Marine With A Revolver In Vietnam
BY Herschel Smith
4 years, 6 months ago
This picture comes to us via reddit/firearms.
It is said that “Marine Sgt. Rudy Soto Jr. was atop the chancery roof, armed only with a 12-gauge shotgun and a .38-caliber revolver. The U.S. ambassador at the time did not believe the Marine Security Guard needed M-16 rifles. His shotgun jammed, and the small-caliber handgun was next to useless at that range.”
That isn’t necessarily related to this picture, although this picture appears to be of a Marine holding a revolver during the Tet offensive near the U.S. embassy.
As to the issue of a “small-caliber handgun” being next to useless at that range, whatever. A 9mm pistol would have been equally useless. That’s not what interests me.
Readers know that I’ve had a fascination with just how far (back and forward) in history revolver usage goes in war.
On March 2, 2020 at 8:48 am, 46 bubba said:
I follow the lead the author posits about restricting certain tools for the job at hand and the ultimate effectiveness of the handgun, but the “ elephant” in the picture is the tool being used by dude on the left. Atypical lead generator used for suppressive fire, or something similar.
Having been assigned a handgun with no reloads to defend myself and my cargo long ago, the revolver puts a check in the box, “armed”, but in reality, one must wonder, really?
On March 2, 2020 at 9:28 am, X said:
“The U.S. ambassador at the time did not believe the Marine Security Guard needed M-16 rifles.”
The U.S. ambassador in a country where we had a half-million troops fighting a war for 12 years didn’t think the Marine embassy guards needed M-16 rifles… but today EVERY PODUNK POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTRY “needs” M-16 rifles when they roll up to your house to kick in the door because you might have a plant growing in your basement or you got into a loud argument with your bitchy wife or gf.
Think about that.
As far as revolvers go, in war you fight with whatever you have in your hand at the moment, not what you would ideally like to have. You should practice trying to hit a B-27 with a revolver at 150 and 200 yards. Nobody wants to get shot, not even with a .38 at 200. A 9mm hi-cap is even better, if for nothing else but suppression fire, it will make the enemy dive for cover and eat dirt. Rounds that fall short can still bounce off the dirt and hit the enemy.
A .44 Mag will lay ’em in there pretty good and still hit quite hard at 150+ yards…
Learn to use every weapon at your disposal to its fullest.
On March 2, 2020 at 1:48 pm, Charles Hines said:
My dad was in the army combat engineers during WWII, he wrote his father asking that he send my dad a pistol. My grandfather was a county judge at the time and just finished trying a murder trail. He wrapped up the murder weapon (i.e., a pistol} and mailed it to my dad, who carried it though out the war. I still have the pistol, 38 special. He kept it on his person at all times and was thankful to have it
On March 2, 2020 at 1:57 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@Charles,
Thanks for the story. Feel free to email me a picture of your father with his wheel gun if you happen to have it and are willing for me to post it.
On March 2, 2020 at 2:33 pm, James Harris said:
Continually amazed at the stupidity and nivete’ of our diplomatic staff. Shades of Bengazi, and Beirut!!!!!
On March 2, 2020 at 6:26 pm, The Old Freedom Fighter said:
First of all, I agree with X, you fight with whatever you have in your hand at that moment in time. It doesn’t matter if it’s a revolver, machete or even your shovel. Keep in mind, it’s your life or the other SOB’s!
As far as handguns in combat, here’s one for you. My grandfather was a WW1 veteran. He was in the 90th Infantry Division better known as the T&O (Texas & Oklahoma aka the Tough H’ombres). Virtually all those cowboys in that division carried a S&W M-1899 38 Special or something similar. He was able to pick one up before hitting the trenches in the spring of 1918. He never used it but said having it along with that Springfield M 103 rifle & a reliable gas mask helped him get through 8 months of up close & personal trench warfare. He showed me that S&W revolver about 60 years ago. However, to this day, I never found out what happened to it!
On March 2, 2020 at 9:04 pm, TRX said:
In the late 1800s the Russian Empire bought so many Smith & Wesson .44 revolvers that S&W shorted American sales in order to meet their commitments. Most of those guns went to the Cossacks (mounted infantry) as fighting handguns. The Cossacks also got something like 3/4 of the entire first production run of Winchester 95 leverguns, chambered in 7.62x54R.
The big S&Ws with their Prideaux speed loaders and the 54R leverguns gave the Cossacks a tremendous advantage in firepower in melee combat.
On March 2, 2020 at 9:26 pm, Frank said:
Not war, but in North Carolina the Prison system used S&W .38 (cant remember the model) until 2007.
On March 2, 2020 at 9:51 pm, Jeffersonian said:
What I want to know is, where did that other guy dig up that Beretta M12?