FNG syndrome

Last updated
Da Nang, Vietnam. A young Marine private waits on the beach during the Marine landing, August 3, 1965. Marine da nang.jpg
Da Nang, Vietnam. A young Marine private waits on the beach during the Marine landing, August 3, 1965.

The term "fucking new guy" (FNG) is a derogatory term, made popular within combatants, military chaplains, and combat medics of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps deployed to South East Asia during the Vietnam War, usually to refer to newcomers. [1]

Contents

Vietnam War overview

Usually, but not always, the term referred to recruits fresh from the United States who joined pre-existing units in Vietnam. Every unit had an FNG, and the term was used across all unit types, from front line combat through to support and medical units.

The FNG phenomenon grew out of the U.S. Armed Forces's individual rotation policy during the Vietnam War, under which individual troops were rotated in and out in twelve-month tours with already deployed units in Vietnam. In other modern American wars before and since, military units have been maintained and have deployed as a whole. During this period, because of the Cold War, the United States faced the need of maintaining a large presence of troops not only in Southeast Asia, but in South Korea and Western Europe as well. The Johnson administration lacked the political capital and will that would have been required to call up the National Guard and Reserves or to convince Congress to extend the tours of duty of draftees beyond twenty-four months. Lacking sufficient ground combat units to sustain a unit-based rotation strategy, the individual rotation policy was adopted. [2]

FNGs were an important part of the group dynamic of U.S. units in Vietnam and their treatment had at its core an overall sense of "us" (those with experience of the war) and "them" (those who were back in the United States). As one soldier said, FNGs were "still shitting stateside chow." [3] It was in combat units that the FNG was truly ignored and hated by his colleagues. An FNG in a combat unit was "treated as a non-person, a pariah to be shunned and scorned, almost vilified, until he passed that magic, unseen line to respectability." [4] The routine mistreatment of FNGs resulted in a high number of psychiatric casualties, and became known by army psychiatrists as 'FNG Syndrome'. [5]

On the surface, such treatment of new members in the unit happened for simple survival reasons. New recruits had a higher attrition rate than experienced troops, and the small units of veteran jungle warfare troops simply saw them as a liability. "They talked too loud and made too much noise while moving around, didn't know what to take into the bush or even how to wear it properly, couldn't respond to basic combat commands, fired too much ammo, and tended to flake out on even the easiest 10-klick moves. An' Christ, they even got homesick." [4]

The term is still used today in law enforcement, the United States military, wildland firefighters (especially the Hotshots), the Canadian Military, and technical trades heavily populated with ex-military. NASA Astronaut Group 8, the first post-Apollo astronaut group, was self-nicknamed "TFNG". Officially acronym stood for "Thirty-Five New Guys" (the number of astronauts selected), but unofficially was a reference to the term used in Vietnam. [6]

Studies

Several specific studies have been undertaken into the FNG phenomenon. Prominent military psychiatrists warned that the individual replacement system was having catastrophic consequences on unit cohesion. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vietnam veteran</span> U.S. Armed Forces soldier during the Vietnam War

A Vietnam veteran is an individual who performed active military, naval, or air service in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Guard (United States)</span> Reserve force of the United States Army and Air Force

The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air Force when activated for federal missions. It is a military reserve force composed of National Guard military members or units of each state and the territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, for a total of 54 separate organizations. It is officially created under Congress's Article 1 Section 8 ability to "raise and support armies". All members of the National Guard are also members of the organized militia of the United States as defined by 10 U.S.C. § 246. National Guard units are under the dual control of state governments and the federal government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Infantry Division (United States)</span> Active US Army formation

The 4th Infantry Division is a division of the United States Army based at Fort Carson, Colorado. It is composed of a division headquarters battalion, three brigade combat teams, a combat aviation brigade, a division sustainment brigade, and a division artillery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vietnamization</span> Policy of American withdrawal from South Vietnam near the end of the Vietnam War

Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard Nixon administration to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnamese forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops". Brought on by the Viet Cong's Tet Offensive, the policy referred to U.S. combat troops specifically in the ground combat role, but did not reject combat by the U.S. Air Force, as well as the support to South Vietnam, consistent with the policies of U.S. foreign military assistance organizations. U.S. citizens' mistrust of their government that had begun after the offensive worsened with the release of news about U.S. soldiers massacring civilians at My Lai (1968), the invasion of Cambodia (1970), and the leaking of the Pentagon Papers (1971).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat stress reaction</span> Medical condition

Combat stress reaction (CSR) is acute behavioral disorganization as a direct result of the trauma of war. Also known as "combat fatigue", "battle fatigue", or "battle neurosis", it has some overlap with the diagnosis of acute stress reaction used in civilian psychiatry. It is historically linked to shell shock and can sometimes precurse post-traumatic stress disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Johnson</span> US Army post near Leesville, LA

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Aircraft Group 12</span> Military unit

Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) is an active air group of the United States Marine Corps, tasked with providing fighter and assault support aircraft. It is currently part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, itself an integral part of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, and based at MCAS Iwakuni in Japan.

The United States Air Force (USAF) deployed combat aircraft to Thailand from 1960 to 1975 during the Vietnam War. Today, US military units train with other Asian militaries in Thailand. Royal Thai Air Force Bases are an important element in the Pentagon's "forward positioning" strategy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War</span> Australian involvement in the Vietnam War

Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War began with a small commitment of 30 military advisors in 1962, and increased over the following decade to a peak of 7,672 Australian personnel following the Menzies Government's April 1965 decision to upgrade its military commitment to South Vietnam's security. By the time the last Australian personnel were withdrawn in 1972, the Vietnam War had become Australia's longest war, eventually being surpassed by Australia's long-term commitment to the War in Afghanistan. It remains Australia's largest force contribution to a foreign conflict since the Second World War, and was also the most controversial military action in Australia since the conscription controversy during World War I. Although initially enjoying broad support due to concerns about the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, an increasingly influential anti-war movement developed, particularly in response to the government's imposition of conscription.

