“The one down there with the pistol grip, that was the one I carried in Vietnam; the early version. Andy Grandy of Frankford Arsenal designed that. He called me and I went up there and shot it. He put the loader extension on it so it held eight rounds. With that duckbill at roughly thirty meters you hadda two foot high, twelve foot wide pattern using Number Four buckshot.” Retired US Navy Chief Petty Officer James “Patches” Watson, Curator Emeritus, UDT-SEAL Museum

(Editor’s note: It’s one thing to visit a military museum, but another thing entirely to get one-on-one guided tours by the museum’s Curator Emeritus, as well as its Executive Director. In this report by Military Affairs Editor Robert Bruce, SAR is pleased to provide our readers with what might be considered the next best thing. Small Arms Review is known and apparently respected by influential members of the UDT-SEAL Museum’s board and staff. As a result, our customary request for special access – including a close look at important artifacts currently on display and others in the holding safes – was enthusiastically supported. Special thanks to Association President Willard Snyder, Executive Director Mike Howard, Curator Emeritus James Watson, and Curator Ruth McSween, for taking the extra time and trouble. – Robert G. Segel)

The Chief was standing in front of the museum’s Vietnam War diorama, reminiscing in his distinctively husky and New Jersey-accented voice about three combat tours there, pointing out and describing to this correspondent a particularly important one of the many interesting weapons on display.

While a casual observer might consider the crudely chopped scattergun with only passing curiosity, the bearlike, 69 year old retired SEAL calls it his “Sweetheart.” Watson spoke with great affection about how this beautiful example of deceptively simple form and decidedly lethal function came to be and how it performed in the ultimate arena of combat.

Such a moment is of inestimable value to those who appreciate the presentation of military history through actual artifacts with a direct link to men who carried them in war. This is “provenance” at its finest, a ten dollar word in the museum culture that simply translates to “origin.”

The story of this stubby shotgun first caught our imagination in reading the books Point Man and Walking Point, Watson’s gripping narratives recounting his experiences as a “plank owner” (original member) and combat veteran of SEAL Team Two, written in collaboration with frequent SAR contributor Kevin Dockery.

My duckbill-modified, pistol-grip Ithaca became my “Sweetheart” during my second and third tours in Vietnam. The lack of a stock never bothered me because I would normally carry a shotgun only when I expected to be in close quarters. Close up, I could point my shotgun from the waist and blow away any target I had in front of me out to twenty or thirty yards without any trouble. (Excerpted from the book Walking Point, Copyright 1997, Bill Fawcett & Assoc. Used by permission.)

Now, SAR was privileged to see, and later to handle and photograph, this very weapon in the presence of its near-legendary SEAL owner. Also, to make an audio tape recording that captured for future generations “Sweetheart’s” story and much more in Watson’s own words. This interview, we’re told, will join many other recordings in the museum’s archives, preserving oral history of US Navy special warriors from WWII to the present.

But that’s getting ahead of the main story, a tour of a uniquely fascinating modern military museum.

Birthplace of the Navy Frogmen

Anchored on the very beach where the largely unknown NCDUs – Naval Combat Demolition Units – of WWII began a heroic saga that continues even today, the small but superb UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, opened in November 1985 with Watson at the helm. Now, after twenty plus years of improvements and additions – as well as repairs and restorations following numerous savage storms – visitors enjoy an extraordinary feast of hardware and history.

The museum itself, its original structure a visually striking, brilliant white cylinder with a spiral ramp to a rooftop observation deck, is surrounded by a large fenced compound protecting an exciting assortment of historic vehicles used in naval operations on land, sea, air, and beyond. A pedestal mounted Huey helicopter, icon of the Vietnam War, seems to have just taken off, straining for altitude above mini subs, riverine and oceangoing craft, dune buggies, and – seemingly out of place to those who don’t know why – a pair of space capsules.

The eye sweeps along its virtual flight path toward the nearby Atlantic Ocean, close enough to hear waves breaking and to catch the strong and evocative scent of seawater, carried inland on the steady Tradewinds.

It is from this dazzling white sand beach and clear blue waters that silent sentinels in concrete and rusting steel were recovered from the surf zone. More than a dozen original beach obstacles from WWII, used in demolition training to prepare for the epic invasion of France known as D-Day, now line up alongside the museum.

Wide pathways lead the visitor from one display to another, bordered with hundreds of emotionally powerful memorial bricks. Look closely and find the names of heroes of Naval Special Warfare like Roy Boehm, “The First SEAL.” Additional bricks display other names, and are available to all who support the museum’s mission.

We walked the verdant and well-kept grounds with current Executive Director Michael Howard, a friendly, energetic and wiry 50 year old retired Navy Captain with over 26 years of service including SEAL Team One and command of several Naval Special Warfare units. Howard appreciates this historic location but also notes the daunting environmental challenges that come with it including high temperatures, salt air with humidity, extreme winds, and frequent torrential rains.

Most recently, he said, “Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne hammered us and the whole place was almost destroyed. Boats actually got up and floated. All these are in different positions now than before the hurricanes.”

The Huey was particularly hard hit, he said, with the tail boom breaking off and other extensive structural damage. “New Piper Aircraft, up in Vero Beach, took on the repair project at no cost. They restored it and, with the help of Kauff’s Transportation and Recovery, we got it remounted on the pedestal.”

Pointing to the museum’s two Vietnam War era PBRs (Patrol Boat, Riverine) and a pair of current issue DPVs (Desert Patrol Vehicles), the Captain spoke of plans to improve on these already impressive displays. “One of the projects we’re working on is getting weapons on these boats and vehicles,” he said, hastily adding, “fake weapons.”

“We think that’s important to make the displays a little more dynamic, realistic looking, with more punch,” he said. “That’s what SEALs and boat guys and helicopters supporting them are all about – firepower.”

