-
VALHALLA :
-
in Norse mythology, the hall of Odin (the principal god of pagan
Scandinavia) into which the souls of those fallen in battle are
received; being the Latinized form of "Valholl", as derived from
"hall of the slain". See THE BIG PX IN THE SKY, HAPPY VALLEY, SIN
CITY, TOAST, CANNON FODDER, ZAP, WASTED, CHECK OUT, BITE THE
DUST, BUY THE FARM, BITTER END, SNOWBALL, DIDDLY, SUICIDE SQUAD,
SPEARHEAD, RAT RACE, BASTARD, BELL THE CAT.
[v: enfants perdus, forlorn hope; cf: Tartarus, Erebus, Pluto,
Stygian, Orcus, Avernus, Tophet, Satan's kingdom, Devil's house,
underworld, lower world, netherworld, nether regions, hell,
hades, inferno, infernal regions, perdition, purgatory, limbo,
oblivion, pit, bottomless pit, abyss, lake of fire and brimstone,
lake of fire, fiery furnace, abode of the damned, home of lost
souls, place of departed spirits, shades below, hellhole]
Also, the Valhalla Training Center in Colorado, being a 16,000
square foot KILL HOUSE with sound and light effects that are
designed to simulate combat AT CLOSE QUARTERS for DOD personnel.
-
VATLS :
-
Visual Airborne Target Locator System of the USAF; compare AWACS,
UMBRELLA, RACETRACK, ORBIT.
-
VC :
-
abbreviation for Vietnamese Communist, being a contraction of
"Viet-nam Cong-san", the term invented by President Ngo Dinh Diem
for the Communist forces fighting the South Vietnamese government
(GVN, SVN); also called VIET CONG or "Cong", and NICKNAMEd
"Victor Charlie" from the phonetic alphabet. See NLF, PRG, VIET
MINH, VIET QUOC, PAVN, BO DOI, CHARLIE, LONG HAIR, PLA, GOMER,
LUKE THE GOOK, BAD GUYS. [nb: "Anybody who runs is a VC. Anybody
who stands still is a well-disciplined VC." by Stanley Kubrick
Full Metal Jacket (1987), adapted from The Short
Timers by Gustav Hasford]
-
V-CAMPAIGN :
-
the WWII campaign designed to improve the morale and sustain the
resistance of occupied civilian populations by Allied PROPAGANDA
and partisan GUERRILLA forces, consisting of marking property
with the letter "V" for 'victory', wearing the letter "V" as a
symbol of solidarity, humming or whistling the Morse code (...-)
for the letter "V", and the like. This morale campaign also
encouraged chain-letter news reporting, singing of traditional
and patriotic songs, wearing of national COLORS in pieces of
clothing (eg: British roundel worn as a tam-o'-shanter, French
stripes as a scarf), and the aloof disregard of occupation
troops. All of these "passive resistance" acts of defiance became
putative "crimes" by the final year of the war, which only
increased their prevalence. The British Broadcasting Company
(BBC) opened their news coverage with the beginning of
Beethoven's fifth symphony, being a musical letter "V" for
'victory'!
[nb: southern belles who wore a Confederate rosette in military
districts during the American CIVIL WAR were officially denoted
as 'prostitutes', but the wearing of same was not a crime, nor
would a woman be arrested for 'advertising' herself]
-
VCI :
-
Vietnamese Communist Infrastructure; see VC, NLF, PRG, PLA.
-
VD :
-
abbreviation for Venereal Disease, a condition transmitted by
sexual relations (STD); see CLAP, SHORT ARM, PRO KIT.
-
V-DEVICE :
-
representing "valor", this DEVICE is appended to any award for
combat action which may also be presented for merit, such as the
Bronze Star Medal (BSMw/V) or Air Medal (AMw/V). See OLC, GONG,
IMPACT AWARD, GUTS, MOXIE, ONIONS, DIEHARD, HERO, MACHO.
[nb: an insignia emblematic of the honors and lineage of a
military organization, unlike familial "coats of arms", may be
individually enhanced but not personally heritable; v: Heraldry] [nb: pagan Norsemen awarded metallic
bracelets in recognition of meritorious or valorous deeds]
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VECTOR :
-
the course of approach or advance adjusted by angles from
known REFERENCE POINTS; see VOR, BEAM, MEACONING; see IMC, VFR.
Also, any agent, carrier, transporter, or transmitter of disease,
information, or the like; see PSYOPS, PROPAGANDA, PARTY LINE.
