Weapons Used in Vietnam

During the Vietnam war many different kinds of weapons were used by infantrymen. From assault rifles to flame throwers, they were used for all kinds of purposes from killing North Vietnamese to cooking their food. The most common weapons used by the infantrymen were the M16, the M-60, C4, M72 LAW, and remote detonated Claymores. 

To start we will look at the M16 assault rifle which is famous today for its light weight and durability. It was also known for its high accuracy and easily available ammunition. It was a burst to full auto fire gun, which had a magazine that could hold 20-30 rounds of ammunition. It also had a range of several 

hundred yards which made it great for long distance fighting in the jungle. For the most part this was the main weapon used by American soldiers during the Vietnam War.

The M-60 was a heavy mounted machine gun used for heavy suppressive fire. It was a fully automatic gun with a range of up to 2000 yards when attached to a helicopter. It could also be used from the hip and was capable of shooting 550 bullets in matter of seconds, this made it great for mowing down enemies hidden in thick brush. Due to the weight of the ammunition, the soldiers had a limited supply due to the fact that there were no trucks to carry their ammunition, and only had access to what they could carry. So, for the most part this was a heavy support weapon used to keep back large groups of Vietcong. 

C4 is one of three different kinds of explosives that many infantry cared around. It is a high energy explosive which is extremely stable making it perfect for being used by common infantry. This is because it could only be set off by a high shock such as an explosion to its surface. So, even being mushed and reshaped would not set it off.  Other than being safe to carry it was also extremely powerful for even a small ball of it could blow up an entire house. This made it great for when soldiers needed a lot of power in the field. Though ironically enough it was also used as a cooking agent, as I stated before it is extremely stable  and consequently even when lit on fire it didn’t explode. So, many men used this to heat their food since their heating tablets never seemed to work. 

The M72 Law was a small foldable rocket launcher with a 5 shell magazine with the explosive capability to take out light vehicles. It was commonly used as a ranged attack vs. buildings of enemy camps. It was also used to take out bunkers and enemies in heavy brush. Once all of its bullets were used it had no more purpose and was left behind by many soldiers. They would destroy the M72 first so that no Vietcong could get ammo for it and use it. 

Another explosive commonly used was the Claymore.  This is like a land mine only it sticks out of the ground. It can either be hooked up to a trip wire or it can be remotely detonated. This was a great weapon for keeping a perimeter. The one problem was that the Vietcong had a special soldier which was stealthy enough to be able to sneak up unnoticed by American troops and turn around the Claymore. This caused it to explode towards the user when they set it off. 

Remember that in Vietnam back in the ‘70s these weapons were the things that kept our troops alive. So, in the end when you think about why our troops are alive today from Vietnam, remember these weapons as the things that kept them alive. These were the weapons they used in Vietnam. 

Living Conditions

For many soldiers a huge part of the shock of coming to Vietnam was the living conditions. In Vietnam there were two different types of living conditions. There was the rear and the DMZ zone or as many liked to call it the front lines. There are a couple of major differences between the two areas, one for example is you can’t shoot a gun while in the rear. But, when you are in the front lines you can shoot a gun any time. This was because if you shot an enemy while in the rear without proof he shot you first, you would get sent home to go to jail for murder. This is just one of the many differences that there were between the front and the rear.

The rear was the American bases behind the DMZ line in South Vietnam, there were many dangers even though it wasn’t the front line.  The biggest dangers were being surprise attacked and being shelled by mortars. This was because these bases were the main bases of operation, where US troops came to get orders and supplies, making them prime targets to the North Vietcong.  An example is whenever men went out to  guard the perimeter they would sit in bunkers to keep them safe but at night the bunkers were bombed and for the most part it was actually safer to sit outside than in the bunker. 

There were rules for living in the rear, the main one being that it was illegal to shoot anyone, even the enemy, unless shot at first. Because, if you shot a Vietcong without proving he or she shot you; you were convicted of murder and then sent back to America to go to prison. This was a huge disadvantage to soldiers in the rear, as it made guarding themselves very difficult. 

Food wise there was a large selection which ranged from canned food to hamburgers. For the most part though there was also fresh food, though sometimes they had to eat canned food. So, there wasn’t many complaints on food in the rear for there was always plenty of good healthy food.

Life in the DMZ or the front lines was fraught with plenty of dangers. For the most part they worried about diseases, being shot, and getting killed by booby traps.  These were the day to day things that a soldier in Vietnam had to worry about. An example of one of these dangers was the traps.  When troops are walking through the forest they would sometimes come upon Claymores, which if set off killed the person nearest to the device and wounds all the men around him. Also, there were pit traps and log traps that were also a danger to the US troops. 

