I grew up in a Military family. My dad served in the Army Air Corps in WWII, and retired from the Air Force 1964 after 24 years.
We lived all over the world, but were never allowed to have toy guns, and BB guns were also out of the question!
I never knew why until many years later, when my Dad told me the story.
It seems that when I was about 6 years old, Dad had Payday Escort duty one month, and came home after work with a loaded 45.
He wasn't paying attention, and my older brother took it off the kitchen table.
My brother aimed it me, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet went past my head and blew the shit out of our first TV!
I don't remember any of it, but Dad told me Mom got hysterical, and he promised her there would never be any guns in our household again.
We lived in Colorado and Montana as kids, but the only BB gun or 22 I ever held belonged to my friends.
I never had my first gun until I went to Basic Training in 1966.
It was an M-14, and although it wasn't really mine, it was my first gun.
One of the first things I learned when I joined the Army was that it was my first chance in life to be in an environment where I was equal with everybody else.
It was my first chance to succeed, and not be judged because I might be a kid "from the wrong side of the tracks."
So I excelled in everything in Basic Training.
When they taught us how to breakdown the M14 and reassemble it, I was one of the fastest students.
When they taught us how to get a "sight picture", and adjust for elevation and windage, it became natural to me.
The first day at the range, I zeroed my weapon before anyone else.
After the third day at the range, the DI pulled me off the line and had me help the other guy's.
It was one of the most rewarding and fun times I ever had in the Army.
Unfortunately, that was my last time shooting an M-14. When I got to Infantry AIT, it was the M16.
I thought the M16 was a piece of shit compared to the M14.
I carried the M16 in Vietnam,..... it was OK I guess.....because in Vietnam it was just "rock and roll...spray and pray!"
But my favorite gun is the M14!
We lived all over the world, but were never allowed to have toy guns, and BB guns were also out of the question!
I never knew why until many years later, when my Dad told me the story.
It seems that when I was about 6 years old, Dad had Payday Escort duty one month, and came home after work with a loaded 45.
He wasn't paying attention, and my older brother took it off the kitchen table.
My brother aimed it me, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet went past my head and blew the shit out of our first TV!
I don't remember any of it, but Dad told me Mom got hysterical, and he promised her there would never be any guns in our household again.
We lived in Colorado and Montana as kids, but the only BB gun or 22 I ever held belonged to my friends.
I never had my first gun until I went to Basic Training in 1966.
It was an M-14, and although it wasn't really mine, it was my first gun.
One of the first things I learned when I joined the Army was that it was my first chance in life to be in an environment where I was equal with everybody else.
It was my first chance to succeed, and not be judged because I might be a kid "from the wrong side of the tracks."
So I excelled in everything in Basic Training.
When they taught us how to breakdown the M14 and reassemble it, I was one of the fastest students.
When they taught us how to get a "sight picture", and adjust for elevation and windage, it became natural to me.
The first day at the range, I zeroed my weapon before anyone else.
After the third day at the range, the DI pulled me off the line and had me help the other guy's.
It was one of the most rewarding and fun times I ever had in the Army.
Unfortunately, that was my last time shooting an M-14. When I got to Infantry AIT, it was the M16.
I thought the M16 was a piece of shit compared to the M14.
I carried the M16 in Vietnam,..... it was OK I guess.....because in Vietnam it was just "rock and roll...spray and pray!"
But my favorite gun is the M14!
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