16-250 Garand Picture of the Day - 96 Inf Div

[browningautorifle]

Bambo on the top of the gun shields??

When bullets hit the steel shield, they can explode into little shrapnel blasts. These can give multiple wounds that bleed like hell...the bamboo absorbs the scrap from those bursting bullets.

.50 BMG ammunition feed cover is up

I suspect it's a safety measure as the troops are at the muzzle of hot guns. It would avoid a cookoff, clear chamber and open cover.