Actually Warren, it's an M-16 with underslung M-203 40mm grenade launcher. Introduced in 1969 they did see service in Vietnam but only towards the end of the conflict.
Made famous by Al Pacino in the closing scene of the 1983 film "Scarface". You may have seen it.

Joe.

Hi Gary,
I take everything you said on board & totally agree with it.
However, I made this guy without a helmet & it seemed to me at the end of painting to be a little "colourless" so I decided to add the red "1" instead of subdued to give the figure a hint of colour. I have also given him a couple of different M-18 smokes (tear gas & something else I cant remember!) on his ruck to add a bit more colour as you can see in the images below...

Here's why I said subdued. The VC down south and even up there in III-Corps would offer a rewards for a patch from the 1st Infantry and probably the 4th as well. There was also a couple other things they offered rewards for and only a new guy would be caught with them (like the yellow scarf from the quarter CAV). You got the smoke grenades right as they usually carried red, green, and yellow (sometimes purple). The local VC were particularly nasty down that way, and you had to stay ontop of your game with them. But as I said the guy looks like a Brightlight SOG guy the way he's outfitted. Add a little face paint, and a rope mine, and he'd send chills down your back. Perhaps a MIKE force team leader?
gary






Also, you will notice that the coloured patch is actually on his right arm. This denotes, as you know, a previous deployment with that division which did in fact leave in '69 as you rightly say. His left sleeve bares the insignia of the IV Division which was employed in Vietnam after 1969 & the division he is now serving in.
The base figure is the Bravo 6 Sgt Barnes from the film "Platoon" & he looked very special forces.
You'll have to excuse a little artistic license on my part. Not being born until the last year of US involvement & living in the UK, I have been brought up on Hollywood blockbusters & the very odd documentary!
Still, I'm glad you like the figure Gary. It's nice to hear from you again, my friend.

Joe.