It has been a long time since I've been to the board, and it is a totally new look that I love. I've been in and out of here off and on over the past several years, and am always pleasantly surprised and impressed with the vast volume of knowledge the rogues possess and pass on! I just wanted to reintroduce myself, My name is Jeff Walker and I currently live in Frederick MD, grew up in Brunswick about 15 miles southwest of here. My interests in history are somewhat varied, but my real love is WW2 history. I can't believe I go for so long without checking into the forums but cest la vie, I'll try to do better. My great uncle Eugene Walker that raised me was a veteran, served from '40 to '45. He arrived in Honolulu a few weeks after PH, never saw combat, but was a crack shot and would have been able to give what for if it had come to it. He was rated Expert in Garand and Coastal Arty, Marksman in Carbine and Thompson, and Sharpshooter with the BAR. He passed away when I was too young to appreciate the knowledge he could have passed on to me if only I would have asked, one of my true regrets in life. He joked that his primary duties were to leave no beer undrank, no cigarettes unsmoked and no women unloved. But he was away from his family for 4+ years, and was away when his mother died, so he did make at least a small sacrifice. I recently purchased a Garand from the CMP, basically because I'd like to learn to shoot a WW2 era weapon in honor of him. I have run a couple of clips through it, and it is really a fine weapon. I was astonished at how little kick it had for such a powerful weapon, but what a heavy beast it is! I have never handled any of the weapons of the axis, but it is apparent even to a novice shooter what a superior advantage the Americans had with the semi-auto over the bolt action pieces! One of my initial questions, and I don't know if it appropriate here, is what did it take to earn the different qualifications? I'd be particularly curious about the Coastal Arty quals and of course the Garand to see where I might be able to work my way up to! I also used to work for a gentleman named Harry Payne from Brunswick who flew 2 missions toward the end of the war in a B-17. Harry is still with us, and flew his Piper Comanche until he was 89! Anyway, I have enjoyed my times here and am sure I'll enjoy it once again and hope to be a regular visitor! And many many thanks to Otto for keeping this forum going. Too many young people do not have the appreciation of our veterans of all conflicts that they should have, and this site is such a wealth of information it should be required for all high school history students!
Welcome (back). Is it really that easy in the States to buy guns ? In Holland you are not allowed to even think about buying a gun.
Well right now there is a lot of debate about how easy or how hard it is to buy guns here. I had no problem getting my Garand, but this is a special program for military surplus weapons. By and large you can get many weapons easily, at least for now (I also have a Winchester 1300 12 ga. shotgun and an S&W 357 magnum), but special licenses that are very difficult to obtain are required for pretty much anything that's fully auto (I think) and probably some other types of weapons. But again I am far from an expert. My 12 gauge is for skeet and my 357 is for target shooting and home defense.
In Holland it is not even for home defense.. Criminals have all the guns and you are staring in the barrel of their guns when they try to rob you at home.
Which branch did your uncle Eugene serve in? That will enable us to give the qualification requirements.
Unfortunately no, I've not been to the site at all for a long time. I have not had the greatest of years, very much of a roller coaster. In Late February I got a very nice promotion and raise at work from an accountant to a commercial lender. (Trust me, the thought that commercial bankers are wealthy might apply to OUR top 1%, but the bulk of us make far, FAR less than most people imagine, investment bankers; well that is a different story) Then I herniated a disc in my back that laid me up for 2 months including surgery recovery time, and then my mother developed a very rare type of cancer called Merkel Cell Carcinoma, and her care required me to be off work for another month, and during those times I did very little surfing on any sites. I am her sole caregiver and she is just now beginning chemotherapy, so once again my visits here will be far fewer and of less duration that I would wish.