Since then, we’re told that highly realistic replica .50 caliber M2s have been bought and installed. Wisely, these are made with durable polymer resin that won’t corrode in the harsh salt air and, in this day and times, have the essential advantage of being completely inert.

A Proud Beginning

The Executive Director’s tour moved inside where walls of the main hallway are covered with impressive plaques listing units and personnel from the first NCDU in 1943 to the Plank Owners of SEAL Teams One and Two. These frame the entranceway to the World War Two gallery, heralded by an imposing wall-sized photo enlargement showing men of NCDU 200 during training at Fort Pierce in 1944.

Stepping a few feet inside, Howard paused in an area flanked by illuminated display cases containing individual mannequins representing the rapid evolution in WWII from NCDUs and Scouts and Raiders to UDTs (Underwater Demolition Teams). Each is authentically uniformed, equipped and armed, he said, often with items donated to the museum by actual veterans of the period or their families.

The Hagensen (sic) Demolition Pack is common to all, a generic name given to variations based on a clever field expedient explosive charge with two pounds of pre-rigged C2 packed in a canvas haversack for land or underwater use. The original is credited in official Navy D-Day documentation to Lieutenant (j.g.) C. P. Hagenson (note “son” with an “o”).

Also notable in this section is a tribute to Lieutenant Commander Draper Kauffman, “The Father of Naval Combat Demolition,” who set up NCDU training at Fort Pierce in June of 1943.

Moving around the gallery, Howard acknowledged SAR’s obvious bias by pointing out numerous examples of American and enemy weaponry. All of the standard Navy and Marine Corps small arms have honored places, from the M1911 .45 auto pistol through ’03 and M1 rifles, the M1 carbine, Thompson submachine gun, as well as John Browning’s famous BAR and his unstoppable M1917A1 machine gun.

As counterpoint to standard US firearms, we were pleased to find nice examples of German P38 and Luger pistols, as well as an MG34 machine gun, prominent in the D-Day case.

Japanese weaponry is similarly in evidence, including a representative Nambu pistol and Arisaka rifle. Most impressive to many visitors is the large, radiator-finned Type 92 heavy machine gun, dramatically posed beneath a Japanese battle flag. UDT 24 autographed this flag while occupying Japan, post surrender.

Also prominently displayed is a Samurai sword, formally surrendered by General Tomoyuki Yamashita after losing the battle for the Philippine Islands in 1945. While it was believed for many years that this was the general’s own priceless family heirloom sword, recent expert examination showed otherwise. Howard speculates that, anticipating the inevitable, the canny general sent his home, appropriating one from a junior officer to hand over to the Americans. Both the original surrender document and Samurai sword were presented to the Museum by Draper Kauffman’s family.

North Gallery

Moving ahead in time from victory in WWII and the Occupation of Japan, SAR’s VIP tour continued in the North Gallery with Chief Watson taking over duties at the Korean Conflict wall, fronted by a tripod-mounted .50 caliber Browning M2HB machine gun. This awesome example of John M. Browning’s genius was fielded in the 1930’s, then served with distinction in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Remarkably, it is still going strong today on Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft.

The large and menacing machine gun is intentionally set on a boxlike riser at knee height. This, the Chief says, encourages visitors to reach out and touch the gun, a significant departure from the rules at most museums and a particularly memorable experience for many in the school groups and others that regularly visit.

Watson told us that Korea was where UDTs started doing many of the things that would later become SEAL missions, “Going behind enemy lines and attacking fuel depots, bridges and railroad yards.”

The North Gallery’s tightly packed displays of photos, equipment and weapons from Korea to the present Global War on Terror are strongly enhanced by a video presentation on Basic Underwater Demolition School. BUDS is the hellish entry ordeal that all aspiring SEALs must successfully complete. Repeating automatically at regular intervals on a wall-mounted monitor, its sounds of pounding surf, straining men, screaming instructors, throaty cadence chants, gunfire, and explosions fill the gallery, bringing to life the harsh world in which these silent artifacts have served.

The evolution of diving gear for waterborne combat operations is well represented and the museum is particularly proud to have a fine example of the Lambertson Amphibious Rebreather. A “closed-circuit rig” that doesn’t release telltale bubbles, it was introduced in the latter part of WWII for OSS Maritime Units and UDTs.

Walls of Weapons

Noting our quick glances over his shoulder during the introduction to Aqua Lungs and such, the Chief – who definitely shares SAR’s intense appreciation for weapons of all kinds – quickly moved on to the primary focus of our visit. Guns are what we want, and the museum has got plenty of ‘em.

Several large Plexiglas-faced displays are filled with 20th Century military firearms, enticing the visitor to move up close for an intimate encounter. The tall, shallow cases allow examination literally inches from exotic and unusual pistols, submachine guns, rifles, grenade launchers, and more. Read serial numbers, see selector markings, note mechanical details, almost smell the gun oil….

Standing in front of the first case, containing a variety of allied and enemy weapons from the Vietnam War era, Watson recalled his time in preparation for SEAL Team Two’s deployments when, at the prophetic insistence of Team Chief Bob “The Eagle” Gallagher, “We trained with these because you never know if you’re gonna hafta pick one up and use it because you ran outta ammo or something happened to yours.”

The two weapons at the top were ChiCom copies of the RPG-2 (NVA B-40) launcher and generic AK-47 with underfolding spike bayonet. Four submachine guns lined up underneath; an M45b “Swedish K”, French MAT-49, and a Russian PPSh-41, nicely paired with the North Vietnamese K-50M that’s made from it by chopping the barrel and cooling shroud then replacing the fixed wooden stock with a telescoping wire version.

