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Examples Of Armed Citizens Coming To The Aid Of Officers In Peril

by m1911

There is NO evidence to support the assertion that law enforcement officers are put at risk by law-abiding citizens carrying concealed firearms in their car. There are no studies, even ones with twisted statistics, that draw this conclusion. How can that be? Because there is NO record of a law enforcement officers having been injured by a CCW permit holder during a traffic stop, anywhere in the 44 CCW states.

We can, on the other hand, offer numerous examples of armed citizens coming to the aid of officers in peril.

Herald-Tribune, Sarasota, FL
Driving to work one morning, Jim Povia, of Sarasota, Florida, saw a state trooper with his service pistol drawn, confronting a trio of male suspects during a traffic stop. Povia, a right-to-carry permit holder, pulled over and grabbed his .40 cal. pistol and went to the aid of the officer. The two held the men until backup arrived. The driver of the vehicle was driving with a suspended license and a gun was found in the rear of the vehicle. The three men were charged with felony weapons possession.

The Post, Houston, TX
In the finest tradition of armed citizens who take on crime in their communities, Texan Travis Neel helped save a wounded Harris County deputy sheriff’s life. Witnessing the shooting by one of a trio of Houston gang members after a traffic stop just west of Houston, Neel–who was on his way to his pistol range–pulled his gun and fired, driving the officer’s assailants away. An off-duty sheriff’s deputy also came on the scene and joined Neel in covering the deputy, whose life was saved by his body armor. The trio was captured after a manhunt.

The Bulletin, Norwich, CT
While the situation ended without incident, armed citizen Michael Acree stood ready to lend a hand when a police officer stopped a carload of unruly teenagers outside his Salem, Connecticut, home. Noticing the youths scuffling with the officer, Acree retrieved his pistol and went out onto his lawn. When the youths saw Acree and his handgun, they calmed down and the situation ended peaceably. Acree earned the appreciation both of town officials and the officer.

The Daily Commercial, Leesburg, FL
Vincent McCarthy wasn’t afraid to lend a hand when he noticed a police officer struggling with a man and woman at the side of the road. He tried to help subdue the man who was kicking the officer in the face. Despite McCarthy’s warnings, when the man pressed his assault, the tour boat captain shot him once in the leg with a pistol he is licensed to carry and stopped the attack. Neither the officer nor McCarthy were seriously injured.

The Observer, Charlotte, NC
A North Myrtle Beach, N.C., citizen was credited by the city’s public safety director with possibly saving the life of Police Officer Richard Jernick. Jernick had pulled over a suspected bank robber’s car after a chase, when the suspect charged the cruiser and pointed a gun at the officer, who was still behind the wheel. At that point authorities said, the robbery suspect saw that James Beach, a semi-retired electrician who had joined the pursuit, had a pistol pointed at him. Startled, the robber ran for his car, and Officer Jernick was able to shoot and wound him.

The Star-Banner, Ocala, FL
When a drug-trafficking suspect fleeing a state police traffic stop ran through an Ocala, Fla., campground, he was spotted by the manager. Leonard Hicks armed himself and held the man at gunpoint for pursuing officers. An officer later commented, We wouldn’t have caught the suspect if it hadn’t been for him.

The Valley Daily News, Renton, WA
The armed man who intended to rob a Renton, Wash., gunshop should have been forewarned by the police cruiser he had to walk past to enter the store, and the uniformed officer standing just inside the door. Belatedly noticing the policeman, the would-be robber began shooting at him. The officer and a store clerk armed with a semi-auto pistol returned fire, fatally wounding the man.

The Press-Herald, Minden, LA
During a drug arrest in Webster Parish, La., a sheriff’s deputy and a state trooper found themselves struggling with their two suspects. But four citizens observed the battle and, armed with shotguns, they came to the officers’ aid–enabling them to make the arrests.

The Chronicle, San Francisco, CA
Dave Storton, a San Jose, Calif., police officer, was doing off-duty security work at an apartment complex when two burglars knocked the officer down and attempted to grab his revolver. During the struggle, one of the assailants bit off part of Storton’s ear, but the two attackers were run off by an apartment resident who came to the rescue, armed with a shotgun.

The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK
Miami, Okla., motel owner Oba Edwards witnessed two policemen struggling with a man they were attempting to arrest and saw the man wrest away one officer’s revolver, shoot and kill him. Edwards armed himself and fired a shot that allowed the remaining officer to recover his partner’s revolver and fatally wound the attacker. The dead man was on probation for assault of a Texas police officer.

