In Vietnam war when ARMY or Marines when out on Patrol

[CZguy]

F4 Phantom lls primarily. plain jane .38

What model? Do you remember any tail numbers?

I may have crewed one at one time.

 

[allaroundhunter]

Both of my Grandfathers served in Korea, both carried 1911's. Each carried 3 magazines for a total of 21 rounds. One was a pilot, the other a medic.

Only my grandfather that was a medic had to use his pistol in combat. He has only talked about his time in Korea a few times, but has only mentioned this firefight once. He said that afterwords he never again doubted the 1911 or its purpose on his side.

For those of you that have served or are currently serving, thank you. I have nothing but the utmost respect for our veterans and soldiers

 

[Lloyd Smale]

I never carried a handgun. Allways figured if i wanted the extra weight of 3 mags and a 1911 id rather have a couple more rifle magazines.

 

[zdc1775]

Today's Infantryman carries an enormous load -- just the helmet and body armor are more than most want to carry. Factor in all the other stuff, and you're looking at 80 lbs + per man. There isn't much excess carrying capacity left.

Big problem as well...I know of two people that are getting an early out...against their will...because of back/knee/shoulder problems.

That's me right there.

I joined the Marines 17 days out of High School. Went into the Infantry and loved every minute of it. Two year nine months and nine days later I was Medically Discharged due to three ruptured disks in my lower back, torn MCL, torn ACL, and torn Medial Meniscus. I spent about a month and a half in a wheel chair and then six months on crutches. Still have problems with it daily two and a half years after I was first injured.

I said all that not for sympathy, but so you could all understand what we go through in the modern military. Out of everyone in my unit I would say we suffered around 50% injuries during our training. Most were relatively minor; sprains, minor fractures, partially torn ligaments, and torn muscles were common; but some were much worse than even my injuries.

Oh just to keep it on topic. I was wearing an Interceptor vest with front, back, and side ISAPI’s inserted, 2 two hundred round boxes of blank ammunition in pouches on the front and IFAK on the side of the vest, and a Kevlar helmet, while carrying an ILBE pack that had a twenty five pound sandbag in it, and M-249 with a box of 200 rounds of blank ammunition in it when I injured myself on a training run.

 

[Highgate]

remember that no small arms were returned to the US that saw action in Europe or the Pacific, unless they were stolen by a GI.

The late Sam Cummings of Interarms helped 'tidy up' all sorts of small arms from all sorts of wars in huge quantities, starting with WW2 European weapons.

He or someone like him also bought up loads of weapons stocks of all flavours from post-war Vietnam. He was a fascinating character. An excellent shot but never carried any personal weapon - "too heavy".

 

[Highgate]

Both of my Grandfathers served in Korea, both carried 1911's.

My father served as a Chaplain in Koreo.

Against the rules, he was armed because "He was damned if he would stand by and let himself die in a human wave Chinese attack without defending his colleagues."

However someone in London then issued him with a directive that priests must NOT carry arms.

 

[lowerunit411]

What model? Do you remember any tail numbers?

I may have crewed one at one time.......czguy
F4B..........8487 was the last one i remember ..i have serials and frame numbers as well as insignia data on the others i flew upstairs in my stuff....thanks for your service...were you a WSO?

 

[Panzercat]

He was unable to grab the ring on the string which would have set off his vest thanks to the old undependable 1911!

Damn. Double damn.
Your (all) probably didn't hear it nearly often enough back then, but thank you. Nobody should have to cut it that close.

 

[jaysouth]

I spent a couple of years working across the street from Interarms and Ye Olde Hunter in Alexadria. I was there when they were cataloging items to be sent to the museum in the UK that Cummins started. It was amazing at the stuff that they discovered in their warehouses. One I remember in particular was an FG-42 with serial number 00001. Ships would dock at our docks with holds full of small arms. The manifest would typically read "107 metric tons, assorted small arms". Nary a serial number or detailed itemiztion of the items being unladed. That was the 'good ole days' of course. Now there would be dozens of inspectors from every alphabet soup agency tripping over each other to match items and serial numbers to a very detailed manifest.

Sam got his start picking up weapons off recent battle fields in Europe after WWII. He then graduated to buying up arms from foreign governments. He was 'mobbed up' with the CIA.

However, the US defense establishment did not bring any small arms back to the US after a war until Desert Storm.

 

[CZguy]

F4B..........8487 was the last one i remember ..i have serials and frame numbers as well as insignia data on the others i flew upstairs in my stuff....thanks for your service...were you a WSO?

No, I had several different jobs in maintenance. I started out with F-4 C then F-4 E and finished out my career on F-15 A and F-15 C.

When I had spare time I would go and review the historical documents on the F4s. I had one that had shot down two MiG 21s in 1968. Fascinating reading.

Weren't the Navy B models the ones built without break-stacks? I assume just trapped landings?

At least we trusted our WSOs with a stick. Your RIOs were stick less.

And thank you Sir, for your service.

 

[Gordon]

Well for that sapper (suicide bomber today's parlance) attempt all these senior NCOs and junior officers tried to claim his demise which was out front of my stairway down to my bunker. Funny thing is all were shooting M-16s and the body only had 3 .45 holes in the front and one to the back of the head. So guess who got the Bronze Star and glowing write up from the Colonel who was in TOC?

