Vietnam Target

[Cobra 6 Actual]

This is a South Vietnamese target used to train troops in rifle marksmanship. I brought this back with me in 1969 and got it when I was an Advisor at the 5th ARVN Division’s training academy as part of MACV’s Advisory Team 70 in Lam Son, III Corps:

 

 

The size is approximately 24” tall and 18” wide. One thing  of interest is that the “10 Ring” and associated areas on the NVA soldier graphic is in the shape of a coffin. I thought this was a nice, macabre touch. By the way, the ARVN troops were qualifying using M-1’s and M-1 Carbines, not M-16’s. Go figure.

[Backtheattack]

Interesting item. Remembers me to the "Take your best shot at Saddam Hussein" targets. In Germany we had for instance a "storming soldier" target.

[Bryant U.]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing. 

[USCapturephotos]

Thanks Cobra 6 for sharing. It would be really interesting to hear your stories about training with the ARVN and your take on the ARVN troops as a whole.

Thanks,

Paul

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Thanks, Paul. I might bore you to death. But I will say that my opinion of the ARVN’s changed several times. I started out in a regular line infantry company for a little over half of my tour. The only ARVN’s I saw were “hanging out” back at the base camps … or once or twice where we inadvertently “bumped” into them in the field (and as they say “Friendly fire ain’t friendly”). I was pretty underwhelmed with them. Especially since we had acquired a contingent of Cambodian “Scouts” in our unit (B Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry, 1st Infantry Division) that were totally excellent at fieldcraft and tactics.

 

When I got into MACV I started to see that the ARVN troops were under-trained, poorly led, and using outdated equipment. However, in spite of that, some of their elite units were as good as it gets. Plus I learned that they were essentially serving for the duration. 
 

Years later, back in the US I became friends with a former ARVN infantry officer, who had stayed and fought to the bitter end, lost his wife, and then spent years in the brutal “Re-education” camps. He finally got out, came to the USA, went to medical school, and built a new life as an American. One of his proudest days was when his daughter was commissioned as a US Navy officer (I was there to give that first salute and I have the dollar to prove it!).

 

And, of course, the way the whole thing ended (Afghanistan vets, this will unfortunately seem familiar) … well, we just left our allies behind to suffer the fate of the losing side in a bitter decades-long war.

 

Anyway, I hope my long convoluted answer adds context as to why it’s difficult to characterize the ARVN.

Joe

[USCapturephotos]

Hey Joe! Somehow I missed your response until now. Thank you so much for describing your feelings. I actually had the chance to talk to an ARVN officer who also fought to the end and was in a Re education camp after the war. Eventually he and his family came to the US and we’re proud citizens. He told me that his happiest day was watching his own children graduate from college here. He came and spoke to my high school students and had them all stand up and say the pledge with him. It was one of the neatest things to happen in my classroom. He also said to let US vets know that he and other South Vietnamese did appreciate what the US did for them. So from him….”thank you”.

Paul

[WWIIBuff1945]

Cobra 6 thanks for your service and for sharing your bring back!

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Thanks, y’all. I think the experiences of many Vietnamese, now Vietnamese-Americans, here in the USA have been positive. As an aside, I remember driving down a highway here in Virginia once and having a Vietnamese guy in another car wave me down. My Purple Heart license plates with the words “Bu Dop” as the plate identifier turned out to be a location where he fought at, too. We had a mini-reunion of sorts!

[USCapturephotos]

On 11/18/2022 at 4:58 PM, Cobra 6 Actual said:

Thanks, y’all. I think the experiences of many Vietnamese, now Vietnamese-Americans, here in the USA have been positive. As an aside, I remember driving down a highway here in Virginia once and having a Vietnamese guy in another car wave me down. My Purple Heart license plates with the words “Bu Dop” as the plate identifier turned out to be a location where he fought at, too. We had a mini-reunion of sorts!

That's incredible Joe!

Paul

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

Any idea why they were using Carbines and especially M1 rifles in 1969? On paper (and I recognize reality rarely matches paper perfectly) all regular ARVN combat units should have been equipped with M16s in summer-fall 1968, as well as all remaining M1 rifles replaced with M2 Carbines (and all M1 Carbines upgraded into M2 Carbines)  not just for the regular ARVN, but for RF/PF too, and maybe even PSDF although I'm not certain about that.