Navy in the Vietnam War (according to which, for example, Rear Admiral Norvell G. Ward was the CHNAVADGRU, for “Chief, Naval Advisory Group”), even where I’ve been able to sort it out. But here are the essentials: “Ruff-Puffs,” or RF/PFs, were the South Vietnamese Regional Forces / Popular Forces, i.e., the guerrillas who fought for the South as a kind of counterpart to the Viet Cong. According to Reggie, they were required to get tattoos saying “Sat Cong” on their chests to prove their loyalty—“Sat Cong” meaning, depending on the translation, either “Kill communists” or “Boy am I fucked if the North wins this war.” A “shitcan” was an STCAN—a boat made by Services Techniques des Constructions et Armes Navales for the French, then transferred to the Americans when the French fled. A “commandement” was the shitcan that the commanders of a RAG (River Assault Group) rode on. “Dai-uy” was the South Vietnamese Navy rank equivalent to lieutenant. And the Cuu Long Giang, aka đồng bằng sông Cửu Long (“Nine Dragon River Delta”), aka “Cool and the Gang,”
