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To: Chainmail

Yep, that is pretty well how it goes with sailors and small arms. The thing though is each of those ships has several rated gunners mates on the crew. These people are actually trained in the use and maintain of small arms. Why they are not utilized to work with the crews is beyond me.


68 posted on 02/28/2015 8:35:20 AM PST by X Fretensis
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To: X Fretensis
While I am telling my stories (the curse of being an old guy), during that same period, I was responsible for the Seal Team Two weapons allowances and ammunition procurement.

Since I was a Marine Captain, the SEALs were not easy to work with and we had pretty wide differences in opinion about what weapons were needed. When I went to their armory to have a look the first time, I spotted everything and anything, including a 7.92mm Czech ZB, a whole bunch of worn-out and ratty AKs and a single Type 14 Nambu pistol and when I asked them about them, they just gave me that know-it-all look and said "who knows where or when we might need them".

My biggest confrontation was when they wanted me to get a dozen MAC-10 SMGs with suppressors. Cobray was out of business for years and they aren't the most suitable combat weapon as far as quality, ruggedness, etc. - they're really mostly a weapon for drug gangs - I recommended H&K MP5s. They insisted on the MAC-10s and the Admiral told me to get MAC-10s. I did and the day they got them, they took them to the indoor range at a Virginia Beach gunshop and burned through 6,000 rounds of 9mm and wore out all of their suppressors.

Being a Marine officer, putting me in charge of these characters wasn't really a good fit and I was happy when I transferred to other duties.

77 posted on 03/01/2015 6:42:51 AM PST by Chainmail (A simple rule of life: if you can be blamed, you're responsible.)
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