O.K. Moi had a little personal problem during last heroic Post, so...late '60s gifted drummer friend had met/worked with Buddy and reported this.
Same fellow maintained, and Dad confirmed, that in Viet Nam, Dad had discarded his Mattel M-16 (model famed for only being good for hanging your bloody dog tags and .30 caliber-perforated helmet on) in favor of his boyhood-proven Winchester 1894 lever action .30-30....with which he lived, and returned to be an installer for the telephone company, bouncing a "superball" against the walls, to determine where the studs were.
BTW, thanks for the memories!