of various colors and types.

Quarterdeck:
That part of the main (or other) deck reserved for honors and ceremonies, and as the station of the OOD in port.

Quarters:
Living space; assembly of the crew (all hands assembled at established stations for muster, drills, or inspection).

Radar
(radio detection and ranging): Principle and method whereby objects are located by radio waves. A radio wave is transmitted, reflected by an object, received, and the results displayed on an oscilloscope or cathode ray screen.

Radioman:
Located directly behind the patrol leader. He is responsible for maintaining communications with support elements, as directed by the PL.

Radio direction finder:
Apparatus for taking bearings on the source of radio transmissions.

Rake:
Angle of a vessel’s masts and stacks from the vertical.

Rakish:
Having a rake to the masts; smart, speedy appearance.

Rally point:
Usually designated, on the spot, by the patrol leader by pointing his index finger toward the sky and moving his hand in a circular motion. In the event individuals within the squad or platoon later become separated, they will regroup and reorganize at that rally point.

Rank:
Grade of official standing of commissioned and warrant officers.

Rate:
Grade of official standing of enlisted men. A rate identifies a man by pay grade or level of advancement; within a rating, a rate reflects levels of aptitude, training, experience, knowledge, skill, and responsibility.

Rat guard:
A sheet metal disc formed into a conical form, with a hole in the center, and slit from the center to the edge. It is installed over the mooring lines to prevent rats from boarding ship from the shore over the mooring lines.

Rating:
Name given to an occupation that requires basically related aptitudes, training experience, knowledge, and skills. Thus, the rating of yeoman comprises clerical and verbal aptitudes, filing, typing, and stenographic skills, and knowledge of correspondence, reporting forms, et cetera. Men in pay grades E-1, E-2, and E-3 are not considered as possessing ratings.

Ready room:
Compartment on aircraft carriers in which pilots assemble for flight orders.

Rear security or rear point:
Usually a rifleman who provides rear security, and is the last man in the patrol. He and the point man will generally alternate. He is responsible for insuring that no enemy forces are tracking the patrol, and he covers the patrol’s tracks when necessary.

Recon by fire:
A technique of firing to draw fire, in order to locate an enemy’s position.

Reef:
Chain or ridge of rocks, coral, or sand in shallow water.

Reefer:
Refrigerator vessel for carrying chilled or frozen foodstuffs.

Relative bearing:
Bearing or direction of an object, in degrees, in relation to the bow of the ship. The bow of the ship is taken as 000 degrees, and an imaginary circle is drawn clockwise around the ship; objects are then reported as being along a line of bearing through any degree division of this circle.

Relieving (the watch, the duty, et cetera):
To take over the duty and responsibilities, as when one sentry relieves another. Those who relieve are “reliefs.”

Request mast:
Mast held by captain or executive officer to hear special requests for leave, liberty, et cetera

R&R (Rest and Relaxation):
A welcome policy established and used by U.S. Armed Forces in Vietnam. Individuals generally became eligible for a five-day R & R after six months in country. They could choose such places as Bangkok, Thailand; Manila, Philippines; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; and Vung Tau or Nha Trang, Vietnam. Honolulu, Hawaii was especially popular with the married men, who would arrange to meet their spouses there.