1965: Marines With Unloaded Guns: Viet Cong? Sing ‘Em a Song?

DA NANG, South Vietnam — United States Marines guarding the American air base complex here are complaining about orders that make them wait for the Viet Cong without a bullet in the chamber of their weapons.

The orders were issued by the 9th Marine Brigade headquarters of Brig. Gen Frederick J. Karch after American Marines killed  two of their fellow leathernecks with ‘‘accidental discharges.’’

Questioned about the regulations, Gen. Karch said his order did not forbid Marines from carrying loaded weapons but only from having a round in the chamber.

On a recent patrol, when a young Marine complained about the order, an unsympathetic sergeant barked: ‘‘Any Marine worth his salt can load, sight and fire in four  seconds.’’

But among the Marines of the 2d Battalion, 3d Regiment, there is a ditty recited out of earshot of the unit’s officers and senior noncommissioned officers. It goes:

‘‘We walk our post a mile a minute.

‘‘With a submachine gun with nothing in it.

‘‘We got bullets we can’t use.

‘‘Cuz the colonel’s singing the incident blues.

‘‘Sitting here waiting for the old Viet Cong.

‘‘But what we gonna do? Sing ‘em a song?

‘‘The only thing that we can fight.

‘‘Is flies in the daytime, mosquitos at night.’’