Active and Former Servicemembers: Share your memories of loadouts

[Finn]

Those are Mk-83s both under the wings and c/l, here are a pair of Mk-82's on a c/l VER, note the length of them compared to the pics you posted:

Jari

[tosouthern66]

Those are Mk-83s both under the wings and c/l, here are a pair of Mk-82's on a c/l VER, note the length of them compared to the pics you posted:

Jari

I remember doing this load on our A's! Not a fun task when you have to do it by Hernia bar.

[KTesh]

Those are Mk-83s both under the wings and c/l, here are a pair of Mk-82's on a c/l VER, note the length of them compared to the pics you posted:

Jari

Dang! Those are some clean bombs... In the loadbarn they were always grimy from all the times they had been loaded and unloaded. Of course, most live munitions looked that nice... once.

[ChesshireCat]

Standard loadout?

7 magazines of 5.56, maybe a few extra in the ruck

1 can of 7.62 or at least a few belts

LAW or later an AT-4

2 canteens and a 2 quart on the ruck

e-tool

first aid kit and compass

maybe a flare or smoke grenade

radio battery and/or some extra batteries for NVG

NVG (PVS-7, which was the first one I used that was actually decent)

extra socks, in ziploc bags to keep them dry

gold bond powder

baby wipes

bug juice if required

TP (in ziploc bag)

maybe a gortex rain jacket (hardly ever used the pants except in the winter)

poncho (never wore the damn thing but it was useful if you were able to build a hooch, or use with poncho liner as a basic sleeping bag)

cord

leatherman, (I never took the issue bayonet into the field unless ordered to)

Protective mask (hate)

MOPP gear (HATE)

poncho liner (LOVE - without doubt the best thing ever developed in all of military history), maybe two if it was cold

glove liners, leather shells if it was cold. At one point I scored a pair of nomex flight gloves. Not that much of an improvement over the regular grunt stuff but a significant increase to the cool-factor.

extra thermal undershirt or field jacket liner if it was cold

sleeping bag (if it was winter)

MREs as required, beef jerky, misc small bits of junk food, maybe a small bottle of your favorite hot sauce

Motrin

smokes (at one time in my life)

dip (critical item, can't go in the field without it)

"grown-up" magazine or two. If any down-time was anticipated, maybe a good paperback book.

I'm sure I've forgotten a couple of odds and ends....

Some other poor SOB's got all the above and also got stuck with an MG tripod / spare barrel or a radio or mortar crap.

Boy that rings a bell! (loadout)

@! mags of

[ChesshireCat]

Standard loadout?

7 magazines of 5.56, maybe a few extra in the ruck

1 can of 7.62 or at least a few belts

LAW or later an AT-4

2 canteens and a 2 quart on the ruck

e-tool

first aid kit and compass

maybe a flare or smoke grenade

radio battery and/or some extra batteries for NVG

NVG (PVS-7, which was the first one I used that was actually decent)

extra socks, in ziploc bags to keep them dry

gold bond powder

baby wipes

bug juice if required

TP (in ziploc bag)

maybe a gortex rain jacket (hardly ever used the pants except in the winter)

poncho (never wore the damn thing but it was useful if you were able to build a hooch, or use with poncho liner as a basic sleeping bag)

cord

leatherman, (I never took the issue bayonet into the field unless ordered to)

Protective mask (hate)

MOPP gear (HATE)

poncho liner (LOVE - without doubt the best thing ever developed in all of military history), maybe two if it was cold

glove liners, leather shells if it was cold. At one point I scored a pair of nomex flight gloves. Not that much of an improvement over the regular grunt stuff but a significant increase to the cool-factor.

extra thermal undershirt or field jacket liner if it was cold

sleeping bag (if it was winter)

MREs as required, beef jerky, misc small bits of junk food, maybe a small bottle of your favorite hot sauce

Motrin

smokes (at one time in my life)

dip (critical item, can't go in the field without it)

"grown-up" magazine or two. If any down-time was anticipated, maybe a good paperback book.

I'm sure I've forgotten a couple of odds and ends....

Some other poor SOB's got all the above and also got stuck with an MG tripod / spare barrel or a radio or mortar crap.

