There's an older gentleman who shoots regularly at our gun club.
He's often there during the week in the evenings, usually shooting
his pristine-condition M1 Garand rifle.
I've known him for a couple of years as I'm regularly at the club
in the evenings too, especially in summer when the sun doesn't set
till after 9 p.m. He's exceptionally friendly, easy-going, and
helpful. If we're shooting from adjacent benches, we'll regularly
spot and call the shots for each other if we happen to be shooting
non-scoped rifles that evening.
His name is George, and for whatever reason, it never occurred to
me to ask what his last name was. He's 82 years old and had served
aboard the destroyer, U.S.S. Massey, as part of her
commissioning crew during WW2.
This past May, I happened to glance at his membership badge for the
very first time, and noticed that his last name was Patton. Half-jokingly, I asked if he
was related to the General
George S. Patton.
"He's my uncle," he replied.
Anyway, here's a picture I took of George last May. He's on the
right; the gent on the left is his friend Warren Laursen, a Korean
War vet who flew the F-86 Sabre during that conflict.
