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Ross: So were you in Nam?

Rachel and Monica are in the bathroom deciding who will get the last condom. Ross and Richard are waiting outside. It is awkward. So Ross tries a small talk. 

Ross: So were you in Nam?

Richard looks annoyed and answers nothing. Audience laughs. I tryed googling the "Nam" word, but it returns nothing that helps getting the joke. Does anyone know what is the "Nam" here?
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Comments

  1. Hagop Kazanjian19 May 2014 at 11:09

    it refers to the Vietnam war. the war is commonly called the "Nam" in the US

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    1. Katia19 May 2014 at 11:47

      Thank you! Normally I would expect a shortening like that being done with the first letters of a word.

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    2. Andy10 February 2021 at 23:54

      It's because Richard was played by Tom Selleck, who played Magnum PI, who had fought in "Nam"....

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  2. Hagop Kazanjian19 May 2014 at 11:09

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. musique28 April 2018 at 17:58

    It's also a meta-joke because Tom Selleck's character in Magnum is Vietnam veteran.

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  4. Unknown15 October 2020 at 13:15

    I still don't quite get this as Richard looks annoyed like the question is insulting, I thought Ross was mocking his age. But as the war was 55-75 it is quite possible for Richard (Tom Selleck was born in 45) to have fought and could well have been in the war. Maybe I'm reading too much into Richards reaction to the question and he was just fed up of Ross' small talk.

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    1. MaART10 December 2020 at 05:15

      yeah i thing it is the case since Richard is their father friend, and i believe in 1 episode their father made a joke about being in the war him self, so from age respective i think Richard could have been in the war, but he was annoyed from the small talk as you said

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