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SFC_Jeff_Button · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:45 am Post subject: An old gutted M60 at Ft Hood...

Again, I'm posting something I had in the past but I found two new items of interest this time. This M60 is being used for who knows what, but it's serial number 6378.
The first being 50cal cases and links up on the hull, hidden from my past inspection.
The second being the barley readable unit stencilling.
First the cases. They are all from Lake City Arsenal but the dates threw me. Two were 1987 and one was 1983, not to suprised there. What was suprising was the 1943 case I found with them. When I was in the Ohio National Guard in the 80's, early 90's, we would fire 1960's 81mm mortar ammo regularly. But I would have thought 50 cal ammo this old would have been fired long ago.
The second find was the unit stenciling, 81st Brigade, 303rd Armor, A.Co. 1/303rd. These were on the front fenders and I cant believe I missed them the first time I checked out this vehicle, which by the way, sits behind Range Control but not inside the storage fence. Here is a little info I found on the 303rd;
In 1971, a reorganization converted the brigade into mechanized infantry, deleted the 161st's Second Battalion, and added the 303rd Armor. As the latest DOD concept of Total Force completed the repudiation of McNamara's failed plan, an "affiliation program" began that linked the units of the brigade (for training) to sister units of the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis. At least one Army officer recalls the partnership between a battalion from the 9th and (future State Adjutant General) LTC Keith Eggan's 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry at annual training in 1973 as the very first attempt to implement the concept.

When the 9th became a "high-tech test bed" in the mid-1980s, the affiliation switched to the 4th Infantry Division. Later, the 81st became an asset of I Corps (at Fort Lewis), then assigned as an organic ("roundout") brigade to its old partner the 9th Division. While in that status, it gave up its striking Raven insignia for the division patch. When the 9th Division inactivated, a casualty of the post-Cold War force reduction, the 81st again became a separate brigade, now with a dedicated wartime mission to augment ("roundup") the 2nd Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea.

The 81st normally conducts annual training at Yakima Training Center in Eastern Washington except in 1980 when the eruption of Mt. St. Helen and the subsequent ash-fallout forced training to be moved to Fort Lewis.

It also seems that A Aco, to which this vehicle belonged, is stationed in Pasco, WA. I also found out that the 81st BDE, has 1-185 AR in it which is part of the CA ARNG. They had a vehicle being restored for display at Ft Irwin. This would be the M60A3 that Doug and myself climbed into. It was serial number 1364, Reg JJ05UF,(quite a gap between these two serial numbers).

Dontos

Jeff

I remember there was an M60 'Graveyard' in a wooded area behind Range Control, there at Ft Hood.

I was last there (at The RC building) in May 2001, but I remember there being quite a few future' hard targets' sitting behind the building.

Memories of May 01:
I had to stop in there, due to 'missing' a radio check on a range, as the OIC. I got into an arguement with the 'Senior Civilian' in the range control office. We failed to see 'eye-to-eye' on the situation, and I ended up calling him a few choice words. Evil or Very Mad

He tore my Range Certification Card into little pieces, and that is when I was 'escorted' from the office.

As I was in the process of PCS'ing, I declared 'F*** IT!!" Twisted Evil

and thanked god I never had to step into that office again.... Mr. Green

Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Jeff! Hi Folks!

- SFC_Jeff_Button

The first being 50cal cases and links up on the hull, hidden from my past inspection.
They are all from Lake City Arsenal but the dates threw me. Two were 1987 and one was 1983, not to suprised there. What was suprising was the 1943 case I found with them.

1987, 1983, and 1943? How odd.

Maybe someone was on police called and throw those cases into that old hull.

During my first tour in Vietnam, 1965-1966, I remember 50 cal ammo that had been made during the mid 1940s through early 1950s that came in cans that looks like enlarged SPAM cans. Remember when SPAM and coffee cans came with a key you broke of the top of the can and would then wind it around the top edge pulling off a strip of metal to remove the top?

Some of my very old history,
Sgt, Scouts Out!

bsmart

- Roy_A_Lingle

During my first tour in Vietnam, 1965-1966, I remember 50 cal ammo that had been made during the mid 1940s through early 1950s that came in cans that looks like enlarged SPAM cans. Remember when SPAM and coffee cans came with a key you broke of the top of the can and would then wind it around the top edge pulling off a strip of metal to remove the top?

Some of my very old history,
Sgt, Scouts Out!

How was the ammo packed in the 'Spam can'? Was it in belts, linked, or what?

Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Bob! HI Folks!

- bsmart

How was the ammo packed in the 'Spam can'? Was it in belts, linked, or what?

Standard 100 round linked belts. The only thing different was the type of can it came in.

Sgt, Scouts Out!

Joe_D

Hi Bob, Roy,
Usually when we fired API/API-T the lots were a lot older. Normally we'd get straight Ball or 4-1 mix Ball Tracer in training but once in a while we'd fire up the AP. In Germany (1985) we (Scouts) fired some that was from the 40's. You could smell the difference, had a more sulfer odor, not sure if it was the age or just manufacture differences from that time.
Jeff, a piece of .50 brass could stay hidden between the hull and front sponson boxes forever unless you removed the box like they did with old 6370. BTW, this is one of those A3's rebuilt by Anniston that didn't get re-numbered and retained the original A1 serial number.

Joe D

SFC_Jeff_Button

I dont believe the 1943 round was "thrown' into the hull from a police call, just because of where they were and that they were just as "crusty" as the newer cases. I threw all four into my sons Frankford Arsenal Case Tumbler over night and they came out pretty smooth but still dark in color. The 1983 case was a blank, due to the crimp marks on the neck, but the 1987 and 43 seem to have been live rounds.
Were many "A1's" rebuilt and not re-numbered?

SFC_Jeff_Button

Is this number from the cannibalized M60A3 the Registartion number? It was on the front of the glacis.

Neil_Baumgardner

Looks like an RN to me! And it matches the painted RN - really no reason it shouldnt for a non-museum piece...

Neil

SFC_Jeff_Button

So is a Registration number the same as a "USA" number?

Neil_Baumgardner

Yep, you got it!

Neil

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