Had to explain to the wife

[squatting dog]

Why I still walk with a forward tilt, and have a back issue.

 

[911]

Why I still walk with a forward tilt, and have a back issue.

View attachment 103249

Yeah, I remember those times. We would be hanging out at our base camp when the Lieutenant would yell to us to grab our pack. Mine weighed anywhere between 40-60 pounds, not including my M16. I also carried an M203. The Blooper Man had the worse of it.

 

[Butterfly]

What was the Blooper Man?

 

[squatting dog]

What was the Blooper Man?

M-79 grenade launcher.

 

[squatting dog]

Besides carrying his loaded rucksack, an M-79 carrier also had a vest full of different grenades to carry. Nothing like adding a few more explosive pounds to your person, in front no less. Picture of the vest carrying the grenades.

 

[MeAgain]

For all those who went to war and still live with it today war still is and always will be a little bit of hell.
I still wish our leaders and their sons were first to go and last to leave.Maybe we wouldn't have so many wars then,but thank you for those who did go.God blss you and I too will never forget what I saw at the VA Hospitals in Columbus Ga, and Decatur Ga. in the late 60s and 70s. Plus some today who we were stopped from visiting 20 years ago under the guise of " protectign outr vets".

 

[911]

M-79 grenade launcher.

View attachment 104111

Yeah, that’s it alright. Those grenades are heavy. It was really difficult when trying to walk through marshland. You felt like you had cement boots on.
Didn’t they also call the M-79 a ‘Thumper?’

 

[oldman]

I had to explain to my wife who "Kilroy" was. My dad, being in the Army for the better part of his life, would from time to time mention the name Kilroy. I asked him one day who Kilroy was. Well, a few years later, my dad was talking with the TV repairman and the TV guy said that he had to take the set into the shop. Dad said that maybe Kilroy could fix it. The repair guy asked dad who was Kilroy and he told him, but the story had changed. This bothered me off and on for maybe a month and I asked Dad why did he tell me a different story of who Kilroy was from what he told the TV repairman. He told me to "Stand Down" I was maybe only about ten at the time and I didn't know what that meant either.

Fast forward to 1970, we were walking into a bar in Saigon and on the side of the door was a sign that read, (you guessed it), "Kilroy was here." I said to my buddy that was with me that I didn't know who this guy Kilroy was, but he sure gets a round.

 

[squatting dog]

Didn’t they also call the M-79 a ‘Thumper?’

Absolutely. In fact, that's all I ever heard it called when I was there. Also, everyone where we were called the M-60 "the pig".

 

[squatting dog]

Yeah, that’s it alright. Those grenades are heavy. It was really difficult when trying to walk through marshland. You felt like you had cement boots on.

Most people can't even imagine what it was like stomping in the mud or even in the elephant grass while packing all you needed on your back. I Always felt bad for those grenade guys, and often wondered how many of those guy's didn't make it home.