Why are Viet Cong called Charlie?

The earliest citation for Viet Cong in English is from 1957. American soldiers referred to the Viet Cong as Victor Charlie or V-C. “Victor” and “Charlie” are both letters in the NATO phonetic alphabet. “Charlie” referred to communist forces in general, both Viet Cong and North Vietnamese.

Were the Viet Cong called Charlie?

Collectively the United States often called them the Viet Cong. It was commonly shortened to VC, which in military alphabet code was spoken as Victor Charlie. It was further shortened to just Charlie. American soldiers called them Charlie, they called themselves liberators.

What did Charlie mean in ww2?

(as abbreviation of Viet Cong), perhaps strengthened by World War II slang use of Charlie for Japanese soldiers, which itself is probably an extension of the 1930s derogatory application of Charlie to any Asian man, from fictional Chinese detective Charlie Chan.

Why is Charlie used in the military?

“Charlie” is the letter C. It’s from the phonetic alphabet. Military communications experts decided that over a static-filled radio in the middle of combat with bullets and explosions flying through the air, saying “C” might be confused with “B” or “D” or “E” or “P” or several other letters.

What does Vietminh stand for?

Viet Minh, in full Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi, English League for the Independence of Vietnam, organization that led the struggle for Vietnamese independence from French rule.

What is meant by Charlie don’t surf?

The phrase “Charlie don’t surf” is a quote from the movie “Apocalypse Now”, which technically means that Vietnamese don’t surf.

What is Charlie in Apocalypse Now?

American soldiers often referred to their Viet Cong enemies as “VC,” the initials for the NATO phonetic code words “Victor Charlie.” When the troops wanted to talk about both the Viet Cong and Vietnamese communists in general, they would simply refer to them as “Charlie.”