What sidearm did your group carry back in the day?
My group was just ST-2 in the 80s. Different answer at UDTs or ST-2 in Cali. But we used, believe it or not, the S+W Model 39, with barrels threaded for “hush puppies.”
We also had, again believe it or not, all kinds of odds and ends like S&W .38s from the Humphrey Bogart era I think. True. On the west coast, they were using 1911s.
We could carry personal side arms, which helped a lot. But each team had its own bizarre ancient unexplainable supply chain, depending on local personalities and other quirks of fate.
I think the Glock 19 is a terrific choice as a “universal pistol” to train the troops on. It’s the most common 3rd-world black-market battlefield-pickup there is. Like an AK-47. Good on the USMC for going practical, not quirky, based on some guru-d-jour sold them on.