What is the loadout of a typical vietnam army infantryman in 1969?
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Standard-Issue Equipment
Much of the standard-issue U.S. Army infantry equipment proved poorly adapted to jungle and counter-insurgency warfare. Individual soldiers often customized their gear, abandoning some equipment altogether, augmenting it by trading with other GIs, or even using equipment taken from the enemy.
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Headgear
Soldiers received a standard issue "pot" or steel helmet, which, in addition to providing some protection against shrapnel or bullets, often saw duty as a chair, cookpot, or even "butt armor" during helicopter transport. Helmets also protected valuables such as cigarettes, matches and personal letters from frequent downpours. The pots were heavy and, in the high jungle temperatures, extremely hot; some soldiers abandoned them in favor of floppy, fabric hats in the field. Many men emblazoned their helmets with slogans such as "Don't Shoot, I'm Short" or "God is My Pointman."
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Uniform
In hot, humid jungle climates, standard-issue cotton uniforms quickly disintegrated. The military developed clothing that incorporated ripstop nylon, but this proved no great improvement. Spare clothes increased the weight of field packs. Soldiers prized extra socks but often carried only the clothes they wore, along with rain ponchos, which also served as bedrolls. Colorful insignia and shoulder patches could give away a position during combat. These were sometimes recreated in muted "camouflage" colors for field use.
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Rifle
The M16 rifle, standard issue for infantrymen, fired .223 caliber/5.56mm bullets at a rate of 750-900 rounds per minute on automatic setting, or as fast as a soldier could pull the trigger on semiautomatic. The rifle had an effective range of about 435 yards. Before a late 1966 redesign, the fussy M16s responded poorly to wet, dirty field conditions, and often jammed during combat, resulting in numerous casualties.
M16 cartridges came in 20 or 30-round "clips," which could be quickly popped in and out of the rifle's loading port during firefights. Although the clips added weight to the soldier's gear, the danger of running out of ammunition during a firefight caused many grunts to carried as many clips as they could stand when they went into the field.
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Mark 2 Anti-Personnel Hand-Rifle Grenade
Soldiers often carried fragmentation grenades, which could be thrown about 30 yards, or propelled accurately at distances of about 150 yards using a rifle-mounted launcher. Carrying grenades through thick jungle was a hazardous proposition. Fuse pins sometimes could catch on undergrowth and pull from grenades, resulting in unintentional and deadly explosions.
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M18A1 Claymore Anti-Personnel Mine
Soldiers frequently used these portable tripod-mounted mines to form a perimeter around a night encampment. When triggered by a tripwire or a manually-operated lanyard, the mine released a charge of 700 steel balls in a 60-degree arc, with an effective range of about 50 yards.
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Canteen
A necessity in hot, arduous patrolling conditions, these prized possessions were often passed on to friends by soldiers shipped home. Many soldiers carried multiple canteens when given the opportunity, despite the weight added by the water.
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Food
At base camps, soldiers ate a variety of foods, from steak and potatoes washed down with beer to Vietnamese dishes in local eateries. In the field, food was a different proposition, and included a variety of dehydrated and canned meals, or fish, rice, and other edibles scavenged from the land. Many soldiers bemoaned the extra weight that food added, and often carried the minimum amount they needed until the next scheduled resupply drop. Not infrequently, they came up short.
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Backpack
Infantrymen carried their gear in a canvas field packs. When filled to capacity, the pack weighed as much as 90 pounds or more, and its straps cut into the shoulders, sometimes rendering the arms numb. Some GIs favored Vietnamese packs, which were taken from captured or killed North Vietnamese.
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Footwear
Standard black leather combat boots proved hot and susceptible to rot. The military introduced jungle boots, which included cooler nylon-mesh uppers, and drain holes that allowed water to escape. The boots als
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