Recent content by James45

Excellent article. In the USMC, I was issued an M-16 with the 3-prong flash suppressor. As the author notes, in heavy brush, those open prongs would get hung up on every small branch or vine. It was exasperating, resulting in many muttered oaths as one patrolled along. A remedy was little “shoot...

Excellent, informative article. As a young boy, I remember my uncle, a police detective, sometimes visiting my grandmother’s house for lunch. He always wore a fine suit. He carried one revolver in a shoulder harness and another in an ankle holster.

Excellent and informative article! Recently, I was visiting the Togus National Cemetery in Togus, Maine. Walking along the headstones, I came upon the grave of Pvt. David J. Scannell (1875-1923), USMC, awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the defense of the Peking Legation.

Thirty-five years ago, my USMC infantry platoon was in South American training with Chilean Marines. They had the MG-3 machine gun, a near clone of the MG-42. I remember it fired much faster than our M-60s. The Chileans spoke highly about their gun’s reliability, plus the ease of performing...

Interesting, excellent article. To read that these SOG patrols worked in enemy territory beyond friendly artillery support or even radio range, is a true testament to their professionalism and skill.

Mr. Ayoob, excellent and informative article. Thank you for writing.

Thank you for any excellent Christmas story. I was in the USMC infantry for years but only in peacetime. One year, my company was training in Korea during the holidays. We had a plywood mess hall with pallets for flooring. Outside it was raining, cold and endless mud everywhere. Nevertheless...

Excellent, informative article. Good training info, useful and well-written. To the author, keep up the good work.

Excellent and informative article. I fire .40 often. I agree with the author that 165 gr. seems to be the optimum bullet weight for this caliber.

Excellent and informative article. I was in the USMC infantry. I never went to a winter survival school, but spent nights in the snow during training when it was -20 F. Dang! It was cold! Thanks again for writing.

My infantry battalion (stationed at 29 Palms, California) was the first USMC unit to receive the A2. It was 1984. When I was handed my new rifle, I distinctly remember the round handguards felt strange in my hand vs. the familiar triangular handguards of the A1 which we had carried for years...

Excellent article. Thanks for writing.

About ten years ago, I bought a few dozen .45 ACP rounds that were headstamped 1917 and 1918. All but one round fired. Not bad for ammo almost 100 years old.

Excellent, interesting article. While in Ukraine in 2014, I saw a KV-2 on a pedestal in a park in Dnipropetrovsk. Big tank!

I was aware of these Japanese balloons, but learned more thanks to this excellent article. Sad to read that children and a woman were killed by one of them.