Gun Shops and Former Snipers

[MrSmitty]

Not a sniper, just an USAF 23350, Imagery Production Specialist, peace time, 81-85, but I did qualify with the M-16, and the .38 ...yeah THAT long ago! I do have a neighbor who was Marine recon from Vietnam, and then got out and joined the Army and retired after 20+ years.

 

[Dewidmt]

I was a USAF medic for 21 years (AFSC 4N071-496). Somebody had to keep the pilots from getting the sniffles! I also had numerous hand-to-hand encounters with nurses......

 

[buzz815]

This thread SO reminds me of an encounter I had on returning from Viet Nam. I was in a restaurant in my home town when a fellow set down next to me. He was a year ahead of me in school and so I did not know him well.

I don't recall how the conversation turned to military people telling tall tales, however he went on about how bad they were. I sat there and just listened. He said the helicopter pilots were the worst. Especially the gunship pilots. They would just go on and on about how cool they were.

About that time I rested my arm on the table, seeing it was in a cast he asked what happened. I told him it was a gunshot wound from Nam. He was a little taken aback and asked what I did over there. I told him I was a gunship pilot.




He stared at me for a full 5 seconds, and then got up and left. Never saw him again.

Thanks for bringing back that memory, it puts a big smile on my face.

Would you care to share what unit you were with and where you were located? I was a gunship doorgunner with the 155th AHC located in Banmethout RVN.

 

[buckstopshere]

The only place that has more liars than a gunshop/guncounter/gunshow....is a fishermans shop...in my experiences...

You forgot the court house and the white house.

 

[trillobite]

they seemed to enjoy talking to people that respected them and didn't push for details.

A little respect can go a long way.
I wasn't allowed around "those types", as my Mom was a bit of a paranoid, and Dad died when I was 8. She wouldn't even allow a steak knife in the house, and was skittish around cops, something about them wearing guns was scary. Must have been some big trauma in her past. Anyone who was ever around any government job was suspect, and church was mandatory, yet we never went to the same church for more than a few months. 45 years old, and I still don't understand her. Anyway, I'm saying that I wasn't able to be curious at all until I moved out. Sheesh, too sleepy to be very coherent. I'm trying to say that the only camo wearers I ever met were ROTC and National Guard, and everyone else wore BDUs. Different times.

Something I've wondered about, is that I've yet to run across someone claiming to be ex-FBI, Secret Service, or CIA? With all the clandestine ops that the CIA "may" have done, seems like somebody would try to jump on that bandwagon.

 

[LPMan59]

No disrespect intended.
My point was only in the fact that if all these people were really what they claim then I have to wonder who did all the "other" jobs in the military. Why can't people say- I never served OR I worked in supply?

Bob

i had a childhood friend who's father served in Vietnam. One day I jokingly (sort of) asked him what he did over there, if he killed a lot of people or blew stuff up. He replied "nope, they gave me a pistol and told me to work in the food building. The only gun I ever fired was a rifle I found lying on the ground one night after a few beers."

 

[thebishopp]

There's a few of out here that are legit. Marine Recon School, 5th Recon Bn, Camp Pendleton, CA 1967. US Navy Diving School, Subic Bay, Philippines, 1968. My MOS was 0311/8653. Served with 3rd Recon in Nam 1967-1968.

I used to work with a legit (is the term "former"?) marine sniper named Mike Wells. Never talked much about it until one day another co-worker (also former marine but much much younger lol) brought in a book series, I think the title was something like Marine Corp Sniper, death from afar (it's been awhile but from what I remember it was not a thick book but was pretty big and I think part of a 3 book set). Any way long story short Gary says "holy crap that's Mike" and sure enough there is a photo of him standing somewhere in Vietnam with his friend (who wrote the book). Creepy thing is the guy looked almost the same as he did back then in the photo (just a tad bit older maybe).

Great guy, was a good cop too (I think he left the department shortly after I did back in 98), got me into shooting 1911s. I think he still lives in KY.

 

[OWGEM]

Would you care to share what unit you were with and where you were located? I was a gunship doorgunner with the 155th AHC located in Banmethout RVN.

buzz815, much respect to doorgunners and crew chiefs. Saved my butt more than once. Served in Company A, 123d Aviation Battalion, Americal Division. Mostly at Chu Lai, with a short stay at Khe Sahn. Late 1967 to early 68.

 

[churchmouse]

This thread SO reminds me of an encounter I had on returning from Viet Nam. I was in a restaurant in my home town when a fellow set down next to me. He was a year ahead of me in school and so I did not know him well.

I don't recall how the conversation turned to military people telling tall tales, however he went on about how bad they were. I sat there and just listened. He said the helicopter pilots were the worst. Especially the gunship pilots. They would just go on and on about how cool they were.

About that time I rested my arm on the table, seeing it was in a cast he asked what happened. I told him it was a gunshot wound from Nam. He was a little taken aback and asked what I did over there. I told him I was a gunship pilot.

He stared at me for a full 5 seconds, and then got up and left. Never saw him again.

Thanks for bringing back that memory, it puts a big smile on my face.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

 

[Dirc]

Abrams are toys....
Now my M270 Launcher, now that is what is manly...
Your 120 is nice but I could smash a square kilometer in a minute or less....

Former 13M here.