Boy that rings a bell! (loadout)

* 21 mags of 5.56

* 3 belts of 7.62 (four or even five if going in heavy)

* four grenades in an ammo pouch (if not the handles are taped down)

* two or three smoke grenades (red, yellow and whatever)

* one claymore (big guys hauled two or three)

* four bottles of LSA with an M16 and M60 cleaning kit wrapped up in a ragged tee shirt

* three or four M79 rounds or four or five 12 gauge buck shot rounds

* one bottle each of ring worm repellent and bug juice.

* In a five or six man team; a couple guys haul a WP grenade

* one M60 barrel plus somebody else gets the other

* everybody but the #2 man carry radio batteries

* asbestos glove for the sixty

* One bag with spare parts for the sixty and M16 (springs and firing pins mostly)

* 2 pairs of hemostats and about two feet of surgical tubing.

* a roll of gauze wrapped around a small roll of tape. This is in a bag with Darvons, burn ointment, and some bandaids)

* two extra pairs of boot laces

* knife (actually two)

* three C-Rat meals

* Two quarts of water

* four pairs of socks

* an extra tee shirt

* poncho liner and poncho

* 30 feet of paracord

* One bar of C4 with blasting caps (three guys carry this)

* claymore (big guys take two or three)

* Plastic bag big enough for an M16 or shotgun

* flashlight with four extra batteries

* a compass, pen, and pencil

* single edged razor blades tapped together

* one small mirror

* a metal canteen filled with whiskey (Canadian Club to be exact)

* a morphine surrite in your left cargo pocket.

*****************

Some guys carried a small vial of iodine

gary

[Ben Brown]

Those are Mk-83s both under the wings and c/l, here are a pair of Mk-82's on a c/l VER, note the length of them compared to the pics you posted:

Jari

Thanks, Jari!

Ben

[Finn]

Since this thread is about loads, especially details here is pic found on the net that shows a load of a pair of CBUs on the fwd stations of the c/l MER, along with a Shrike on the o/b pylon but, also note the dust plugs in the barrels of the M-61 20mm:

Jari

[Aussie_superbug]

Standard loadout?

7 magazines of 5.56, maybe a few extra in the ruck

1 can of 7.62 or at least a few belts

LAW or later an AT-4

2 canteens and a 2 quart on the ruck

e-tool

first aid kit and compass

maybe a flare or smoke grenade

radio battery and/or some extra batteries for NVG

NVG (PVS-7, which was the first one I used that was actually decent)

extra socks, in ziploc bags to keep them dry

gold bond powder

baby wipes

bug juice if required

TP (in ziploc bag)

maybe a gortex rain jacket (hardly ever used the pants except in the winter)

poncho (never wore the damn thing but it was useful if you were able to build a hooch, or use with poncho liner as a basic sleeping bag)

cord

leatherman, (I never took the issue bayonet into the field unless ordered to)

Protective mask (hate)

MOPP gear (HATE)

poncho liner (LOVE - without doubt the best thing ever developed in all of military history), maybe two if it was cold

glove liners, leather shells if it was cold. At one point I scored a pair of nomex flight gloves. Not that much of an improvement over the regular grunt stuff but a significant increase to the cool-factor.

extra thermal undershirt or field jacket liner if it was cold

sleeping bag (if it was winter)

MREs as required, beef jerky, misc small bits of junk food, maybe a small bottle of your favorite hot sauce

Motrin

smokes (at one time in my life)

dip (critical item, can't go in the field without it)

"grown-up" magazine or two. If any down-time was anticipated, maybe a good paperback book.

I'm sure I've forgotten a couple of odds and ends....

Some other poor SOB's got all the above and also got stuck with an MG tripod / spare barrel or a radio or mortar crap.

+ 2 81mm Mortar rounds if you had mortars in support. = about 37- 45kgs in your pack.

Does sound familiar..... later on when to Support Coy then became a mortar man. We drove everywhere... until it came to the 15KM CFA's then we had to carry the mortars, being No2 i had to carry the barrel so it easy to balance it between the back of your neck and your pack.

The only regret that i have id that i didn't take alot of photos.

[ChesshireCat]

+ 2 81mm Mortar rounds if you had mortars in support. = about 37- 45kgs in your pack.

Does sound familiar..... later on when to Support Coy then became a mortar man. We drove everywhere... until it came to the 15KM CFA's then we had to carry the mortars, being No2 i had to carry the barrel so it easy to balance it between the back of your neck and your pack.

