New acquisition

[San Antone RR]

I was sitting in the living room cleaning my EDC and chatting with my neighbor. He's a WWII Veteran, (was in Normandy 6 days after D Day) when he asked if I would clean his rifle. He's 92 and doesn't anymore, so I said I would. He hobbled next door and came back with his rifle and handed it to me. Stevens 22/410 in pretty good shape. He said he bought it just after he came back from WWII, so it's a 1940's model.

We sat and talked while watching the Steelers/Ravens game and I cleaned the rifle. Guess I should say I started to clean it. It has gunk on it from the Reagan Administration. Told him at the end of the game that I needed some more time to get it clean.

He then told me he had been planning to let it go for a while and that it was now in a good home. He turned around and walked out the front door and went home.


I will finish cleaning it up and try to give it back to him.

 

[Rum Runner]

Thats cool. Big thank you in order.

 

[Mikey]

Cool story. Way to be a friend.

 

[robin303]

Cool story. Way to be a friend.

I agree

 

[Texas1911]

Cool man, do you think there's anything we can do for him on a forum level?

 

[robin303]

I would love to talk to that man about WWII.

 

[matefrio]

Good neighbors are hard to come by. Sounds like you're very lucky.

I have some fond memories of a Stevens 22/410. Most of those loading up a bunch of .22lrs and letting a younger or less experienced kid shoot it then slipping in a .410 shell.

 

[Texan2]

Cool man, do you think there's anything we can do for him on a forum level?

invite him to a forum outing, give him a certificate of appreciation for his service? Buy him lunch? He deserves a lot more.

 

[San Antone RR]

I might invite him to a function. He's kind of hard to be around for too long; he doesn't wash very often and you can tell. Really nice guy that I spend a lot of time sitting on my porch talking to.
I'm 41 and he always walks up to me and says "How are you Young man?"
He asked me the morning of 7 Dec if I knew what the day was and I replied "Saturday, I think." his face scrunched up and I said "It's a Saturday that will live in infamy." He teared up. We went to breakfast. I will invite him, but I doubt he will shoot. Might be more inclined to just go to lunch with a group of us.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Shoot or not, I have a feeling he'd love a "day out with the guys" at the range!

 

[Texan2]

what if everyone brought their WW2 era guns that day?

 

[TexasRedneck]

what if everyone brought their WW2 era guns that day?

Don't have any...other than the 1919a4.

 

[Texan2]

Don't have any...other than the 1919a4.

If I remember correctly you DO own some 1911s? Were those not used in WW2?

 

[TexasRedneck]

If I remember correctly you DO own some 1911s? Were those not used in WW2?

*snap* wuz thinkin' long guns....guess ah could bring some of the 20 or so ah own.....

 

[jocat54]

I would love to talk to that man about WWII.

I agree!! WW11 vets are (were) of a different breed. I have always been amazed and humbled by there valor.

John