The food soldiers received out in the DMZ was what was called C rations. These were for all sakes and purposes canned foods of all different kinds. Each soldier received a can opener to open their food along with some heating tablets and purification tablets. They were to use the heating tablets to heat up their food, though much of the time they didn’t work so many soldiers just used C4 to heat up their food. C4 was perfect for heating up food because of how the highly flammable explosive was so stable that lighting it on fire did not make it explode. The purification tablets they used were for purifying water they would find in the jungle to make it safe to drink and eat. Though for the most part these tablets didn’t work causing many soldiers to get diseased with worms, making them sick in general. 

Life in Vietnam for the soldiers was not easy or safe in any way. For the most part they where living in the jungle, sleeping on their helmets and the ground. They also had to watch their friends get shot and sometimes get killed.  Life in Vietnam was never easy but the soldiers marched on and persevered. 

What it Felt Like to be in The Battle Feild

When looking back at the war one of the most common questions people ask is, what does it feel like to be in the field of combat. For many soldiers this is a very hard question to answer, because for many it is very emotional and hard to talk about. Though from what many say when you are in combat it either feels like the battle goes on for weeks or it was there and then it is gone. Also, another factor of the field of combat is the medical treatment that soldiers get and how well they are treated. 

To start this exhibit we are going to start at the beginning of each battle which is just you sitting in a war zone. This for many soldiers was a normal and not uncommon circumstance. For many veterans who had been fighting for a while it caused no stress to be in this situation. Though for new men in the field this was one of the most terrifying times. This is because you have no idea where the enemy is, if they are watching you, and if they are going to kill you. For many they felt high amounts of stress and anxiety from being in this situation for long periods of time. 

The next level of combat is the battle itself where you are actively under fire and have to fight.  Soldiers reaction to being in combat varies widely. For many the most exhilarating thing they have ever done, getting a rush of adrenaline making them feel alive. For others it is the most terrifying thing they have ever done, making everything feel slow and giving them an intense sense of fear. There are many who experience a wide range of emotions in between and including both ends of the spectrum.

After that combat medics would move in to take care of the wounded and injured soldiers. They would first decide if you were combat worthy or needed medical attention. If you where combat worthy you were patched up and stayed with your squad. If you were not combat worthy they would assess your damages as extreme wounds or less severe wounds. If you were marked as having extreme wounds

you were sent off in a helicopter back to the rear to get medical treatment. Though if it was extremely bad and beyond their capabilities they would send you to Japan to get even higher medical treatment. For the most part the soldiers were given high quality, and fast treatment. But there were exceptions to this, one of which was when soldiers wounds were left untreated and getting infected and needing extensive surgical treatment. This happened to a number of patients but not that many on the larger scale of the war.

For many this was an experience, that while filled with horrendous pain and suffering, was life changing. This was an experience that taught them about themselves and others around them. To this day many soldiers remember Vietnam as one of the most life changing events in their lives, and one that they would do again. It forever changed each man’s perspective on life and on the world.

Annotated Bibliography

Source:http://www.hitguns.com/AGM-M16-A3-Full-Metal-Airsoft-Gun-p/agm-m16-a3-034.htm

Annotation:I got a picture of a M16 from this website.

Source:http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/boston-south/Inactive-Claymore-mine-found-in-Raynham-storage-locker/-/9848842/17527890/-/e8jul5z/-/index.html

Annotation:I got a picture of a claymore from this website.

Source:http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2010/10/14/bisphenol-a-bpa-found-in-virtually-all-canned-foods/

Annotation:I got a picture of canned food from this website.

Source:http://www.glynn.k12.ga.us/BHS/academics/junior/durham/megane23540/home.html

Annotation:I got a picture of medics from this website.

Source:http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~brot20s/classweb/worldpolitics/p3.html

Annotation:  This website gave me a short history of Vietnam.

Source:https://sites.google.com/site/nam2011ap/soldier-life

Annotation: This website gave me a description of the soldiers lives. 

 Source:http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/s_z/stevens/africanamer.htm

Annotation: This website gave me insight on the lives and thoughts of black solders in Vietnam. 

 Source:http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html

Annotation: This web site gave me statistics and numbers about Vietnam. 

Source:http://www.history.com/topics/weapons-of-the-vietnam-war/photos#vietnam-war

Annotation: This web site gave me pictures from Vietnam.

Source:http://www.military.com/Resources/HistorySubmittedFileView?file=history_vietnamwar.htm

Annotation: I found lots of information about the war from this website and what it was like to live in it. 

Source:http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_were_the_fighting_and_living_conditions_like_in_the_Vietnam_War

Annotation: This web page gave me a view of what the living conditions where like in Vietnam. 

Source:http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamwar.htm

Annotation: This website gave me a short history on the Vietnam War

Source:http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_life_like_for_a_soldier_in_the_Vietnam_War#

Annotation: This website gives a description of what it was like to be a soldier in the Vietnam war. 

Source: Schreffler, Tom. In Person Interview. May 15 2013. 

Annotation: Tom Schreffler is my grandfather and a Vietnam veteran who lived through the experience. He gave me great information about it and loads on insight into the war its self.