The Chief doesn’t hold the K-50 in high regard, citing at least one he fired with an apparent sear problem. “Hang on ‘cause it wasn’t gonna stop ‘till it was empty,” he said. “Definitely a piece of junk.”

But a big smile appeared when we stepped in front of the next case and he pointed out several of the US weapons his team and others used in ‘Nam. In addition to an early version M72 LAW (Light Antitank Weapon), there were three grenade launchers on display that he heartily approved of. A 40mm M79 “Thumper” often accompanied the Chief as a STAB (SEAL Team Assault Boat) coxswain on riverine missions, and his team got some of the first underbarrel-mounted CGL-4/XM148 launchers off Colt’s assembly lines.

The last of the trio is the exceedingly rare “China Lake Pump,” serial number 4 of a total run said to be only sixteen guns. This is an imposing cross between an M79 and a pump shotgun that allowed the grenadier four quick rounds when things got really hairy.

Of course the Chief has a story to go with the weapon. “When I went back to Vietnam in 1996, serial number 13 was hangin’ on the wall in their war museum,” then added with a knowing look, “I tried to find out who lost that but was unsuccessful.”

The enthusiasm level kept rising as we moved to behold yet another weapons case, this one filled with belt-fed machine guns. The topmost weapon is an HK 23, a sturdy but heavy West German-made 5.56mm that the Chief notes was combat tested by a Team Two buddy, the late John “Fly” Fallon.

But, he says, it didn’t stack up to Gene Stoner’s lighter, compact and modular guns. “Stoner designed a system – a rifle and machine gun combination,” he said, putting emphasis on the word system.

“When I went into Cambodia … I’d take the stock off it and use the short barrel. You wanted to make everything as light and small as you could.” The system aspect of Stoner’s guns is well presented in the three variants on display, showing how a basic receiver group can be reconfigured with various barrels and feed mechanisms. A 63A assault carbine version with folding wire stock and 30-round magazine is sandwiched between two belt-feds. Above is a Mark 23 Mod 0 with a generous 150-round drum and below is a 63A1 with a 100-round box.

(SAR notes that at least one of the Stoners and a good number of the other weapons on display are on long-term loan from the Naval Historical Society’s fabulous holdings. See Robert Bruce’s NHS feature in Volume 7 Number 1.)

Silencers vs. Suppressors

A bit incongruously sharing this machine gun case is an M16A1 with one mounted suppressor and another below, teamed with its cutaway version to reveal the engineering secrets inside. These prompted a quick lesson from the Chief, enlightening those handicapped by Hollywood-generated ignorance. “There’s no such thing as a silencer,” he declared, “every weapon makes some noise in functioning – even a bow and arrow.”

Pointing to the Mark II suppressor and its cutaway on display, he added, “When you use this one without subsonic ammo you’d hear the crack of the bullet when it broke the sound barrier. But it creates deception in locating the direction somebody’s shooting from. If we’re standing here and (points left) a guy’s out there shooting with a suppressed M16, you’d think he was over there (points right) ‘cause what you’d mostly hear is the bullet breaking the sound barrier.”

Shotguns, Shorties and Starlight

Then, turning to his left, Watson paused in front of the Vietnam diorama, figuratively traveling back in time nearly forty years to a nighttime raid on a bamboo hut on the other side of the world. Dramatic life sized figures of three men with green camo face paint and exotic armament are checking out a Viet Cong guerrilla weapons cache, a variety of weapons of communist bloc and other origin.

“The SEALs here just discovered it,” the Chief says, “the guy on the left is carrying a standard Model 37 (Ithaca shotgun) with a ‘duckbill’ – the later version with the ring around it.”

And there, sitting on a wooden ammo crate in front of the SEAL, was Watson’s own “Sweetheart,” described at the beginning of this feature. But he isn’t pleased that this makes it look like his gun had been captured. “That didn’t happen,” he declared, “we’re gonna get some stuff moved around.”

The SEAL on the right carries another interesting combo, a chopped M16 dwarfed by a big, strange apparatus attached to its topside carrying handle. The Chief shakes his head as he recalls his own brief experience with this ungainly rig.

“Here’s one of the first ‘Starlight Scopes,’ but it was too heavy and cumbersome,” he said. “I used it once mounted on a CAR Fifteen (submachine gun version of the Colt AR-15 rifle)…. Too heavy and when you put it up to your eye to use it there’s a green glow. Take it away and you’re blind; night vision’s gone in that eye for thirty minutes.”

Post-Vietnam to GWOT

The North Gallery continues with exhibits showing activities and operations since Vietnam, overseen by an eerie life-sized hologram with the spectral three dimensional presence of a SEAL armed with an MP5 submachine gun. He tirelessly guards displays showing Naval Special Warfare units in action in Grenada, Panama, Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Noteworthy among the photos and artifacts is another tall case packed with examples of Navy edged weapons from the Mark I KA-Bar of WWII thru the new Gerber Silver Trident, the Chief’s own design in collaboration with Bill Harsey, Jr.

Across the way, visitors can walk right up and touch a battle-damaged 12.7mm ChiCom Type 54 heavy machine gun, a clone of the Soviet DShKM, captured by SEAL Team Two’s Fourth Platoon during a still-politically sensitive operation in the Persian Gulf in the late 1980s. Roughly equivalent to Browning’s M2HB, the exotically configured and impressively large weapon should spark recognition of how lethal is the arsenal of our current enemies.

Operation Desert Storm, the 1st Gulf War, is the final major exhibit, shown in display cases full of captured Iraqi gear dominated by a mannequin in “chocolate chip camo” uniform, representing a SEAL operating far behind enemy lines. Then, the last bit of wall space available in the museum holds a meaningful tribute to the eleven SEALs killed on a combat rescue mission in Afghanistan on 28 June 2005.