-
VERBAL DIARRHEA :
-
unrestrained speech; talking jag
See TALK TRASH, SHOOT THE SHIT, SNOW, GAS BAG, HOT AIR, MOTOR
MOUTH, BRAVO SIERRA, SCUTTLEBUTT, RUMOR, BLOW SMOKE, CONFETTI,
BAD-MOUTH, GODDAM, COUNT COUP, ATFU, SMOKE 'n' MIRRORS, SKATE,
TAP-DANCER, FRUIT FLY, WAR CORRESPONDENT, MILICRAT, MIL-SPEAK.
-
VERNACULAR :
-
expression or writing in the common or conventional language
INDIGenous to a population; being the plain language, native
patois, mother tongue, or regional dialect of ordinary people.
This holistic form of communication is "vulgar" in the sense of
being prosaic, colloquial, customary, or unsophisticated.
Also, any distinctive language that identifies a class,
profession, or other group, such as parlance, jargon, idiom,
argot, lingo, cant, slang, or the like; as contrasted with
multilingual diversity. [v: demotic, catachresis, haplograph,
mannerism, counterword, euphemism, ad diction, balderdash,
language, sociolinguistics, orality; cf: hieratic, calque,
proclitic, enclitic] See MIL-SPEAK, POLYGLOT, LINGUA FRANCA,
PIDGIN, PIG LATIN, CREOLE.
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VERY PISTOL :
-
a single-action pistol used for firing colored signal flares,
most notably from a lifeboat survival pack; eponymously named
after an American naval officer, Edward Wilson Very. See FLARE;
compare PEN FLARE, SLAP-FLARE.
-
VET :
-
short for 'VETeran', being an experienced person, especially
someone with wartime service; as derived from "mature". Also, to
authenticate, as to appraise, verify, or check for accuracy or
validity; also expressed as "vetted" or "vetting".
-
VETERANS' DAY :
-
the recurring annual observance of Armistice Day (11 November)
ending the Great War (WWI) was reoriented in 1938 to honor the
service and sacrifice of all military personnel in both peace and
war, and was formally redesignated in 1954 by an Act of Congress.
See TAPS, TROPHY, BUGLE CALL, TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS, POW-MIA DAY,
FLAG DAY; compare MEMORIAL DAY.
[nb: many civilians confuse the meaning of the principal national
holidays, combining each and commemorating all together at each
date; instead of according honors to military servicemembers on
Armed Forces Day, honors to veterans on Veterans' Day, and honors
to the war dead on Memorial Day]
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VFR :
-
Visual Flight Rules; compare POPEYE, IMC, VOR, VECTOR.
-
VFR DIRECT :
-
Visual Flight Rules Direct, being an informal expression for
going straight to a particular person or office, such as the
chaplain (SKY PILOT) or Inspector General (IG), without the
necessity of passing through the CHAIN-OF-COMMAND. See OFF THE
RESERVATION, CHECKING THE DICTIONARY, UNODIR, SCRIPTURES, LOYALTY
UP - LOYALTY DOWN, WIGGLE ROOM.
-
VHF :
-
Very High Frequency; radio signal spectrum between 30 and 300
megahertz (MHz). See VOR, RADIO WAVE, RADIO.
-
VICTORY ROLL :
-
a celebratory low-level pass over an airstrip or flight deck by a
successful aircraft returning to its base after a combat
operation. Although details have varied from war to war,
depending upon the type of airplane flown and the tactical
situation, the flight leader ordinarily directs one plane to
depart from the formation to fly ahead and perform the VICTORY
ROLL stunt as a demonstrable announcement of achievement to all
ground personnel. Alternatively, the entire formation will
perform the maneuver in trail sequence. Bombers typically limit
themselves to BUZZing the airfield, but fighters usually perform
a SNAP ROLL, often followed by a CHANDELLE. This controlled
aerial maneuver is now discouraged for reasons ranging from
"wasteful" and "stressful" to "inappropriate" and "dangerous"!
See AEROBATICS.
-
VIET CONG :
-
being the contraction for Vietnamese communist ("Viet-nam
Cong-san"); also spelled "Viet-Cong" or "VietCong", and
abbreviated VC. See CHARLIE, LONG HAIR, LUKE THE GOOK, GOOK,
GOMER, VCI, PRG, NLF, PLA, VIET MINH, VIET QUOC, PAVN, BAD GUYS.
-
VIET MINH :
-
Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi, or the Vietnamese
Independence League; also spelled "VietMinh". See VIET QUOC, BAD
GUYS.
