1. Catrin Lewis

    Catrin Lewis Contributor Contributor Community Volunteer Contest Winner 2023

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2014
    Messages:
    4,493
    Likes Received:
    4,829
    Location:
    Pennsylvania

    U. S. Army hand-to-hand combat (no knives)

    Discussion in 'Research' started by Catrin Lewis, Feb 1, 2023.

    Another question so I can finish the fight scene I need for the end of my W.I.P.:

    What kind of hands-on combat skills would your ordinary U. S. Army draftee learn in the Vietnam War era?

    My novel is set in 1983 and my hero, a Vietnam vet, is 16 years out from being discharged. Due to the events of the first story in the series, he's gone back to the gym and for the last seven months has been refreshing his hand-to-hand skills. For the purpose of the story I'm saying he's gotten pretty good at it again.

    At this point in the scene, he's in a face to face standoff with a West German Red terrorist opponent. Both of them have handguns. My hero is 6'-4", 220 pounds, in good shape for his age (34 going on 35). His adversary is 5'-10" tall, about 175 pounds, and 27 years old. He's in okay shape, but hasn't been working out much.

    The terrorist opponent has no compunction about firing his weapon to kill and is looking for the chance to do just that. My MMC might shoot, if things got desperate. That said, it doesn't work plotwise to have either of these men take a bullet. I just need my hero to disarm the terrorist and put him hors de combat as quickly and feasibly as possible, so he can get to the main villain. That guy's more his size and condition and is presently threatening the life of the female MC, the hero's newly-wedded wife.

    Any nasty, fierce, nefarious holds you can suggest for my Army vet MMC to use on these bad guys? In everyday life he's a fine, upstanding, Christian citizen who wouldn't hurt a fly, but under the present circumstances he'll happily go all Old Testament and smite the hell out of anyone who threatens him and his.

    As long as he does it with his hands. Shooting and killing would complicate the aftermath way too much. Though I don't think he'd balk at pistol-whipping or barrel-ramming.
     
    J.T. Woody likes this.
  2. KiraAnn

    KiraAnn Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    May 6, 2019
    Messages:
    531
    Likes Received:
    397
    Location:
    Texas
    Draftees in the Viet Nam era would not really be taught any formal martial arts. There would some specific techniques for certain circumstances, not not really formalized. OTOH, any soldier could study martial arts outside of his army career, but it doesn't sound like your MC would have done that. That's how Chuck Norris started, albeit before Viet Nam really kicked off.
     
  3. montecarlo

    montecarlo Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2020
    Messages:
    922
    Likes Received:
    835
    Location:
    America's Heartland
    I don’t have any direct or indirect knowledge of that era, but when I went through Navy officer training hand-to-hand combat was pretty basic, just some fundamentals. Certainly we weren’t turned into ninjas or anything.
     
    Catrin Lewis likes this.
  4. newjerseyrunner

    newjerseyrunner Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2016
    Messages:
    1,462
    Likes Received:
    1,432
    I’ve trained with people who got interested in martial arts in the military and… well… it’s insufficient to say it mildly. They definitely receive basic hand to hand combat training, which would likely give them the upper edge against the average Joe, but even an athletic teenager with a black belt would likely embarrass them.

    The military is focused on efficiency and winning. Hand to hand combat training is probably there more as physical exercise for the troops than actual fighting. For everyone but the special forces, if you’re fighting with your hands, things have gotten beyond fubar.

    There’s obviously a wide range of skills, during deployment soldiers make boxing and grappling groups and some train out of pure enjoyment of it like me, so realistically you’ll have a range from absolutely lethal to no skill at all, depending on their particular journey.

    even in Vietnam, close quarters combat was not very common, especially for conscripts, and it hasn’t been since WWI. Those famous Vietnam knives were much more for jungle survival than combat. They’re for cutting vines, batoning wood, and sparking fires/signals. Elbows and machetes are useless against bullets and soldiers are always within a few feet of a firearm.
     
    Catrin Lewis likes this.
  5. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2016
    Messages:
    22,899
    Likes Received:
    26,268
    Location:
    East devon/somerset border
    If he’s got a gun it makes no sense for him to use his hands… unarmed combat is for when you’re unarmed as a last resort

    the only plausible reason I can think of is if he’s trying to be quiet…in which case a knife in the kidney would be the way to go

    if you don’t want him to kill the guy for plot reasons I’d have him sneak up on him and disarm him at gun point or KO him with a chair, baton etc
     
  6. Le gribouilleur

    Le gribouilleur Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2017
    Messages:
    190
    Likes Received:
    135
    I found these documentaries.





    And here's a stock footage of the Vietnamese Special Forces trainees learning Taekwondo under the supervision of the Korean instructors in Vietnam.

     
    Catrin Lewis likes this.
  7. w. bogart

    w. bogart Contributor Contributor Blogerator

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2022
    Messages:
    2,373
    Likes Received:
    1,573
    Location:
    US
    There was no hand to hand training as a part of basic in the late 80s. It was saved for the advanced training in specific jobs.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice