and the use of pistols and light machine guns, despite the development of new weapons possessing a very high destructive power, cannot yet be considered as obsolete even in modern theatres of war.” (3) As this book is written, that lesson is being proven in Iraq and Afghanistan. While not universally issued to all personnel, the Beretta M9 pistol is dramatically present, strapped to the bodies of a greater percentage of American combat troops than in any conflict in collective modern memory.
