That information about General Karch, and the rifle, is amazing. I remember when I first saw pics of him coming ashore and getting “ambushed” by girls with flowers when I was studying the Vietnam war in school. His expression is priceless. Thanks for sharing.
The only bring back weapon I ever saw was an incorrectly manufactured Vietnamese 1911. They got the grip safety backwards and it was liberated from its owner by my friends dad after he booted a hooch and found it pointed directly at his face. There are a lot of stories about his three tours and I'm sad I never met him before he passed.
Story on the MAS: French MAS M1936 rifle brought home by Major Robert "Tully" McKinney. He retired from the service after 23 years with 2 of those in Vietnam. The first service as a platoon leader in the Delta 1968-69 and then with the Signal Corps training SVN soldiers 1970-71. He passed in 2004 at age 66. The story of how he acquired the rifle is in the pictures. The rifle was initially purchased from a military museum in 2006. The uniform and photo grouping unfortunately were not included in my purchase. Another awesome addition to my bring back collection. Major McKinney will be going in my book on Vietnam bring back weapons.