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Posted: 7/7/2026 3:26:15 PM EDT
[Last Edit: ArmaLite_Aficionado][Edited]
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I wrote a thread a while back about a new friend I made in January, who is a Vietnam War vet. He was in 1/A/4-31 IN/196th LIB/23rd ID (Americal). Their fighting is not as well remembered as are other battles from the 101 or 1st Cav. etc., as they were light infantry and walked everywhere. However, in talking with my friend and reading the books, I have come to find that these men fought a gritty, prolonged war of attrition, regularly pitted up against NVA regulars, usually the seasoned NVA 2nd Division. They fought primarily in the Que Son Valley (Death Valley), which contains Hiep Duc, and is close to the SF base that was overrun at Kham Duc. They also fought in the Song Chang Valley (AK Valley), which contains Nui Lon (the hilltop where my friend was wounded). The author of the third book’s company (A/3-21) later refused orders to leave Nui Lon to attack an NVA bunker complex after 5 days of trying to seize it. This happened about a year after he left. 3-21 IN also fought in the DMZ in a fierce attack and then defense of the hamlet of Nhi Ha. Since meeting my friend, I have read 3x books about various echelons of his unit. One book, Twenty Days In May: Vietnam 1968 - Mansfield, is about his platoon. The second book, Through the Valley - Humphries, mentioned in the linked thread above, is about the 196th and covers the period while he was there, and mentions his platoon and company many times throughout. That one was a great read. In that book, there is one mention of the author seeing a man with a jammed/broken down M16 dead in a fighting position. The third book I read is My Story, Vietnam 1968, 196th Light Infantry Brigade - Lyles, and is about one man’s experience as a grunt in a sister unit (1/A/3-21 IN/196th LIB/23rd ID) in the brigade during the same period. I saw a few passages in this book I had never considered as they relate to utilizing the M16 in the jungle. Worth noting, it sounds like the author had an A1. He says that “earlier M16s” (the XM16E1) were known to have problems. He was issued one with “the new flash hider,” and said his never failed him. At the end of the book, when he was redeploying, he tells a story about giving his rifle up at the supply cage and a green NCO asking if he could have his rifle (presumably because the author survived). He survived several close calls, including being recalled out of the field for the NCO academy, during which his platoon was overrun, and many killed. IMAGINE… humping a 70lb ruck, an M14, and 25 mags of 7.62: Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid"
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
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Originally Posted By CapnMike: Great read it makes sense to grease the round in the chamber, especially before the chrome lining. Agreed, probably a lesson passed down from XM times that remained in circulation even with chrome chamber |
"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid"
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
Joined:
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NM, USA
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Thanks for sharing all this. I've read a lot of the history from the development and testing side, but these were all interesting details. I'd never heard about getting the choice of the M14, but I've seen them in photos of this period and wondered about it. The problems of late 66 to mid 67 are hit really hard in "The Gun" and "Misfire" and "American Rifle" and "American Gun" and and and...but they don't include any experiences with the M16A1. Great to read this first-hand experience that is otherwise hard to find. |
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Good reading, thanks. Leeches in the penis? That's crazy to me. I was a Corpsman for 21yrs and never heard of that. Greasing the round in the chamber seems like a no-brainer at that point in time lol, why have we never discussed that on this firearms website? It's a lot to take in. I'm thankful we're blessed with men who bother to record their experiences so we can learn from them decades later. Again, thanks. |
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From my reading it seems that SOG teams carried up to 1,000 rnds of 5.56 on their person and SEAL Team 1 and 2 weren't much different except the SEALs weren't usually out nearly as long...more direct action than recon it seems. Seals sometimes modified backpacks to feed their Stoner 63A belts. Seems SOG teams mostly used CAR15's and enemy weapons. Apparently, the Teams private purchased AR15s before there was even a military contract. And here I am wondering if an LPVO is too heavy on my AR......yes, I have carried bigger toys in uniform but the fickleness of gun owners over accessories is astounding. 
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