by Morris Ray
Grunts
Regular infantry
Gunships
Helicopters armed with twin 7.62 Gatling guns, automatic 20mm grenade launchers and rockets
HCMC
Ho Chi Minh City
HE
High Explosive
HHC
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Hq
Headquarters
Huey
Hughes helicopter
IAD
Immediate Action Drill
ICC
International Control Commission
ID
Identification
INF
Infantry
KIA
Killed in Action
L-19
Two man observation airplane
Legs
Non-Airborne soldiers
LLDB
Loc Lon Dok Biet (Vietnamese name for Special Forces)
LRRP
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol
LSM
Small landing craft
LT
Lieutenant
LTC
Lieutenant Colonel
LZ
Landing Zone
M-16
Standard armament for Vietnam era soldiers
M-60
7.62 caliber machinegun
M-79
Handheld 40mm grenade launcher
MACV
Military Assistance Command Vietnam
MAJ
Major
Medivac
Medical evacuation (usually by air)
MG
Machine gun
MIA
Missing in Action
Montagnard
Indigenous hill tribesmen employed by Special Forces as soldiers
MP
Military Police
MSG
Master Sergeant
MSS
Mission Support Site
NCO
Noncommissioned Officer
FNG
f_ _ _ing new guy
Nung
Indigenous band of Chinese warriors
NVA
North Vietnamese Army
O&I
Operations & Intelligence
One One
Assistant recon team leader
One Zero
Recon team leader
OP
Out Post
OPCON
Operational Control
PFC
Private First Class
PH
Purple Heart; awarded for wounds received in combat
PLF
Parachute landing fall
PLT
Platoon
PM
Provost Marshal
POW
Prisoner of war
PRC-25
Standard Army radio
PSP
Metal planks used for building roads and runways
Regt
Regiment
Ret
Retired
RON
Remain overnight
RT
Recon Team
RV
Rendezvous
S2
Intelligence
S3
Operations
S4
Supply
SFC
Sergeant First Class
SFGA
Special Forces Group Airborne
SFOD
Special Forces Operational Detachment
SGM
Sergeant Major
SGT
Sergeant
Shit hook
Chinook
SITREP
Situation Report
Slick
Stripped Huey helicopter, used for transporting troops
SOA
Special Operations Association
SOG
Studies and Observation Group
SOP
Standard operating procedures
SP5
Specialist 5th Class
SS
Silver Star; awarded for valor in combat
SSG
Staff Sergeant
TAC
Tactical Air
TACP
Tactical Air Communication Personnel
TAOR
Tactical area of recon
TASS
Tactical Air Support Squadron
TDY
Temporary duty
The “World”
Term used by Vietnam era GIs to refer to the United States
The hole
Term used by recon teams for landing in a small space in the jungle
Tiger suit
Camouflage fatigues worn by Special Forces in Vietnam
TOC
Tactical Operations Center
Trung Se
Vietnamese for “sergeant”
Un-ass
Leave immediately
USAF
United States Air Force
USSF
United States Special Forces
VC
Viet Cong
VN
Vietnamese
VN Dong
Vietnamese currency
VNAF
Vietnamese Air Force
VNSF
Vietnamese Special Forces
WIA
Wounded in Action
Willy Peter
White Phosphorous
WO
Warrant Officer
WP
White phosphorous
XO
Executive Officer
About the Author
RAYMOND C. MORRIS WAS BORN IN Jefferson City, Missouri and entered the Army at the fuzzy-cheek age of seventeen. Following basic training, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. With a rank of staff sergeant, in 1963-1964 he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
In May 1964, as a freshly minted 2LT and the OCS Honor Graduate, his new orders led him to the 6th Special Forces Group. On 2 January 1966, he was assigned as team Executive Officer for the 5th Special Forces Group Operational Detachment (SFOD) 106 at Bato, Vietnam, followed by an assignment in May 1966 with SFOD A-103, Gia Vuc, Vietnam.
In October 1966, he was selected as the Long Range Reconnaissance Platoon Leader (LRRP) for Mobile Guerilla Force A-100, with operations throughout the A Shau Valley. In 1968, an assignment transferred him to the 46th Special Forces Company in Thailand where he trained Thai Black Panther brigades in reconnaissance tactics and inserted them into Vietnam. In 1970, he’d been detailed under the auspices of CIA operations in northern Thailand, to train Laotian commandos and deploy them into Laos.
