Special Forces, Vietnam 1963 and Original Issue M1 Carbines

[painter777]

The picture USGIBOB pulled from the video shows a lot of damage to the stock hand guard, it seen service somewhere and not just pulled from the wrap.
Interesting to see the different variations, no matter the time, place of the picture or film.

Information

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[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Sent home in 1966? Do you mean they rotated some home? They still had Korean troops in Vietnam when I left in 1970.

[DaveHH]

Sent home in 1966? Do you mean they rotated some home? They still had Korean troops in Vietnam when I left in 1970.

They left II Corps and never came back when I left in 1967. They had some serious scrapes with the Viet Marines in our area. Beach bars being shot up and unarmed Koreans being shot. The Korean General took a large armed force to the Viet base and told them that if he saw any more of them in the city he'd wipe them out. Sounds like bull, but it wasn't. Many of the Viet soldiers were recruited out of Saigon Jails and they were sloppy, poorly trained and poor troops. The Koreans were all really good soldiers, the best they had, and by the 60's there weren't too many bad Korean troops left in Korea. Charlie: I'd bet the farm that those guys are Cambodians or Mountain people. The Koreans I saw were all large people for Asians and most operated with their own personnel. In other words, they weren't looking for some sneaky pete to tell them what to do next.

[browningautorifle]

Many of the Viet soldiers were recruited out of Saigon Jails

What a mess that would be, from the frying pan... Wouldn't want to be anywhere around those guys as a training NCO(advisor)...

[DaveHH]

The worst would be the Viet Rangers. Undisciplined trash. There were a few good Viet troops like MIKE force guys, but regular Viet troops had no stomach for the war. Who can blame them? The Japanese, the French, the Viet Mihn, name your poison. The people were wonderful, beautiful people who treated their children like gold. You would be roaring down Hwy 1 and out in the paddy would be the most lovely women, they'd maybe take off their conical hat and redo four feet of jet black hair into a little ball. Surrounded by mud they were almost always clean. Smiling at us if we acted like gentlemen. You could stick your nose into their hut and if they were eating, you would be asked to share. The VC were killers and died.

[painter777]

Just a picture I found with no text...

[browningautorifle]

Just a picture I found

Where the advisor is wearing the short lived "Duck hunter" camo...

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

They started them young over there, smoking that is.

Highwood with late features on the left, selector switch on the right. Go get em boys.