A M-60 gunner and his assistant lay down suppressive fire in this famous photo. Of not is the oil bottle in the helmet band of the gunner, ready to give it a shot of oil when his pig gets hot and dirty.
The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for use in the M60, including ball, tracer, and armor-piercing rounds.
The Vietnam War is replete with stories that demonstrate the effectiveness of the M60 in combat. Medal of Honor recipient Lance Corporal Richard Pittman, a Marine with 1/5 (1st Battalion/5th Marine Regiment), used the M60 to successfully engage superior elements of the 324th North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Division in 1966. M60 gunner Pittman fought his way up the trail of his platoon as the fight commenced. After defeating two enemy machine gun positions and suppressing enemies in his immediate vicinity, Pittman advanced another 50 m into the face of more attacking NVA. After the fight, two-thirds of Pittman's platoon were dead or wounded. In 1968, Sergeant Pittman was presented with the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
