tschuckman@aol.com
Hi Friends,
And, MERRY CHRISTMAS !! I don't really know how 'happy' the New Year will be, except that all those who confess their trust, faith, and total need for the Lord Jesus Christ, will fare well in the end. Promise!
I don't claim to be a "gun expert" -- but they have always fascinated me, along with other things in life that caught my fancy, like intense study, reading, the Bible, motorcycles, welding, wood working, guitar, good music, airplanes and helicopters, etc., to name a few.... The Germans were/ are great inventors, but the Russians got their licks in too -- like great pioneers of Helicopters, and the Kalashnikov assault rifle !! Well, it's nice that Mr. Mikhail Kalashnikov lived to an old ripe age, and I 'know a little bit about his prize invention,' and fired a couple, in a few different countries.
Our own Military inventors and strategists THOUGHT that the much lighter, simple, AR-15 [THE OLD M-16], would be "better, more suitable" for the American Soldier fighting in the hot, dense jungles of South East Asia--- Vietnam, over 40 years ago... LOL. The weapon worked well when it was kept very clean, and after the gun maker made a few changes/ modifications on it, after trial and error. And "trial and error" boil down to lives lost in combat !! In fact the first M-16 issued to me in a place called CU CHI, RVN, jammed right away, because it was filthy, dirty, BEFORE I EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO CLEAN IT -- RIGHT OUT OF THE RACK !! "Just take it and march to the firing range," were my orders ! And I never fired or qualified with one in my life, up until that time in early 1968... Oh Well! But then, I was always good with rifles on the farm and in the woods as a teenager, trained by my father, who was an Old Navy man, and WW-2 Veteran, Sea Bee, in the Pacific, Saipan. OJT is "On the job training." It was the same way with learning the trade/ position of "Door Gunner" on Huey's, in Vietnam, with the M-60 machine gun, etc. OJT ! You MUST learn quickly, and not make any mistakes, paying close attention to the man who 'breaks you in' -- lest someone loses their life because of YOUR mistake! Talk about a "Pressure Cooker" type of J.O.B. Ha! I was age 19, respected by my peers, and proud to do my job correctly, 7 days a week, "Forever" as we used to say.... PTL. Perhaps I should have worked and studied harder, to make rank [and money], but i was content at the time, doing what I wanted, and doing it well. I felt that I was "Lucky" to just come home alive, and get out of the Army in one piece, and without getting into any trouble.
Anyway, i would love to brag just a little about what kind of "Toys" I own, worth big bucks, that I had to save for, in my life, but I 'know better' --- so let's just say that I only have ONE, OLD, BEAT UP, RUSTY SHOT GUN IN THE HOUSE, and a bow and arrows, OK ? I don't need to advertise what goods we have acquired with our hard work in the form of weapons, tools, etc. We do have a skinny, female, Rottweiler in the house, named, Stella, who is ALWAYS HUNGRY, who acts as a deterrent to crime, etc. My own, personal, brave, guard dog, Deuce, who was old and pained, had to be "put down" a few months ago, and he would rip the throat out of any perps who tried to break into the house. What a supreme LOSS, of an old, faithful buddy and friend or mine, and Terri's. Hi just loved and protected all women in the family, and was a show off and clown, too. Thank you, Lord, for permitting me to have and train such a noble "beast" --- a pure bred, "papered hound" a grand dog, with more brains and character than many people I know ! ! !
Anyway, a month ago, a near by Range Master at an outside shooting area in Northern Wisconsin, told me that the AK-47, 'was the most sought after fire arm IN THE WORLD !!' The trouble with the USA --AR-15, was that it had to be kept perfectly CLEAN all the time, with it close tolerances, or else it would JAM! In a fire fight, in combat, those few precious seconds COULD VERY WELL COST YOU YOUR LIFE!! So, it seemed like the Viet Cong, along with the back stabbing Gov't back home edged us out of Vietnam--even when we were WINNING THAT UNPOPULAR WAR! Yes! We Americans fought our heart out and were finally beating the enemy, but, IMHO, the Leftest Hippies, and untrue, misleading 'News Media' back home put too much pressure on the Military and forced them to come home just before claiming a good victory. That's the way I see it, and we Veterans paid a terrible price when we got back.... as if "WE LOST THE WAR !!" It wasn't that way before, and even the head enemy General said as much.
Sorry that this is not so 'Christmas-y' but I thought it was really cool for other Veterans to read tonight.
My wife was supposed to be home from church a long time ago, but this is usually the case, for what I call her "Rose bushing" activity..... It's the old case of letting the dog out to go do his duty, and he KNOWS where he is supposed to go, but he ends up peeing on every rose bush, tree, corner, etc., instead of just doing what he is supposed to do ! ! ! Ha! I even ask my wife 'IF SHE WILL BE COMING STRAIGHT HOME AFTER AN ACTIVITY'..... but she is never true to her word. I told her that if I do lose 100 pounds, I might buy an old Motorcycle, and get lost for long periods of time too, without an notice.... LOL. Actions speak louder than words... and what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
That's all Folks !
Warm Regards,
Tommy Schuckman
RIP Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov Posted on: December 23rd, 2013 Kalashnikov’s most famous invention, the AK-47 rifle and the many guns that duplicate the design, is to-date the most successful firearm of all time.Check it out: Internationally-renown small arms designer, Russian military hero and inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov has died at 94 in his rifle’s home town of Izhevsk. His passage follows several years of heart trouble. Kalashnikov’s most famous invention, the AK-47 rifle and the many guns that duplicate the design, is to-date the most successful firearm of all time, and likely will continue to be for many decades to come. In that way he has achieved a little bit of immortality, joining the likes of Sam Colt, John Browning, Hiram Maxim, John Garand, Richard Gatling, Benjamin Henry and the Mauser brothers. Share776Tweet3Share0Share0Share786 Continue reading at www.guns.com Tags: ak-47, guns, kalashnikovRead more at http://patriotoutdoornews.com/8550/rip-mikhail-timofeyevich-kalashnikov#w4zzRPWTQ5rmcQRB.99 - See more at: http://patriotoutdoornews.com/8550/rip-mikhail-timofeyevich-kalashnikov#sthash.m0Pwuc6i.dpuf
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