The Morning Herald, Hagerstown, MD
Police officer Chris Haldeman entered a Chambersburg, PA gold and silver exchange to arrest a suspect in a stolen property case, but the man resisted and a struggle ensued. The 220-lb. suspect had Haldeman pinned to the ground and was choking him when storekeeper Ken Cummings pulled his pistol and shot the officer’s attacker in the leg. The man, a known felon, managed to escape, and Det. Haldeman was treated at a local hospital and released.

The Morning News, Dallas, TX
A stolen car bearing three escaped convicts was stopped on a Kansas highway by a state trooper. When the officer ordered the men from the vehicle, they sped away. With the trooper in pursuit, the escapees crashed in the town of Gorham; two were captured as they crawled free of the wreckage. The third convict attempted to flee on foot, only to be collared by several onlookers who had secured rifles from their pickups at the trooper’s call for assistance.

The Times-Tribune, Corbin, KY
Corbin, Ky., motel operator Ray Miracle came upon state trooper James Phelps attempting to subdue two drunken occupants of a stopped auto and, carrying his revolver, went to the officer’s aid. At that point, another car stopped and one of two men inside levelled a gun on Trooper Phelps. Seeing Miracle’s drawn gun, however, they hastily drove off. Kentucky State Police rewarded Miracle with their highest civilian honor.

The Post, Houston, TX
Ralph Festavan watched as a heroin peddler attacked a Shreveport, La., policeman and grabbed the officer’s gun. Festavan ran to the patrol car parked nearby and got a shotgun with which he shot and killed the pusher.

The Times-Union, Rochester, NY
Dennis Koch was putting storm windows on his fiancee’s house when he observed a youth run into nearby woods. He passed the information on to a police officer who stopped by minutes later and told Koch he was searching for a burglary suspect. He gave Koch permission to assist him. Carrying his pistol, for which he has a permit, Koch found the youth hiding and held him in custody until the officer could place him under arrest.

The Memphis Press-Scimitar, Memphis, TN
A Missouri state trooper had been shot three times by two armed robbery suspects when armed citizen Robert Riley of Tiptonville, Tenn., rushed to his aid. Riley fired a small caliber pistol at the assailants until they surrendered. The law officer was then rushed to a hospital.

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Ontario, CA
Inland Valley, California, Humane Society officer Amy Murillo, 27, was responding to a local resident’s pleas when she attempted to call off a vicious dog. But the animal turned on Murillo, jumping at her and causing her to fall against her vehicle. She suffered several bites to the head and chest from the crazed animal. Witnessing the young officer’s plight, the resident who had summoned her help returned the favor by running to his house and retrieving a handgun. The dog then turned on the man who shot twice, killing it.

The Daily Facts, Redlands, CA
Redlands, California, sheriff’s deputies credited an armed citizen with helping them capture four men and two juveniles who had just robbed a convenience store and pointed a gun at a plain clothes police officer as they made their initial getaway. Following a short chase all the suspects were captured. “One of the guys was detained at gunpoint by a resident who really helped us,” Sheriff’s Sgt. Bobby Phillips said. “He kept him there on the ground until we got there.”

The Review Courier, Alva, OK
Things had turned ugly for Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officer Rick Wallace. He had found marijuana on a speeder, but was overpowered by the man before he could cuff him. Passerby Adolph Krejsek witnessed the altercation and came to the rescue, using his own firearm to help the trooper control the suspect. After helping subdue the assailant, Krejsek used the injured trooper’s radio to call for help.

Associated Press, IN
In Indianapolis 17-year-old Gerald Watson stood near a policeman who questioned a robbery suspect when the suspect’s accomplice appeared on the scene and shot the officer down. Watson, who had taught marksmanship at the YMCA, grabbed the fallen policeman’s service revolver and shot the felon dead.

UPI, AL
In Saraland, Ala., the berserk husband of a woman charged with possession of illegal whisky killed one police officer and wounded another but, as he tried to make his escape, was shot dead by Carlos McDonald, the proprietor of a nearby shop.

