15. Military trainees had to learn a new language, regardless of their branch of service
During the Vietnam era, troops and sailors developed their own language, some of it based on military acronyms, and some from other sources. Charlie was the military phonetic version of the letter C, but it also referred to the Viet Cong. Cherry referred to a virgin, and was applied to all new recruits arriving in theater. French was common in Vietnam, and some of it was adopted and adapted for American use with beaucoup Americanized to boocoo, meaning too much. Some arrivals became acquainted with an APL, which was a ship serving as a barracks.
Ghosting, goldbricking, and sandbagging were all terms referring to someone shirking their duty, or otherwise taking time off from work. Of course, military personnel from one service often were confused by the dialect commonly used by other branches. Air Force personnel directed to look for a ladder when given directions by a sailor were likely to walk right by the stairs to which the word referred. Humping was marching, sometimes after being inserted, or deployed, usually via helicopter. Sometimes while humping soldiers encountered a hooch, a Vietnamese dwelling or other small building. New replacements for units in-country were referred to as turtles due to the long time it seemingly took for them to arrive.
