Chucks best buddy.

To the VC grunt his most prized possession and important piece of equipment was his personal weapon, his gun.

Those VC grunts would rather die than lose a weapon for they knew how hard it was to capture weapons, how valuable and irreplaceable every gun was to their liberation effort. Our statisticians in Saigon calculated that it took two months on average for an infantry weapon to reach the South from the North down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and it required five men to transport just one such weapon over this long distance to the battlefields.

In training, repeatedly a Viet Cong grunt was told that there was no greater shame than losing his gun. Their training manual said: "The Liberation Army soldier may lose everything he possesses but not his gun." After a battle, they were under a strict order that they must retrieve all munitions, as it was every VC grunts duty. In a case where a comrade died, they made all effort in the picking up of his gun. In fact, many, if not most VC, tied their weapon to their arms or bodies with cord or wire so as not to lose them.

Near to all on our side knew exactly how important their gun was to the VC grunt, and often the number of abandoned weapons and not the number of enemy casualties measured the success of a “Ball Game, action. For when the VC left any weapons behind our guys knew just how badly they had hurt their opponents, and it did not matter if they found a lot or a little VC dead bodies, or even none, on the battlefield, the abandoned weapons count took precedence, and especially when they captured a large number of automatic weapons.

In aiming for accurate official statistics, MACV, Military Assistance Command Vietnam, collected the number of enemy weapons taken, and the number of enemy killed, wounded or captured as listed in individual action reports. This collected data on captured enemy weapons alongside casualty figures provided a more comprehensive picture of engagement results.

The VC's obsession with weapons had several significant effects on their morale and discipline, the key points are:

Heightened sense of responsibility:

The extreme importance placed on weapons made VC fighters feel a deep sense of duty to protect and retain their guns at all costs. This increased their discipline around weapon handling and security.

Motivation to fight:

In knowing how valuable and irreplaceable each weapon was motivated the VC to fight harder and take greater risks to avoid capture or loss of their weapons.

Unit cohesion:

The shared understanding of weapon importance and the collective effort required to transport and maintain weapons strengthened bonds between the VC grunts.

Psychological impact:

The intense focus on weapons provided a tangible representation of the VC's cause, boosting morale by giving the VC a physical connection to their mission.

Discipline in combat:

The strict orders to retrieve all munitions and weapons after battles, even from fallen comrades, instilled a sense of discipline that extended beyond normal combat duties.

Pride and shame:

Retaining one's weapon was a source of pride, while losing it was considered deeply shameful. This motivated the VC grunts to maintain discipline even in difficult circumstances.

Resource consciousness:

The scarcity of weapons made VC grunts acutely aware of resource limitations, potentially increasing overall discipline in using and conserving supplies.

Resilience:

The difficulty in obtaining weapons increased the VC's determination and resilience in the face of adversity, knowing each weapon represented a significant investment of effort.

In summary, while the obsession with weapons clearly had positive effects on VC morale and discipline, it is worth noting that it also created additional stress for the VC grunts, in knowing the severe consequences of weapon loss. However, overall, the weapon fixation was a net positive for VC morale and discipline, contributing to their ability to sustain a prolonged insurgency despite material disadvantages.