Let me tell you something about my father

In the 1950's the United States of American was involved in a little toodo over in Asia known as the Korean Conflict. The Untied States was there as part of a U.N. mission, it was known to the world as a "Police Action", to the people involved in it, it was a war. There wasn't anybody standing on a street corner drinking coffee, eating donuts, and handing out speeding or parking tickets.

By the time my Father arrived the war had stagnated, it was more akin to WWI than WWII, the boys were dug in and except for combat patrols, it was trenches, tents and sandbags. He told me that he didn't sleep so well when he first got there. The night of his first day he watched as the "Arkansas Long Toms" (Artillery pieces) laid fire on the enemy in the mountains, he thought that that action was great, until he noticed that they were firing north, west, east and to his consternation, south. This is the day he was informed he was surrounded, the U.S. held the road in and that was all, He was standing in the Iron Triangle. 

He actually had a good time over there and made some really good friends, one of which he still talked to by telephone every month, (I had to call him and tell him when Dad passed away). As a soldier my father was issued his M1 Garand and bayonet, he loved this weapon. 

The Garand was accurate, it was heavy, which meant when he needed to use it as a club it was effective. It was long with a long bayonet, allowing a little distance when needed.  Dad became a Staff Sargent, (he always used to say, "Staff Sargent was no big thing, they made everyone one").  One day, things changed, as a Sargent he was ordered to report with his weapon. On this day he said farewell to his Garand and was handed his new weapon,  the M1 Carbine.

To him, this felt like a toy, and as for the bayonet?

It was like going from a knife to a toothpic

One more quick "Dad tidbit", in Basic training he had to move along in mud, under barbed wire as machine guns fired over your head. He found that by rolling onto his back he could propel himself along pretty good by using the Garand Butt stock as an oar.
Arriving at the end of the obstacle an instructor took his weapon, poured mud out of it, and asked, "BOY, With your weapon in this condition, what would you do if a million Chinese came over the hill?!!"

"A million? Run like hell Sargent".

This it turns out was not the response that was looked for.