thunder run
n.— «At night the outposts scattered along the route, consisting of a few vehicles and an infantry squad, were vulnerable to attack, so continuous patrols known as “thunder runs” were maintained. A run involved AFV’s moving in column with tanks in the van and other vehicles at close intervals, moving at high speed and undertaking “reconnaissance by fire” along the roadsides to trigger potential ambushes.…As in all operations in Vietnam, it was essential to avoid establishing a pattern while “thunder running.”» —by Simon Dunstan Vietnam Tracks Mar. 1, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)