UPI, AL
Two gunmen kidnapped an Eclectic, Ala., town policeman and used the officer to gain admittance to the home of Carl Ray Barker in the early morning hours. Barker, an Eclectic banker, was taken by one gunman into town to open the bank’s vault, his wife, child, and the town policeman being held hostage by the armed companion pending a safe return from the bank. When the time-vault resisted opening, the gunman returned Barker to his house and, after some debate, took the policeman away with him to get tape for binding all hostages until morning, when another attempt was to be made on the vault. Barker, now held in his home with wife and child by the second armed man, asked if he could make coffee. The robber assented and Barker put water on the stove and got it boiling. “I took the scalding water to the living room,” said Barker. “When he held his cup, I just poured the water in his face and grabbed his gun.” Barker pistol-whipped the robber into submission, loaded a shotgun and waited for the return of the other bandit. When the door opened, the captive policeman dived out of the way and Barker killed the would-be bank robber with two blasts. Barker said he feared for his family’s safety and, “I didn’t want my bank to get a bad name about being robbed.”

Article used by permission from the Ohioans For Concealed Carry PAC

Cops and Guns – A Generational Difference?

by m1911

By Bruce J. Emmott

Visitors to my website will know that I retired in 1994 after 25 years in the NYPD, working some of the toughest and most dangerous precincts in the city http://brucesplace.homepage.com. I’ve always been pro gun, as were most of the cops of my generation – most of us joining departments on returning from Southeast Asia. In the mid to late 60’s, prior military service was almost the norm, and cops grew up in an environment of knowing and understanding guns and weapons. That was so even in NY, a place not now known to be friendly towards guns or gun owners.

Over my years, I noticed a not so subtle change in the attitudes of cops coming on the job. This was especially true during the early 80’s. While at one time approximately 90% of new cops had military or quasi-military experience (used to discipline and following orders), the figure in the 80’s almost reversed, with less than 10% of new officers having military experience. These cops grew up in a totally different environment than my generation did. They didn’t know guns, didn’t particularly like them, and didn’t trust anyone who felt the need to have them. I knew many young cops who refused to carry a gun off duty, in violation of then existing department regulations. In fact the NYPD changed the rule that officers must be armed at all times, and went so far as to recommend that we NOT carry a gun in certain circumstances. Whereas it was axiomatic that a cop was never “off duty” and expected to take police action at any time, the 80’s brought the attitude that while off duty the department preferred you NOT “get involved” in off duty incidents. This was partially based on liability concerns, but more to the point revealed an attitude that cops were “ordinary citizens” and should “call a cop” when they observed a crime off duty. While this was an anathema to most of my generation, the younger cops embraced the idea. Why not – it let them off the hook. They no longer had to carry a gun, and with it the responsibility it demanded. We now had a generation of essentially “part time” cops. In my last 5 years on the job, I saw more “accidental discharges”, “stolen” guns, and failures to qualify than in the previous 20 years combined. Range qualification was a joke – cops considered it merely a day off to have some fun. Individual practice, and with it proper care of your tools of the trade, likewise became a joke. Any wonder it recently took 4 cops 41 shots to bring down a suspect? Lousy training, lousy tactics, too many young glory seekers running around unsupervised – a bad combination.

I was involved in 4 gunfights in my career – none anticipated or sought out. I received many decorations for bravery during my career – likewise not sought out. Yet I heard and saw young cops talking about getting into gunfights so they could get medals. Kinda scary stuff, when you think about it. In that same career, I was assisted by armed civilians on 2 occasions. I worked alone by preference, although 2 and 3 man cars and posts were the norm in my precinct. At one time I was in a situation where I had 5 males at gunpoint on a felony charge and was waiting for a backup to search and handcuff. A citizen in his car stopped and asked if I needed some help and said he had a permit for his gun. I gladly accepted and he stood to one side and helped control the subjects until backup arrived. To demonstrate the difference in generations, after all were in custody and being transported, one young cop took it upon himself to start questioning the civilian who came to my aid about his gun and where his permit was. I grabbed this nitwit and tore into him and the young Sergeant who was with him and told them that rather than giving a decent citizen a hard time, they should write (as I did) a letter of commendation to the police commissioner on his behalf.

On another occasion, I was in a gunfight that went down as one of the longest and most dangerous chases in the history of the NYPD. I personally fired 17 rounds from my service revolver, and my partner fired at least 12. I won’t go into all the details, but after chasing 3 men in a truck who tried to run down cops in an adjoining precinct, then firing at pursuing officers, I was rammed and spun into a very large tree and concrete park bench. My partner and I were both pinned in out car, and the good citizens of Brooklyn decided it would be fun to relieve us of our weapons and shields – since we obviously were hurt and couldn’t fight back. It was so bad a department helicopter following the chase asked permission (denied) to land on the roadway to assist us. While backup officers were attempting to fight there way to us through a huge crowd, a civilian stopped his car and ran to help us – pulling his licensed gun and firing a warning shot to get the crowd away from our car. His intervention saved us from, at the least, having our weapons taken, and possibly worse. Since my partner and I were seriously hurt and removed to the local trauma center, I never was able to get the civilian’s name so I could commend him. We spent a week in the hospital on that one, and it could very well have been far worse had it not been for this brave armed civilian.

