[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Sign-in] [Mail] [Setup] [Help]
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
|
History See other History Articles Title: Country's great heroes were hunters VETERANS DAY IS the time to remember and honor the men and women who have served this country in all of our wars and also peacetime. This fall I thought it would be appropriate to note that two of this country's greatest military heroes were both hunters and remarkable marksmen. Audie Murphy grew up on a small, impoverished farm in northeast Texas. And in his autobiography, "To Hell and Back," Murphy related how he helped feed his family by shooting rabbits and squirrels with a beat-up old .22-caliber rifle. Those shooting skills he honed as a young boy were brought to fruition in World War II, where he became the most decorated soldier in American military history. Murphy's phenomenal eyesight and the great accuracy of the 30-06-caliber M-1 Garand rifle allowed him to drop enemy soldiers at ranges where others in his outfit wouldn't even fire at them. And before Murphy, there was Sergeant York. A 2005 issue of the National Rifle Association's American Rifleman magazine told the cover story of Alvin C. York, "American Rifleman, American Hero." The lengthy article was captivating, and it related a lot of things about that unusual man that I did not know. His story, of course, was told in the movie "Sergeant York," starring Gary Cooper. I have seen that wonderful old black and white film many times, and it was gratifying to read that for a Hollywood epic, it was darn well done. York went to Hollywood and served as an adviser on the film. He even told family members and friends in following years that he was very proud of the movie, since it was an extremely accurate rendition of his life before the war -- and especially because of the climactic battle sequence where he earned the Medal of Honor. And in the Tennessee mountains where he grew up, York was already something of a local legend long before the war, due to his uncanny prowess with both handguns and the muzzleloading rifles with which he hunted a variety of game. When America entered World War I, York originally filed for exemption as a conscientious objector, but the appeal was denied. He was drafted and assigned to Company G, 328th Infantry Regiment, 82nd "All-American" Division. York's shooting skills with the U.S. Model 1903 Springfield rifle in 30-06 enabled him, and a handful of fellow doughboys, to capture 132 German prisoners along with about 35 machine guns. Before the capture, York single-handedly killed 25 of the enemy. And as the film accurately relates, he dropped several of the Germans charging him, drawing his Model 1911 Colt .45-caliber automatic pistol, "ticking them off back to front, just the way he hunted ducks back in Tennessee." A slight discrepancy there, for the movie depicted him using a German Luger, as no blank cartridges were available for the .45 handgun. After that historic deed, several generals interviewed York, and asked him how he had managed that feat. In his dry Tennessee wit, York replied, "I surrounded 'em." His shooting days were far from over after the war though, and the article relates how he continued to be an avid hunter. One of his favorite guns was a Remington Model 11 semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun, with which he hunted ducks. But his son Andrew even remembered how his Daddy loved dove hunting. And he shot those birds on the wing -- with a Winchester Model 74 .22-caliber autoloading rifle! Thank you veterans, both famous and unsung, for what you have done for us all.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
|
||
|
[Home]
[Headlines]
[Latest Articles]
[Latest Comments]
[Post]
[Sign-in]
[Mail]
[Setup]
[Help]
|
||