The only regret that i have id that i didn't take alot of photos.

I was the number one or two man in a team that reconned positions for arty units. Sometimes there were friendlies, but usually not. And every once in awhile the neighbors were there to great you. You learned that the intel supplied to you prior to leaving was usually half right at best. If they said there were infantry close by, that meant they were five klicks away at best. Always planned for the worst, and sometimes it was a lot worse. A few times the hill top was unusable, and you were outta there an hour and a half later. Other times you spent the night, or a couple days (usually weather related). After my fifth or sixth insertion, we started hauling a drag bag that was pulled off by the last man out. I never dragged it off the slick. I went with the sixty, and a rifle on my back. One guy carried an extra M79 on his back. Everybody wore at least three belts except for the radio guy. I carried a rifle in a plastic bag, and a 45 & four mags along with the sixty. It often took hours for a platoon to bail your butt out. We never had the luxury of a mortar tube, but most of the time we had an arty umbrella over us. Way out west there was no umbrella.

gary

[Finn]

Here is a A-7E from this site:

http://www.usscoralsea.net/pics1970s3.php

note thermally protected Mk-82s under one wing and non-TP bombs on the other side. Plus just 1 AIM-9 and also the Shrike is missing a wing.

Jari

Edited June 19, 2016 by Finn

[Collin]

My eyes may be foggy this Sunday morning (thank you Mr Jamison) but it looks like TP MK-82's on the port wing (double stripe) and non-TP -82's on the stbd wing (single stripe). This might be a rare crossover time when they were dropping both types depleting the inventory of non TP.

Cheers

Collin

[SoDakZBrusher]

Splendid OP. Anyone offended by it or this thread needs to grow some skin and stop being so darn sensitive. Geesh.

Following provided from a former USAF AMMO/Intel troop from his "point of view to the elephant" (see ref below). My post is not black and white definitive. Terms are widespread but primary responsibility is assigned based on AFSC/shop. The following is based on an ATO process, there are other ways to "skin the cat."

- Loadout, weapon load are MX troop (aka CC, Load Toad or BB Stacker) terms

- SCL (Standard Configuration Load) is an Ops (aka pilot/WSO/Nav/OSO/DSO/Intel) term

- ATO (Air Tasking Order) in an Ops/MX term. An ATO comes from HHQ (e.g. JFACC in the old days) on. 24-hour cycle with unit, target, TOT (Time on Target)

- ACO (Airspace Coordination Order) is an Ops term. The ACO has the no-fly boundaries, AR tracks, etc.

- SPINs (Special Instructions) is an Ops term. SPINs contain the AOR-specific comms, Freqs, etc. for the AOR (Area of Responsibility)

- PD/PK (Probability of Damage/Probability of Kill) are Ops/Intel terms

SCLs are determined by Ops in response to target requirements from an ATO, ACO and SPINs. The SCLs depend on the level of training by Ops, the weapons available in the AOR, available jet configurations, etc. SCLs are pre-determined on paper based on the previous along with PD/PK factored in and assigned a number to streamline the dissemination of the data between Ops and MX. SCLs are infinite but usually reduced down to a baseline based on multiple factors (see FEASCAP). Once targets are broken out of ATO by Intel they are evaluated with Ops/MX to determine feasibility (can the unit hit the target(s) as fragged? Does the unit have weapons with correct configs? Does Ops have crews trained to employ the aircraft/weapons safely and effectively? Can MX provide a jet and weapons on time capable of getting to the tgt and home?, how much fuel for takeoff, ARs available, etc.) This process results in a daily Feasibility Capabilities (FEASCAP) meeting between Ops and MX to answer yes or no depending on the upcoming days' ATO and all the other factors. If the answer is yes then a Frag Sheet is created/updated and released. The frag sheet has the configs for the weapons, fuze settings, delay settings, tail configs, etc. needed to hit the target as fragged. Ops/Intel then figures out how many missions must be flown/weapons employed per mission, jets per mission, etc., to achieve the desired PD/PK. Ops assigns the respective crew(s) to the mission. The Mission Planning Cell (MPC) draws up the missions based on the ATO, ACO, SPINs, etc. and MX provides the loaded jet(s) and weapons, fuel, etc.

