AirCommando
US Veteran
Why don't you tell these guys! I was usually off on my own upcountry in civvies. Military guys weren't there. I forgot what that is. Heck, we didn't even have the Stars & Stripes!
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S&W In VietNam ?
- Thread starter marine1970
- Start date
Yes. No one who served will ever forget being "short." I was gone 24 months. I'll never forget stepping off the plane at Travis AFB, knowing my best friend would be there to pick me up, and breathing the free air of the USA again!
My best to all my fellow vets!
JP
AirCommando
US Veteran
From me too,JP.
I do remember we used to make jokes..
I'm so short,.....
I do remember we used to make jokes..
I'm so short,.....
Chipmunk6
Member
Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you with open arms asking you to wrap your arms around Macktech and his family, and show them the love only you can. Amen
prayers up
Chipmunk6
prayers up
Chipmunk6
BruceHMX
Member
Below is a post from one of my threads a while ago. It firts the theme of this thread pretty well. The only Vietnam pic is the botom one.
Here is a pic of an WWII Australian airman in 1943 with a 38-200 S&W Military and Police. Below that is my revolver of the same type.
Here are a group of WWII RAAF (Australian Airforce) crew with Victorys. Carried cross draw.
This is of an Australian soldier guarding a prisoner in Korea with his Victory...yeas we used them for a loooong time
This is a photo od US General James Van Fleet presenting Australian 3 RAR (Royal Australian Regiment) with a Presidential Unit Citation in Korea. Gen. Van Fleet is carrying an ivory handled Smith
And lastly..this looks a bit strange..it is an Australian Army Sapper (engineer) doing tunnel clearing exercises with the US Military in Vietnam. He has some pretty strange gear but also carries a silenced S&W revolver!
Hope you like them
Mike
Thanks Mike for the great pics!!
My son & I love your Lithgows. Have them in 303 and 22. I also have a nice 1923 Enfield 455 that is Aussie Navy marked. Have to post some pics. Sure wish you could send me an L1A1 from Lithgow that red wood is beautiful!!
Take Care
Bruce & Ed
Hello
I'm not certain if I should be posting in this topic, seeing as I was in the Service a bit later (1989-1993).
Anyway, here is a photo of my 1966/1967 era made Model 10-5. So revolvers similar to mine were issued to Aircrew?
This is one of my only two S&W Revolvers, and I have used this photo already like 26 times, sorry about that LOL.
Thank you
Mark
Keepp posting that picture, it is wonderful weapon. You have every right to be proud of it.
Amazing story. Thanks for sharing it with us. My best to your Pappy.
MackTech
Member
Thanks everyone, Visitation was tonight, funeral tommorrow. I was hopeing to get an honor guard from Ft Cambell but it was to short of a notice. Pappy was a lifetime member of the VFW and him and his friends would do the honor guard/21 gun salute for other veterans that had died ( I have pictures of it). He used his 03 Springfield that he brought back from Europe for honor guard, those blackpower blanks did ruin the barrel on the Springfield. I have much to tell about him and will start a thread in the Lounge to honor him. Will be in a few weeks though. I also found a cool pic of Pappy's Dad, Herman Cleveland Ward, he was holding a nickle plated top-break revolver,The gun is still in the house as I remember playing with it as a kid. The picture is dated 1898.
amazingflapjack
US Veteran
AirCommando
US Veteran
I'm sorry for your loss, Mack. I'm also sorry I kind of stepped on your post. I buried my dad in my uniform a few years after I got back. It's tough.
Coldshooter
Member
In 1977 I was part of a newly formed OV-1 unit and we received all new weapons. The S&W were Model 10 as I recall, in perfect shape no bluing wear. All 12 we had were barrel marked US Navy. Did the Navy have a large contract?
michael thornton
Member
i have a 14-1 that was shipped to usaf marked afpg, for the air force shooting team
cjtraining
US Veteran
From 1963-1967 I was an AP at a SAC base stateside. The revolvers we had were S&W M10 and Colt Official Police. All were stamed "Property of U.S. Navy and worn out. In May 1967 we got new M15's and I seperated in September '67. The Navy must have had a ship load of revolvers.
to repond to a few of the posts- the guy who mentioned grease guns- my guard unit still had grease guns for the mechanic in the m88 recovery vehicle crew until 2001 when they were traded in for m16A2's. during my brief stint in the USAFR the one time we went to the range we were issed model 15's -this was long after the beretta was adopted.
During my time in both Iraq and Afghanistan we saw all kinds of captured weapons but no S&W's- a bunch of top break enfields were found including one from a guy who shot at us with it- were were in up armored humvees at the time!
a friend was issued in vietnam a model 15 as an intel officer- he claims it was stamped "USAID" for us agency for international development or some such. He relates a story of shooting an escped prisoner 5 times with it to no effect. After that incident he scrounged up an m1911 and m14 to carry.
