Weapons

This is a photo of a Sig pistol magazine that was so dirty, the spring wasn't strong enough push the rounds all the way to the top. Last summer I used to spend my lunch hour cleaning these on the sly.


We carry side arms when we fly, one M-9 pistol per crew member. Or we did carry one per crew member, that is until the magazine release button fell off one. It fell off. Parts aren't supposed to fall off pistols. They are supposed to stay on pistols so you can load them, pull the trigger and have them go bang. But if the magazine release button falls off, the magazine won't stay in the gun and when you pull the trigger it goes "click". That is not a good sound.

Our Army parent unit issued us the pistols and we keep them and keep them clean. But we couldn't handle this. So when the part fell off, we gave it back to them. Maybe we will get another pistol. Maybe they will fix the one they issued us. Maybe it will happen fast, maybe it won't.

It was really no wonder the part fell off. If you saw these things you'd figure it was a miracle any of the parts stay on. They are as worn out a weapon as I've ever seen. You couldn't sell them on the surplus market because nobody would buy the thing. They aren't giving us the worst they have either. All the M-9's the Army has are like that.

But...it is better than the last project I was on. The subcontractor on that project bought their own weapons so they didn't have to depend on the Army. Good weapons too, brand new M-4's and Sig pistols. Unfortunately, they didn't clean them. Couldn't be bothered. The weapons were dirty, so dirty I was afraid the Sig's wouldn't function at all; and that is like saying a pencil won't write.

I complained often and vehemently about this and every time I complained I offered to clean all weapons myself. Finally I was told the subcontractor in question was our customer, my complaints were upsetting them and to be still. I said that was not good enough, they owed me a clean weapon, all the soldiers had clean weapons.

Then I heard a response that left me speechless (something that is hard to do). With a quiet, weary, patronizing but patient tone, I was told "Carl, do you know how dirty the average soldiers weapon is?" That was very last thing I expected to hear. I could never have conceived a response that was at once feckless, ignorant, insulting, complacent and vapid. It was amazing.

When I left that project the weapons on the plane I was flying still hadn't been cleaned. They are now though. Some squared away people finally showed up and they are in good shape.

So, our pistols may be worn out wrecks of weapons, but they are clean worn out wrecks of weapons.