Every job in the Army was assigned a description known as the Military Occupation Specialty. Each MOS was known by a number: the SSN (Specification Serial Number).

LIGHT MACHINE GUNNER (SSN 604)

Ammunition Bearer, Machine Gun NCO

Loads, aims; cleans, maintains, and fires a light machine gun to provide automatic direct fire against enemy personnel and light armored vehicles. Estimates ranges and sets sights. Field-strips weapon with combination tool to replace worn or damaged parts or to reduce stoppages. At supervisory level, is responsible for control and coordination of machine gun squads and tactical employment of weapons. Must be capable of making rapid and accurate range estimation and determining the speed of moving targets. Must be able to use hand weapons, such as rifle, automatic rifle, carbine, pistol, bayonet, trench knife, and hand grenades. Must be proficient in the techniques of hand-to-hand fighting.

SUGGESTED SUBSTITUTE: 605 Heavy Machine Gunner, 746 Automatic Rifleman

HEAVY MACHINE GUNNER (SSN 605)

Ammunition Bearer, Antiaircraft Machine Gunner, Machine Gun NCO

Loads, aims, cleans, maintains, and fires heavy machine gun to provide automatic direct or indirect fire in support of other tactical units breaking through enemy defense, harassing enemy troops and positions, and in defense against enemy aircraft, light armored vehicles, and enemy counterattack.Estimates ranges and sets sights. Field-strips the weapon with a combination tool to replace worn or damaged parts or to reduce stoppages. Fires the weapon from a fixed or mobile position at fixed or moving targets, using either direct or indirect fire. At supervisory level, is responsible for control and coordination of machine gun squads and tactical employment of weapons.

Must be capable of making rapid and accurate range estimation, and determining the speed of moving targets. Must be able to fire on moving targets such as airplanes without use of sights, by observation of tracer. Must be able to use hand weapons, such as rifle, automatic rifle, carbine, pistol, bayonet, trench knife, and hand grenades. Must be proficient in the techniques of hand-to-hand fighting.

SUGGESTED SUBSTITUTES: 604 Light Machine Gunner, 746 Automatic Rifleman

Fred Leroy Pope