I guess this is a long way of saying cops are different now. Guns scare them when they are not the ones holding them. They follow the political line of the departments that guns are bad, gun owners are bad, and there is no need for them in private hands. They actually seem to believe that all one needs to do if in trouble is dial 911. Personally, I’ll take responsibility for the safety of my family and myself, thank you very much. I don’t feel like waiting 15 minutes for a car to arrive in time to take a report or clean up the mess. I have a RIGHT – a right given me by God – to self defense and the defense of my loved ones. Not only that, but I still – 6 years after my retirement – feel it is my DUTY as a professional law enforcement officer to aid anyone who needs help. I’ve said before many times, to both active cops and other “civilians”, that one day all active cops will be just another civilian like I am now, and will be at the mercy of unworkable and unenforceable gun laws that do NOTHING to make society safer. The gun laws cops support now will come back to haunt them when they retire. On the contrary – it makes society LESS safe against the scum who by default will rule the streets if the anti-gun zealots have their way. But then they have their own security forces and live in gated communities, don’t they.

Think about it real hard, officers. Do YOU want to wait for a cop to arrive at your location when you need help NOW? Do YOU want to depend on some of the cops you work with now? I didn’t, and I don’t … and I won’t.

Bruce J. Emmott
http://brucesplace.homepage.com
New York Police Department (Ret.)
Disclaimer: All comments are the personal opinion of the writer and not intended to represent any government agency, whatsoever.

So long, Smokey Joe

by m1911

Artistic rendition of General Joe Foss fighting the Japanese invaders.

In memoriam, Gen. Joe Foss

It was one of those creepy moments of synchronicity that didn’t really mean anything but felt like it should. I had just finished flying Joe Foss’s mission of October 23, 1942 in Combat Flight Simulator 2. Having gotten my turn-and-burn fix, I closed the game and checked the news wire. General Joe Foss had died. Foss had been one of the primary consultants in the development of the game and he had designed that particular mission, and while computer games are just computer games, playing the mission gives you an idea of the difficulty and lop-sided odds these guys faced.

Gen. Foss was a true American hero. He was the first Marine aviator to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor with 26 kills over Guadalcanal in those dark early days of the war in the Pacific. He had a particular fondness for cigars, hence the nickname, “Smokey Joe.” Unlike many war heroes who have trouble adjusting to peacetime, Gen. Foss didn’t miss a beat. Stateside, he formed his own flying service, established a Packard dealership, organized the South Dakota Air National Guard, was elected to Congress and then governor of South Dakota, and became president of the fledgling American Football League and the NRA. The last time Gen. Foss was in the news was last year when he was prevented from getting on an airplane with his Congressional Medal of Honor because some dimwitted security person at an airport decided that the sharp edges of the medal might be used as a weapon by the 86-year-old man to hijack the airplane. That, to me, was one of the most bitter ironies of the post-911 hysteria.

Upon learning of Gen. Foss’s death, South Dakota Gov. Bill Janklow said that the aviator “spurred an entire nation into a resolve that we would win the Second World War and make the world a safer place.” He added, “All the things that he accomplished pale in comparison to the fact that back in the deep, dark days of the early 1940s, when America needed a hero, Joe Foss was there.”

The Battle for Guadalcanal was a legend maker like no other in the Pacific theater. It was as pivotal as Midway and far more desperate. By all rights, the American forces should have been crushed, but guys like Joe Foss just weren’t going to let that happen, and when we’re singing the praises of the celebrity warriors like Foss, Edson, Basilone and Boyington, we need to remember that there were many more who strapped themselves into Wildcats or shouldered a Garand and gave as much or more but didn’t get the recognition lavished upon the stars. They were the vertebrae in America’s backbone, and we owe them a tremendous debt whether or not our politically correct history books choose to remember them.

I think I’ll find an empty runway someplace and smoke a good cigar.