Why did i post all this? Your innocent, seemingly simple OP is actually very complicated and involves multiple inputs across many AFSC/shops (not all are addressed here!)

All the respondents are correct but they only are part of a bigger, complicated process. This is akin to a dark room full of people describing what they feel when they all are standing next to a different part of an elephant and don't know what they are touching.

BLUF: it depends...the combinations are limitless depending on the jet, weapons, targets, etc. The loadout/weapons load/frag/SCL all depend on the unit's capes, available jets, weapons, crews, taskings, etc.

There is more to this process but I have spammed this post enough. Cheers. IYAAYAS!

Edited June 19, 2016 by SoDakZBrusher

[Michael A.]

When I first saw this thread I thought it would provide some new info an aircraft loadouts, and in that regard it did not disappoint. Then ‘ground guys’ started listing the gear that they had packed around during their time in service. That started me thinking about all of the ‘stuff & toys’ that I had carried around at one time or another in my career and I started making a list. For clarity I separated the two lists and added dates and that is when I had an ’Oh Sierra’ moment when I realized the actual number of years involved. Although technology has improved immensely over the years the list stayed pretty much the same with the exception of mission equipment.

Loadout: Circa 1971

.45 Cal Pistol with Holster and 4 magazines

CAR-15 Rifle with 7 x 30 rd. magazines of 5.56

2 x V40 Grenades (HE Frag)

2 x XM 50 Grenades CS Pocket

1 x M18 Smoke Violet

Jungle Rucksack on Frame

Poncho and Poncho liner (Hooch & Sleeping)

1 pr. Ho Chi Mine Sandals

1 pr. socks

XM-28 Lightweight Protective Mask (Riot Control Agents Only)

2 x 1 qt. canteens

1 x 2 qt. canteen

1 x Towel

2 x LRRP Rations

2 x Carabiners (Snap Links)

Leather Gloves

10 x M112 Demolition Blocks (C4)

1 Roll Time Fuze

25 x M60 Fuze Lighters

10 x Non Electric Blasting Caps

Pistol Belt

Battle Dressing

Demo Knife (K-Bar)

DuPont No. 2 Cap Crimpers

1 pr. Side Cutter Plyers

Pin Flares

Signal Mirror

Section of VS17 Panel

Silva Compass

Gyrojet Pen Flare Kit (Aviation)

SDU-5/E Light Marker Distress (Strobe Light) with IR Sleeve

Toilet Paper in PRC-25 Battery Bag

Loadout: Circa 2011

M4; Bushmaster Carbine (Service Weapon) with 9 x 30 rd. magazines

Glock 19 (Personal Protection Weapon) with 5 magazines

1 Grenade Smoke HC (White)

Gyrojet Pen Flare Kit (Aviation)

Paraclete Tactical Helmet

Peltor Tactical Head Set

Paraclete Body Armor Vest with Plates

1st Aid Pouch

1 x Motorola Hand Held Radio

2 x Extra Motorola Batteries

Gyrojet Pen Flare Kit (Aviation)

Strobe Light

Nomex Gloves

Tan Baseball Cap with Company Logo

MS2000 Military Strobe Light Emergency Distress Signal IR Beacon

Section of VS17 Panel

Baby wipes

Range Bag in vehicle with 15 x 30 rd. magazines 4 x 9 mm magazines 2 x Motorola Batteries

Thanks for the good times!

Michael A.

[11bee]

When I first saw this thread I thought it would provide some new info an aircraft loadouts, and in that regard it did not disappoint. Then ‘ground guys’ started listing the gear that they had packed around during their time in service. That started me thinking about all of the ‘stuff & toys’ that I had carried around at one time or another in my career and I started making a list. For clarity I separated the two lists and added dates and that is when I had an ’Oh Sierra’ moment when I realized the actual number of years involved. Although technology has improved immensely over the years the list stayed pretty much the same with the exception of mission equipment.

