Vets and their M16's

[browningautorifle]

Although my issue was at the time either a C1A1, C2A1 or SMG C1...I had occasion to have issued an M16A1. Once was in Australia for LWC training in Canungra (1977)and other times were Ft Wainwright AK in January '75. I also had one for a time here in Canada for an exchange in about '76. The experiences were all reasonable because I had cleaning time and no real threat. Ball ammo worked fine for us and the blank for exercise was passable... Ours had regular rack numbers painted on them and we were issued 30 rd mags only, although we'd find 20s in the area. We had bayonets and sometimes the belt mounted cleaning kits. Usually the butt cleaning kit was issued and the standard black sling.

My overseas trips were FN C1 only...

Information

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[BEAR]

) and other times were Ft Wainwright AK in January '75.

Hi Jim,
I am assuming you were there for "Operation Jack Frost". Were you with PPCLI or the Para Regt? I was with Charlie Airborne 4/23rd INF.
Shortly after this I was reassigned to one of the leg units at Ft. Lewis that participated in OJF. Met the Bn. Commander and he was all bragging about their successful mission up there. I laughed and said "We kicked your butt,....Sir!" Fortunately, for me, he was reassigned the next month.

All our rifles were Colt XM16E1s from Vietnam and worn out. I swear some of them could shoot around corners.

[browningautorifle]

"Operation Jack Frost"

I had forgotten that. I still have my file here though and yes, that was it. Charlie Airborne was the unit we attached to and I was embedded with a US rifle section, four of us and six of you...I was A Coy PPCLI. I've trained many, many times at Ft Lewis too...enough that I don't need a map there any more. (Well, maybe now...) Wish I'd looked closer at the stampings of those M16s we were issued...might have found something really scarce...

[BEAR]

Speaking of something really scarce (kind of off topic), our Alaska armorer was a good friend and one evening he told to come to the arms room in the morning. So I went down the next day and he was as giddy as a school girl. He told me he had been checking the M1911 grips for chips and cracks so he could replace them. He then showed me a set of grips that had scratched into the backside "Sgt Rulio, Tunisia 1942". He said they needed to be replaced (wink, wink, nod, nod).
Some people have all the luck.