It was near the Cambodian border on May 18th, 1967, when a platoon of American soldiers walked directly into an ambush prepared by a much larger enemy force. They were quickly surrounded, cut off, and overrun. The relief force that reached the scene the next day found 19 dead and seven wounded out of a 30-man patrol. But one man couldn't be found anywhere, dead or alive. It was Private First Class Joe Delong, the M60 machine gunner. He was listed as missing in action for years until long after the war, the real truth was revealed. And what happened to him would be nothing short of a horror story.
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| Joe Delong |
The Idea Behind M60
After World War II, the Americans looked at their machine guns and realized what a mess they had compared to the Germans. Even worse, they had never used machine guns the way the Germans did, where the entire squad worked around the three-man machine gun team. American units were still juggling different rifles, carbines, submachine guns, and several types of Browning machine guns, all needing different calibers delivered to each squad.
So as the Cold War began, they standardized. The result was the M60 general-purpose machine gun in the new NATO 7.62x51mm caliber. It was actually a combination of elements from the German MG42 and FG42 paratroop rifle glued together with American innovations. The squad was reorganized following German World War II doctrine with a three-man machine gun team at its core.
The Vietnam Debut
The M60 earned its nickname "the Pig" despite weighing 23 pounds empty, some 10 pounds less than the previous M1919. But that weight climbed fast in the jungle. Every man in the squad sacrificed personal equipment to carry belts for the M60. A 100-round belt weighed about 7 pounds, and each platoon would carry a couple thousand rounds. Flak jackets were mostly left at base in favor of additional ammunition. The total weight soldiers carried quickly reached 80 pounds.
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| U.S. Soldier with the M60 Machine Gun |
When a platoon was ambushed, the M60 gunner would immediately open fire in the direction of the attack and position himself at the front to suppress the enemy. It was effective at keeping heads down and blasting through jungle cover. The Viet Cong quickly understood that to overrun an American squad, they needed to eliminate the M60 first.
Gunners were easily recognized by the distinctive big black weapon they carried. If possible, they were targeted first when the ambush was sprung. Their firing sound and the cloud of dust kicked up from the ground gave away their position immediately, attracting every RPG, mortar, and grenade the enemy had. That's why there's a saying that M60 gunners had a life expectancy of seven seconds after pulling the trigger. Not the most accurate number, but not a pleasant thing to hear when handed your assignment.
Problems in the Field
The M60 had its own problems. Its quick-change barrel system wasn't quick or practical. Early versions had no handle on the barrel, so the assistant had to grab it with an asbestos cloth, twist it off, and mount a fresh one during a firefight. Severe burns were common. Soldiers improvised handles from coat hanger wire before proper handles were introduced later.
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| M60's Barrel Change with an Asbestos Glove |
The gun also had a tendency to "run away," meaning a worn trigger mechanism would keep it firing after the trigger was released. The only way to stop it was to yank and twist the ammunition belt. The M16 was jamming constantly in the early war, and its 5.56 round struggled through thick vegetation. The M60 didn't have that problem, which made its ammunition even more prioritized.
Special forces teams modified their M60s in extreme ways. They chopped off the stock and barrel, loaded hundreds of rounds into old radio backpacks fed directly to the gun, and used them as chaos creators if compromised deep in enemy territory. Small recon teams would have one man stand up, open fire, and turn in circles spraying in all directions. The shortened barrel created a bright flash and much louder noise, giving the impression of a much larger force. It actually worked more than once.
What Happened to Joe Delong
When his platoon was overrun and the relief force arrived the next day, there was no sign of Delong or his machine gun. He was presumed killed or captured. Years went by with no information until after the war, when returning prisoners of war told the story.
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| U.S. Prisoners of War in Vietnam |
Delong had been taken alive when the perimeter fell. He was marched into the informal prison camp system along the Vietnam-Cambodia border, remote compounds where many captured Americans were held. According to prisoners who returned and gave debriefs, Delong endured horrible treatment and conditions for months.
On November 6th, 1967, Delong and several other prisoners executed an escape plan. They overpowered a guard, took his weapon, and broke out into the jungle. Prisoners who remained in the camp heard gunfire later that day and eventually saw the escapees brought back. All except Delong. His trousers were brought back riddled with bullet holes and soaked with blood. Some accounts say he was shot while resisting recapture. His body was never found.
Years after the war, accumulated testimony led to changing his status from missing in action to death in captivity. He was posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant. The truth of his last moments is buried with him somewhere in the jungle.
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| In Memory of Joe Delong |
The Last Stand at Hickory Hill
Special Forces Staff Sergeant John Caviani wasn't a designated M60 gunner, but he became one when his remote radio relay site deep in enemy territory was surrounded on June 4th, 1971.
Heavy fire erupted from all around the post. Small arms, machine guns, RPGs, and grenades rained down on the men. Caviani ran from position to position returning fire and directing the defense. Three helicopters extracted most of the platoon, but Caviani stayed on the ground with the remaining men because heavy fire prevented further extraction.
He took over an M60 and laid suppressive fire through the night, preventing the outpost from being overrun. By morning, heavy fog kept helicopters away, and the enemy attacked in two ranks. Caviani ordered his men to slip out while he covered their retreat. He stood up, fully exposed, and swept the machine gun across the advancing enemy, mowing them down.
He was severely wounded multiple times but kept firing until he was finally taken out of the fight. He was captured alive. Dragged deep into enemy territory, he received no medical care, was beaten, interrogated, and watched fellow Americans being executed or dying from the conditions in remote prison camps. With shrapnel wounds and a bullet still in his body, he somehow survived almost two years in captivity.
In 1973, he was released in Operation Homecoming, weighing barely 90 pounds. He received the Medal of Honor for his last stand at Hickory Hill.
Seven seconds of life expectancy after pulling the trigger. That was the number M60 gunners heard when they got the assignment. Joe Delong survived the ambush only to die trying to escape captivity months later. John Caviani held off an entire assault force alone and lived through two years of prison camps at 90 pounds. The M60 made you the most important man in the squad and the first one the enemy wanted dead.
Written by Andreja Rakočević, a military history writer and co-creator of the RogerRoger YouTube channel.