 

[Leadbutt]

Funny after reading thru this thread all the memories it brings back, as a standard issued mod-1 11B grunt jaysouth has cover load out, pretty much same same here,when I got stupid and switched up to the LRPS with the 4th, load out got crazy some times, no 60's unless we where really scared of the what ifs, a mix 16's and CAR's, thumper, and the 1st shirt and I carried cut down 37's in the Alice pack, normally 20 round mag's loaded with 18 rounds, 12 on the LBE and the rest in the butt pack, for get socks!!

For the thumper/bloop tube a mix of HE,fleshete, buckshot between the 5 or 6 of us don't remember the total round count now. the 1st shirt and I had a box of buckshot in the pack for the 37's, each man carried 2 bandoleers, we all carried pistols of some type, mostly 45's, with 4 mag's, on P-35 with 3 mag's, and we had one guy that carried an old 1917 Colt with a hand full of loaded up moon clips, rest of the crap was the various sundry ,go bangs and hand grenades,even the guy who humped the pric carried heavy, I'll bet for the most part we carried damn near 75% body weight on long patrols, and I was about a buck and a half then. After seeing what the guys carry now, i would volunteer for tracks!!

 

[winter1857]

I was an 11 Bravo for six years in the '80's. 101st, Southern Command in Panama and 2nd ID in Korea. Couple of trips to patrol along the Honduran/Nicaraguan border, 21 months in Korea on the DMZ. We usually carried six 30 round mags in pouches on our LBEs and one mag in our rifles for 210 rounds total.

 

[CZguy]

I was an 11 Bravo for six years in the '80's. 101st, Southern Command in Panama and 2nd ID in Korea. Couple of trips to patrol along the Honduran/Nicaraguan border, 21 months in Korea on the DMZ. We usually carried six 30 round mags in pouches on our LBEs and one mag in our rifles for 210 rounds total.

If need be up on the line was more ammo prepositioned and available?

Out of the 21 months that you spent in Korea, were you there for either of the two days when the weather was pleasant.

 

[lonestardiver]

I don't think it has been said enough...

Thank you for your Service and Welcome Home !!

My father did 2 tours in the 67-68 time frame. He was in Quartermaster and had a camp called Team Frazier if I recall correctly.

I have a friend who was a Marine Corp Sniper and when not on a mission carried a M1 Garand. He hated the M-16's...still does today.

 

[Hocka Louis]

Friend's brother -- three tour Staff Sargeant Airborne Pathfinder. At the end of his tenure I'm pretty sure the standard official loadout was six or six plus one 30-round filled mags (with only 27 rounds each). But all carried as much ammo as they possibly could physically, he said, as there was no point in having a gun without something to shoot.

 

[JShirley]

GunnyUSMC,

Do you perhaps mean the M47 Dragon?

trex, that's just because you're from Mobile.

John

 

[Phantom Captain]

Thank you, all vets everywhere. I have nothing but respect for you all. My grandfather was a B.A.R. gunner at Guadalcanal and then volunteered for the secret mission that become known as the Merrill's Marauders. He was one of the 190 remaining men that walked out on their own power at the end of the Burma campaign. He carried that war and it's effects with him the rest of his life but was a true hero and a fighter. R.I.P. Grampa! C. Joyce, 3rd Battalion, I Company, Orange Combat Team, 5307 Composite Unit (Provisional).

That said...

I have a good friend who was in the 25th Infantry, 1/5 Mechanized and served during 67-68. Since he was mechanized he told me his unit was out in it pretty much everyday. During his tour he spent two nights under a roof at Cu Chi, the rest of the time was out in the jungle or sleeping around his APC in a hole.

He told me that on patrol he would carry as much ammo as possible. He also said he liked and preferred the M-16 because of the weight and he didn't really recall anyone having problems with them. What was interesting to me was that he said while carrying as many mags as he could, between 10-15, he also carried out boxes of loose ammo. He told me during fire fights he would lay his empty mags down in front of him and during any kind of lull or break whatsoever that he would start reloading his mags, right there in the field. He told me nothing bothered him more than the thought of running out of ammo and additionally it always made him feel better to be doing something. They would never drop mags or ammo as he said they never wanted to leave anything for the enemy.

He did say that all the guys would help carrying belts for the M-60. He also said it was different for different units in different parts of the country and this went just for his squad, of which he was squad leader. Also, being mechanized, they had rolling ammo re-supply right there in their APCs so they would take and use all they could carry.

He told me that no one he knew would ever pick up or use an AK because the sound of it would draw friendly fire. Of course, he said he's heard other guys talk about using them out there and liking them but from his experience and memory nobody wanted to sound like the enemy in a fight. Again, he said everyone's experience and memory was different and he's amused even today by what people remember differently even in their own squad.

I love hanging out and talking with the man, he's a wealth of experience and knowledge and I'm honored to call him my friend.

 

[clem]

Seven 30 rd magazines and 2 or 3 bandoleers of ammo.

 

[Lonerider357]

You asked about Army and Marines! We in the Navy Riverine Squadrons carried as much ammo and mags as the PBR MK IV would carry and still float!!

 

[JShirley]

I have a good friend who was in the 25th Infantry, 1/5

Huh. My first assignment was with Alpha Company, 1-5 Infantry.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Do you perhaps mean the M47 Dragon?

trex, that's just because you're from Mobile.

Yep, That's the one.
I used it to take out one of these at approx. 800 meters.

 

[bikerdoc]

We in the Navy Riverine Squadrons carried as much ammo and mags as the PBR MK IV would carry and still float!!

A salute to Riverine sailors, Saved many a GI butt, including mine once.