Loadout: Circa 1971

.45 Cal Pistol with Holster and 4 magazines

CAR-15 Rifle with 7 x 30 rd. magazines of 5.56

2 x V40 Grenades (HE Frag)

2 x XM 50 Grenades CS Pocket

1 x M18 Smoke Violet

Jungle Rucksack on Frame

Poncho and Poncho liner (Hooch & Sleeping)

1 pr. Ho Chi Mine Sandals

1 pr. socks

XM-28 Lightweight Protective Mask (Riot Control Agents Only)

2 x 1 qt. canteens

1 x 2 qt. canteen

1 x Towel

2 x LRRP Rations

2 x Carabiners (Snap Links)

Leather Gloves

10 x M112 Demolition Blocks (C4)

1 Roll Time Fuze

25 x M60 Fuze Lighters

10 x Non Electric Blasting Caps

Pistol Belt

Battle Dressing

Demo Knife (K-Bar)

DuPont No. 2 Cap Crimpers

1 pr. Side Cutter Plyers

Pin Flares

Signal Mirror

Section of VS17 Panel

Silva Compass

Gyrojet Pen Flare Kit (Aviation)

SDU-5/E Light Marker Distress (Strobe Light) with IR Sleeve

Toilet Paper in PRC-25 Battery Bag

Loadout: Circa 2011

M4; Bushmaster Carbine (Service Weapon) with 9 x 30 rd. magazines

Glock 19 (Personal Protection Weapon) with 5 magazines

1 Grenade Smoke HC (White)

Gyrojet Pen Flare Kit (Aviation)

Paraclete Tactical Helmet

Peltor Tactical Head Set

Paraclete Body Armor Vest with Plates

1st Aid Pouch

1 x Motorola Hand Held Radio

2 x Extra Motorola Batteries

Gyrojet Pen Flare Kit (Aviation)

Strobe Light

Nomex Gloves

Tan Baseball Cap with Company Logo

MS2000 Military Strobe Light Emergency Distress Signal IR Beacon

Section of VS17 Panel

Baby wipes

Range Bag in vehicle with 15 x 30 rd. magazines 4 x 9 mm magazines 2 x Motorola Batteries

Thanks for the good times!

Michael A.

Interesting loadouts for sure. Especially the 1971 version. SOG?

You and Chessire Cat may have some things in common.

[Michael A.]

Nothing Special! I was an EOD team member and occasionally team leader in various parts of I Corps. If you flew out to a line unit in the field for an EOD incident you might be gone for a couple of hours or a couple of days. If you did not take ‘it’ with you, you did without. My last unit stood down along with the Americal at Chu Lai in late 1971. We were located on the airfield next to the parking ramp. No matter what came or went, it went by our front door.

Michael A.

[ChesshireCat]

Nothing Special! I was an EOD team member and occasionally team leader in various parts of I Corps. If you flew out to a line unit in the field for an EOD incident you might be gone for a couple of hours or a couple of days. If you did not take ‘it’ with you, you did without. My last unit stood down along with the Americal at Chu Lai in late 1971. We were located on the airfield next to the parking ramp. No matter what came or went, it went by our front door.

Michael A.

I guessed you were EOD.

Welcome home brother! I'm an I-Corp Rat as well. My Battalion was based over by the rock quarry on the hill. My first LZ was Gator (about five miles south of the runway). After Tet in 68 (long about the first of March) I started doing leap frog strikes to the south with 101st and 196th. When that was over, we came back to Gator for a rebuild. Headed north in the middle of what was supposed to have been the largest road march in the history of the war. Ended up on the chopper pads at Ross for strikes in the Que Son Valley out to Laos. In July we moved out to Thien Phouc (A102), and used it as a base camp for strikes here and there. Guess I should call the Hiep Duc Ridge home instead of Chu Lai. Anyway I was outta the place on the last of February 69.

I've told guys on here about the stowage area that held all those shot up planes. Sounds like you were close to the MAG 13 PX! We had a PX route we ran everytime we got back to Chu Lai. Ever get up to DaNang or out west?

gary

[Michael A.]

MAG-13 and the Marines were long gone by the time I got to Chu Lai. Army aviation had moved to the airfield and into the 7 large modern hangers all of which were destroyed by Typhoon Hester in Oct of 71 along with 35 aircraft. We worked a number of incidents west of Duc Pho and as far west of Chu Lai as Mary Ann. I worked Mary Ann both before and after they got hit in March of 71 but was in Pleiku with an On-Site team at the time of the attack.

