PDA

View Full Version : How do you think I'd carry it in a war zone, son?



PhillipM
06-14-2013, 11:23
My father is a Korean war vet, but not a combat vet per se, he was with the 6th army medical corps in charge of the blood supply. He told me once about catching some friendly fire from the USAF, but that was about it. His gunplay was just that, playing with guns, shooting all he wanted far from the fight.

Now for the story I'd not heard. A friend of mine begged me to buy a 1st Special Service Force Case repop dagger off ebay for him since he didn't have a credit card. I did and it was shipped to the office, like everything else. Dad still works every day, at age 82.

When I unwrapped it, Dad said, "That's the same kind of knife that damn gook tried to kill me with!" I asked for details and he said his Korean secretary invited him to her parent's home to meet them and have dinner. He accepted and went to the little hut with bamboo walls and broke bread with them. At some point a guerrilla lunged through the wall of the shack, making a mess of the dinner party. The commie reached behind his back with both hands... dad said that's when he knew it was a guerrilla bent on killing him... and started flinging knives! Dad drew his 45 and fired one shot, completely missing his assailant.

You can tell the story is true when dad said he left running one way, tearing down the fence and his assailant ran the other!

Sometimes it's discussed what condition troops carried their sidearms. I tried to milk dad for info regarding condition 0, 1, 2, etc, and his reply was the topic of this post, "How do you think I'd carry it in a war zone." That reply made me realize the method of carry was more simple in the war zone; keep your weapon ready at all times!

Ltdave
06-15-2013, 02:35
great story...

my dad was in the Navy during Korea...

a friend of mine (during my Air Force days) told me when he was in the Cali Nat Guard that they couldnt carry their sidearms chamber loaded let alone condition 1...

i asked my dad how he carried when he was on deck watch and he said, loaded with a magazine, cocked and safety on. even when stateside...

i dont know if that was because it was during wartime or what, but thats what he said he did...

he never saw any combat or anything remotely asian having spent all of his time in the atlantic and one med-cruise...

GillaFunk
06-16-2013, 11:25
I was active duty Marines From 98-03. I did 2 years infantry (1st Bn, 2nd Mar) out in Lejeune. I carried the SAW pretty much the entire time. During nearly all of our training when we actually had blanks or live ammo, unless we were in a "fire-fight" I was in condition 3. EVERYTHING was always weapons safety to the nth degree. It was ridiculously childish.

Eventually I got tired of mamby pamby land and qualified for embassy duty. We trained with the M9 as our duty carry. We actually were told to stay in condition 1 at all times. I even had DetCmdrs who said carry condition 1 weapon on fire.

'Train how you fight' was a motto I always thought made sense.

pmclaine
06-20-2013, 05:24
I was active duty Marines From 98-03. I did 2 years infantry (1st Bn, 2nd Mar) out in Lejeune. I carried the SAW pretty much the entire time. During nearly all of our training when we actually had blanks or live ammo, unless we were in a "fire-fight" I was in condition 3. EVERYTHING was always weapons safety to the nth degree. It was ridiculously childish.

Eventually I got tired of mamby pamby land and qualified for embassy duty. We trained with the M9 as our duty carry. We actually were told to stay in condition 1 at all times. I even had DetCmdrs who said carry condition 1 weapon on fire.

'Train how you fight' was a motto I always thought made sense.

Glad to hear MSG finally came into the semi auto age. I went through Marshall Hall in 88 and we stood post with S&W M19's. They even let us carry one under the hammer - .38 spcl +P Nyclad.

Only shotguns allowed by State back than, any access to rifles now?

Other experience -

Standing base guard at Camp Geiger - empty rifle, 2X mags with 5 rounds each in mag pouch.

Walking patrol in PI - Full mag in rifle, empty chamber, full mags in mag pouches. We went hot once on the Cpls orders and I got a wild boar and had to fill out paperwork for my troubles.

22198

As PO S&W M&P one in tube full mag, our tac guys carry 1911' s loaded hammer back, safety on.

John Sukey
06-22-2013, 08:44
Once was put on guard with an M1 and THREE rounds of ammo!

Michaelp
06-23-2013, 04:40
3 rounds was standard flanking a post stateside and not chambered.

Some guys robbed the foreign weapons pool at Ft Bragg and the trainee on guard got shot with his own M14.
I think after that we inserted the mags.