Carbines in Vietnam

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

My boats had .50 cals. You could have a side arm. Most chose a .45 acp, only revolvers I saw were pilots we pulled out of the rivers. Early M-16's were having issues at the time. M-14's were bulky in confined spaces (boat deck) so some of us chose an M-1/2. They weren't all in M-2 configuration. One guy had an M-3 like Dave. Said easier to obtain ammo. I didn't like the heavy bolt slamming. We took in ROK troops using WW2 weapons. No shortage of extra weapons available if you wanted something. Dave says stolen, some might say appropriated. You could also pick up extra (Wounded or KIA) weapons, either side. Guys coming out of the bush could have trophy items *#@ not always weapons. Some stuff got smuggled home, some caught at check points. Long time ago now.

[Mike Haas]

Every thing being relative..M1 Garands & Carbines average age in Viet Nam 1966 was only about 23. Most combat troops were about 19 yrs old. The troops and the weapons both did a good job!!

[sakorick]

When my Dad led his battalion of the 101st Airborne in Vietnam in July 1965, he made sure he had an M1A1 carbine. He preferred it since was what he used in the last part of WWII while serving in the PTO as a Lt. with the 541st PIR and 11th Airborne

Your father was a smart hero. If he is still alive tell him I said hello. Regards, Rick.

[DaveHH]

Bad weapon really, too heavy. You'll notice my ammo pouches are for the M14 which was back in the cab of the truck, selector switch H&R.
When I got there in the spring of 66 you would be shot by a German Mauser or a carbine, Infantry officers were trading AK 47s for better radios for their companies (101st out of Tuy Hoa), they were scarce. Some SKS, all the ammo was Chinese type56. By the time I left in 67, there were lots of AK47s and the NVA had moved into the highlands to stay. M16s were so scarce that only mobile Infantry units had them, by 1968 EVERYBODY had them even the ARVN. The Korean units we had in our area were equipped just like WW2 US. By the time Tet rolled around, I was home getting drunk every night. Amazed at how many people DIDN'T get drafted like I did.

[frankderrico]

Dave thanks for getting back.
My Uncle Hank was a 26 yr. old Dutch Citizen at the time. Drafted in '64. The entire 1st. I.D. went to Viet Nam by boat. When they got there they found that their clothes had got moldy in their bags. He said they piled them and burned them. they lived in fox holes until they had barracks put up. He said it rained every night and they were either wet from rain or sweat most of the time. They were in combat right away and at first they walked into alot of ambushes, until the learning curve of the 'Nam happened. He was sprayed with Agent Orange/Blue and later had a Daughter that was born with a deformed hand. When he was dischsarged he was told that because of his citizenship he could be drafted but did not have to serve in combat. He never complained and later took the citizenship classes and became an American Citizen. He is very proud of his service.....Frank

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Dave thanks for getting back.
My Uncle Hank was a 26 yr. old Dutch Citizen at the time. Drafted in '64. The entire 1st. I.D. went to Viet Nam by boat. When they got there they found that their clothes had got moldy in their bags. He said they piled them and burned them. they lived in fox holes until they had barracks put up. He said it rained every night and they were either wet from rain or sweat most of the time. They were in combat right away and at first they walked into alot of ambushes, until the learning curve of the 'Nam happened. He was sprayed with Agent Orange/Blue and later had a Daughter that was born with a deformed hand. When he was dischsarged he was told that because of his citizenship he could be drafted but did not have to serve in combat. He never complained and later took the citizenship classes and became an American Citizen. He is very proud of his service.....Frank

Frank,

I am dealing with agent orange issues. I'll PM you.

[DaveHH]

My personal experience would make a lot of people uncomfortable to hear. Our latrine was an eight foot X six foot wooden box with six holes cut in the top. When you sat down, your *** was touching someone else's. 500 men used it, there was no provision for washing. The shower was so putrid that the showerheads were removed because they would clog from all of the dead skin and soap residue as they pumped up the same white colored water, over and over again. People were getting sick with hepatitis and there were warning signs all over saying "Do not drink, do not brush your teeth". We sometimes went for days with no water. We lived in rat infested tents raised up on wooden floors, the rats were the size of housecats and finally died of bubonic plague in the spring of 66 along with 35K Viets. But that was our base camp, we had it good compared to the Infantry, they slept on the ground and ate out of cans for weeks at a time.

My initial location when I arrived was Camp Alpha in Saigon. It was made for 600 men, there were over 2000 in it when I arrived. You would stand in line for a half hour to use a falling apart paper cup and get a drink of hot clorox water out of a lister bag. It was like a German prison camp, packed full of soldiers. A few days before I got there, the VC dropped mortar rounds into that place, it was so packed there was no place to hide. Thank God I got out of there in two days and went North up to II Corps.

The whole experience was a filthy dirty camping trip with guns. And we had it made compared to the Infantry.

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Dave,

Know the feeling brother, welcome home. Those two words mean a lot to most of us. I wasn't drafted, volunteered. Even with all the stigma people put on us for going, I am proud to have served my country.

Guys read about it and think, wow, get to shoot some cool weapons. And we did. But I wonder if most really understand. It's not romantic or glorious. You get to shoot these cool weapons because someone is shooting back at you. A lot of medical breakthroughs come from patching up the guts of young men. A large percentage of medals were awarded posthumously. You live in filth. Eat cold out of a can. Feet soaked and rotting. Wet and cold one season, then hot and humid the next. You give blood once a week because of shortages. You come home and have medical issues, nightmares. There isn't much good about being in a war zone. It's not like the movies. Some stuff is just better left unsaid.

Jim

My personal experience would make a lot of people uncomfortable to hear. Our latrine was an eight foot X six foot wooden box with six holes cut in the top. When you sat down, your *** was touching someone else's. 500 men used it, there was no provision for washing. The shower was so putrid that the showerheads were removed because they would clog from all of the dead skin and soap residue as they pumped up the same white colored water, over and over again. People were getting sick with hepatitis and there were warning signs all over saying "Do not drink, do not brush your teeth". We sometimes went for days with no water. We lived in rat infested tents raised up on wooden floors, the rats were the size of housecats and finally died of bubonic plague in the spring of 66 along with 35K Viets. But that was our base camp, we had it good compared to the Infantry, they slept on the ground and ate out of cans for weeks at a time.

My initial location when I arrived was Camp Alpha in Saigon. It was made for 600 men, there were over 2000 in it when I arrived. You would stand in line for a half hour to use a falling apart paper cup and get a drink of hot clorox water out of a lister bag. It was like a German prison camp, packed full of soldiers. A few days before I got there, the VC dropped mortar rounds into that place, it was so packed there was no place to hide. Thank God I got out of there in two days and went North up to II Corps.

The whole experience was a filthy dirty camping trip with guns. And we had it made compared to the Infantry.

[Hercules Powder]

One thing about Vietnam........It killed a lot that survived.

'68-'69 Infantry

[Amsdorf]

I honor and thank God for all the men who served in Vietnam. I was born in 1962 and lived in Pensacola, Florida growing up and saw a LOT of shot up aircraft coming in for repairs. We were very pro-miliary and I remember wearing a POW-MIA bracelet for years.

A person contacted me on Facebook who I've gotten to know and he is aware of my interest in historic firearms. He told me he was an advisor in Vietnam in the early 1960s and the team of South Vietnamese he was advising presented him with a "Chinese carbine" which, in his words, they took from a NVA soldier who "didn't need it anymore" and handed it to him, John. John sent me pictures today and it is a quite nice looking Mosin M44!

Can't wait to hear the whole story and details about his experience getting it.