issuing military pistols

US Air Force

WHile serving in Viet Nam (1968) I worked in the air transportation field. I was on a combat mobility team assigned to a small airfield in the cental highland. The normal issue was a M-16 and a 100 rounds. being in and out of aircraft and forklifts, our NCOIC had to request we be issused side arms. the S&W .38 cal combat masterpiece. When I left the team i gave my replacement a 45 acp, 12guage shoot gun and M60 machine gun. Our team armed our selfs, learned to use the arms we borrowed from the Army or Marines. My team mates are Air Force Combat vetrans. and we earmed the name Mortor Magnets.
 
US Air Force

WHile serving in Viet Nam (1968) I worked in the air transportation field. I was on a combat mobility team assigned to a small airfield in the cental highland. The normal issue was a M-16 and a 100 rounds. being in and out of aircraft and forklifts, our NCOIC had to request we be issused side arms. the S&W .38 cal combat masterpiece. When I left the team i gave my replacement a 45 acp, 12guage shot gun and M60 machine gun. Our team armed our selfs, learned to use the arms we borrowed from the Army or Marines. My team mates are Air Force Combat vetrans. and we earmed the name Mortor Magnets. sorry for the double post:o
 
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Air Force comms

As an Air Force comms guy I deployed to Philippines Islands and Iraq. I was M9 qualified for courier duty in my unit in Japan, from which I deployed to Philippines Islands. In the Philippines I had a units M9 that was kept in the arms room, it only went out with me once and that was for courier duty on my last day in camp.

In southern Iraq, all AF SNCO and officers were armed with M9s during duty hours, which after for us comm guys was turned in to the comm arms room. The regular enlisted had issued M16A2s stored in the arms rooms.

Khest
 
Generally, Force Protection, MP's. Officers, NCOS that support Officers, regular soldiers qualified to carry to the M9, and chaplain assistants.
 
Pistols are issued based upon the task the individual serviceman does, like being an M-60 machinegunner, officer, paymaster or upon when a certain level of security is dictated. Back around June 4, 1944, when the security level for the D-Day invasion was upped, many rear echelon personnel were ordered to carry sidearms. During the cold war when things suddenly heated up and security was upped, support personnel in key positions were ordered to carry sidearms with them on a 24/7 basis here inside of the U.S. This was for events like when the Cuban Missile Crisis happened. And certain special people, like shooters from the U.S. Olympic Pistol Team were also allowed to carry/use their pistols as they move to and from different duty stations.
 
To: "Clay in Tx;"

Dear Sir:

Thank You for your service.

Do you mind sharing what birds you flew in (17'S, 24'S, 29'S?)

What was your postion-turret?

My Dad was a PT Skipper in the Solomons. He brought home his 1911. It had kind of a greenish OD finish on it IIRC.

JB
 
This tread continues to be interesting, and, if anything, it shows that nothing is black and white when it comes to weapons, speaking here only of the army.

What is authorized may not be issued.
What is issued may not be used.
What is used may not have been issued.

In a war zone, weapons abound. They may not be the latest by any means, either. It will take a while before there is enough of something new for everyone to have one that is authorized one.

There will probably be captured weapons around, though currently and historically, attitudes (official and otherwise) and practices have varied. They will always be interesting, however, and sometimes they may even be considered superior, if only because they had them and you didn't. If an army is short of weapons, captured equipment may be used if ammunition is also available. In any case, there will generally be official regulations as to the handling of captured ordnance. If nothing else, there will eventually be a market for it after the war.

Units may be in possession of unauthorized equipment because of changes in organization or just as likely, general scrounging for something they think is essential. That wouldn't be possible in garrison but the situation in the field is wide open. And just like someone who's lived in the same house for 20 or 30 years, a unit that has been based in the same place for ten years or longer accumulates a lot of junk. Some useful, some for comfort, and some stuff they are stuck with. My son's unit in Germany was in possession of two White half-tracks. My unit still had at least one M75 or M59 APC.

There usually aren't all that many handguns (My company even had revolvers) around because compared to other things, they weren't as useful as civilians who do all their shooting at indoor ranges think they are.
 
Madcap Magician

As far as being in the turrets with a M9, it does help when they get to close and can't swing the gun down as it is undeniabely easier to use a pistol in a turret opposed to a rifle. I haven't seen many people in a turret with one though, as we don't usually have just one person for that job. Also, it is supposedly used as a sort of escalation of force. The people over here and Iraq are so used to seeing rifles that they don't really fret. When they see a pistol pointed at them, it usually means business. Again, I say supposedly.
 
TOE can be different for different units - even when you're in the same MOS. Or you can get promoted and go from being assigned an M16 to being assigned a pistol. For me it was the M1911.

I can tell you one thing though, at least CONUS, the lieutenants would get bothered by NCOs carrying pistols. It was like we we stepping on their perks or something.

I'm sure in a theater of war they have more important things to worry about so they probably don't care.
 
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