During my time in both Iraq and Afghanistan we saw all kinds of captured weapons but no S&W's- a bunch of top break enfields were found including one from a guy who shot at us with it- were were in up armored humvees at the time!
a friend was issued in vietnam a model 15 as an intel officer- he claims it was stamped "USAID" for us agency for international development or some such. He relates a story of shooting an escped prisoner 5 times with it to no effect. After that incident he scrounged up an m1911 and m14 to carry.
MacGuffin
Member
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2008
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Man, what a thread!
I did some research on this photo a while back. Apparently, General Loan acquired the revolver from U.S. Air Force intelligence officers. The revolver was a S&W Model 38 Airweight Bodyguard. This info was gleaned from General Loan in 1979 by a NY times reporter during an interview. At the time, General Loan was running a restaurant in Virginia, about 20 miles south of D.C.
Great thread, folks! Threads like these are my favorite reason for visiting this forum almost daily.
Thanks to all who served, and to those who supported all who served!
I did some research on this photo a while back. Apparently, General Loan acquired the revolver from U.S. Air Force intelligence officers. The revolver was a S&W Model 38 Airweight Bodyguard. This info was gleaned from General Loan in 1979 by a NY times reporter during an interview. At the time, General Loan was running a restaurant in Virginia, about 20 miles south of D.C.
Great thread, folks! Threads like these are my favorite reason for visiting this forum almost daily.
Thanks to all who served, and to those who supported all who served!
jaysouth
US Veteran
In 66 I was with the 8th Cav in Bong Song north of Qui Nhon. We were sweeping villages one day when we got a call that some "little people" were inbound. The little people turned out to be a platoon of VN National Police Field Force. (NPFF) They were a paramilitary group that we compared to the SS. They appearantly did not answer to anyone and were very brutal when interrogating villagers. Anyhow, they were all armed with 6" Model 10s and carbines. After committing a couple of reprisal murders in a village and brutally beating too many detainees, we called for a big bird and got them out of our AO before we could trade them out of any Smiths.
My squad leader brought a blued 39 over with him. After he got killed, it was discovered that a firearm could not be sent with his other belongings. When last seen, the battalion SgtMaj was carrying it. Our Ops sgt carried a model 10 that he swore that he stole from an avation battalion. Our battalion commander carried an M-1 Garand that he swore with a straight face that he had carried in WWII. He loved to shoot it at ground targets from his CharlieCharlie huey. Sometimes I would fly port door gunner/forward observer. He always scared the **** out of his air crew and staff officers when he started shooting his M-1. Despite his claims, no one ever wittnesed his shooting having any effect.
Our chopper crews all carried M-10s. This was the 1st Cav and there were thousands of air crew members. Everyone refused to carry the clapped out 1911s that we had.
While on light duty for a couple of months, I was at Tan Son Nhut AB in Saigon. All the zoomies(air farce types) including air force aircrews were carrying M-15. Some also had AR-15s. While there I 'acquired' a Karl Gustav(some call the Swedish Ks) from a spook. It was fun to shoot and had a very "cool" quotient. I made up a hand recept so it looked like I was carrying an issued weapon to keep the zoomie security police off my back when I came in and out the front gate. It would up getting chrome plated and screwed to a placqe that I gave to my Division commander who presented to the CO of the zoomie hospital where I was termporarily assigned. It was inscribed "with appreciation from the officers and men of the 1st Cav for outstanding services rendered" Wonder there that sucker is now?
On several trips back over to VN from entension leaves, I would buy $50 Miroku snub nose .38s and sell them to straps(REMFs) for several multiples of what I paid for them. I once bought a grease gun for a carton of Kool Filter Kings from an ARVN. After playing with it for several months and shooting it some, I came to the realization that I got screwed on that deal. I sold it to a seabee for a case of steaks.
Smiths in VN? All over the place and everything else that you could think of. We found Springfields, Enfields, and Mausers in caves. Sure wish they could talk. We once rolled over the body of a VC paymaster and found a french MAT submachine gun. ARVNs still had Thompsons of which a lot of wound up in the hands of GIs who traded them for something.
Things have sure changed in the army. If you got caught now with a weapon that you were not issued, you could go to jail. Some units are even that chicken about knives and sunglasses.
My squad leader brought a blued 39 over with him. After he got killed, it was discovered that a firearm could not be sent with his other belongings. When last seen, the battalion SgtMaj was carrying it. Our Ops sgt carried a model 10 that he swore that he stole from an avation battalion. Our battalion commander carried an M-1 Garand that he swore with a straight face that he had carried in WWII. He loved to shoot it at ground targets from his CharlieCharlie huey. Sometimes I would fly port door gunner/forward observer. He always scared the **** out of his air crew and staff officers when he started shooting his M-1. Despite his claims, no one ever wittnesed his shooting having any effect.