CMH Citation

FOSS, JOSEPH JACOB

Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Marine Fighting Squadron 121, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.
Place and date: Over Guadalcanal, 9 October to 19 November 1942, 15 and 23 January 1943.
Entered service at: South Dakota.
Born: 17 April 1 915, Sioux Falls, S. Dak.

Citation:

For outstanding heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty as executive officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 121, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, at Guadalcanal. Engaging in almost daily combat with the enemy from 9 October to 19 November 1942, Capt. Foss personally shot down 23 Japanese planes and damaged others so severely that their destruction was extremely probable. In addition, during this period, he successfully led a large number of escort missions, skillfully covering reconnaissance, bombing, and photographic planes as well as surface craft. On 15 January 1943, he added 3 more enemy planes to his already brilliant successes for a record of aerial combat achievement unsurpassed in this war. Boldly searching out an approaching enemy force on 25 January, Capt. Foss led his 8 F-4F Marine planes and 4 Army P-38’s into action and, undaunted by tremendously superior numbers, intercepted and struck with such force that 4 Japanese fighters were shot down and the bombers were turned back without releasing a single bomb. His remarkable flying skill, inspiring leadership, and indomitable fighting spirit were distinctive factors in the defense of strategic American positions on Guadalcanal.

Quotes and Anecdotes

“I say all guns are good guns. There are no bad guns. I say the whole nation should be armed. Period.” – Joe Foss

“A gun is a piece of art. That’s what Hitler did, take the guns away. Mao Tse Tung said, ‘He who has the guns has control.’ I don’t want to be directed by any group of clowns about what to do with my gun. They won’t get mine, that’s for sure.” – Joe Foss

“I never worry about the challenges,” he said. “When you come out of combat and you’ve dealt with life and death, and you’ve seen your fellow man deader than a doornail, then all the little things … seem like a scratch on the wall.” – Joe Foss

Foss was asked how, given that many more gun owners kill themselves or their relatives than ever shoot an intruder, he could in good conscience advise people to own guns. Here, in full, is what he said: “It’s very easy to do that in good conscience, because we’ve got a great training program. When you buy the gun, don’t just run home and hide it in the drawer loaded. Get the instruction on how to use it. And, of course, if you have children around, you never have the ammunition and the gun together unless you know that you’re going to use it. See, we don’t police our homes any more as a family unit. We run off like goofy geese and let the silly box be the baby sitter. That’s where the kids really go wild — when you look at that thing and see the blow ’em up and shoot ’em up, even for breakfast. Yesterday morning I was watching TV, and they had a show on there. It was pow! pow! pow! for breakfast! So no matter when the kid looks at it, he gets the general idea you oughta shoot somebody. It’s time in our great country that some of the parents take the responsibility of taking care of their kids.”

A questioner mentioned the “well regulated militia” clause of the Second Amendment, and asked if it did not imply that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” comes with some responsibility to serve the country.

Foss replied, “No, sir, you’re dead wrong on that baby! There’s one thing about it, when it comes to the founding fathers of the country: if you read that about the militia, the way it was spelled out in the definition of it at the time it was put there, the Second Amendment was sold as everyone could have firearms or guns in their home, because they’d just gone through a deal with their good friends across the pond that wanted to disarm everyone. So they were never going to get caught in that situation again. And today people try to come along and say ‘If you belong to the National Guard, why then fine and dandy.’ But everyone cannot belong to the National Guard.”

“I talked to Joe Foss at some length at the last meeting of the NRA board, and, as always, I learned various fascinating things. For instance, I had not known that Joe was a “point shooter” who removed the sight from his airplane after a friend of his had his face mashed in by the sight on a forced landing. Joe thereafter simply pointed his airplane reflexively and thus became the all-time hero of unsighted fire – but I will not tell anybody in the pistol class about that!” – Jeff Cooper

Joe Foss, the authentic hero, tells a tale upon himself. When he was given his first rifle he was allowed to take it out and use it by himself, though not in company. Tempted beyond resistance, he let go and fractured a ceramic insulator on a power line. For this sin he was grounded for a year – a truly awesome penalty. At age 14 a year is forever, and Joe had the full time to ponder upon his precious rifle locked away in his father’s closet. It is not necessary to use tranquilizers to “train up the child in the way he should go.” – Jeff Cooper

General Joe Foss, MOH — Painting of General Jow Foss leading an attack on Japanese bombers.

