Anybody here ever lug one around?
BTDT as a joe AG at carson then 12 months as a gunner in FRG
always in charge of the rear gun as a Psg for many many yrs
Lead gun with WSL and PL in movement formations.
Anyways side bar long story.
18 of us WSL,s in 1st Brigade all went to a start up M60 Mg leaders course in 93.
101st had all the wpn systems schools in place before desert storm.
Put on Hiatus due to billy boy DOD ammo cut backs for 2 yrs in 92 and 93 due to ammo forecast being severly cut back.
Anyways the guy they had " teaching" had a nervous break down after lunch the 2nd day of a 14 day course.
Guy was faking the funk outta FM 23- 67 big time.
Got 18 e5 P,s and e6,s checkfiring him constantly
Most of us Wearing EIBS , CIBS, with long term line squad and Wpn Sqd ldr experience.
He literally checked himself into Blanchfeild mental health.
Got himself a job at the replacement center.
Anyways the 1sg of Bncoc shows up and starts teaching the course when we all came back from lunch unknown to us that SFC looney tunes checked the fugg out until the 1sg told us.
Holy fugg......
The 1sg and other Bncoc instructors took turns each day.
The course turned into a hands on gunnery course 6 days on the ranges with 5 days in the field doing a full blown dug in live fire defense.
All with student input.
We basically threw away the previous POI.
We couldnt get live fire maneuver ranges scheduled that fast.
Anyways.
Day 3 of the Defense.
Digging in 60 positions to standard with OHC and proper grenade sumps on the sloped floor
1sg rolls up
Tells me and florez
I was in A co 2/327th and Flo was in C co.
Get your schit on you 2 gotta go see the commandant/CSM at the Academy.
Me and Flo are like WTF???
1sg not saying a word....
Anyways...
Standing in front of CSM Nichols.
Former 1st Bde CSM during Desert Storm.
Knew of me and Flo.
In a good way....
Says you 2 have been cleared out of your companies
Go clear out your lockers at your unit after you graduate of your assigned TA 50 and personal gear
You will be the M60 course instructors.
You have 3 weeks to write up a POI for a 2 week course of Combat arms and combat service support units.
I know you 2 and you will get it done.
You will have one for 2 week and vice versa for 2 weeks
You will schedule it so you grad on a friday with a 9 day break betweeen classes.
During that work week draw your ammo, chow, and cooridanate your ranges, training areas, chow, transpo for the FTX.
Once your done logistic planning the rest of that week and those 2 weekends are yours. You do not have to report to any academy formations, you only are accountable to the the BNCOC 1sg.
CSM Nichols hands us each a set of orders signed by the Division Cmdr at the time MG Jack Keene.
Granting us H Identifiers and assigning us to the Academy UMR.
WTF????
Shakes our hands says "Alway 1st"
Get the f u c k outta my office
We go back to the feild .
Tell all our buds what went down.
They are chuckling of course.
Sucks to be you stuff.
Me and flo got noticed by the cadre it turned out wanting to do the right schitt and have high standards in the course.
All us " students " ran the course and had schitt tons of input.
But informal leaders always stick out in schit like that.
Anyways me and FLO got the long term logistics out for 18 months cooridinated thru our support assets, all ranges and training areas done thru range control.
We were both range OIC/NCOIC cert from our companies anyways.
Got the POI,s set for CA and CSS units.
Schit worked out.
Ran smooth.
VIP vistors all the fughing time.
We wanta go see the M60,s course.
SAW course
M203 course
M60 motar course
M16A2 course
Tow gunnery course
All them instructors ticked at me and FLO.
Cause these guys had to go actively seek their jobs.
Go thru interview board
Go to a 3 week instructor course for the H Identifiers.
Me and Flo
Untouchable.
About 10 months later I came down on orders for 2nd tour in korea
Flo came down on orders for Panama
We trained up our replacement instructors over a period of 2 months
We picked a Infantry E6 guy from 3/ 187th from 1 class
And a Black hawk crew cheif E 6 from another.
Those 2 guys had ta report to the academy outta the Blue after they had graduated well before from the course.
We knew both of em .
Talked and interacted with our students all the time.
Both of em experienced and fully capable
They had no idea.
Me and flo greet em.
Layed it all out to em.
Everything is in stone
Nothing you gotta tweak for CA and CSS units.
All cooridanation done for the next 7 months.
Schit all worked out.
The Hotel Identifier also made me in the chute for train the trainer course,s when I got assigned to the 3/187th.
Was one of the 1st ones in brigade to attend the M4 carbine feilding with colt and the M240B fielding with FN.
Started 2 week course in both.
Everything from tech data , classroom instruction, live fire ranges.
The whole 9 yrds
Then all of certified trainers.
Trained our companies on the new systems.
Same thing with the Javelin missle system when I was in the 502nd
Tuesday morning sept 11 2001 2nd day of a train the trainer 2 week course.
All units on post locked.
Javelin course students .
Your place of duty is here till you graduate .
Your units have been notified.
You are exempt from the alert.
For obvious reasons
Feilding a new wpn system for 3 infantry brigades we will use on the co ck sukka,s in due time.
Anyways. ..
The M60 was a good wpn.
Its downfall was due to clintons cut backs.
Once the Saco Maremont mil spec parts started dying up in the logistic chain.
DOD statred bidding out repair parts to Mom and Pop so to speak shops.
Mil spec varied widely.
Schit wasnt working out.
No parts available or of dubious quailty.
I used to carry in my ruck when I was in 327th a schitt load of m60 parts just to try to keep my 2 60,s as a WSL up and running.
And when possible the other 4 guns in the other 2 platoons.
I had connections at 801st maintenance armor shop and with the contact teams on ranges.
Just being a social butterfly and getting aquianted with people in the logitics channels.
Being a scrounger to keep schit running so soldiers can train to fight.
Deadlined guns are 35% of a Infantry platoons firepower.
Some people DGAF about their equipment, sad to say and use the 2404 and 2408 parts ordered on paper alibi too often.
I had quite a bit of stuff.
When I got assigned to the academy I passed that stuff on to the guy who replaced me a WSL in my platoon and the 2 other WSL,s in the other platoons.
They were thankful cause they knew I got assigned to the academy and were hoping to get those parts.
I dont blame em.
At the time clintons cutbacks really affected unit readiness with wpn systems.
The M60 had its day.
I will say the M240B is a much better MG though.
Way more accurate
Way more stable bipod and tripod
Way more reliable in schitty conditions.
Better design.
That is my opinon based on experience.
Why do I say that?
Many reasons , but the main one is
The M60,s gas piston system was a problem.
Excessive tight tolerance and rapid fouling with the gas tubecand piston add in the front and back of the gas cylinder plugs and the bottom bolt plug being wired and becoming loose at the worst of times or breaking, losing gas from those plugs would turn a 60 into a single shot MG fast.
Once a 60 started chugging it was telling ya it needed attention.
If they had made the M60 a op rod gas cupped system similiar to a AK like the 240 is.
It would have been a better wpn IMO.
I have alot of memories with Mg,s from all over the planet.
I like MG,s
Happiness is a warm MG...
👍👍👍👍👍