-
VIETNAM IS FOREVER :
-
an ironic catch-phrase or slogan, often used with "Vietnam, Love
it or Leave it!", to counter the anti-war protests, which were
perceived as also being anti-American. The WARMONGERING of
RING-KNOCKERs, TICKET-PUNCHERs, and other LIFERs was cynically
expressed as: "It ain't much, but it's the only war we got!". See
KILL 'EM ALL, WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS, BATTLE CRY, WAR PARTY,
TRIGGER-HAPPY; compare THEY'LL GIVE A WAR AN' NOBODY'LL COME.
[nb: the super-patriot slogan of "America, Love it or Leave it!"
was the source for the adapted version used in Vietnam]
-
VIETNAMIZATION :
-
the catch-phrase for the wholesale transfer of operations and
materiel from the Allies to the RVN Armed Forces, beginning in
March 1969 and concluding with conventional US departure in March
1973; formally known as "ACcelerated Turn-Over to the Vietnamese"
(ACTOV), and commonly referred to as STAND-DOWN. This shift of
responsibility for the continuation of the VIETNAM WAR was based
upon the post-colonial "Indianization" of the Asian subcontinent
by the British, but this precipitate changeover (nay,
abandonment) was actually just a "deAmericanization" process. See
PROVN, CRIMP, CSMO, KEYSTONE, VIETNAM SYNDROME.
-
VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL / VSM :
-
awarded to military personnel for service in Southeast Asia, its
contiguous waters or air space, during the period 15 March 1962
to 28 March 1973, and may be decorated by battle stars for
participation in each of 17 specific campaigns, and by an
arrowhead for any combat parachute assault. Military ADVISORs
serving between 1 July 1958 and 14 March 1962 are instead
eligible for the "Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal" (AFEM).
Compare CSVN, RVN Campaign medal.
-
VIETNAM SYNDROME :
-
a predictable condition or pattern of behavior exhibited by pols
or pundits that's characteristic of, or is attributed to, the
conduct of the VIETNAM WAR, and tends to recur under certain
circumstances; an inconstant or negative foreign policy agenda
that opts-out of missions or alliances, even after American
troops have been committed to battle. The VIETNAM SYNDROME has
been represented, rightly or wrongly, as being responsible for
mitigating commitments, inconsistent relations, and/or military
defeatism. This rhetorical polemic, often expressed as "another
Vietnam" or "no more Vietnams", has been used by commentators
to detract or taint diplomatic options, exclusive of military
resolutions to international disputes, based upon a presumed
repetition of the combat casualties and social upheaval of the
Vietnam-era ... which allegation is either a logical fallacy or
an illogical postulate. See SHOW THE FLAG, PLAY THE GAME, RUN IT
UP THE FLAGPOLE, SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE FOOT, VIETNAMIZATION,
WIGGLE ROOM, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (ROE), FLOWER WAR, LILY-LIVERED.
[nb: an "end to the Vietnam syndrome" was proclaimed by George
Herbert Walker Bush in 1991; Richard Holbrooke called the Clinton
Administration withdrawal of U.S. troops from Somalia "the
emergence of a new 'Vietmalia' syndrome", as later reflected in
America's actions in Bosnia]
-
VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL / VVM :
-
after watching the film "The Deer Hunter" in 1979, Vietnam
Veteran Jan C. Scruggs first conceived the idea for a Vietnam
Veteran's Memorial. Following a design contest, construction on
the Washington Mall, dedication ten years after the U.S. departed
SVN, and several design additions (eg: statues, flagpole), it has
become the most frequently visited public monument in the
nation's capital. Sometimes called "VIETNAM WAR Memorial" or "The
Wall"; see MEMORIAL DAY, KOREAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL, MISSING
MAN FORMATION, TAPS.
-
VIETNAM WAR :
-
the service period for Vietnam-era war-related benefits covers 4
Aug 1964 - 7 May 1975, which excludes the advisory and support
period preceding the conventional conflict; some veterans and
historians date the war from the end of the French participation
(1954), while others date it from the beginning of American
involvement (1945) after the WWII Yalta conference. See RVN, SVN,
GVN, VN, SRV, NVN, THE NAM, INDOCHINA, VIETNAMIZATION, DOMINO
THEORY, KIA, VSM, APOCALYPSE.
