Thunderstick

Thank you for your service! I didn't go to Vietnam myself....probably because I was only 12 when you joined up. No claiming to be an M16 expert but since it's the 50th anniversary, I've been watching some shows on it. From what I gather, they determined that the jamming problem was an ammo issue. Changed ammo solved the problem. Not sure if that's true or not but I heard somebody say it

Cheers!

kz1000

4 5/8 inch.

303lithgow

Wow an old man, I was 18 when I hit dirt.

Welcome home.

Kudzu

Thanks for your service and thanks for sharing.

TBirdman02

I was 20, in the Air Force stationed in the Central Highlands of Vietnam back in 70-71 and carried a Smith 38 and allot of gear. Little Airfield on the outskirts of Kontum. Turned me into a man. Retired from the Air Force in 1990 with 23 years under my belt. Those were the days to remember.

Spike12

When originally issued they changed the ammo's powder, gave it to the troops w/o cleaning instructions and in fact told them it didn't even 'need' cleaning. Guys died with inop M-16s.

The problems of '73 I hadn't heard of, but then I just fixed F-4s.

The airport stories are true. People won't talk to you, even the stew's on the plane wouldn't even look at you. Some guys were spit on. Some were approached with offers of being smuggled into Canada. It was almost impossible to get a loan for anything and you had to prove that you weren't a 'baby killer'. Most of my buddies didn't wear their uniform when traveling and most just disposed of them when they got out.

I wore my jungle boots to a BBQ after I came back and was asked in a sarcastic way "were'd you get the jungle boots?". I looked him in the eye and said "In the jungle". Nobody wanted to hear about it and anybody who'd been there was suspect.
Welcome home.

303lithgow

I don't think they changed the powder although I have heard that story before. I think is what happened is they used old powder from WWII that had more salts in it which collected in the gas tube. When they stopped using old powder and trained in cleaning the problems went away. I had an early M16 without the forward assist and never had a single jam with it.

BillStaf

I celebrated my 20th birthday in January of 1969 in a bunker on the perimeter of my company in Dong Ba Thin, II Corps, RVN. I had already been in country 4 months and had 8 left to go before DEROS.

More people have welcomed me home in the last 8 years that in all of the years prior to that. I'm still trying to figure out why so many of my friends (and even some in my family) were so pissed off at me for going to Vietnam. I know that today people here are getting tired of the constant warfare America seems to be waging, but I hope our returning vets are never subjected to the scorn and loathing we got on our return from Asia in the late 60s. I'm not whining. What is done is done, but I do still wonder why we were hated so much.

Good story about your .357. You were wise to take that pistol. We were issued M14s when I first arrived in 1968, but got reissued M16s a few months later. The M14 was a heck of a lot better rifle that the original issue 16s were. We also had a lot of vintage 1911s, but they were all so shot out nobody could hit anything with them.

Vietnam was no picnic, but I wouldn't change anything even if I could. You learn a lot about life when you go to war.

Frank V

Ruger is still making them & there are a lot of the older 3 screw Blackhawks still around. Heck if I were you, I'd pick up another one.
Frank

WvDave

VVA'S FOUNDING PRINCIPLE
"Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another."

I am a member of our local VVA chapter's color/honor guard and we make every attempt to be present when any of our present day troops come home.

I well remember being spit at (while in uniform) as I was entering a church on Christmas Eve 1966 and the looks at the airports when I came home in 1968.

Terry G

I may be wrong, but my BS alarm went off. 4th Infantry Division in 1972? Never happened. The 4th Infantry was withdrawn to the States in 1970. There were NO offensive actions after 1972 by US troops and the Paris peace accords were signed in 1973 ending the US ground involvement completely. The Saigon Government fell in 1975. The US had Marine guards and Air Force personell were there, but no Army ground troops. How do I know the 4th came home in 1970? I was there and PO'd because I wasn't going home. Anyone who claims to have seen combat in Viet Nam and was born after 1953 is to be questioned. Like I said I could be wrong, but claiming to be in a division that wasn't there in 1973? Cut me some slack, Jody. Also, that "jamming M-16" problem was done away with totally by 1970 when the M-16A1 and new ammunition was issued. I never had a jam and any that happened were usuall a result of dirty ammo or poor maintenance. This just does not sound credible at all.

kz1000

You are right...you may be wrong. You are.

stainlesssix

Thank you, and to all that served, for your service.

303lithgow

What battalion were you with?

doublenut9

Thanks for your service. I visited Viet Nam in January 1967 and stayed to June 1968. I traded my black M-16 to a South Vietnamese soldier for an M1 Carbine. Smartest decision I ever made and I was on 19 years old... LOL...I wonder what happened???