Hajji
Term used in the
U.S. military for person of Arab/Middle Eastern descent.
H & I
Harassment and
interdiction artillery fire designed to limit and alter enemy movement.
H-34
Sikorsky UH-34
resupply and medevac helicopter used in Vietnam.
Haj or Haji or
Haçi
(Iraqi
Freedom)An Iraqi citizen. A local (usually a good guy).
(background)
Also Haggie, from the Johnny Quest cartoon who has a
sidekick named Haggie (supposedly meaning friend).
Halozone
Water
purification tablet.
HAM
Hairy Assed
Marine. A female response to BAM.
Ham and
Motherfuckers
(Vietnam) The
most reviled C-ration meal which was so bad you couldn't even give it away to
the locals. The meal included apricots. Sometimes called the dead man's meal
because it was said that if you ate apricots before going into battle you would
be hit.
Hamlet
(Vietnam) A
village of less than 100 residents.
Harper's Ferry
The location of
John Brown's ill fated uprising in 1859 and of his capture by U. S. Marines
under the command of Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee.
(background)
The Marines were led by Lt Israel Greene who later
resigned his commission to join the Confederate States Marines. Marine Private
Luke Quinn was killed when he breached a hole in the firehouse door and was shot
by John Brown and can, arguably, be considered the first casualty of the Civil
War.
Harris, John
Sixth Commandant
of the Marine Corps. Born in Chester County, PA on May 20, 1790, he became
Colonel Commandant on the death of Archibald Henderson and served through the
Civil War. His leadership is overshadowed by his personal battles with other
senior Marine officers, one of which resulted in his report to the Secretary of
the Navy after the First Battle of Bull Run in which he ignored the accolades of
senior Army commanders on the field and reported that it was "the first instance
in history where any portion of its members turned their backs on the enemy."
The erroneous report has stained the reputation of the Corps for eternity. He
died, in office, on May 12, 1864.
Hashmark
Stripes worn on
forearm of dress and service uniforms by enlisted Marines, each denotes 4 yrs of
service.
HASP
Hawaiian Armed
Services Police. Vietnam era.
Hat
Informally
suitable term for the Campaign Cover worn by Drill Instructors. Also an
informally suitable name for Drill Instructors. Also, to leave as in "get a
hat."
Havelock
1. The civilian
community outside the main gate of MCAS Cherry Point, NC.
2. Also a cloth
hanging from the back of a cap or hat to protect the neck (a la the French
Foreign Legion).
3. Once part of
the U. S. Navy uniform hat it now exists only on the female dress hat in a much
smaller form.
HE
High Explosive.
Head
Latrine or
toilet, from the Naval term.
(background)
In the sailing navy the forecastle (pronounced
folk-sill) was the most forward deck open to the weather and was the place
sailors were allowed to gather to relax and entertain each other. One corner of
the forecastle, with a wide scupper, was where sailors went to the bathroom. As
the forecastle was in the front or "head" of the ship, a sailor on the way to
relieve himself would declare that he was on the way to the head.
Head Shed
Often Head Shed.
Headquarters or Command Post where all of the leaders are gathered. A great
place for a Marine to avoid.
Heat Tab
Fuel for a
C-Ration Stove.
(background)
A tablet of blue Trioxin, which caused fumes which
irritated the eyes and respiratory tract if ventilation holes weren't large
enough. In that case, a whole heat tab had to be used. With a properly vented
stove, only half a Trioxin heat tab was needed to heat the meal and then the
other half could be used to heat water for coffee or cocoa. A small chunk of C-4
explosive could also be substituted for the Trioxin tablet for faster heating.
It would burn hotter and was much better for heating water.
Helo
Helicopter.
Henderson,
Archibald
Fifth Commandant
of the Marine Corps, known as the "Grand Old Man of the Corps" he served the
longest in the position--38 years. The Virginia native was born on Jan. 21, 1783
and served as Acting Commandant from Sept. 16, 1818 until Gale's appointment on
March 3, 1819. He was named Lieutenant Colonel Commandant at the conclusion of
Gale's court martial which cashiered him from the service, Oct. 17, 1820. During
Henderson's tenure, he led the Marines in the Indian Wars in Florida, reportedly
tacking a note to the door of the Commandant's House saying, "Gone to fight the
Indians, be back when the war is over". He also became the first Colonel
Commandant and was awarded a Brevet promotion to Brigadier General. In the
social setting of Washington he was known as General Henderson but he always
signed official documents as Colonel Commandant.
