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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Posted on 12/06/2002 12:33:24 PM PST by Jen
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are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.
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Veterans History Project There are over 19 million veterans living in the U.S. today. With each is a personal story of battles fought, victories and defeats. Each story, though sometimes heartbreaking, is full of love, dedication and patriotism.
 War correspondent May Craig interviews a soldier, ca. 1945.
That's how Peter Bartis describes his work with the Veterans History Project. The grassroots effort that began two years ago -- and has now caught fire -- is hoping to keep those memories alive. Bartis, a senior program officer for the project, said that each day some 1,500 U.S. veterans die -- and with them a treasured part of the nation's past. "These are some of the most amazing stories; when you put them all together you get a story of the nation," he said. Over the past year alone, the project's staff of 16 has already collected more than 14,000 items, such as letters and other memoirs, and video and audiotape interviews. "We're all just blown away by these stories," he said. "The information has been very rich, it's been emotional, and it's very heartening to listen to the stories, to learn how and why they (veterans) joined, their war-time experience." With the idea that future generations could learn from the histories of the nation's veterans, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, began the effort to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war veterans -- men, women, civilians who served in World Wars I and II, and the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. The center needs contributions of civilian volunteers, support staff, and war industry workers also. Bartis said the amount of regular mail and the number of e-mails and phone calls vary from day to day, "but the response to this project has been enormous." "We get to know a lot of these people personally. That's the fun part," he said. Aside from the thousands of items received from everyday Americans each year, Bartis said the project has gained tremendous support from the corporate community as well. The Veterans History Project's official Web site lists more than 50 national partners and support organizations from every state. The military services contribute through offices such as the Army's U.S. Center of Military History and the Naval and Marine Corps Historical centers, as well as DoD's official committee commemorating the 50th Korean War anniversary. Major national veterans associations are well-represented also. "This is not our project or the library's project. This is the nation's project," Bartis said. "We want people of all walks of life to feel ownership of this project." Learn more about the Veterans History Project.
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You're correct. Not only did the Navy maintain the Garand for use much longer than most of the other services, many Navy team match competitors still used the Garand long after the other services had settled down with the National Match M14 rifle, even though most of their troops were using the M16A1. Only in the last decade or two has the improved M16A2 version- within a pound of a Garand's weight- been developed to the point that the use of one in match competition at 600 yards isn't considered a handicap.
Conversion packages to permit the M1 to utilize the same 7,62 NATO ammunition of the M14 and M60 machinegun were developed at the Navy's small arms shop at Crane, Indiana, also where the Navy match rifles were built and maintained. I worked there as a civilian armourer through the 1970s and '80s, and some Garands meant for honor guards and drill teams were also converted to use the 7,62mm blank ammunition somewhat more available than the Garand's .30 caliber M1906 blank cartridge.
The Garand is also a little better balanced for a really sharp execution of the manual of arms than the M14, also the reason for it's continued use by the USMC Silent Drill Team. It's also possible to get one's fingers caught in the open magazine well of an unloaded and magazine-less M14, so the Garand remains a good practical choice for that purpose too, as well as recalling memories to those who depended upon it for much more serious purposes.
There are other rifles better in some ways than the M1 Garand, others lighter, or more accurate. But the blend of attributes it offers remains a standard hard to beat, and it's a comforting tool to have around, as useful today in the hands of one who's familiar and practiced with it as they were when first fielded nearly 60 years ago.
-archy-/-
But I salute those who saw combat in the 'Nam.
I spent a year in Germany, mostly around Munich, Bad Tolz and on the border, before my expense-paid tour of the spas and vacation resorts of the exotic orient. That's a large part of the reason I returned alive and mostly intact, and it also prepared me for warm beer.
So thanks for the salute, but order arms, and have a warm or cold one with me now, and let's raise them in salute to the guys who were in Korea, somewhere I never went and really didn't want to. But somebody had to, and those who did have my respect and gratitude, for doing their jobs well enough that I never had to go there and help out.
As for 'Nam, you didn't really miss that much, though for the most part, it wasn't real boring.
-archy-/-
We've sworn off American beer; a dark, dense beer is all we want since we only drink beer once in a blue moon. What are your recommendations?
Do it!! And write them down and post them here. Do you have any pictures??
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