Safekeeping

Few museums have everything in the collection on display and this one has packed a small storage room literally from floor to ceiling with rare, unusual and truly exotic artifacts. Stepping up close we encountered vintage tactical radios, diving gear, uniforms, and other interesting items from decades of NSW operations. How about an example of the distinctive XM257 shotgun ammo that goes with the “Duckbills” on display? Got it. “Bazooka” rockets used against beach bunkers? Yep.

Also, three large safes line one wall of the room, jammed with weapons and other high-value artifacts. Their massive doors swing open to reveal an eclectic mix ranging from Great War vintage machine guns to GWOT RPGs. Chief Watson pulled a few out for us to handle (wearing the necessary white cotton gloves, of course) and graciously gave us the opportunity to shoot detailed photos. In addition to a 1917-made Lewis Gun that served in WWII protecting UDT craft, there’s Robert Marshall’s M1 Carbine (UDT 3 and 5) and a ‘Nam era S&W Model 39 auto pistol with suppressor.

But our props really started turning when the Chief set a trio of crude handguns down on the white background paper of our makeshift studio. “These are homemade VC pistols,” he said, “captured by Team Two’s ‘Fly’ Fallon and his PRU (Provisional Reconnaissance Unit) on a Phoenix operation.”

There, right in front of us, were jungle workshop weapons; surprisingly well made by resourceful guerrillas, captured by a real SEAL on a CIA-directed mission, brought back home by him, then personally donated to the museum. This is powerful provenance and future visitors can look forward to the time when space is available to put them and their story on display.

Artifacts Sought

Curator Ruth McSween has recently come on board. With a Masters Degree in Museum Studies, she brings a high degree of professionalism to the demanding tasks of cataloging, preservation, presentation, and much more.

McSween encourages the continued contribution of letters, photographs, uniforms, oral and written histories, weapons, and other memorabilia, relating to the history of Naval Special Warfare of all eras. Like most museums, they have a need for certain historical items to fill important gaps in the collection: OSS Maritime Units, the history and evolution of Special Warfare Combatant Craft, and photographs of UDT platoons executing hydrographic reconnaissance survey work.

Additionally, she says, “We would like to increase the number of artifacts that date to more recent operations including both wars in Iraq as well as the war in Afghanistan.”

Bigger and Better

Available space for major exhibits ends after the first Gulf War. So museum leaders are aggressively pursuing funding for expansion to showcase recent and ongoing NSW operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other battlegrounds of the Global War on Terror.

Howard explained that there are existing architectural plans for a dramatic new addition but day to day operational costs have to take priority. “Right now we’re only making ends meet,” he said.

Association President Willard Snyder, interestingly a retired Army Colonel (Infantry) with service in 12th Special Forces Group (USAR), told us the Board of Directors is working to “get one focus and move ahead financially.” Both Snyder and Howard see corporate donors – such as major defense contractors – as natural sources of funding and other support.

Howard, Snyder and the Chief all emphasize the essential contributions of rank and file members whose dues, volunteer work, donations of artifacts, personal and professional networking connections, are the museum’s firmest foundation. Increasing membership – open to all who wish to support preservation and presentation of the history of Naval Special Warfare – is a top priority.

Find Out More

Membership details and a printable application form may be found on the Museum’s excellent website at www.navysealmuseum.com. Additionally, the site offers a stunning “virtual museum” tour as well as a wealth of information on history, heritage, and links for those interested in SEALs and other current Naval Special Warfare units. Go on-line shopping at The Ship’s Store for an interesting assortment of UDT and SEAL memorabilia including shirts, caps, pens, mugs, patches, stickers, videos, and plenty of books such as Chief Watson’s Point Man.

See For Yourself

No trip to Florida by a modern military history buff or small arms enthusiast would be complete without a side visit to tropical Fort Pierce and its UDT-SEAL Museum on beautiful North Hutchinson Island. Most anytime is fine, but particularly during Muster, the yearly gathering of past and present SEALs and other NSW members. The 21st Annual Muster, featuring spectacular combat demonstrations and other exciting activities, is scheduled for November 10 through 12, 2006. There’s detailed info on the museum website.

UDT-SEAL Museum
3300 North Highway A1A
Fort Pierce, FL 34949-8520
Telephone (772) 595-5845
www.navysealmuseum.com
Other Useful Websites
www.nswfoundation.org
www.navysealteams.com
www.navyseals.com
www.seal.navy.mil
www.realseal.org

“With the high percentage of Marines, both Regular and Reserve, male and female, deployed in harm’s way, it is a great credit to the Marine Corps League that much of the new equipment and technologies used by our Marines on today’s battlefield had their genesis through the Modern Day Marine Military Exposition.” General M. W. Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps

As GWOT – the Global War on Terror – continues, the US Marine Corps remains on the cutting edge of operations around the world, playing a key role in combat against terrorists and those who support and harbor them.

While much of the work they do is the same sort of grinding and gritty infantry combat that has characterized warfare for the last century, the Corps takes extraordinary measures to equip its fighters with the best available weapons and equipment. From sturdy desert boots to precise global positioning systems, US Marines shouldn’t have to settle for second best.

And it isn’t just the grunts on the ground who deserves to get the finest that money and technology can provide. Marine aviators, artillerymen, tankers, combat engineers, amphibious forces, and support elements need to keep up with the newest developments.

The never-ending search for the latest and most effective means of moving, shooting, communicating, and surviving on current and future battlefields is conducted in a variety of ways by USMC Headquarters at Quantico, Virginia. The roster of major activities at the “Crossroads of the Corps” includes such no-nonsense outfits as the Warfighting Lab, Systems Command and Combat Development Command.