Ether Zone author 1LT Ray Morris (second from left) in Bato, Vietnam, 1966. Joining him (L to R): CPT Richard L. Gaffney, SFC Hosea Givens, SP5 Chris Coombs, SGT Brian Becker, SFC “Mac” McNulty
In 1968, Ray returned to the U.S. for Ranger School, again distinguished as the Honor Graduate, winning the Darby Award. A new assignment led him back into Southeast Asia, where for two years, from April 1971-April 1973, he was a B-detachment commander with the 1st Special Forces Group (A) in Okinawa. During this time, he was sent to Vietnam twice for temporary assignment with the classified Special Forces FANK Program.
Returning stateside, he continued his military schooling and went on to hold other key assignments, including Deputy Commander, 6th Region Criminal Investigation Division in San Francisco, CA. In 1983, he was selected to be the Deputy Commanding Officer to reactivate the 1st Special Forces Group (A) at Fort Lewis, Washington. Ray retired from active duty in 1985 after an illustrious military career spanning twenty-six years.
His love for the military has never waned. As a civilian he returned to Fort Lewis, in charge of training the Army’s new Stryker Brigades prior to Iraq deployment.
His awards include: Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry w/silver star and Cross of Gallan
try w/bronze star, Army Commendation Medal (2) and numerous service awards. He proudly earned his jump wings, U.S., Thai and Vietnamese Master Parachutist badges, Special Forces and Ranger tabs.
Ray, never one to sit on his duff too long, holds a BA in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska, an MBA from City University in Seattle, Washington and a Masters in Justice Administration, Wichita State University.
A lifelong history enthusiast and prolific writer, Ray has used his keen observation of the human condition as the catalyst for expansion of his interests into writing and mainstream fiction. R. C. Morris’s 2004 suspense thriller, Don’t Make the Blackbirds Cry, and psychological thriller, the 2006 Tender Prey, are receiving acclaim. In October 2005, commissioned by the Project Delta members to write their story, his love of Special Forces forced him to place pending fiction novels on the back burner to write The Ether Zone. When not writing, you will find Ray stalking giant redfish along the Florida coast. He resides near Tampa Bay and may be contacted through his website at raycmorris.com.
Other Books by R. C. Morris
Don’t Make the Blackbirds Cry
Murder, Hatred, Corrupt Politics, the Klan ... A Great Thrill Ride!
Publish America
ISBN:1-4137-2506-6
An orphaned and homeless teenager has just broken in and robbed the local store. Hiding in the darkness of an alley, he witness’s five young men brutally rape and murder three teenage girls, two black and one white. One perpetrator is the town’s star high school quarterback while another is the sheriff’s son. When one of the five turns up dead a short time later, he knows he can’t come forward!
Morris’s debut novel, a gritty mystery of southern culture clash and racial hatred, reminds us that the quest for justice is not always free, and often, when seeking truth or trying to right a wrong, many lives can be affected by dire or unexpected consequences.
What the critics are saying:
“Don’t Make the Blackbirds Cry, with all of its unexpected twists and turns, makes this first novel by R.C. Morris a difficult book to put down!”
- Northwest Guardian
“....truly a page-turner...a fully packed adventure. This author has writing talent and showcases it well in his first debut novel. Terrifying and exciting but most certainly entertaining! ...Well crafted...a must read book.”
- Military Writers Society of America
Tender Prey
Fear Grips Seattle! A Deranged Serial Killer is Loose.
Have you ever known someone who has been sexually abused? Do you think they’d be conscious of the effects these childhood perversions might have on adult behavior? Do you ever question what could possibly motivate the bizarre acts you learn about your friends and neighbors who appear so normal? Then you’ll want to meet Corky!
Detective Frank Murphy and his side-kick, John Henry Drake, get the nod to head up the task force. Who is committing these heinous acts?
VBW Publishing
ISBN: 1-58939-812-2
What the critics are saying:
“Compelling, tantalizing and filled with complex characters and plot twists... an intelligent treat and great entertainment! It is a terrific read for all mystery lovers. The MWSA gives this book its highest rating of Five Stars.”
- Military Writers Society of America
Both books are available at your favorite bookseller... or visit Raycmorris.com to read excerpts
Watch for R.C. Morris’s soon-to-be-released novel, “Kiss of the Viper.”