[caisson71]

As a VietNam vet who carried a .45 pistol, illegal M-1 carbine, M-79 and an M-16,I will disagree with Hackworth as to the M-16 causing "thousands" of our troops to die. There were problems but I'm not sure it was in the thousands My best weapon was the M-16, my worse was the M-1
I preferred to use the M-79 and our chopper pilots quickly switched BACK to the bulky .45s after horror stories about the snub-nosed .38s that could not put a Charlie down like a .45. Of course, my most favorite weapon was a 105, fired by Americans or Thai Cobras. We had ton of options in the cav.

[VOA]

...our chopper pilots quickly switched BACK to the bulky .45s after horror stories
about the snub-nosed .38s that could not put a Charlie down like a .45.

I'm only a gun enthusiast...but didn't Browning make the .45 ACP originally
because of complaints from US troops in the Phillipines that their .38s (revolver or
pistol, I can't recall) just couldn't put down the indigenous rebels they were trying
to subdue?

[ASA Vet]

That would be the Thai "Queen's Cobra" Regiment.
This is their emblem, (from a belt buckle.)

The Thai had two regiments which rotated 6 month duty tours in Nam.
The other regiment was called the "Black Panthers."