Guns & Knives.

This is coolbert:

Regarding that previous blog entry:

"From the era of fifty years ago personally owned weapons in the war-zone prohibited on the direct order of General Westmoreland, too many BAD INSTANCES OF TROOPS USING THEM ON ONE ANOTHER DURING BRAWLS!"

"My [Bert] own personal experience in this matter was the first thirty minutes of arriving at the Oakland Army Terminal [OART] in 1966 prior to shipping out for overseas."

"About half the troops present when briefed that carrying a privately owned weapon in Vietnam was a courts martial offense turned in either a huge Bowie knife or a handgun. OART collecting the weapons and storing for safekeeping upon your return from the war-zone."

In conversation with a Vietnam era combat veteran his observations on the carrying of personal weapons by the troops:

"when I hitch-hiked to 'Nam in '66 with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade about 35% of the troops were carrying their own personal sidearm. I didn't bother to check about knives--I expect most had their own, too.  They were a very tough, professional unit at the time and their officers trusted them."

. . . .

"They were proud of their personal weapons and showed me them on the plane going over.  Officers either looked away or weren't present when they lifted their shirts or reached in their packs to show me the guns and personal knives."

I MIGHT WELL SUSPECT THE OFFICERS LOOKED THE OTHER WAY BECAUSE THEY WERE CARRYING A PERSONAL WEAPON OR A KNIFE TOO!!

A unit moving en masse to Vietnam the criteria for personnel having a weapon non-authorized in the possession not so METICULOUSLY ENFORCED!!

coolbert.