Badge of Rank?

Everytime we bring up handguns in the context of the military someone trots out that they are of no importance and a mere "Badge of Rank"

As a one time Private First Class of Infantry assigned to an M-67 recoilless rifle and later an M-60 GPMG and issued a 1911A1 I have to wonder what Rank was being Badged. I was at first disappointed with the M203 because as it was attached to an M16A1 one no longer got issued a 1911A1 (yes, there used to be two 1911A1s in every rifle squad) Most mortar guys carried 1911A1s as well.

When I was commissioned a Field Artillery Officer I saw Spec 4s on guns and ammo vehicles issued 1911A1s and some HQ drivers and such as well, all lower ranks. Everyone issued a M1911A1 had to qualify with it annually to be promoted. This caused more issues with Majors than with PFCs BTW.

My OH58 pilot when I was doing Observation as a Flying FIST carried a S&W model 10 in his survival vest even though his flight suit and W2 insignia plainly badged him as a flying warrant officer.

Currently I am re reading "We Were Soldiers Once......And Young" and notice the number of references to the use of the M1911A1 those few days in the Ia Drang Valley and they remarkably seem to not relate to rank in anyway shape or form. I just finished the Currahee series of 101st from Georgia to the Eagles Nest and noted the use of handguns in that history again by privates and frequently what would be considered Privately Owned Weapons.

I have been out a while, but who carries a handgun in the service these days? Do 'chine gunners not carry a hand gun anymore? Drivers? Clerks and Jerks? Piss Tube Poppers no longer carry handguns?

I will say there were times in the service when I was very happy to have a handgun, but my badges of rank were generally on my collar or sleeve.

Is anyone out there studying seriously the use of handguns in SWA by gunners drivers and such?

Is anyone studying the use of handguns in other areas by service members today?

Sound like a good Command & Staff College paper to me. Segway into modernized training ala the various civilian shooting schools and the application of such to the service. Maybe the use of non firearm training like video game like stuff.

Would love to see such a paper, and no Badges of Rank needed.

-kBob

Mortar crew man. In the way back the manual on field sanitation included a sort of field urinal that consisted of a pit half filed with gravel and then covered in dirt with pipes sticking up at a 45 degree or greater angle to pee in. Looked like a nest of mortars. Mortar guys dropped rounds into their guns and it made a sort of loud pop or thump when fired. Thus piss tube poppers.

We also called the M79 and M203 Grenade launchers "thumpers" because of the noise they made and sometimes a Grenadier got stuck with the knickname "Thumper" like the bunny from Bambi.

Tread Heads like your self likely did not have the same slang as Gohd's People of the PBI. (British and literary, Poor Bloody Infantry, and Gohd must love them for when the shooting starts he calls so many home quickly)

-kBob

Story time........

SO as Kipling said I was "back in the Army again" having gotten out, used my GI bill, been tempted by the ROTC money and taken a Commision for round two.

DIvArty Commander thought the idea of me carrying a "POW" (privately Owned Weapon, and yes it confussed me , too as I wsa taught it meant Prisoner of War, but there it was in print) was stellar. So in my non issue 1911 style swivel, thight holster was my non issue Colt Mark IV Series 70 with Pacmyers on it.

Now one thing about being in a HQ unit like a regimental level HQ and HQ "Battery" was that there was plenty of rank about to be Badged and another was there were plenty of 1911A1s floating about. Everyone it seemed from the cooks to the Colonel had a 1911A1 in a 1914 standard flap holster. Now some gave me flak about my "weird gunslinger holster" and suggested that some SVD totting Mongolian hordesman was likely to see it and draw a bead on me if the defication ever struck the ocillating ventilator. I opined that if he did not notice me getting out of a jeep with two antenna on it while carrying a dispatch satchel (with the division battle book in it) and binocs that he was not likely to notice my holster being six inches lower than everyone else's.

Any how as it happened many of the Officers and Senior NCOs (especially those that seemed to earn the translation "No Can Outside") were dismayed at the idea of carting a 1911A1 up on the border or for a few weeks around Graf because ....heaven for fend, the armorer expected THEM to clean them before returning them. As a result a fair number had those solid rubber training pistols the Army made by casting black rubber over a L shaped bit of steel for use in nasty training situations where one may not want to risk loosing a 1911A1. This annoyed me, but wasn't much I cold do about it.

One exception to this was a somewhat snootie carreer MP officer that had found himself stuck in the Four Shop (S4 Supply) of an Artillery DivArty HQ so he might fill his staff seat and one day make LTC in an actual MP slot or job at the five sided funny farm. As a Major, (a variety of officer that seems to think it is their job to be annoying to everyone in my experience) he looked upon the Captains and LTs as prey for his idea of what was right and proper.

I was cutting across the HQ area up on the border and as the Battle book officer was as almost always in the field (no freaking safe out there) under arms with Mr. Mark (mark IV) fully loaded the way I liked him and my mag pouches full and two more loaded in my shirt pocket.

Seeing my Pacmyer grips protruding from my non standard holster Major MP swooped down for the kill. What was a young LT doing in HIS battle position with a fake pistol?

I was initially confussed. He then explained that carrying the fake rubber pistols was not allowed. I laughed (this is an error when dealing with Major Anyone BTW) and explained my side arm was quite real.

He demanded to examine my weapon. I looked over at my driver who was enjoying this exchange too much in my opinion and told him to draw his unloaded 1911 and show clear then function check and safe. The Major looked a bit confussed himself at that point. Once Alex had his hammer down I pulled a seven round magazine of FMJ from my blouse pocket handed it to him and instructed him to load and assume duty as my personal guard. I then opened my flap holster pulled out my cocked and locked Mark IV, droped the mag, dropped the safety and worked the action such that the chambered round dropped in my hand.

Mr. Major went ballistic. I had a pistol that had been not only loaded, but improperly ( in his mind) loaded with a round in the chamber and the weapon cocked!

I explained calmly that as I carried the DivArty Copy of the Division battle plan I was required to be armed and the Colonel was aware of my method of carry. I thought "well that will take care of all this."

Now he noticed the magazine protruding from my left fist and more specifically the Speer 200 HP ammo in it.

Mass Hysteria in in an individual as it were. Laws of Land Warfare!!!! Crimes against Humanity!!!! Violation of the UCMJ!!!!

Eventually he insisted on taking my young behind (28 by then (remember, prior service) and I think he was just 32 or so) to the Colonel.

The Colonel was appalled .......that a staff officer was harassing his Battle Book Officer that was carrying his POW and private ammo with full permission of the DivArty Commander (Colonel, BG Promotable). Soon the Major left to go back to his five ton truck office and the Colonel and I got down to business. First I was not to bait Majors (I did noting of the sort, but he was the CO) and second could he, the CSM, and their drivers have some of that neat ammo?

After explaining that the Flying Ashtrays did not work well in un modified 1911A1s he settled for one round each which they each used to replace the Match FMJ-SWC round each carried in their chambers (CSM was convinced it made a better hole in flesh as it did in paper) and all was happy (except I was down four rounds of Speer and plus four rounds of unwanted FMJ-SWC that might not cycle my after market recoil spring).

Naturally the drivers talked and with in a day I think half the battery 1911A1 toters begged me for Speer ammo.

But not the S4.

Not a bad Badge of Rank story, eh?

-kBob