Originally Posted by
XXmet
During Vietnam the Army decided to use a powerful gunpowder not suited for 5.56 ammunition in the M16 rifle against the manufacturer's emphatic warnings not too. The brass cartridge would expand too much and seize inside the rifle's chamber, jamming the rifle. In the field, the problem became apparent immediately, so the Army began quietly correcting it, albeit after already shipping tons of the faulty ammunition to Vietnam with the new M16 rifles meant to replace the M14 rifle.
Strangely, the Marine Colonels and Generals did nothing. They just chastised Marine grunts for “not cleaning their rifles enough”. Stranger still, because even though there was supposed to be a cleaning rod and kit inside the butt of the M16, only one in four had one. Hundreds of Marines died because of this. Entire companies were decimated in firefights with the communists circa 1966/67/68. Dozens of Marines were found dead with a cleaning rod in the barrel of their rifles trying to knock out the jammed spent cartridge, shot by the enemy. A torrent of letters from troops in Vietnam, and, from families at home, begging for help reached Washington. Marine command specifically doubled down on their stupid lack of “cleaning” excuse.
Missouri Congressman Richard Howard Ichord Jr., formed an investigative committee to find the facts. The story was published by Atlantic magazine in1981.
Atlantic Magazine article 1981-
M-16: A Bureaucratic Horror Story, By James Fallows
So I fully understand this LT Colonel's concerns. There is precedent.
Unfortunately he decided to take the political partisan rout, saying; “every generation needs a revolution”. This is a common partisan media mantra along the lines of the January 6th craziness in our capital building.
No, every generation DOES NOT need a revolution. The United States DOES NOT need instability. We just need our political leaders to stop the partisan craziness because it is obviously effecting our military Officer Corp!
A bit late on the instability issue?