 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
                  |
 THE THINGS WE CARRIED OVERVIEW The artwork and artifacts that make-up this exhibit give students the opportunity to physically and personally experience some of the things (and weight of the things) that “grunts” carried in Vietnam. Following is a partial list from The Things We Carried, and there will be weight totals for this partial list, as well as some additional information on what some of the NVVAM’s Veterans carried themselves and why. “The things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers pocket knives heat tabs wristwatches dog tags mosquito repellant chewing gum candy cigarettes salt tablets packets of Kool-Aid lighters matches sewing kits Military Payment Certificates C rations 2-3 canteens of water. Together, these items weighed between 15 and 20 pounds....” steel helmets that weighed 5 pounds including the liner and camouflage cover.... On their feet they carried jungle boots—2.1 pounds.... a steel-centered, nylon-covered jacket, which weighed 6.7 pounds.... With its quilted liner, the poncho weighed almost 2 pounds. “What they carried was partly a function of rank, partly a field specialty. As a first lieutenant and platoon leader, Jimmy Cross carried a compass, maps, code books, binoculars, and a .45 caliber pistol that weighed 2.9 pounds fully loaded.... As an RTO, Mitchell Sanders carried the PRC-25 radio, a killer, 26 pounds with its battery. [A] medic... carried a canvas satchel filled with morphine and plasma and malaria tablets and surgical tape and comic books and all the things a medic must carry, including M&Ms for especially bad wounds, for a total weight of nearly 20 pounds. ...a machine gunner... carried the M-60, which weighed 23 pounds unloaded, but which was almost always loaded. In addition [he would carry] between 10 and 15 pounds of ammunition draped in belts across his chest and shoulders. ... most of them... carried the standard M-16 gas-operated assault rifle. The weapon weighed 7.5 pounds unloaded, 8.2 pounds with its full 20-round magazine.” “... a rifleman carried anywhere from 12 to 20 magazines... adding on another 8.4 pounds at minimum, 14 pounds at maximum.” Some also carried: M-79 grenade launcher at 5.9 pounds unloaded M-79 grenade launcher ammo, with a single round weighing 10 oz., typical load of 25 rounds, for 1.9 pounds Claymore antipersonnel mine at 3.5 pounds with firing device 6.3 pound starlight scope Additionally, all grunts carried: fragmentation grenades, 14 oz. each M-18 colored smoke grenade, 24 oz. 5-pound entrenching tool (like a portable shovel) water purification tablets poncho matches (specially designed for use in jungle) foot powder toiletries And all took turns carrying: 28-pound mine detector PRC-77 scrambler radio, 30 pounds with battery.
For most of the soldiers, the weight of their gear, equipment, weapon(s) and ammunition was more than half of their body weight. And this was being carried by young men in prime physical shape. Conditions factored in as well: Tropical heat and nearly 100% humidity. Terrain: jungles, rice paddies (large plots of land soaked in water), hilly and mountainous wilderness. Marching nonstop for 8 or more hours a day was not infrequent. Rain, monsoon, or especially hot weather. This is probably how the foot soldiers got the nickname “grunts”: from grunting under the weight and fatigue that truly did typify their days. The contents (and weight) of the rucksacks (backpack), which held most of the weight, was largely determined by the duration and type of mission: a trip that would take a few hours and was less likely to result in contact with the enemy would necessitate far less than an overnight mission or missions that would last more than a day. The rucksack was not worn during actual combat—they had to be dropped so the soldiers would have maximum mobility and maneuverability. Though the loss of the rucksacks would certainly be severely problematic, such an occurrence would not jeopardize a unit’s ability to continue with missions, as the greatest immediate essentials for the soldiers was carried on the belt. Still, caching rucksacks when away from base camp was next to impossible. To do this, the soldiers would need to find a secure and accessible place to hide their rucks, out of the enemy’s sight. At the same time, the hiding place would need to be easy to find again, and they would likewise have to be able to ensure that any tampering or booby-trapping of the cached rucks could be determined visually from a distance. Hence, any excursions from the base camp required as much foresight and instinct as possible about how much the soldiers should bring, and how likely contact with the enemy was. THE GEAR The gear can be handled by the students, and with the help of someone from the museum, tried on as well. Please do not have students try on or handle gear without supervision. What is represented is some of the gear and an idea of the weight that the average foot soldier would bear each day. There is: A helmet, with a letter in the webbing. A flak jacket. It is filled with fiberglass, and provided protection from fragmentation and shrapnel (small metal fragments from grenades, etc). They were NOT bulletproof. They are sleeveless as well due to the heat—this would be worn pretty much all of the time. Web gear. This is a belt with harnessing that goes over the shoulders. The web gear here has two canteens (unfilled);one knife; one grenade; two extra ammunition sacks; two socks with two cans of food each (this provided the soldier with extra food, and allowed socks to air-dry); an ax; and two other pouches for other items. THE ARTIFACTS Some of the artifacts on display are: a mine detector cases of c-rations a body bag ammunition entrenching tool jungle boots In the case are smaller items, including: Tabasco sauce (essential for giving canned food some taste) water purification tablets matches a compass razors a sandal made from an old tire worn by a North Vietnamese KIA soldier |
|
TEACHER PACKET CONTENTS Overview Activities Works Cited |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||