At these and many others, new tactics, tools and techniques are closely examined by Marines with long and hard experience in real world operations. When appropriate, those that pass initial evaluation will then be subjected to the most demanding tests at locations around the world from arctic to desert and jungle. Only the strongest survive and make it “into the system” for issue to those doing the real fighting.

But how does the Corps efficiently find the most promising things among thousands of gimmicks, gadgets and guns that the defense industry so eagerly promotes each year? Indeed, how can inventors and manufacturers big and small catch the attention of those who make critical decisions on what will be chosen for a closer look?

The Commandant himself suggests that one excellent answer to these questions comes in the form of the annual Modern Day Marine Military Exposition, a unique trade show for some of the most demanding customers in the world. The 25th annual Expo was held over three days in September at Quantico’s historic Air Facility, home of the President’s Marine One helicopter.

Featuring nearly 300 industry and military exhibitors from AAI to Xenonics, the event showcased literally thousands of items needed for all aspects of modern war. Packed inside cavernous Hanger 3, along with two enormous tents and a wide expanse of outdoor space, were giant armored trucks, surveillance drones, artillery pieces, radars, computer-linked command centers, pistols, backpacks, night sights, and plenty of robots.

Co-sponsored by the Marine Corps League and MCB Quantico, it enjoys official support from the Commandant of the Corps on down the chain of command. It is a “must attend” for officers and enlisted at Quantico determined to find better tools and better ways to fight GWOT.

Located less than an hour’s drive from the Pentagon, the Expo always gets crowds of high level civilian and military visitors from all the US Armed Forces. Foreign defense personnel from Washington’s many embassies are also in attendance; some to buy and some to spy.

Machine Marines

While all the traditional categories were represented with small arms and ammo, body armor, trucks and helos, this year’s Expo was distinguished by an increasing number of robotic platforms. Defense industry giant General Dynamics in particular was enthusiastically presenting its vision of robots as co-combatants now and in the near future. The latest player from General Dynamics in this exciting drama is the “Tactical Autonomous Combat-Chassis,” or TAC-C, that will allow engineers to try out many different concepts for manned and unmanned operations. This fast and powerful new off-road platform is readily adaptable to a variety of configurations from cargo carrier to weaponized assault vehicle and, unlike previous robot rovers, has seating for human operators to take over at appropriate points in the mission.

Another robot on display should be familiar to our readers from recent features. The “Gladiator TUGV” (Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle) continues to develop in a partnership between military, industry and academia. Gladiator is on track for fielding as early as 2007 to provide dismounted Marine units with robotic recon, surveillance and target acquisition. Also, depending on what on-board weapons systems are mounted, to allow human operators to fire on the enemy from relative safety in rear areas.

Threat identification and neutralization using remotely operated small arms on vehicle mounts like Gladiator and ordinary tripod ground mounts is another battlefield capability that we have been closely following. The Marine Corps has been out front in experimentation and real-world operational evaluation of Precision Remotes’ TRAP system, mounting various weapons including M240 machine guns and Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifles. We were pleased to see that the system capabilities have been expanded with introduction of the Quad-X Controller, enabling remote operation of up to four surveillance and gun platforms.

The rapid development of Northrop Grumman’s “Fire Scout UAV” (Unmanned Air Vehicle) is also encouraging. This pilotless recon helo-from-hell has demonstrated increasing sophistication in its ability to carry out the full spectrum of airborne missions without direct human intervention. In addition to all-weather surveillance and target acquisition, on-board gun and missile systems make it a lethal threat for enemy forces.

The astonishing array of electronic contrivances for the “digital battlefield” continues to grow. This is as it must be, with America’s great technological edge aiding both the soldier on the ground and his command structure with real-time input on the whole spectrum of battle.

Office of Naval Research

We found an excellent example of the integration of highly mobile heavy weaponry and digital command links in the “Dragon II Automated Mortar,” a self-loading 120mm tube system that can detect incoming rounds in flight, instantly compute their point of origin and begin raining counterbattery fire and steel on the launch site in less than a half minute. This robo-mortar is a joint development of an interesting team including Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, Army ARDEC, General Dynamics, and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

While on the subject of mortars it bears mentioning that ONR is also working with Warfighting Lab on a project to significantly lighten the Corps’ standard 81mm M252 pipe at no penalty in range and rate of fire. Edgy experimentation carried out by ONR is invaluable to the Navy and Marine Corps team as evidenced by displays with military and industry partners in several areas of the expo. Some items of particular interest to this correspondent include the afore-mentioned Gladiator as well as its little brother Dragon Runner, the Boomerang countershooter detection and location system, and the mother of all shotgun rounds. More on that in a moment….

Super Small Arms

One might think that most everything possible in the world of rifles, pistols and such had been thought of by now and in many cases this is true. Some of today’s hot new gadgets are easily tracked back to olden days in one form or another. We’re not making fun of anybody here – just pointing out that good ideas of the past have a way of resurfacing when needed. An example is ONR’s “Frag-12” shotgun shell, a high explosive projectile intended for standoff door breaching with standard GI shotguns. When buckshot, slugs or frangible loads won’t do the job, apply some super energetic persuasion and marvel at the results. This good new idea is actually more than 30 years old, dating back to the end of the Vietnam War when Carroll Childers worked with SEALs and Force Recon as a Naval Science Officer at Dahlgren. Been there, done that, anybody save some money by checking the engineering papers he left on file?

Another clever gizmo that caught our eye is the “Parascope Urban Combat Sight” from MTC Technologies. A side viewing port allows the weapon to be aimed and fired from around corners or over protective barriers while exposing only the hands and arms. No batteries needed and no distortion of the regular sight picture using holographic or iron sights. History buffs know that periscopic aiming devices have their origins in the trenches of WWI.

