Riot Control

[Gaffer]

In Jan 1968 I was sent to Ft Ord Calif after returning from Vietnam. I was put in a holding battalion. 90% of the battalion was made up of returnees. All combat vets.

So after a few months, with nothing much to do while waiting for discharges or reassignments they decided we should be trained in riot control. One platoon would be rioters the other would suppress them. Then we would switch. Well the training would occasionally get bloody. Over exuberance. We were consider the last resort if the police and NG couldn't handle the situation.

We carried M-14's with fixed bayonets and one squad followed the line with night sticks and handcuffs. They handled all those we passed over. I was the center man who everyone pivoted on. I carried a M-14 E2 which is a M-14 with auto fire capabilities and carried 30 round magazines.

They never called on us while I was in. But I can imagine what would have happened had we been sent in anywhere. I think that's why we were the last resort.

[Kathianne]

...

They never called on us while I was in. But I can imagine what would have happened had we been sent in anywhere. I think that's why we were the last resort.

Damn, I really wanted to rep this!

[Gaffer]

Damn, I really wanted to rep this!

It's the thought that counts.

I didn't want to hijack the other thread with this so put it here instead.

[LiberalNation]

So you'd kill your fellow Americans indiscriminately if called to control a riot......

[Monkeybone]

so it would be bad to stop a riot where ppl were shooting indiscriminatly, burning cars, and beating ppl? yah..let them just run all over and then we can clean up later...good call.

[manu1959]

In Jan 1968 I was sent to Ft Ord Calif after returning from Vietnam. I was put in a holding battalion. 90% of the battalion was made up of returnees. All combat vets.

So after a few months, with nothing much to do while waiting for discharges or reassignments they decided we should be trained in riot control. One platoon would be rioters the other would suppress them. Then we would switch. Well the training would occasionally get bloody. Over exuberance. We were consider the last resort if the police and NG couldn't handle the situation.

We carried M-14's with fixed bayonets and one squad followed the line with night sticks and handcuffs. They handled all those we passed over. I was the center man who everyone pivoted on. I carried a M-14 E2 which is a M-14 with auto fire capabilities and carried 30 round magazines.

They never called on us while I was in. But I can imagine what would have happened had we been sent in anywhere. I think that's why we were the last resort.

my dad was fort ord in 59.....

thank you for your service....

[diuretic]

In Jan 1968 I was sent to Ft Ord Calif after returning from Vietnam. I was put in a holding battalion. 90% of the battalion was made up of returnees. All combat vets.

So after a few months, with nothing much to do while waiting for discharges or reassignments they decided we should be trained in riot control. One platoon would be rioters the other would suppress them. Then we would switch. Well the training would occasionally get bloody. Over exuberance. We were consider the last resort if the police and NG couldn't handle the situation.

We carried M-14's with fixed bayonets and one squad followed the line with night sticks and handcuffs. They handled all those we passed over. I was the center man who everyone pivoted on. I carried a M-14 E2 which is a M-14 with auto fire capabilities and carried 30 round magazines.

They never called on us while I was in. But I can imagine what would have happened had we been sent in anywhere. I think that's why we were the last resort.

That's very interesting and since I remember 1968 quite well I remember the social/political context. Given that even back then big city police agencies were - ahem - "adept" at suppressing crowd violence (in a not very subtle way) and the National Guard were, if one considers their interaction with citizens, a fairly powerful force, then the scenario where the regular military is called in for control of citizens must have been an absolute nightmare.

[Classact]

That's very interesting and since I remember 1968 quite well I remember the social/political context. Given that even back then big city police agencies were - ahem - "adept" at suppressing crowd violence (in a not very subtle way) and the National Guard were, if one considers their interaction with citizens, a fairly powerful force, then the scenario where the regular military is called in for control of citizens must have been an absolute nightmare.

I spent a lot of time foot smacking in riot control training at Fort Bragg too that same year... We had the peace mobs led by Jane Fonda and Martin Luther King mobs... my platoon was on riot control in Washington DC for King when I arrived at the 82nd Airborne Division.

We had a company in the 82nd where the returnees would be assigned and it was organized to screw with the returnees to sort out the sane form the crazies... Early wake ups and endless formations to strip field promotions for those who couldn't adjust to civilization... not a pleasant memory.

[diuretic]

That's an interesting glimpse inside the system Classact.

[Classact]

That's an interesting glimpse inside the system Classact.

Housebreaking Vietnam returnees to garrison training discipline was a challenge... lots of Indians promoted to Chiefs on the battlefield that weren't quite ready for the garrison grind... Also due to leadership shortages of the time there were leadership express lane academies we nick named Shake and Bake that took buck sergeants and turned them into Platoon Sergeants... the inexperienced Platoon Sergeants would get wasted in Vietnam and a Specialist would be promoted to Sergeant to pick up the slack based on battlefield knowledge... then in garrison the Sergeant needed to know much more than Vietnam and was in a catch up mode...

[Gaffer]

We went through three platoon sergeants in one month. The 4th had some experience and listened to what I told him so he lasted longer.

We went through the same head games at Ord that your guys did. It's why I decided I really wanted out. Formations three times a day just to count heads was ridiculous. They were anxious to be rid of a lot of us.