Aesop, while talking about Russia’s use of old artilllery in Ukraine, pontificates upong the American use of… vintage equipment.
I Sh*t Thee Not, my first issued helmet – in the Fleet -was a WWII steel pot with VN-era camo leaf pattern cover, my flak vest was a Korean War-era turtle-plate hand-me-down, and I carried an M-16A1. In 1984. Yes, really.
Yeah? Seven years later, 1991, my issued rifle was an original edition M16. Not A1; M16. Tapered “triangular” handguard, no forward assist button.
And yes, the steel pot. I wasn’t actually issued a flack jacket for Desert Shield/Storm, but what I had in Turkey, mid-80s, was this.
Vietnam era M69; so Aesop has me beat on that one.
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Yawn.
In 1984, at Ft Lewis, I was issued an XM16E1 with a chrome plated bolt and no forward assist.
In 1992 I was issued an M1911, no A1, that was older than my father. And outshot all the MPs with their new M9s…
My issue handgun was always the S&W Model 15, in .38 Special. Says here that USAF finally ditched the last of those in … 2020.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/26810/the-usaf-is-finally-ditching-the-last-of-its-cold-war-revolvers-for-new-semi-auto-pistols