Other notable improvements and updates to more recently fielded firearms were to be found at the Expo. Among the big boys, FN continues work on its exciting SCAR system for Special Operations Command and HK has prudently formed an alliance with General Dynamics for military sales of its 416 line as well as the Modular Weapon System Family, the latest XM8 incarnation.

EO Tech has a new clamp-on 4x magnifier to increase versatility of close-quarters combat rigs. Insight Tech showed a hush-hush new integrated night sight that we got to photograph only after promising not to write anything about it.

Crimson Trace has a new saddle type laser grip module that can be easily installed by Glock enthusiasts and Britain’s UTM is pushing into the SIMUNITION-dominated training field. LaRue has a sturdy new scope base for Special Operations Command’s high-speed Mark 14 upgrades of Uncle Sam’s pre-Vietnam M14 rifles. C-MAG is nearing fielding of a new double drum in 7.62 NATO, probably available in stylish desert tan color.

An old Special Warrior is back in the fight thanks to Nevada based US Ordnance, licensed by Saco Defense as the exclusive manufacturer/distributor for the snake-mean M60E4. Well known by Navy SEALs as the MK 43 Commando, this chopped “pig” boasts significant internal improvements along with a new machined aluminum feed cover and integrated length of Picatinny rail, plus handguard area with quad rail interface.

Awards Parade

History and traditions are particularly important to the Marine Corps and a highly impressive Enlisted Awards Parade is always part of the Expo program at Quantico. Led by the incomparable USMC Drum and Bugle Corps, it also featured precision drill from the famous Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. For those who understand and appreciate how much discipline, training and pride are required, the show these men put on is truly awe inspiring.

This set the parade deck stage for General M. W. Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, to personally recognize ten outstanding Marine enlisted personnel for exemplary performance. Particularly noteworthy to our readers should be the prestigious Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock Award, named for the famous Vietnam War sniper. This went to Gunnery Sergeant Lester L. Stone of Quantico’s Weapons Training Battalion.

2006

The 2006 Modern Day Marine Military Expo is scheduled for 12-14 September. Those who can’t make it to Quantico are encouraged to visit similar Expos at Camp Lejune, North Carolina or the West Coast version at Camp Pendleton, California. More information for attendees and exhibitors is available on their website at www.marinecorpsexpos.com.

Warfighting on the Web

The accompanying photos show only a few of the interesting products on display but much more can be found by visiting websites of exhibitors listed on the Expo program on the internet at www.marinecorpsexpos.com. Also see the USMC’s official website at www.usmc.mil, and the Marine Corps League at www.mcleague.org.

(Editor’s Note: SAR Military Affairs Editor Robert Bruce was cleared to visit Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home of the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, to do a feature story on the tough and challenging training for Military Occupational Specialty 18 Bravo – the Special Forces Weapons Sergeant. His report is built around two days on the range during foreign and crew-served weapons live fire and an in-depth interview with a man directly responsible for updating the course’s program of instruction and carrying it out on a daily basis. – Robert G. Segel)

“18 Bravos are the Team Sergeant’s right hand man. 18 Bravos and Charlies (Engineers)…are the meat eaters.” Master Sergeant Robert Baugher, 18 Bravo Course Chief Instructor and NCOIC of the 4th Battalion’s Weapons Training Detachment.

The Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha – the “A Team” – consists of two officers and ten NCOs. Two of each of these sergeants are trained in one of five functional areas including Weapons, Engineer, Medical, Communications, and Operations and Intelligence. While strong arguments can be made for the relative importance of each of these, most readers of Small Arms Review are probably naturally inclined to agree with MSG Baugher.

Baugher has been the Chief Instructor for the 18 Bravo course for a little more than a year, coming from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, directly engaged in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). His extensive combat experience has strongly influenced an insistence on dramatic changes to the course that reflect harsh and constantly evolving realities of unconventional warfare.

Informal conversations with his battalion commander and command sergeant major show enthusiastic support for Baugher’s ideas and how they fit into the big picture of ongoing transformation throughout Army Special Forces. Among several of these are increased emphasis on advanced combat marksmanship with individual weapons and effective employment of Ground Mobility Vehicles with the heavy firepower of their crew served weapons.

SAR’s long talk with Baugher took place on Fort Bragg’s Range 44 while more than sixty members of the current 18 Bravo class got a chance to live fire many of the enemy, allied and US individual and crew-served weapons they had been intensively studying for several weeks.

As these exotic tools of war were put into action the nearly constant rattle of small arms fire was repeatedly overwhelmed by deafening explosions from heavy weapons like the incomparable 106mm recoilless rifle. Thick clouds of fine reddish dust, kicked up by powerful backblast, drifted over the range carrying the strong and familiar scent of burnt gunpowder.

It is to be expected from a warrior with more than a dozen years in Army Special Forces and a lot of recent and intense combat experience, that Baugher is not shy about expressing his strong opinions and observations. He pulled no punches in candidly answering our many specific questions, trusting that we would report the answers accurately and in the context of official information provided by JFK Special Warfare Center and School.

Advice for Students

Baugher and his combat-seasoned instructor staff have some sobering words for their new students about the realities of what they are being trained for.

“You’re gonna get shot at! You know what, you don’t get scared when you’re shot at, you get ….(really, really mad)! This requires controlled aggression, another thing we will teach you in CMMS (Combat Marksmanship). You need to be able to channel all that and put it here (makes handgun gesture). And then switch it off. And when the light comes back on switch it back on.”

The course is dangerous work, reflecting the reality of real world operations. It was emphasized that students need to overcome fear of the guns. This is a big part of the CMMS range with shooting and moving – two guys shooting while moving – and getting what Baugher calls “that frying pan hitting them in the nose” (close muzzle blast from the weapon right beside them), described as a feeling and taste like getting punched in the face.