United States involvement in the Vietnam War began shortly after the end of World War II in Asia, first in an extremely limited capacity and escalating over a period of 20 years. The U.S. military presence peaked in April 1969, with 543,000 American combat troops stationed in Vietnam. By the conclusion of the United States's involvement in 1973, over 3.1 million Americans had been stationed in Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand in the Vietnam War</span>

New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War was highly controversial, sparking widespread protest at home from anti-Vietnam War movements modelled on their American counterparts. This conflict was also the first in which New Zealand did not fight alongside the United Kingdom, instead following the loyalties of the ANZUS Treaty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division</span> Military unit

The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division is a combined arms armored brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division based in Fort Cavazos, TX. Major equipment includes the M1A2SEP Tanks, M2A3 & M3A3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, M109A6 Paladin howitzers, and M1114 up-armored Humvees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free World Military Assistance Forces</span> Military unit

Free World Military Assistance Forces was the group of allied nations who sent troops to fight in the Vietnam War under the FWMF banner, assisting the United States and South Vietnam against the Viet Cong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). Together with the U.S. and South Vietnamese, the FWMF were often referred to as the Allies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military psychology</span> Specialized field in psychological science

Military psychology is a specialization within psychology that applies psychological science to promote the readiness of military members, organizations, and operations. Military psychologists provide support to the military in many ways, including through direct clinical care, consultation to military commanders, teaching others and supporting military training, and through research relevant to military operations and personnel. Military psychology as a field has been growing since the early 20th century, evidence that the demands and needs for psychological clinical and operational application is continuing to grow steadily. There are many stressors associated with military service, including exposure to high-risk training and combat. As such, psychologists are critical support components that assist military leaders in designing appropriate training programs, providing oversight to those programs, and assisting military members as they navigate the challenges of military training and their new lifestyle. Military psychology covers a wide range of fields throughout the military including operational, tactical, and occupational psychology. Gender differences between military-trained personnel who seek mental health assistance have been extensively studied. Specific examples include post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with combat, or guilt and family/partner difficulties accompanying extended or frequent deployments due to separation. Clinical providers in military psychology are often focused on the treatment of stress, fatigue, and other personal readiness issues. Previous wars such as the Korean war, Vietnam war, and WW 2 provide great insight to the workings and practices of military psychology and how the practices have changed and assisted the military over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyoming Air National Guard</span> Military unit

The Wyoming Air National Guard (WY ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Wyoming, United States of America. It is, along with the Wyoming Army National Guard, an element of the Wyoming National Guard.

Jonathan Shay is an American doctor and clinical psychiatrist. He holds a B.A. from Harvard (1963), and an M.D. (1971) and a Ph.D. (1972) from the University of Pennsylvania. He is best known for his publications comparing the experiences of Vietnam veterans with the descriptions of war and homecoming in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Vietnam (1959–1963)</span> Phase of the war between North and South Vietnam

The 1959 to 1963 phase of the Vietnam War started after the North Vietnamese had made a firm decision to commit to a military intervention in the guerrilla war in the South Vietnam, a buildup phase began, between the 1959 North Vietnamese decision and the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, which led to a major US escalation of its involvement. Vietnamese communists saw this as a second phase of their revolution, the US now substituting for the French.

Unit cohesion is a military concept, defined by one former United States Chief of staff in the early 1980s as "the bonding together of soldiers in such a way as to sustain their will and commitment to each other, the unit, and mission accomplishment, despite combat or mission stress". This concept lacks a consensus definition among military analysts, sociologists and psychologists, however.

The South Korean government, under the regime of Park Chung-hee, took an active role in the Vietnam War. From September 1964 to March 1973, South Korea sent some 350,000 troops to South Vietnam. The South Korean Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force all participated as an ally of the United States. The number of troops from South Korea was much greater than those from Australia and New Zealand, and second only to the U.S. military force for foreign troops located in South Vietnam. The military commander was Lieutenant General Chae Myung-shin of the South Korean army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Thai Army Expeditionary Division</span> Thai military unit

The Royal Thai Army Volunteer Force, or the Black Panthers (กองพลเสือดำ) was a unit of the Royal Thai Army which served in the Vietnam War, replacing the Royal Thai Volunteer Regiment in 1968.

References

  1. Cornell, George (Summer 1981). "G.I. Slang in Vietnam". The Journal of American Culture. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. 4 (2): 195–200. doi:10.1111/j.1542-734X.1981.0402_195.x..
  2. 1 2 Mark DePu (2006-11-13). "Vietnam War: The Individual Rotation Policy". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2008-11-19.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Mathers, Danny L., Rifleman, B Company, 1/61. "New Guys" . Retrieved 2008-04-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link).
  4. 1 2 Tim Page; John Pimlott, eds. (1988). "FNG's". NAM: The Vietnam Experience 1965-1975. Hamlyn. pp. 441–443. ISBN   0-600-56311-1.
  5. Leonard, Dorothy (2011). Managing Knowledge Assets, Creativity And Innovation. World Scientific Publishing Company. p. 282.
  6. Evans, Ben (2007). Space Shuttle Challenger: Ten Journeys Into the Unknown. Chichester, United Kingdom: Praxis Publishing Ltd. p. 49. ISBN   978-0-387-46355-1.
  7. Bey, Douglas R. (January 1972). "Group dynamics and the "F.N.G." in Vietnam--a potential focus of stress". International Journal of Group Psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press. 22 (1): 22–50. doi:10.1080/00207284.1972.11492140. ISSN   0343-6993. PMID   5057967.