If I'm an "Army of One," wouldn't that make me Chief of Staff, and thus entitled to O10 pay? (As a Guardsman, I'll settle for being Adjutant General, at a pay grade of O8.)
Gah, but I hate that slogan. Back when I was a newbie grunt, I was told in no uncertain terms that I existed to support the M-60 gunner. My rifle was meaningless. My main role was to haul 800 rounds of ammo.
You know -it's only in the last few years that I learned that a "round" of ammo was a single shell...suddenly all those WWII and Civil War movies where the exchange "How much ammo is left? 72 rounds, sir!" occurs seem so much more fraught with impending doom. I guess scriptwriters assumed everyone knew the terminology.
However - I still don't even want to think about how much 800 rounds weighs.
45lbs, more or less. We carried the ammo in 100-round belts, which were packed into cardboard boxes inside cloth carriers. Generally, you'd keep two boxes attached to your web gear or worn around the neck, and the rest in the ruck sack for later retrival.
The M-60 itself weighed 23lbs. So the M-60 gunner was carrying about 70lbs in just weapon and ammo load before adding in other necessary gear.
I love it when a recruiter asks "any questions?" I always ask (or have my son ask) is the military still giving investigational new drugs to military members without their knowledge or consent? They almost always shut up at that point.
Sorry to say, the "Army is staffed with losers" stance was instilled in me during in-processing at the MEPS center.
The Army Major who guided us through signing the contracts, spent the entire time talking down the other services. He finally got to the nicknames. Jarhead, Swabby and Zoomie. Someone asked what's the name for Army, "Soldiers" was his response. He got hopping mad when someone in the back called out "Grunts."
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However - I still don't even want to think about how much 800 rounds weighs.
Re: I've Always Wondered
The M-60 itself weighed 23lbs. So the M-60 gunner was carrying about 70lbs in just weapon and ammo load before adding in other necessary gear.
This is why I became a sniper.
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The Army Major who guided us through signing the contracts, spent the entire time talking down the other services. He finally got to the nicknames. Jarhead, Swabby and Zoomie. Someone asked what's the name for Army, "Soldiers" was his response. He got hopping mad when someone in the back called out "Grunts."