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

I should qualify that...the major exception (of actual experienced vets, not gun shop embellishers) would be pilots. Pilots love to talk.

Sounds kinda like sea men in the Navy, the LOVE to TALK, most of the time can't shut them up. But somehow their stories always end up with a lot of alcohol being involved and how they almost missed the ship, of staggering down the pier. It's funny how they let a bunch of drunks man a ship. FIL served 24 years in the US Navy, and every navy picture I've seen of him there was booze somewhere in the picture (except while on board the ship).

But in all seriousness, Thank You to all of those men and women that serve in Our Armed Services!! (Drunk or Sober)

 

[60Driver]

I should qualify that...the major exception (of actual experienced vets, not gun shop embellishers) would be pilots. Pilots love to talk.

Sounds kinda like sea men in the Navy, the LOVE to TALK, most of the time can't shut them up. But somehow their stories always end up with a lot of alcohol being involved and how they almost missed the ship, of staggering down the pier. It's funny how they let a bunch of drunks man a ship. FIL served 24 years in the US Navy, and every navy picture I've seen of him there was booze somewhere in the picture (except while on board the ship).

But in all seriousness, Thank You to all of those men and women that serve in Our Armed Services!! (Drunk or Sober)

So what does that say about Navy Pilots

As others have said, in my experience the more serious a military members background the quieter they tend to be. Every snake eater I know is a humble guy who you would never guess did hairy stuff for a living. Notable exception being us dumb aviators, we just can't seem to keep our mouths shut!

 

[indiucky]

Love this post. I have had three navy SEALs that have come in my shop. I have known one since he was a kid and followed his career as he moved up. They were here in Indiana doing some training up at Crane and came down to visit friends here locally. I learned three things about the SEAL's.

1: They are humble and do not talk about what they do. Computers is the answer when asked.
2: They look like the kids that work at home depot except with discipline and zero body fat.
3: This was right after Osama got killed and they were at a party they attended with my cousin. A couple of pretty Hoosier girls went up to them and said "Are Y'all like in the National Guard or something?" They looked at her with a straight face and said "Yes Ma'am, we are."


An easily 400 lb guy used to be in a local shop and wore a sniper hat, sniper t-shirt, and had sniper tatoos. He had came in to a shop I worked at and I asked if he wanted to see a Romy Dragunov we had. He answered, "No thanks, I am a real sniper." I then replied, "Sniping what..Hamburgers?" Chuckles all around and then he left.

The point being, the guys that have it and do it are kind of quiet about it and they definatley don't wear t-shirts proclaiming it.


God Bless the quiet, humble warriors, who willingly bear the "mark of Cain" so that I can sit here in my hometown and raise my family in peace. I never served but I thank every vet I see for their service. I don't care if they were frying eggs, cleaning latrines, or typing in the office. They did more than I did and it takes many gears to keep the cog running that is our military.

 

[blamecharles]

I never got the priveledge to meet him but my girlfriends family had a gentleman named Bob Edlin. His story is told in the Fool Luetinent: here is some info. The book is a great read and the stories told of him by family are hilarious.
The Fool Lieutenant; a Personal Account of D-Day and WWII

tells the story of Lt. Bob Edlin and the 2nd Ranger Battalion as they hit the beaches on D-Day and continue through Europe until the war’s end. Lt. Edlin was one hell of a soldier and he tells his story modestly insisting his heroics were simply a matter of luck and a refusal to quit. He is most famous for capturing the Graf Spee battery along with 800 enemy soldiers while leading a patrol of only three other men. He could’ve been a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, but turned down the award as it would have meant having to leave his men and return to America. He was elected into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 1995. And he was awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor by the Texas Legislature in 2005. According to the book he was also inducted in to the [Indiana?] Black Hall of Fame in 1949 or 1950 for his efforts to recruit African-Americans into the National Guard.

One particular family story involves him much later in life getting into a fight on the golf course with another elderly gentlemen and they were both "swordfighting" with golf clubs.

 

[tenring]

"Congressional" Medal of Honor? Since when did those retards have anything to do with that? Here's fair list of snipers and their count. Snipers

 

[strahd71]

i think a lot of the guys that are the real deal, you would never know by looking or talking to them. my grandpa was a gunner in a bomber in the lower ball turret during WWII i think on a B-29?. that was the second most dangerous position of the plane. apparently the tail gunner was most dangerous. he didnt talk about it much. i think guys who actually have been in combat just dont talk about it.

jake

 

[traderdan]

We admire nothing more than the courage of those who have served,we deplore nothing more than the lies of dishonorable men.My father always said that liar=thief,and thief = liar.

 

[usmcdjb]

I was a radio technician.

No disrespect intended.
My point was only in the fact that if all these people were really what they claim then I have to wonder who did all the "other" jobs in the military. Why can't people say- I never served OR I worked in supply?

Bob

 

[gunowner930]

Former Marine pog here. I've noticed a lot of military personnel who come home on leave to a place like Indiana which doesn't have much of a military presence tell a lot of stories about black ops. It's amazing how black ops operators come home to Indiana.

 

[greyhound47]

LOL! I was just in a new store in my area where one of the owners regaled me with stories of his long shot awesomeness and spoke condescendingly to customers due to his kick-assedness. He then told me that the scope he had in his case had fantastic glass. It was a junk scope with coke bottle lenses. FAIL.