US Army issue weapons

[weswood]

I've never been in the army, and the only time I was in an infantry unit in the Corps was 2 years in a Reserve Headquarters Co.

I'm putting together an NPC party, with issued weapons.

What are the issue weapons - M16, M4, M9 pistol??? for:

Infantry Staff Sergeant (E-7) Issued an M9 pistol, but I'm thinking of giving him a remington 870.

Enlisted Bradley driver- I've got him with an M4 carbine

Enlisted Medic- M9 Berreta

Enlisted Combat Journalist/Photographer- M9 Berretta

Thanks.

[copeab]

I'm not sure if medics are issued weapons. Otherwise, nothing looks terribly unrealistic.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by copeab

I'm not sure if medics are issued weapons. Otherwise, nothing looks terribly unrealistic.

In an infantry battalion, a medic carries the same weapons as a basic rifleman -- which means he's one of the heaviest members of the platoon. They trained with us and were pretty much as good as infantrymen as the rest of us were.

As an aside: Who's the most heavily-armed individual infantryman of an infantry battalion? It's the Chaplain's aide. For example, in my first active duty unit at Ft. Stewart, Slev (nobody could ever remember his mile-long name) carried an M-16A2/M-203 combination. He was issued twice the ammo of anybody else. The HMMWV he drove had a wartime load of a Dragon and two missiles, six AT-4s, two satchel charges -- and it was the only armored HMMWV we had. The Chaplain, who is unarmed, is considered very important in a US Army unit, and the Chaplain's Aide is his bodyguard. (And Slev also had to be able to assist in religious rituals!)

[pmulcahy11b]

I have to semi-disagree with you on one point, Eddie -- if the combat journalist is a civilian, he would be unarmed (though unless he is stupid, he's have picked one up in a T2K context). That is because he is legally considered a non-combatant.

If he's a military Combat Correspondent, he's basically a rifleman with cameras.

[Eddie]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I have to semi-disagree with you on one point, Eddie -- if the combat journalist is a civilian, he would be unarmed (though unless he is stupid, he's have picked one up in a T2K context). That is because he is legally considered a non-combatant.

If he's a military Combat Correspondent, he's basically a rifleman with cameras.

Since you're wanting to play semantics, I have to disagree with you then, pmulc, if he's a civilian, he's an embedded journalist, not a combat journalist. Combat Journalist is a Combat Correspondent.

[Eddie]

Originally Posted by Eddie

Since you're wanting to play semantics, I have to disagree with you then, pmulc, if he's a civilian, he's an embedded journalist, not a combat journalist. Combat Journalist is a Combat Correspondent.

But also, he's specifically listed as an Enlisted Combat Journalist, so we can argue the semantics all day, but the OP already identified what he meant.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Eddie

Since you're wanting to play semantics, I have to disagree with you then, pmulc, if he's a civilian, he's an embedded journalist, not a combat journalist. Combat Journalist is a Combat Correspondent.

I don't want to play semantics, I'm just good at it.

[copeab]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

In an infantry battalion, a medic carries the same weapons as a basic rifleman -- which means he's one of the heaviest members of the platoon. They trained with us and were pretty much as good as infantrymen as the rest of us were.

Ah, okay. I've done more WWII gaming that modern military gaming and medics in the ETO generally weren't armed as Germans usually didn't shoot at them (the Pacific was an entirely different matter).

[Ramjam]

But most modern armies don't have medics as such (apart from at hospitals and aid posts etc). They are combat medics which are infantryman trained to be a medics.
They are armed because a) they are infantryman first and b) they have to be able to protect any wounded in their care.

[TiggerCCW UK]

I have a friend who was a Royal Navy doctor before leaving the service. IIRC he usually carried a sidearm at least, both for personal protection and to protect his patients. I'll check with him when I see him at the weekend and let you know.

[Abbott Shaull]

Originally Posted by copeab

Ah, okay. I've done more WWII gaming that modern military gaming and medics in the ETO generally weren't armed as Germans usually didn't shoot at them (the Pacific was an entirely different matter).

Well it one of those things with the mind set of local culture. I wonder how medic faired on the Eastern Front.

[Eddie]

Originally Posted by weswood

Infantry Staff Sergeant (E-7) Issued an M9 pistol, but I'm thinking of giving him a remington 870.

First off, he's a Sergeant First Class if he's an E-7. And he gets an M4 (or M16 depending on your year and supply system) and possibly an M9 if the unit in question has them to spare.

Enlisted Bradley driver- I've got him with an M4 carbine

M4, or M16 as above.

Enlisted Medic- M9 Berreta

Or M4. Most of our medics, we gave an M4 as his only weapon. We took the M9 for the PLs.

Enlisted Combat Journalist/Photographer- M9 Berretta

He'd get an M4/M16 instead of an M9.

[weswood]

Originally Posted by Eddie

First off, he's a Sergeant First Class if he's an E-7. And he gets an M4 (or M16 depending on your year and supply system) and possibly an M9 if the unit in question has them to spare.
.

Whoops, typo. E-6.

Thanks.