Carbine

Jean Langlois (on left) Air Traffic Controller, Unit 67, MABS-12, MAG-12, Chu Lai

Dave Langlois (on right)Crew Chief, HMM-262 1966-67

There's a short story about the enclosed photo. I, like
Dave, was a Sergeant when this was taken. I along with every other non-aircrew
Marine had to carry an M-14 (10 pound chow pass) wherever I went. Needless to
say, it was a "pain in the butt." I mentioned this to Dave on one occasion
and he said he would try to see what he could do.

A month or so went by and on one afternoon, Dave appeared
at my hootch hatch. With him he had the Carbine you see in the photo and two full
thirty round magazines. He said that he had traded a mess hall size can of peaches
with some soldier who had captured it from a VC. Dave gave it to me as a belated
birthday present. Apparently there was no accountability for it. Where the VC
got it I'll never know. So, I was able to leave my "Chow Pass" in the
hootch and carry the lighter carbine wherever I had to go.

Everything was hunky-dory until my OIC noted that the
only ammo for that weapon was in my two banana clips. Whereas I would have no
more ammo after my sixty rounds were expended in the remote possibility of a
fire fight, I was advised to resume carrying my issue weapon. I tried to get
more ammo from the ROK Marine Aviation unit adjacent to MAG-12 but their
ammo was too accountable...so they said.

So, back to the M-14 I went. However, I decided to return
the Carbine to Dave but before I did, I customized it. I shortened the barrel
and the stock and made it into a semi-automatic "pirate pistol." I
gave it back to Dave and he had a metal smith make him a rack to mount it in
his helicopter (ET-35). He told me he test fired it on one of the aircraft's
maintenance test hops and it worked fine!

After Dave and I returned from R&R in Hong Kong in
April, I believe, he was wounded and medivac'd to the Philippines and then on
to USNH Guam. I have no idea where the "customized pirate pistol" ended up.

Semper Fi,

Jeano

Webmaster Notes:

Per Jeano the picture of the gorgeous lady on the wall is his wife of 34
years, Patricia. And he wants us to especially note the fishing rod and
reel hung on the wall, and that if you were to open the shutter on the wall
behind them you would see the South China Sea. I guess the old saying 
"It ain't that bad at Chu Lai" is true.
Note his M-14 hanging from the rafters.