FNG syndrome

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Fucking New Guy" (FNG) was a slang, derogatory term, used within American Forces deployed to South East Asia during the Vietnam War. The acronym, or the full meaning, denoted a soldier who was newly arrived to the conflict.[1][2][3][4][5]

Da Nang, Vietnam - A young Marine private waits on the beach during the Marine landing. - August 3, 1965.
Da Nang, Vietnam - A young Marine private waits on the beach during the Marine landing. - August 3, 1965.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The term referred specifically to recruits fresh from the United States who joined pre-existing units in Vietnam. It was also used in special forces units and other elite units to denote a new member. Every unit had an FNG, and the term was used across all unit types, from front line combat through to support and medical units. Neither was the term gender specific - female personnel could be FNGs as well. [6]

FNGs were an important part of the group dynamic of US 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, FNG's were "still shitting stateside chow". [7] It was in combat units that the FNG was truly hated let alone noticed. 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". [3]

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 it 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."[3]

Beyond mere survival though, there were deeper reasons for veterans to hate the new comers. On one level the FNG represented those men who were still in America and this fermented resentment. As one popular marching song of the era went: Ain't no use in lookin' back, Jody's got your Cadillac; Ain't no use in going home, Jody's got your girl and gone.[3] Until they set foot in Vietnam, every FNG was a "Jody", back in the US enjoying life.

Within the group dynamic of the unit, the FNG also represented the platoon's legendary grunt. A unit would attach an almost mystical quality to a member of the unit who had served in the past. The FNG was expected to live up to the same standard and would not be accepted into the group until he made his own name for himself in some other way.

The term does not appear to have seen widespread use outside of the US Military.

[edit] Studies

Several specific studies have been undertaken into the FNG phenomenon.

Dr. Douglas R. Bey published "Group dynamics and the "F.N.G." in Vietnam--a potential focus of stress" in 1972 and has been referenced extensively, including having been used in defence of initiation practices within modern US units.[8]

Dr. Charles Figley has also written on the effects of being an FNG as part of the development of post traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans.

[edit] Media

The term FNG and the group dynamics associated with it have been addressed on some level in several major motion pictures in the last couple of decades and is still used in the US military.

Oliver Stone's Platoon traces the experiences of young recruit Private Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) during the Vietnam War.[9]

Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket follows pragmatic Private Joker (Matthew Modine) and his fellow new recruits through basic training and deployment into the war's 1968 Tet Offensive.[10]

The backpacker novel The Beach by A. Garland (later made into the movie: The Beach directed by Danny Boyle), introduced the term into popular culture amongst young tourists in South East Asia.[11][12]

Donald Bodey has written a fictional account of the FNG experience in his novel titled simply "FNG" [13]

Call of Duty 4's first level in the game is called F.N.G, referring to the player character, Sgt. "Soap" MacTavish being a new SAS recruit.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cornell, George (Summer), “G.I. Slang in Vietnam”, The Journal of American Culture (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing) 4 (2): 195-200, ISSN 0343-6993, DOI 10.1111/j.1542-734X.1981.0402_195.x .
  2. ^ Dalzell, Tom; Terry Victor (2005). The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. England: Taylor & Francis, 1363. ISBN 9780415212588. 
  3. ^ a b c d NAM: The Vietnam Experience 1965-1975, Article: FNG's, Hamlyn, 1988, pp. pp. 441-443, ISBN 0-600-563-111 
  4. ^ Acronym Finder (2008). What does FNG stand for? Acronym Finder Definition (HTML) (en). Acronym Finder Website. Acronym Finder. Retrieved on 2008-05-11.
  5. ^ Urban Dictionary (2008). Urban Dictionary: F.N.G. (HTML) (en). Urban Dictionary Online. Urban Dictionary. Retrieved on 2008-05-11.
  6. ^ Sexton, Julia A. (May, 2002). "Warrior Women of the Crimea and Vietnam: A Comparison of Fact and Fiction" (PDF). Final. . Unpublished Retrieved on 2008-04-06.
  7. ^ Mathers, Danny L., Rifleman, B Company, 1/61, New Guys, <http://one-six-one.fifthinfantrydivision.com/161pg14a.htm>. Retrieved on 6 April 2008 .
  8. ^ Bey, Douglas R. (January), “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, ISSN 0343-6993, PMID 5057967, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowLibraryLinks&TermToSearch=5057967> 
  9. ^ Stone, Oliver (Director). (1986). Platoon [Theatrical Release]. USA: Kopelson, Arnold (Producer)..
  10. ^ Kubrick, Stanley (Director). (1987). Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket [Theatrical Release]. USA: Stone, Oliver (Producer)..
  11. ^ Garland, Alex (1996). The Beach. London: Viking. ISBN 0-670-87014-5. 
  12. ^ Boyle, Danny (director), Hodge, John (writer). (2000). The Beach [Theatrical Release]. USA: Macdonald, Andrew (Producer).
  13. ^ Bodey, Donald (2008). F.N.G., Revised Edition. Ann Arbor, MI: Modern History Press. ISBN 978-1-932690-58-3.