Henderson Hall
A building in
Arlington, VA, close to the Pentagon, used to house enlisted Marines assigned to
HQMC at the Pentagon and other administrative functions. The building was named
for Brevet Brigadier General, Colonel Commandant Archibald Henderson, the Grand
Old Man of the Corps.
Herringbone
A World War II
fabric in a field green color that was used to make utility uniforms. The
herringbone pattern was phased out during Korea and by Vietnam was only worn by
real salts.
Heywood, Charles
Ninth Commandant
of the Marine Corps. Born in Maine Oct. 3, 1839 he became Colonel Commandant on
Jan. 30, 1891 and served in the position until Oct. 2, 1903. On March 3, 1899
the billet of Commandant was again raised to Brigadier General, and on July 1,
1902 a law was passed promoting the incumbent to Major General Commandant but
requiring that his replacement be a Brigadier General. He died on Feb. 26, 1915.
High and Tight
The traditional
Marine haircut.
Hiyoko
To bug out in a
big hurry.
HMFIC
Head Mother
Fucker In Charge. An Ebonic version is MFWIC for Mother Fucker What's In Charge.
Holcomb, Thomas.
Seventeenth
Commandant of the Marine Corps. Born in Delaware Aug. 5, 1879 he was named Major
General Commandant on Dec. 1, 1936. On Jan. 20, 1942 a new law provided for the
Commandant to be a Lieutenant General and provided that the title be "Commandant
of the Marine Corps", dropping the reference to rank. He retired from the
Marine Corps on Dec. 31, 1943 and the next day was promoted to General on the
retired list the first Marine to hold that rank. He died May 24, 1965. Following
his retirement he served as Ambassador to South Africa.
(see
Tombstone Brigadier General),
Hole
Window, from the
Naval term porthole. (see
“make a hole”.)
Hollywood Marine
Marines trained
at MCRD San Diego, CA.
(background)
It is rumored among Parris Island Marines that
Hollywood Marines are issued sun glasses in boot camp. There are no female
Hollywood Marines since all female Marines go through boot camp in the 4th
Recruit Training Battalion (formerly WM Battalion) at MCRD Parris Island, SC.
Homeboy (homes, homey, homedog, holmes, or homie)
A fellow Marine from one's neighborhood, hometown or region.
Honcho
The person in
charge; not necessarily the person assigned to be in charge.
(see
HMFIC.)
Honey Bucket
Any bucket used
to clean out a toilet, usually carried in pairs on a stick by Oriental women and
men.
Hooch
Hard liquor,
usually contraband, often home made.
Hook Up
To get in touch
with.
Hootch
Living quarters,
originally occupied by enlisted Marines, the word later become a general term
for wherever a Marine was living. The civilian word crib is essentially the
same.
(origin)
Vietnam
Horse Blanket
A thick wool
blanket or the heavy wool overcoat once issued to all Marines and seldom worn.
Horse Marines
(see
China Marines.)
Hospital Corners
A method of
making a rack where the top blanket is squared off at the corners leaving one 45
degree angle on each corner. The procedure allows the blanket to be tucked under
making it straight and tight.
Hostess House
An on-base hotel
for guests of Marines.
Hotel Street
(WWII) The vice
district of Honolulu, Hawaii which contained 20 brothels and around 200
prostitutes. Customers would pay $3 for 3 minutes and the women (mostly imported
from the mainland) would service up to 100 customers per day (martial law rules
imposed a curfew during the hours of darkness).
House Mouse
A recruit (or
low ranking Marine in the fleet) who provides assistance to the drill instructor
(or unit leaders) in the form of keeping the drill instructor hut (or NCO
quarters) tidy and other minor tasks and chores. It is an informal position, the
person is selected by the drill instructor and often receives one of the
promotions given at the conclusion of basic training. Some units in the fleet
also use the term to mean a junior member of an organization assigned duties
such as coffee mess and other domestic chores.
Housewife
(Civil War
through WW II) Sewing kit.
HQ
Headquarters.
HQMC
Headquarters
Marine Corps. Located in the Pentagon. Previously at the Navy Annex on a plot of
land where the Air Force Monument will be built.
(background)
The
original site for the AF Monument was on Arlington Ridge adjacent to the Marine
Corps Memorial but Marines and their friends fought that placement as
inappropriate.
Huey
UH1E, the
designation of a helicopter used extensively in the Marine Corps during the
Vietnam period.
Hump
1. A field
march or extended hike.
2. To work
hard.
3. To
fornicate.
HUSS
An early Marine
helicopter designation often used to request a helicopter they would say "get me
a huss." Later it came regularly to mean do me a favor or help me out as in "Cut
me a huss."
(origin)
Vietnam
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