American Forces, Panama 1989
LAV-25 Light Armored Vehicle, D/2d LAI Battalion
A LAV-25 is crewed by a vehicle commander, gunner, driver, and four infantry scouts. The 17-ton LAV-25’s armament is a 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun, 7.62mm coaxial M240C and pintle-mounted M240E1 machine guns, and eight smoke grenade dischargers.
LAV-25 vehicle commander, D/2d LAI Battalion : Other than the DH132 Combat Vehicle Crewman’s (CVC) helmet, LAV crewmen wear the same uniforms as other Marines.
1st Fleet Antiterrorist Security Team Plt Member
Attached to D/2dLAI Bn., the 1st FAST Pit. cleared PDF installations using its close-quarter battle skills, to which it devotes a
great deal of training time and ammunition. Platoon members wore reversed utility caps rather than helmets to ensure maximum vision and hearing inside buildings. A strip of GLINT tape was fixed to the ‘cover’s’ top crown. FAST Pit. weapons include stun grenades, M16A2 rifles, M203 grenade launchers, M249E1 SAWs, 12 ga. Mossberg Model 590 riot shotguns, and 9mm Colt ‘M16’ sub-machine guns, as carried by this Marine. He has a SWAT-type magazine carrier and M1961 ‘butt’ pack. Flashlights
were sometimes attached to weapons or gloves by Velcro for use when searching dark rooms.
SMAW Gunner, K/3/6th Marines
The 83mm MK 153 MOD 0 Shoulder-launched Multi-purpose Assault Weapon, mounting an integral 9mm MK 8 MOD 0 spotting rifle, is a building- and bunker-buster rather than an anti-armor weapon. The gunner is armed with an M9 pistol and M9 multi-purpose wire-cutter bayonet. Like all Marines, he carries a small first aid kit on his belt.