Our chopper crews all carried M-10s. This was the 1st Cav and there were thousands of air crew members. Everyone refused to carry the clapped out 1911s that we had.
While on light duty for a couple of months, I was at Tan Son Nhut AB in Saigon. All the zoomies(air farce types) including air force aircrews were carrying M-15. Some also had AR-15s. While there I 'acquired' a Karl Gustav(some call the Swedish Ks) from a spook. It was fun to shoot and had a very "cool" quotient. I made up a hand recept so it looked like I was carrying an issued weapon to keep the zoomie security police off my back when I came in and out the front gate. It would up getting chrome plated and screwed to a placqe that I gave to my Division commander who presented to the CO of the zoomie hospital where I was termporarily assigned. It was inscribed "with appreciation from the officers and men of the 1st Cav for outstanding services rendered" Wonder there that sucker is now?
On several trips back over to VN from entension leaves, I would buy $50 Miroku snub nose .38s and sell them to straps(REMFs) for several multiples of what I paid for them. I once bought a grease gun for a carton of Kool Filter Kings from an ARVN. After playing with it for several months and shooting it some, I came to the realization that I got screwed on that deal. I sold it to a seabee for a case of steaks.
Smiths in VN? All over the place and everything else that you could think of. We found Springfields, Enfields, and Mausers in caves. Sure wish they could talk. We once rolled over the body of a VC paymaster and found a french MAT submachine gun. ARVNs still had Thompsons of which a lot of wound up in the hands of GIs who traded them for something.
Things have sure changed in the army. If you got caught now with a weapon that you were not issued, you could go to jail. Some units are even that chicken about knives and sunglasses.
My short stay in Viet Nam only lasted from Feb. into March of 1968. i was an AF C-130 engine mechanic. I was there TDY with the 38th TAS that was also there TDY. I went from Tachicowa AB in Japan to Nha Trang. When we left Tachi we were issued M16's for E4 and below. The E5's and up were given the option of an M-16 or a revolver as a side arm. I couldn't tell you what they were but were probably some model of a 4" S&W.
As soon as we landed in country at Nha Trang the first thing we had to do was turn in all the weapons and they were secured in a conex container near the flight line shops. I did manage to maintain control of 2 loaded 20 round magazines that I carried in the side pouches of my tool bag.
This was the only time in my 4 years of service I was ever issued a weapon. For those forum members who might be familiar with Nha Trang during early '68, we mechanics were quite safe, but there was VC activity within a mile or two of the base almost every day. Our Sky Raiders tended to help out during the day and at night, Spooky, as the AC47's were named, tended to keep the VC in check.
LTC
As soon as we landed in country at Nha Trang the first thing we had to do was turn in all the weapons and they were secured in a conex container near the flight line shops. I did manage to maintain control of 2 loaded 20 round magazines that I carried in the side pouches of my tool bag.
This was the only time in my 4 years of service I was ever issued a weapon. For those forum members who might be familiar with Nha Trang during early '68, we mechanics were quite safe, but there was VC activity within a mile or two of the base almost every day. Our Sky Raiders tended to help out during the day and at night, Spooky, as the AC47's were named, tended to keep the VC in check.
LTC
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Speaking to a neighbors teenage son last week he was telling me how they are taught in school that we lost the Viet Nam war. Being a sharp lad I informed him that in fact we won the Viet Nam war. Perplexed he asked how that could be, so I enlightened him to the facts.
1. We compelled the North Vietnam to sign and agree to the Paris Peace accords in 1973. Thus ending the war, freeing our POWs and we withdrew.
2. Two years later the North violated the terms of the accord and invaded the South once again.
3. The US Congress refused to fund the South or recommit troops and so the South was defeated and South Vietnam not the USA lost the war.
I told him to ask his teacher, how do you lose a war when you departed two years earlier. Yesterday this bright teenager told me he questioned his teacher, who did some research and came back saying he was right. To many teachers have learned about Viet Nam from the revisionists leftys who protested the war later becoming teachers themselves, then they perpetuate the lie over and over. Those of us who were there know better.
1. We compelled the North Vietnam to sign and agree to the Paris Peace accords in 1973. Thus ending the war, freeing our POWs and we withdrew.
2. Two years later the North violated the terms of the accord and invaded the South once again.
3. The US Congress refused to fund the South or recommit troops and so the South was defeated and South Vietnam not the USA lost the war.
I told him to ask his teacher, how do you lose a war when you departed two years earlier. Yesterday this bright teenager told me he questioned his teacher, who did some research and came back saying he was right. To many teachers have learned about Viet Nam from the revisionists leftys who protested the war later becoming teachers themselves, then they perpetuate the lie over and over. Those of us who were there know better.
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