I was a SAW gunner in the ‘90s, and I was thankful for that versus the 240. That 240 is a heavy beast, and I wanted no part of it. The tripod + spare barrels the assistant gunner for a 240 had to carry made his life equally sucky.
I don’t doubt that at all (and thank you for serving)
I read an interesting account from the book “No True Glory” about the Battle of Fallujah, and in it, one of the Marines was killed and his SAW was taken by insurgents who were still holed up in the house, and the Marines were extremely concerned that the weapon could be used against them by insurgents.
They full well knew the damage that weapon could inflict on the human body...
I was an assistant gunner for an M60 crew during training in the Seabees. The tripod was so awkward; could never figure the best way to carry it or strap it on my back. I’ve wondered ever since why there wasn’t a fitted holder designed for that very purpose. (Then again, I was a Navy guy doing training under Marine supervision. Maybe my difficulty was their way of having a little fun?)