In his first combat action he shot down one Japanese Zeke but in his excitement he was aggressively pursued by three more Zekes. He tried everything he could think of to elude these Zekes but finally was shot down. He managed to make a dead stick landing back at the base. He vowed that he would never let this happen again, and to keep a better look out while flying. This earned him another nickname “Swivel Neck Joe.” Foss was so deadly accurate that he usually only used four of his machine guns rather than the six to help save ammunition. On 25 November he shot down another five Zekes to bring his total to 16. By 7 October he scored two more to bring his total to 18. In just six weeks of combat Foss shot down 16 Japanese Zekes. His final total was 26, the second highest scoring Marine Fighter ace behind Major Pappy Boyington. Fosse’s flight became known as “Joe’s Flying Circus” They were credited with 72 victories while under Joe’s command. – from Flight-History.com

When Dave Beckwith was in fourth grade, he delivered newspapers to businesses and the government housing near the airport in Pierre, South Dakota. One afternoon he was pedaling toward the airport when he hit a pot hole, crashed his bike and spilled the newspapers all over the highway.

Embarrassed but not hurt, he got up and started gathering the newspapers when a black limousine slowed to a stop, and a man got out of the back seat to help.

“Are you OK?” He asked as he began assisting Dave. The kind man stayed long enough to help Dave pick up the papers and make certain that he was OK.

Dave couldn’t help but notice his license plate number when he drove away: “1.” South Dakota Governor Joe Foss was the man that stopped to help. “I knew nothing about his political views,” Dave said, “but he was a man of remarkable kindness, and a hero to a nine-year-old boy!” – (Fresh Illustrations)

Links:

Joe Foss, Pictures and Links

The Cactus Air Force

A Marine Diary: My Experiences on Guadalcanal
An Eyewitness Account of the Battle of Guadalcanal.

First Offensive: The Marine Campaign For Guadalcanal

Joe Foss: CO VMF-121

Naval Air War in the Pacific

The Guadalcanal Campaign
7 August 1942 – 8 February 1943

Flight-History.com

American Hero Harassed at Phoenix Airport

Joe Foss, war hero, going strong

“Hairy Dog” Missions With “Old” Joe Foss

Joe Foss, 87, Flying Ace Who Led NRA And American Football League

Military History

by m1911

Ambush in Mogadishu: Interview with General Thomas Montgomery

American Aircraft of WWII – This site covers virtually all U.S. aircraft designed or used during World War II. All photos are believed to be at least 50 years old and in the public domain.

USS Enterprise CV-6 – The most decorated ship of the Second World War, Enterprise changed the very course of a war she seemed to have been expressly created for.

Guadalcanal – Guadalcanal Journal Transcript

The Guadalcanal Campaign – The Guadalcanal Campaign – 7 August 1942 to 8 February 1943

HyperWar Guadalcanal Campaign Contents – The first American-Allied counter-offensive: the bloody, drawn-out struggle dubbed “Operation Shoestring”.

HyperWar First Offensive Guadalcanal – The Marine Campaign for Guadalcanal (Marines in World War II Commemorative Series). Great Pictures.

History Quotes: The Importance of Not Forgetting Our Past – Good resource of quotes about the importance of historical knowledge, especially military history. My favorite is one from VDH.

MILITARY HISTORY – Pacifica Military History – Pacifica Military History publishes an impressive array of modern mililtary history books, chiefly combat narratives and first-person battle accounts. Our military history books cover land, naval, and aviation history.

A Marine Diary My Experiences on Guadalcanal – Rube Garrett’s Diary tells the story of the 11th Marines artillery, 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal in WWII and the campaign in the Solomons which marked the turning point of the Pacific war. Army, Navy and the USMC Cactus Air Force defeated Japanese forces in six months of fighting during World War Two.

NavSource Online Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive – If you love aircraft carriers, this is the site.

NavSource.Org Main Page – Images, History, Crew Contacts, Building, Service And Final Fate Information. The Largest US Navy Warship Photo Collection On The Internet.

Medal of Honor Citations Vietnam War

Medal of Honor Citations

Military Firearms Links – This is the most complete and well organized table on the web listing pistols, rifles, submachine guns, assault rifles, machine guns, ammo and more. Divided into easy to find sections it helps understand the many M numbers (like M-1911 or M-1 and how they relate to more common names like Army Automatic or Thompson. Covers most popular US weapons, plus some from other countries as well. Many firearms have multiple photos from official and private sources.

Philadelphia Online Blackhawk Down – The Battle of Mogadishu

36th Infantry Division Association History Menu – 36th Infantry Division Association History

Special Forces Search Engine – A Green Beret, Special Operations, SEAL, Ranger, Air Commando and Marine Raider Specific Directory that users can add and modify their own sites.

