[U.S. GREEN BERETS],
KSOR B. (Tony) & &
NGUYEN (Chi-Cat).
Basic terminology: English, Vietnamese, Jarai, Rhade, Bahnar. Prepared by S-5 Section, Company B, 5th Special Forces Group (ABN). APO US Forces 963I8: November, 1967.
Hastily produced on the field: an unrecorded polyglot phrase book for Green Berets (US Special Forces) stationed in Vietnam at the height of the war.
This volume was produced by the Green Berets while they were working with the Montagnards (an indigenous group in Vietnam) in the Central Highlands during the Vietnam War. The volume details phrases in Vietnamese, as well as the regional languages of Jarai, Rhade, and Bahnar that were spoken by groups in the Central Highlands. As the half-title states, the text is based on an earlier document that was produced by the Education Branch of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff in 1962. Little is known about the two named translators, Tony B. Ksor and Chi-Cat Nguyen.
The book is structured in lessons, which include sample dialogues alongside vocabulary lists. It begins with salutations and typically useful phrases, “Do you speak French?” and “Repeat slowly (please).” Accompanying these are crudely drawn cartoon vignettes that illustrate various scenarios. It then moves onto phrases that are more overtly related to military activity - one such chapter is titled FRIEND OR ENEMY and the proceeding list of vocabulary includes words such as “gun” and “(some) communists.” More practical chapters detail how to say the time, as well as discussions on how to navigate terrains during the rainy season. Longer vocabulary lists are interspersed between more conversational sections.
This phrase book weaves together a fascinating narrative of the Vietnam War through expressions that were deemed to be useful at the time. It alludes to the challenges the US Army faced against Vietnamese guerrilla tactics through phrases such as “The roads are safe,” “The Guerrillas are nearby” and “The enemy has hidden in the mountains.” The structuring of the book into lessons also suggests the expectation that the soldiers would to be in Vietnam for a long time.
Rare. No copies in OCLC. This copy was acquired from a Green Beret doctor by Greg Gamradt, himself a Vietnam veteran, now deceased.
