A Treat At The Range For Me, With A Korean War Vet, and My Garand

[twyacht]

Since acquiring my Garand from the CMP last summer, it has a mystique about it every time I bring it to the range. It draws folks over, like me, they can't help it....It's a Garand....

Well, over the weekend, I brought her out for some range time, and met a Father and Son, new to the range, and not even there to shoot just to finalize the application, and check it all out.

Robert Tilley,,,maybe Tillay,...came over, part of the silver hair brigade, and as fellow gun owners and shooters, started honing in on my Garand.

He spoke quietly, often hard to hear with ear protection on, but touched the stock as it laid on the table in a way that was very personal to him. Hard to explain.

His son came over after speaking to the RSO. and mentioned his Dad was a Korean War Veteran, not much else was said as far as specifics as the Dad stared at it.

I immediately shook his hand, introduced myself, and asked if he would like to shoot it, at our targets downrange. With an amazing reverence, and gentle hands he agreed, but his eyes were brimming with the enthusiasm of a kid.

He loaded it, gave it the Garand "tap" to close the bolt, and took aim and fired 8 rds.



Tried to get a pic during firing,...Hence the blur
Nobody spotted, nobody checked the target, and nobody cared.....When it was over, he mentioned how much heavier it was than he remembered.

When we checked and changed our targets after he left, there were 6 rds. to the belly of the target about the size of a saucer, with two to the groin. (I was shooting head shots),...so I knew they were his....

Still combat accurate by any measure.

Really humbling to me to meet this man. Never heard what Division, or Battalion, or Unit, he was in, but it was Army.  He smiled at the "Ping" and set it back down on the table. Hope to meet him again soon.


Little things like this make my life worth living and remembering....Very few rifles have this "effect". and I am convinced the Garand is one of those rifles....

[tombogan03884]

Of course it was heavier than he remembered, he must be 80.
It would have a special significance for him as well.
61 years ago this morning the North Koreans rolled over the 38th parallel starting that war.

[BAC]

What a cool story.  Of course I want a Garand now (again, still).  Damn you!

I just started working again.  Of course I had to take a pay cut from unemployment, but I'm working.

[Timothy]

Thanks for doing that TW!

I shake the hands of every Veteran I see, probably 20 or 30 a week around here!  What you did for that man won't be forgotten by him or his son...

[alfsauve]

Great story.  Thanks for sharing.

[Sponsor]

[jaybet]

Great story! The Garand has inspired so much in me, well, the gun and those who used it. I hope some day there will be a generation as great.

[crusader rabbit]

Dang it... BAC hit it on the head.  Now I want a Garand again, too.

Old vets are special treasures. 

I know, because I rapidly becoming one of 'em.

But the guys in Korea had it rougher (IMHO) than we did in 'Nam.  They had to deal with intense cold, really nasty rations, and the medevacs weren't near what we had in country. 

Every one of 'em deserves our thanks and our respect.

Opined by a very grateful Crusader

[Grizzle_Bear]

You done a good thing, twyacht.  I have had the same effect with the Garand, it is a piece of history.

Have taken mine to 3-Gun shoots, and the guys with tricked-out AR-15's and FN-FAL's go "Wow!"

GB