Changes Driven by GWOT

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Schwartz, 4th Battalion commander, spoke positively of the “institutional agility” shown by the command structure in quickly reviewing and approving changes in response to challenges in the Global War on Terror. Some of these in the 18 Bravo course, he said, are integration of close air support, .50 caliber sniping, close quarters battle, and employment of crew served weapons from ground mobility platforms.

“Gun Trucks,” modified Hummvees officially called Ground Mobility Vehicles (GMV), are now a key element of the Bravo course. There is a full day of GMV crew drills with the Mark 19 (40mm grenade machine gun) and .50 cal. M2HB including stationary and moving marksmanship, misfire procedures and related skills. Also load plans, how to configure it, how to set it up with all necessary fuel, food, individual gear and everything else.

Then there is intensive combat marksmanship – four days of nothing but CMMS with M9 (9mm Beretta pistol) and M4A1 (5.56mm Colt carbine). The goal is to double this training in later classes with more shooting and moving, shooting while moving, barriers, critical task evaluations, and a stress shoot at the end.

The rationale, Baugher says, is to get students out of their comfort zone, “away from getting behind a weapon on a sandbag, shaking it off and breaking a round. Move – shoot – put rounds on the target.”

Tough Choices

4th Battalion Command Sergeant Major George Bequer also emphasized recent changes in the Weapons Sergeant course.

“We’re not here to build gunsmiths,” he said while reviewing 18 Bravo range operations, “we want experts in how to employ these weapons in combat.”

With enormous numbers of weapons of all types out in the world it is a real challenge to choose which ones to include in the thirteen week course. The school solution is to pick those that best represent ones in use by US, allied and enemy forces, then specific examples among them to illustrate the different operational systems such as gas tappets, gas direct, manual pump, etc.

The long laundry list of small arms includes commonly encountered pistols, submachine guns, assault, battle and sniper rifles, machine guns, and grenade launchers. Representative examples are seen in the accompanying photos and readers will no doubt recognize the old GI “Forty Five” along with the new HK USP, AKs of all types, US and Communist bloc squad autos and belt feds, as well as the M79 and M203 “bloopers.”

The first thing 18 Bravo students get is a class called Basic Operations, breaking down every system of operation and then going into cycles of operation – feeding, chambering, locking, cocking, firing, unlocking, extracting, and ejecting. That foundation can be applied to any different weapon system so the student can say “OK, I don’t really know much about this particular rifle or machine gun but I know it’s a gas tappet that hits the op rod.”

Thick paper manuals are on the way out as new students coming into the Q Course will be issued a notebook computer and software with references. 18 Bravos get CDs with weapon data, breakdowns, functioning, and more. They’ll also get a software package that will let them log into “ARSOF (Army Special Operations Forces) University” to access a comprehensive database with information and instruction useful to most any aspect of Army Special Operations Forces.

Weapons and Ammunition

The interesting and far-reaching question of where the foreign weapons and ammunition come from was sent by public affairs up the chain of command. SAR was told that foreign weapons procurement is based on the needs and requirements from units throughout the global theater of operations. Once a need has been identified, then an approved program of instruction is developed to support training while a request is processed through procurement channels.

Many among us have wondered about all those mountains of foreign weapons and ammunition captured in combat. Instead of torching, crushing or blowing them up, we asked if they could be brought back for training use to reduce expenses. The official answer makes sense on many levels including factoring the inherent dangers of high explosive ordnance and the devices that hurl them.

“There is a system in place but in most cases it is not cost effective to transfer weapons and ammo back to the installation Ammunition Supply Point (ASP). All ammo and weapons must go through testing and meet safety certification requirements and then be repackaged for shipping to the designated ASP. The time and cost involved usually makes it cost prohibitive.”

SAR was also assured that, despite the significant increase in class sizes and the changes in weapons being taught, the 18 Bravo course is getting enough ammo and there isn’t a problem to get more when the situation calls for it.

Performance-Oriented Training

Each block of instruction is followed by a test, often a combination of hands-on and written. For light weapons, they teach all the systems of operation and show key examples of pistols, rifles, and machine guns within each system. There is ample time for practical exercise with each before the hands-on examination including assembly and disassembly, changing barrels, crew drills, and employment.

18 Bravo instructors say the light weapons examination seems to be the hardest part for many students. This is a timed exercise involving key weapons and their disassembly, assembly, loading, (dry) firing, and other mechanical operations. They believe that self-induced stress is the biggest factor since most of the same students do fine in the practical exercises.

The characteristics part of this exam is done verbally. An instructor will hold up different guns picked at random and ask what it is, cyclic rate, system of operation, caliber and feed.

Students are also tested on their ability to successfully diagnose and correct operating deficiencies; misfiring, failure to feed, failure to extract, etc.

Instruction and practical exercises with antitank and antiaircraft systems follow a similar pattern. US and other weapons in the first category include the current AT4, Javelin, SPG-9, and Carl Gustaf, as well as two oldies but goodies; 90mm M67 and 106mm M40. Air defense weaponry includes the US Stinger and some ex-Soviet shoulder launchers starting with the SA-7.

Indirect Fire

Another area of difficulty is said to be in FDC (Fire Direction Center) teaching the employment of mortars and recently including other heavy hitters in JFE (Joint Fire Elements) with artillery and close air support. Baugher believes this is because many of the students have never had experience with the process. The instruction begins in a logical progression from drills and live fire with 60 through 120mm mortars, then adjusting fire as a Forward Observer. By the time they get to FDC they understand better why they’re doing specific tasks because they already know what’s going to happen down at the gun.

But attention to detail in all the precise math and geometry throws some off. “One little mistake,” he says, can have tragic consequences.

Measuring Success

The peacetime grace period is gone for Q Course (SF Qualification) graduates. Most will get their gear and fall in with a team that is already deployed to a war zone. 18 Bravo instructors make sure they’re switched on and ready to go.

