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.

[Eddie]

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.

[pmulcahy11b]

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.

[weswood]

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.

[copeab]

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.

[fightingflamingo]

In the US Army there are Medics and Combat Life Savers.

Medics are the traditional aidmen attached to platoons. In the past they have been armed with sidearms for self defense, but there has been a trend to arm them with rifles/carbines in my experience in addition to the side arm. Their Aid bags, and carry an assortment of pharma & bandages which gives them the ability to triage personel in a broad range of ailments and injuries ranging from colds to traumatic combat injuries. The medic is responsible for the general health and hygene of a platoon in the field.

Combat Life Savers, are soldiers whom have completed a 40 hour block of instruction to enable them to stabalize casualties, and otherwise supplement the Platoon Medic. The are armed as a rifleman (or whatever function the platoon serves, depending on branch) and carry an aid bag which is less comprehensive than that which a Medic carries. They typically are able to apply field dressings, and start IV's (saline typically carried in aidbag). Generally, on Combat Life Saver will be present in a Squad, but there may be as many as one per fire team (again this is dependent on the unit and the TO&E).

Battalions usually provide aid stations in the battalion rear area, located away from the TOC, and the Logistical trains. There may be a physician, LPN, NP, or other health care professional there Plus several medics as staff. From the Battalion Aid Station, evacuated casualties may be evacutated further to a field hospital (the Aid Station may be bypassed by way of a heliborne Medivac), or returned to duty. Treatment for minor illness, injuries, may be completed at the aid station prior to a return to duty order. Personel will be equipt with a mixture of rifles/Carbines/sidearms... I never served in one myself, but I've seen them carry all kinds of weapons with no apparent logic to their assignment.

[rcaf_777]

I say your orginal TO&E is good, while yes those weapons would not normally found on pers of thier rank, job ect. In Twiligt there any number of reasons as why this party was armed that way, I mean this is role playing as long as you come up with a logical reson, I say go for it

[Legbreaker]

Anything goes in T2K. One of my favourite characters is an officer who carries a C-9 Minimi - not exactly standard issue for the leadership....

[Eddie]

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]

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.

[Legbreaker]

Meh, it's T2K. Arm him with whatever you feel like....