Thien Phouc: We refuel their several times in the fall of 71. Most memorable was the day that the pilot kept complaining about a vibration in the rudder pedals and the fact that the vibration kept changing in intensity from time to time. We had shut down a couple of times trying to ID the problem with no luck. He finally shut down and said we were not going anywhere until we figured out what was going on. The crew started another ‘Daily’ inspection and after a short time found the problem. About two feet of hippie beads were wrapped around the tail rotor drive shaft at one of the hanger barring. Problem solved? No, it gets better. As a result of calling for and completing a second ‘Daily’ inspection it was discovered that a nut had come off of a bolt on the swash plate portion of the rotor system. A critical fault!

DaNang: My first assignment. The EOD unit in DaNang was one of two metropolitan units in Vietnam, the other being in Saigon. We occupied a two story villa on Quang Trong Street. I was the numerical replacement for a SSG that had been killed in the fall of 70. We had both served in the same organization in the states. I also became the replacement for an EOD school classmate that was injured the night after I arrived in country and was still sitting at 90th Replacement. Did some work in Arizona Country and the hills west and south of DaNang after the last of the Marines departed country.

First Helicopter Ride: Vandergrift to Kae Sahn for Lam Son 719. A rude awakening to the ‘big-league’ and the learning curve was going to be steep!

I would not swap my tour in Vietnam for anything that I have done since.

[ChesshireCat]

MAG-13 and the Marines were long gone by the time I got to Chu Lai. Army aviation had moved to the airfield and into the 7 large modern hangers all of which were destroyed by Typhoon Hester in Oct of 71 along with 35 aircraft. We worked a number of incidents west of Duc Pho and as far west of Chu Lai as Mary Ann. I worked Mary Ann both before and after they got hit in March of 71 but was in Pleiku with an On-Site team at the time of the attack.

** Back in 68, Chu Lai had a plane in the arming pit 24/7! When we were down on Gator, we were in there daily. Mary Anne was in a valley one ridge line south. Of course nobody was in there except for NVA and Hatchet Teams. Spooky smoked the area two or three times a month, but really seemed to have an interest with the top of the ridge line north of it. Had they asked the folks at Thien Phouc about moving into that valley, we'd ask them if they were nuts! After the siege in 1969, I think they abandoned A102 (it lasted 5 months), but it looks like somebody else took over the property. Probably the 196th. There was no infantry operating out of there while I was there. Just CIDG's and SF Teams. Tough place to hang onto, when there was one way in and out.

Thien Phouc: We refuel their several times in the fall of 71. Most memorable was the day that the pilot kept complaining about a vibration in the rudder pedals and the fact that the vibration kept changing in intensity from time to time. We had shut down a couple of times trying to ID the problem with no luck. He finally shut down and said we were not going anywhere until we figured out what was going on. The crew started another ‘Daily’ inspection and after a short time found the problem. About two feet of hippie beads were wrapped around the tail rotor drive shaft at one of the hanger barring. Problem solved? No, it gets better. As a result of calling for and completing a second ‘Daily’ inspection it was discovered that a nut had come off of a bolt on the swash plate portion of the rotor system. A critical fault!

**Always hated flying into Thien Phouc. Half the time we'd be taking 50 and 51 Cal. Yet it was even more fun heading due north out of there. My time in the Que Son Valley was really just a learning experience. Each time I said it can't get any worse than this, they always found a new way.

DaNang: My first assignment. The EOD unit in DaNang was one of two metropolitan units in Vietnam, the other being in Saigon. We occupied a two story villa on Quang Trong Street. I was the numerical replacement for a SSG that had been killed in the fall of 70. We had both served in the same organization in the states. I also became the replacement for an EOD school classmate that was injured the night after I arrived in country and was still sitting at 90th Replacement. Did some work in Arizona Country and the hills west and south of DaNang after the last of the Marines departed country.

First Helicopter Ride: Vandergrift to Kae Sahn for Lam Son 719. A rude awakening to the ‘big-league’ and the learning curve was going to be steep!

** have a couple buddies that were on Lam Son 719. Ugly! Should have been done three years prior.

I would not swap my tour in Vietnam for anything that I have done since.

My girl friend wanted the two of us to go back over there a year and a half ago. I stalled and just couldn't get over there. Yes there were a lot of good times, but just as many bad ones. Late in life I will tell you it was an adventure that many beg for, but with experience I'd never again.

Gary