Every man must demonstrate mastery of the mortars, antitank weapons and others organic to an ODA (Operational Detachment Alpha) – Mark 19, Fifty Cal., Mark 47 (40mm Advanced Lightweight Grenade Launcher), soon the Mark 44 Minigun.

And Baugher says, “Know the kit they carry – pistol and M4. When they know those guns in and out and know how to operate them, we feel they’re trained.”

Usually, more than nine out of ten students make it through the 18 Bravo course and many among the ones who don’t are eligible to “recycle” – to come back and pick up where they left off.

The Way Ahead

Baugher and his battle-hardened instructors would like to see additional changes to the Bravo course. Key among these are integration of high-tech simulators for appropriate weapons as well as FO and close air support training, more range time with all weapons, and more real-world type training with GMV gun trucks.

The Wall

SAR asked Baugher if there anything not officially part of the 18 Bravo course that he would encourage the students to see.

“The Wall at USASOC,” he said immediately, referring to the memorial in US Army Special Operations Command’s headquarters area. “See the name Mitch Lane and all the other men from the Regiment who gave their lives in GWOT. They need to know the hard reality of what they’re getting into.”

Are You Special Forces Material?

Background and aptitude play a big role in what MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) is assigned following Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). For Weapons Sergeants, good scores in GT (general technical component of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery testing) and CO (combat operations) are particularly important.

SFAS evaluators will be looking closely for six “core attributes” in individuals who best fit the SF mold – intelligence, trainability, judgment, influence, physical fitness, and motivation.

Those currently serving the US Army are the usual source of volunteers for Special Forces training. Detailed information on eligibility requirements is available at www.bragg.army.mil/specialforces.

In addition, an exciting direct enlistment program is available for qualified young men in civilian life. The 18 XRAY track guarantees new enlistees the opportunity to “try out” for Special Forces. Call your local Army recruiter or learn more online at www.goarmy.com.

Introduction to Special Forces

The Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha, or A-Team, is the fundamental building block for all Special Forces Groups. There are six Alpha detachments in each SF company.

A captain leads the 12-man team. Second in command is a warrant officer. Two noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, trained in each of five SF functional areas: weapons, engineer, medical, communications, and operations and intelligence comprise the remainder of the team. All team members are SF qualified and cross-trained in different skills, as well as being multi-lingual.

Capabilities of the highly versatile A-Team include: plan and conduct SF operations separately or as part of a larger force; infiltrate and exfiltrate specified operational areas by air, land, or sea; conduct operations in remote areas and hostile environments for extended periods of time with a minimum of external direction and support; develop, organize, equip, train and advise or direct indigenous forces up to battalion size in special operations; train, advise and assist other US and allied forces and agencies; plan and conduct unilateral SF operations; perform other special operations as directed by higher authority.

The Special Forces Pipeline

The Special Forces Qualification Course is considered by many to be the best special operations training and education in the world. Its mission is to train and build the future operational force with SF warriors who are adaptable, agile and capable to immediately enter into combat operations as a member of a Special Forces team.

The 1st Special warfare Training Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC, is responsible for all six phases of SF training, which is referred to as the Special Forces Pipeline.

This requires a commitment of one year (two years for 18 DELTA Medical Sergeants) of intensive coursework based on the soldier’s military specialty training. A soldier is awarded the distinctive Green Beret and the Special Forces Tab at the end of all phases of training. The six phases include:

• Phase IA – Special Forces Assessment and Selection Conditioning Course
• Phase IB – Special Forces Assessment and Selection
• Special Forces Preparation Course
• Phase II – Small Unit Tactics/SERE/PG/HD
• Common Leadership Training
• Phase III – Military Occupational Specialty Specific Training
• Phase IV – Language Training
• Phase V – Unconventional Warfare Culmination Exercise (Robin Sage)
• Phase VI – Graduation

All enlisted soldiers in the 18 X program must attend the Special Forces Preparation Course and those who have not already completed the Primary Leadership Development Course must go to Common Leadership Training.

The Special Forces Weapons Sergeant, MOS 18 Bravo

Special Forces Weapons Sergeants are the weapons specialists. They’re capable of operating and maintaining a wide variety of US, allied and foreign weaponry.

Some duties of the 18 Bravo include:

• Going behind enemy lines to recruit, train and equip friendly forces for guerrilla raids.
• Clearing mine fields, both underwater and on land.
• Carrying out demolition raids against enemy targets.
• Employing warfare tactics and techniques in infantry operations.
• Conducting offensive raids or invasions of enemy territories.
• Maintaining proficiency with all foreign high-density light and heavy weapons.
• Evaluating terrain.
• Selecting weapons placement and sites.
• Assigning targets and areas of fire.
• Reading, interpreting and preparing combat orders.

General Requirements

Special Operations Forces have very demanding physical requirements. Good eyesight, night vision, and physical conditioning are required to reach mission objectives via parachute, land or water. Excellent hand-eye coordination is also required to detonate or deactivate explosives. In most instances, Special Operations Forces Team Members are required to be qualified divers, parachutists and endurance runners.

Training

Due to the wide variety of missions, Special Operations Weapons Sergeants are trained as swimmers, paratroopers and survival experts, as well as trained in many forms of combat. Total training time consists of 44 weeks of formal classroom instruction and practical exercises. Some of the skills you will learn are:

• Physical conditioning, parachuting, swimming and scuba diving.
• Using land warfare weapons and communications devices.
• Handling and using explosives.
• Bomb and mine disposal.

Helpful Skills

• Ability to work as a team member.
• Readiness to accept challenge and face danger.
• Ability to stay in top physical condition.
• Interest in weapons and artillery.
• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations.

For up to date information on specific requirements contact your local Army recruiter.