SearchMil.com – Over 1 million military pages indexed and ranked in order of popularity.

The U.S. Army Center of Military History

The Sight’s Vietnam War Links

In Praise of the M1911 .45 ACP

by m1911

Why this classic pistol remains the standard of comparison!

By Chuck Taylor

Though it’s been in continuous service for 87 years, the venerable Colt model 1911 in .45 auto is still the premier self-loading combat pistol. In fact, it dominates nearly every facet of handgunning, from the national matches at Camp Perry, to IPSC competition, to the hunting and boondocking field, to the Sands of Iwo Jima, and even the streets of San Francisco!

And in its thus-far unparalleled tenure as a general-purpose service pistol it has seen a multitude of modifications and has seen use in virtually every kind of natural and tactical environment as well. Old Ugly has been cussed and discussed more than any other handgun in history, and continues to ride an unprecedented wave of popularity shared by no other handgun.

We’re often told these days that the M1911 is an antique and an anachronism belonging to a by-gone age. Some say that its condition one (cocked and locked) mode of carry for imminent use is unsafe or politically incorrect and claim that it lacks mechanical reliability or is inaccurate. Others say that training to use it safely requires too much training and that such training isn’t time or cost-effective in comparison to a DAO revolver or self-loader.

And yet in spite of its critics, the M1911 continues to be the preferred handgun of millions, be they competitive shooters, police officers, personal defense oriented civilians or military personnel. How can this be? What is it about the M1911 that the so fascinates so many people? And if it really is inaccurate or unsafe or unreliable, how can such a rapt fascination have ever occurred in the first place, much less continued to the legendary levels seen today?

The answer is deceptively simple really. The M1911 isn’t inaccurate, nor is it mechanically unreliable; nor is that unsafe. What it is is simple; no more, no less. In its target configuration, it holds most of the records at Camp Perry, the premier accuracy contest of all. And, in slightly altered target form, it remains the dominant pistol for all IPSC shooting, too. Obviously, were it inaccurate, this situation could not exist.

The culprit here is a bias and assumption. If we recover a rusty M1911 from the sand at Omaha Beach, clean it up and shoot it, it will generally keep all of its shots inside a ten or twelve-inch circle at 50 meters. To a target shooter, this won’t do, but for a soldier, this is more accuracy than he can use.

If we take a typical M1911, hold it in our hand and briskly shake it, we note that it rattles slightly, another characteristic generally assumed to cause less accuracy but such is untrue. I have a first-production run M1911 that rattles as described, but from a Ransom Rest with nearly any kind of 230-grain FMJ (ball) ammo, it prints three shots into one-inch at fifty meters, time after time. Is that accurate enough for you? It sure is for me! And this also shows that tight tolerances aren’t the only issue to consider where accuracy is concerned.

What’s really important is that the moving parts go back to the same place each time, even when fouling is present, not how tight everything is. This is why all service pistols seem a little loose—they need such tolerances to function in the widest possible variety of environments. In a bullseye match, we may get an alibi if our pistol malfunctions because it’s too tight and doesn’t function reliably, but when you life’s on the line, there are no alibis.

In short, one doesn’t use a target pistol for self-defense in the real world; nor does he use a service pistol for an extreme accuracy contest like bullseye shooting. It all boils down to selecting the right tool for the job, not the other way around. So assuming that because a given M1911 rattles a bit, it’s inaccurate is a serious error.

Moreover, much of the weapon’s legendary status was achieved because it has repeatedly demonstrated excellent mechanical reliability under an awesome variety of field conditions—in heat and cold, wet or dry, in mud or dust. It could not have survived past the first few occasions in which it was used, much less survived and proliferated to its current status otherwise.

Another erroneous assumption is that because of its single action mode of functioning, the M1911 is somehow unsafe or that it requires more training than other weapon types. Negligent discharges are caused by inept gun handling (a training function) or occur because someone has butchered the weapon’s internal parts (a gunsmithing function), not because its design is inherently invalid. Too many years of history show otherwise, as do the number of other weapons utilizing the same concept.

