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*** Danger Will Robinson! Salty language below! ***

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Weapons Company 21/69 Basic Infantry Training Schools Battalion (BITS) "0331" machine gunner Camp Horno Camp Pendleton California February to March 7, 1969

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I don't have any pics from here either.  BITS was where the infantry fields learned their specialty if they were going to the crew served weapons section or into reconnaisance (Recon). In my case, I was a machine gunner. My machine gun was the M-60. To graduate, we had to qualify with the machine gun, just like we had to qualify with the M-14 in boot camp.  I thought, "Well gee.  If I never qualify, does that mean I don't get to go to Vietnam?" "That's a big negative, Marine. We'll just send you to 'Nam as a grunt." "Well, cool!  I didn't really want to be a machine gunner anyway." "Shut the fuck up and get in the prone position behind that 60.  You will qualify or you can stand the fuck by." I went to 'Nam as a machine gunner.

BITS included the machineguns, mortars, and rockets (3.5 rocket launcher or bazooka).  These were called crew-served weapons, because each weapon had a team, according to Marine Corps specifications. As an example, a machine gun team consisted of the machine gunner, assistant (a) machine gunner, and two ammo handlers. In reality, in Vietnam there were seldom enough people for full teams on any crew served weapon.  Marines got killed and wounded and their replacements didn't come quick enough. In 'Nam it was usually the machine gunner and a-gunner.  The grunts carried all the ammo that the gunner and a-gunner couldn't. It was the same way with mortars and rockets.  The grunts had to carry all their ammo for them

After we finished BITS, we got our first leave to go home before we came back to start Staging for Vietnam. This is the "OK Mom, while I'm home on leave, I'll go get my picture taken before I go to Vietnam" picture.  This was in the dress green uniform we were issued. March 1969

The "0331" in the heading above was my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). Every Marine has an MOS.  0331 stood for machine gunner. The infantry fields began with "03".  A grunt was 0311, machine gun - 0331, rockets - 0351, mortars - 0341, and recon was 0321.  I might have mortars and rockets backwards.

(continued from left) Fortunately, we didn't get set back and graduated on time. Lucky us.  We didn't have to delay going to 'Nam.

From a letter February 25, 1969 when we got stranded for a couple days due to rain and flooding. (continued on right)

Map of Camp Horno with bridges washed away on February 23,1969.

The bad part about the flood above was that it was cold, too.  The temperature was in the 30's and 40's and we were in tents with no heaters.  When we would hit the rack (go to bed) we would take our clothes and lay them out on our rack under  us and sleep on them.  That way when we got up at "zero dark thirty", our clothes would be warm.  We'd put the boots at the end of the rack under the blanket.

Recon school was one of the schools in BITS. I really wanted to go to jump (parachute) school.  To do that, I had to get into recon school.  Recon was the Marine special forces, like SEALS or Green Berets.   There were two types of recon - Battalion Recon and Force Recon.  Force Recon involved all the good stuff - jump school, scuba school, etc.  Battalion recon is pretty much more infantry training.  Recon usually operates in four man teams I think.  When they wanted volunteers for recon, they couldn't guarantee I would go to force recon and jump school, so I didn't. Excerpt from letter February 17, 1969.

The M-60 machinegun weighed about 26 pounds, if I remember correctly. It's maximum rate of fire was 1100 rounds per minute.  In reality you couldn't shoot that many because the barrel would overheat. Machine gun ammo came in 100 round belts.  A belt of ammo weighed 7 pounds.  The were two belts of ammo to a can.  The whole package weighed 18 pounds.  In addition to the gun, we had to carry a spare barrel, an asbestos glove (to change the barrel), and sometimes a tri-pod, if we were using them. You had to change the barrels often if you were shooting rapid fire for any length of time. Tri-pods were mainly for being set up in a defensive perimeter for a length of time. The 60 had a bi-pod attached, which was used if needed.  The 60 could be fired from the shoulder, the hip, bi-pod or tri-pod. To shoot from the hip or shoulder, you had to lean way forward and hold on tight because, if you didn't, the recoil would knock you on your ass.

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Marine pages My Memorial Pages Begin My Marine Experience Before Boot Camp Boot Camp - page 1 Boot Camp - page 2 Boot Camp - page 3 Boot Camp - page 4 Boot Camp - page 5 Boot Camp - page 6 Infantry Training Regiment (ITR) You are here - Basic Infantry Training School (BITS) Staging Battalion (Pre Vietnam) Okinawa (En route to Vietnam) Begin my Vietnam Tour - Hotel Co. Index Various Marine stuff - page 1 5th Marine Regiment Headquarters page Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) page Back to Mardex

Back to Sarge T's Vets Index Marine Index Hotel Index Marine pages My Memorial pages Prologue - Begin my Marine tour 2/5 Area of Operations map- Begin my Vietnam tour Various Marine stuff - page 1 5th Marine Regiment Headquarters page Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) page Hotel Roster 5/23/69 Hotel Company Yearbook - 1970 2/5 area recent pics page 1 Veterans in my family My Marine Education and Training

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