top of page

Remembering Those Lost in Vietnam due to M16 malfunctions

This Memorial Day, we're thinking about the U.S. Marines and soldiers who were sent into combat in 1966 and 1967 in Vietnam with new M16s -- but not enough training or cleaning equipment. A special Pentagon committee also had modified production of the rifles and ammunition after the military bureaucracy reluctantly adopted the AR-15, created by inventor Eugene Stoner, as a combat wepon. They named the military version of the rifle the M16. The changes caused the guns to jam, especially during rapid fire in firefights. We interviewed numerous Vietnam veterans for our book, American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15, and they told us harrowing stories. The military tried to cover up the problem, but fighters wrote home to their families and word got out. We uncovered once-secret Pentagon papers detailing the crisis. As one veteran said to us, “Our government sent young men to war with a rifle that didn’t shoot."

Vietnam M16, AR-15, American Gun McWhirter Elinson

© 2023 Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson 

bottom of page