[v: Myths of the Vietnam War; Vietnam
Chronology]
-
VIET QUOC :
-
the VIET QUOC, or "Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang" was established on 25
December 1927. Its primary objectives were to gain democratic
independence and happiness for the Vietnamese people by an armed
uprising aimed at toppling the French colonialist regime
throughout their fatherland. On 10 February 1930, the VIET QUOC
were involved in a general uprising in Ha Noi / Hanoi. The
attacks were unsuccessful, and the French government sentenced
the leaders to death. Along with the communist party, the VIET
QUOC was a member of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Allied League
(Viet Nam Cach Menh Dong Minh Hoi, or VNCMDMH). The communists,
led by Ho Chi Minh, took control of the government, expelling
non-communist parties from the VNCKMDMH and executing members of
the political opposition. Taking refuge in South Vietnam, the
VIET QUOC joined the armed forces of South Vietnam from
1954-1975. The party is presently in exile. See VIET MINH, BAD
GUYS.
-
VIGILANTE :
-
North American RA-5 aircraft.
-
VIKING :
-
designation given to Mukdahan CRP
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VILLE :
-
ostensibly a VILLage or hamlet of domestic dwellings, but widely
used to refer to any group of native HOOCHes, including the
"shantytowns" of shacks clustered outside every BASE CAMP and
around every bridge fortification; also spelled "vill". Compare
SHEBANG; see XA, AP, XOM, COMPOUND. [cf: pueblo]
-
VIPER :
-
introduced to field operations from commercial inventory in 2002,
this is a man-portable sighting device with observation and far
target location capabilities for day and night operations that
renders target range, azimuth, and vertical angle measurements to
the operator; system components include 7X42mm [Leica Vector IV]
binoculars, LASER range finder, digital magnetic compass,
inclinometer, Precision Global Positioning System Receiver
(PLGR), and Monocular Night Vision Device (MNVD).
See FIELD GLASSES, PEEPERS.
[nb: in an effort to control costs and reduce waste, the DoD has
instituted a policy of "non-duplication" in military procurement
(Military Adaptable Commercial Item {MACI}), such that a mil-spec
contract will NOT be let whenever a commercial "off the shelf"
(COTS) product is "close enough for government work" and does not
require special features; so some name brand items are now in
logistical inventory]
-
VISTA :
-
acronym for Volunteers In Service To America; established in 1965
as a humanitarian service organization in Lyndon Baines Johnson's
"War on Poverty" program, and subsumed in 1993 by William
Jefferson Clinton's AmeriCorps network of public agencies and
non-profit organizations, a division of the Corporation for
National and Community Service. Volunteers work in education,
agriculture, forestry, construction, medicine, business, and
numerous other fields. Like IVS and PEACE CORPS, VISTA qualifies
as "alternative service" for conscientious objectors and anti-war
PROTESTORs. See ADV, CA, CAP, COUNTERPART, LITTLE BROWN BROTHER,
INDIG, SPARTAN, DRAFT LOTTERY.
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VISUAL :
-
aviation call confirming the identification of a friendly
aircraft down range, being in the designated sector or area of
responsibility without subject to attack; compare BOGIE, BANDIT,
TALLY-HO, SPLASH; see IFF, SQUAWK, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (ROE).
-
VMF :
-
designates USMC fighter aircraft squadron
-
VN :
-
Vietnam or Viet Nam; the name of the country is traditionally two
words, but the war adopted the one word convention. Most ADVISOR
veterans, linguists, and scholars still observe the distinction.
See GVN, SVN, RVN, THE NAM, DRV, NVN, SRV.
-
VNAF :
-
Viet Nam Air Force; see AFVN, compare ARVN, VNMC, VNN.
-
VNMC :
-
Viet Nam Marine Corps, consisting of five infantry battalions and
one artillery brigade; established as a brigade in 1960, then
became a separate service in 1965, equal to the Vietnamese Navy
(VNN), and increased to division size in 1969. Vietnamese form of
their name is Thuy Quan Luc Chien (TQLC). See USMC; compare ARVN,
VNAF, AFVN.
-
VNN :
-
Viet Nam Navy; see AFVN, compare ARVN, VNAF, VNMC.
-
VNSF :
-
Vietnamese Special Forces, or Luc Luong Dac Biet (LLDB). See
STD, THUNDER TIGER, BORDER DEFENSE RANGER.
[nb: the "leaping tiger" motif of the LLDB/VNSF patch was
variously adapted during the VIETNAM WAR by the Vietnamese, many
of whom had attended specialized training in American military
centers, with the most ironic being their adoption of the "Tony
the Tiger" symbol used to advertise Kellogg breakfast cereals and
Esso gasoline since 1941 ... the Vietnamese enlistment of this
cartoon figure as a mascot for their most elite force led many
GIs to comment scathingly about their prowess]
-
VOCO :
-
(vee-oh-see-oh) Verbal Order of the Commanding Officer, used to
document verbal authorization after the fact; see ORDER.
