unusual photo

[phoenixtexoma]

For you combat vets out there, something to make you scratch your heads. The American infantry company commander is laughing while a fully-equipped North Vietnamese Army regular is standing next to him. The rifle the NVA is holding IS loaded.

[pmajka]

How do you know he is North VA?
How do you know its loaded?

How would you know that the White Soldier is a commander????

[URY914]

How do you know he is laughing???

[stomachmonkey]

Profile of the guy on theright looks more asian than anglo. High cheekbones, pronounced chin.

Top of his hair looks photochopped. don't know why it would be, not saying it is, just looks that way.

[phoenixtexoma]

I took the picture. The American was part of the 4th Bn., 21st Infantry, Americal Division. The Vietnamese guy is a Kit Carson scout, a former enemy soldier who came over to our side. We had been out with two of them to locate NVA troop movements, and came back in through the 4/21 perimeter at LZ Liz. The American officer is joking with the Kit Carson. You just don't often see armed enemy soldiers standing next to each other.

[stomachmonkey]

That detail would have been nice in your original post.

Keeps us from scratching our heads over it.

[kach22i]

Vietnam has those kind of mountains?

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by kach22i
Vietnam has those kind of mountains?

Those are small for the mountains in Viet Nam. Its quite an interesting country, with varied terrain.

Phoenix, was just in the Da Nang area last year and all you have to do is open the door on the plane and the smell is still the same. Something about it that never leaves you ...

[CurtEgerer]

That kid looks like he's 14.

[vash]

i am gonna get a big bowl of PHO for lunch! thanks for the idea.

[phoenixtexoma]

He may look like a kid, but the NVA fought like little tigers. He was 17 at the time this photo was shot. To Joe, I hear you, bro. No way I could go back, too many bad memories. To Vash, you remember the captivating aroma of nuc mam? You ought to have smelled the stuff Montagnards cooked and ate.

[Peter T.]

Looking at the weapon he's holding, it appears to be a Kalashnikov - probably an AK-47 or AKM (or the Chinese varient: known as the Type-56), but it doesn't look as if there's a magazine in the magazine well. Of course there could always be a round in the chamber...

[phoenixtexoma]

Peter: I was wondering when someone was gonna notice. It's a top-loading SKS, Chinese made I'm assuming. We once brought in a NVA political cadre, he had an AK-50. Only one I ever saw. You ever see one?

[phoenixtexoma]

Sorry for my brain f*art, the SKS has a swing down gate loader. We found an old garand in a weapons cache a few days earler which did top load. I killed a lot of brain cells with hot beer in those days.

[Peter T.]

I noticed a couple things things which gave it away - first it appears to have the external gas tube - a design common to both the Kalashnikov and Simonov designed weapons. The AK also has the pistol grip, which is absent from the SKS. What made me think it might have been a Chinese manufactured weapon is that, although the photo doesn't fully show it, it appears to have the fluted, spike-type bayonet which the Chinese produced for the Type-56 variants. And there's no magazine...
No, I don't believe I've ever seen an AK-50... do you know which country produced it?

[phoenixtexoma]

Bringing back some memories. Checked with my old team leader. He said he was pretty sure the rifle was in fact an AK, since the Hoi Chanh with the SKS was with him on the other side of the LZ when I took the picture. Mootching Salem cigarettes, probably. Anway, our consensus was that the old SKS rifles had the swinging gate, but the new Chinese models were modified to be box fed, some with pistol grips and shortened stocks. The AK 50 I saw was a modified version of the 47, mainly distinguishable by the unusual folding stock. It supposedly had an improved receiver group and gas operating mechanism. I believe it was a Czech model.

[Peter T.]

That would be the Vz. 58 (Vzor 58).

[FrayAdjacent911]

That's an AK47, and the NVA's hand is comfortably covering the magazine well... it's not loaded.

[phoenixtexoma]

My mistake, as I realized after Peter T's observation. It's only been 38 years since I shot the photo, and God only knows how many beers over there. Thanks for chipping in. I came across the photo during a series of scanning sessions with my pics before they completely molded in the attic, putting them on a CD for my buddies. It really sticks with me.