re: Veterans: How much use does a military pistol actually get in deployment?

It all depends on your MOS. As a corpsman in the Nam I was issued a Colt 45 and when they asked me if I wanted a weapon I said Hell yeah, give me an M-16. There's this thing called fire superiority. That 45 is for special occasions. I fired the 16 at the bad guys a few times but never the pistol. Unfortunately one of my marines accidentally killed his bunker mate while cleaning his damn pistol. Our FO (forward observer) used his pistol for a kill, but then again, it was a special occasion and FOs are carrying a radio and binoculars. I used the M-16 as a disguise although the Unit One (medical bag) probably gave me away. I was I loved my Colt but felt like I was naked without the 16.