-
VOLLEY :
-
the simultaneous discharge of a number of firearms or MISSILEs,
also called "volley fire"; compare SALVO, FUSILLADE, BROADSIDE,
ENFILADE, STORM, DRUMFIRE, AT CLOSE QUARTERS. Also, the return or
transfer of the object or subject of PING-PONG, as to rally
without resolution; as derived from flight.
-
VOLUNTEER :
-
a person who willingly performs a function or serves a DUTY,
sometimes with low or no pay, for the privilege of association or
the distinction of participation; a person who acts without legal
obligation or other compulsion. Also, to offer oneself or one's
service for some purpose or undertaking. Compare DRAFTEE; see
MUSTER, RA, CALL TO THE COLORS, TOTAL FORCE, AVF.
[nb: the cardinal military maxim is "never volunteer", but the
best training and preferred jobs always required a voluntary
quid-pro-quo]
[nb: the military has an involuntary "stop-loss" authority, which
allows each branch to compel soldiers who reach the end of their
enlistment to remain in uniform for "the good of the service"]
-
VOODOO :
-
McDonnell F-101 fighter aircraft; see BIRD.
-
VOQ :
-
(v-o-q, not "vock") Visiting Officer's Quarters, also called
"Transient Officer's Quarters"; see QTRS.
[aka: "Vagrant Officer's Quickie", "Very Occasionally Quiet",
"hot sheet hotel", "no tell motel", "riding academy"; v: hotel,
inn, lodge, hostelry, guesthouse, resort, boardinghouse, hospice,
pension, public house, tavern, roadhouse, motel, motor inn, motor
lodge, caravansary/caravanserai]
-
VOR :
-
an acronym for Very-high-frequency Omnidirectional-radio Range;
an air navigational radio aid which uses phase comparison of a
ground transmitted signal to determine bearing. See VECTOR, BEAM,
MEACONING, REFERENCE POINT (RP); compare IMC, VFR.
-
VOTING MACHINE :
-
sardonic reference to an ARVN TANK, which seemingly appeared only
during a COUP D'ETAT.
-
VR :
-
Visual Reconnaissance, to "eyeball" the terrain or situation,
as by C&C, FAC, or COVER; sometimes used to "joy ride".
Compare CA, ASH 'n' TRASH.
-
VSTOL :
-
Vertical / Short Take-Off and Landing; see STOL, compare VTOL,
JATO.
-
VT :
-
Variable Time artillery fuze; incorporated a small radar
transceiver, used to obtain a reliable airburst. See PROXIMITY
FUZE.
-
VTOL :
-
Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft (eg: tilt-wing
V-22 OSPREY and AV-8B /-R HARRIER). See VSTOL, compare STOL,
JATO.
-
VTR :
-
tracked recovery vehicle, or in MIL-SPEAK: Vehicle Tracked
Recovery, being a "tow-truck" for APCs, TANKs, and SP HOWITZERs;
see ARV, LOW BOY.
-
VUA :
-
Valorous Unit Award, effective 3 Aug 1963; sometimes called
"Valorous Unit Citation" (VUC) by association with PUC and MUC.
The Valorous Unit Award depicts the colored design of the Silver
Star (SS), being the third highest award for bravery, because it
is only presented to units that have performed in such a manner
on the battlefield that every member of that unit would have
earned an individual Silver Star. See UNIT CITATION, GONG.
-
VULCAN :
-
M-61A1 rotating multi-barrel 20mm cannon; see MINIGUN, BOFORS,
MOAN 'n' GROAN, HOSE.
-
VULCANIZE :
-
by analogy to the manufacturing process, to increase the
strength, durability, elasticity, or hardness of someone or
something; to make impervious or invulnerable by shielding or
immunization, as made literally or figuratively BULLETPROOF, or
to acquire "shit repellent". See CYA, WANGLE, DODGE THE BULLET,
PING-PONG, MILICRAT, TICKET-PUNCHER, RING-KNOCKER, BREVET, DEEP
DIP; compare OLD BREED, SHEEP-DIPPED, CHOP, ACHILLES HEEL,
KICKSTANDED.
[nb: vulcanization was invented in 1833, and the vulcanization
process was patented by Charles Goodyear in 1844, and has been
used metaphorically since the American CIVIL WAR]
-
VULTURE'S ROW :
-
the superstructural catwalks and galleries on ships, especially
along the island of an aircraft carrier, where OFF-DUTY
crewmembers often congregate to watch sea and air operations,
like a line of roosting birds; also known as "goofing stations".
Compare EYE-BALL, GUNDECKING.
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