The only thing I have as an answer is the army is getting plane lazy. Use to be that if you where in garrison you dressed in office attire(class A or class B) now they just wear the field uniforms for everything, it is more practical they say. As a mechanic in the motor pool yes, but why can't the company clerk come in in dress uniform? Might spill white out on it. Just another chink in the Army's slowly desolving traditions.
The Army has even become lacks in the no uniform off duty rule. Now on base you see soldiers going every where in uniform after work. Not just after ethier I mean 8 o'clock at the movies after. The CSM's really give troops hell when they see them, but it doesn't stop them.
The Reserves won't even let you go check up on a deployed soldiers family in uniform. A lot of families don't know that death notification has to be done in Class A. They had people stopping by in ACU's and scaring the people that they wanted to help.
Did you know that they are going to do away with the Dress greens and go to the dress blues as the formal uniform. Had one guy complaining about that and I asked him who where the red coats fighting during the 1700's.
I'm still a little hazy on that issue myself. I'd think that an Assault rifle would be just any other automatic rifle, as you say Mr. Sherman, the B.A.R. Furthermore, I would say that a S.A.W. would be something you'd want to mount on a vehicle, like an M60 or the Belgian M72 I think it was.
The SAW has to different configureations, nothing on the wepon changes at all but the way you employ it does. The first is the Light Machine Gun, As a LGM you get both gunner and assistant gunner, a star light scope, the tripod and more ammo. The LMG is used like the Medium and Heavy machine guns M60, M240, M2, or the MK19. Then you have individuals that carry the M249 as their personal weapon. We are called Automatic Rifleman. We don't get a tripod and less ammo than a LMG configuration. Still same weapon just one person. Now as an AR you can assualt an objective with a M249. My job is ussually overwatch though as my squad moves. Yes I still have to advance with them, but I try to stay in a position where I can give everyone cover fire if they need it. the Saw comes in real handy because it is great in urban terrain. Light enough so one man can carry it, But has a fire rate of a machine gun. It will never replace any of the bigger machine guns but it complaments them nicely. Take a company that has all M16 as their personnel weapons and switch 15% of their individual weapons from a M16 to a M249. Same number of weapons, but a lot more fire power.