LT Meyerkord on the Commandement holding an AR-15.
(The M-16s were not yet "in country ")

 The information in the following narrative, and the photos were graciously provided by RMCM Gene Barney USN (Ret.), who served with LT Meyerkord in Vietnam, and was with him the day he was killed.

Our RAG consisted of 19 craft (as did most)
5 armored versions of LCMs
6 armored versions of LCVPs
6 FOMS or STCANs
(FOM is a French abbreviation for France Outre Mer ["built overseas"])
1 Commandement
1 Monitor
The Commandement and Monitor were converted LCMs. The Commandement was normally used as the Command Post (CP) and the Monitor provided heavy fire support. The FOMs were armed with one .50 and three .30 caliber machine guns. The LCMs and LCVPs were armed with a varying array of .30 and .50 caliber machine guns. The Commandement and Monitor carried 20-mm canons, a French 81-mm mortar and several .30 and .50 caliber machine guns.

LCM

LCVP

                  Commandement                                         FOM (STCAN)