Another reason the M1911 is so popular is because it’s so easy to work with under stress. It’s controls are well-located for quick, efficient use and require no fine motor skill to operate, a major advantage when the adrenaline is pumping through your veins like a high-pressure pipeline. In fact, the slide stop/release, magazine release button and thumb safety of the M1911 are so easy to operate that no additional training is required. Even when the gun is being presented from a holster, proper training technique incorporates disengagement of the thumb safety at the appropriate time. As practical firearms go, we’ll search far and wide for something as easy to use effectively, particularly under stress, as Old Ugly.

In addition to its other combat-proven features, the M1911’s caliber is also a major reason for its reputation. The .45 ACP cartridge was specifically created for and made its first appearance in the M1911 and has earned an unequaled reputation for not only inherent accuracy but stopping power against armed and determined adversaries as well. As this is written, the .45 ACP can be found in nearly every possible bullet weight, configuration and load specification—a true cartridge for all seasons.

Virtually every one exhibits more accuracy than all but the most accomplished shooter can actually use, functions well, and produces manageable recoil, making it suitable for a very wide spectrum of missions, from self-defense, to target shooting, to hunting, to general boondocking functions. No other cartridge in existence—even the 357 Magnum—can claim such high marks in all of these areas.

The M1911’s critics are almost always those whose perspective isn’t sufficiently clear to understand it, and this prevents objectivity. The fact is that, like it or not, the M1911’s popularity is based clearly and definitively on its superior physical characteristics and a nearly century-long record of superior performance. This is a matter of record and is the direct result of its unique combination of accuracy, mechanical reliability, and “user friendliness” (especially under stress).

In fact, the M1911’s record is so good, that it’s built by more manufacturers than any other handgun today, in more different versions and is the basis for the widest array of custom guns in history. Let’s be real here—were it intrinsically faulty, none of this could have happened.

So, if you’ve heard that Old Ugly is on the way out, you’d better look again, for such is simply untrue; quite the opposite. Everything it has had the capacity to do for the last eight and a half decades remains valid. It thus remains King Of The Hill and will likely continue to do so well into the next millennium. To produce a handgun with better or more practical capabilities will be difficult and perhaps impossible. And I, for one, feel that we can look forward to watching the M1911 continue to dominate the handgun world well into the foreseeable future.

Thanks to Chuck Taylor for permission to use this article.
Click here find out more about
Chuck Taylor and the American Small Arms Academy on his web site.

M1911 Technical Issues

by m1911

The 1911 Pistol Is Its Own Toolbox! By John L. Marshall – How to disassemble the M1911 pistol using only its own parts.
Accidental Discharge of a 1911 in a Thumb Break Holster
Autoloader Action Types
.45 Auto Sear Jig–Originally developed by U.S. Air Force match armorers for their target pistols. Cuts both primary engagement angle and break away angle. Designed to be used with the Brownell’s frame pins. Complete instructions for both carry and competition trigger jobs included.
Barrel ID on Ty Moore’s Cool Gun Site
Blueprints for the M1911A1 Pistol – Scans of the Springfield Armory government blueprints for the M1911A1
Breaking in a new 1911 Pistol by Syd
Build it Your Way by Scott Smith – Build a 1911 pistol the way you want it.
Conditions of Readiness of the 1911 Pistol
Is “Cocked and Locked” (Condition One) Dangerous – A discussion of the safety features and function of the M1911 Pistol
Custom Auto Pistol Modifications for Serious Duty by Jim Higginbotham
Custom 1911A1 Modifications A Pictorial Guide by Russ White
Cut-Aways and Schematics
Dropping the Slide on an Empty Chamber
The Danger in Covering the Ejection Port While Racking the Slide – Bullet explodes injuring hand (ouch!) By Warren
The Elements of a Trigger Job on an M1911 Pistol
FTF (Failure to Feed) & FTE (Failure to Extract) Troubleshooting Guide By Randy Adams
Firing Pin Safety and Accidental Discharge from Dropping a 1911
Fluff & Buff – Tips for enhanced break-in and reliability preparation for autoloading pistols
FM 23-35 Basic Field Manual – Basic Field Manual of the M1911 and M1911A1 is online. This is the version which was issued in 1940 and authorized by General George C. Marshall. Special thanks goes to Anthony Gabrielson who did the scanning and OCR which allows this online document to look like the original while having the type in text so that it is searchable and prints using fonts. If you ever wanted to know how to fire your 1911 from horseback at a full gallop, this manual will show you how. It also shows us how the Army expected soldiers to be trained with the M1911 in the WWII era. Included are target and range diagrams, scoring charts, funky old pictures and much more.
Holding the Trigger Back While Loading an M1911 Pistol
How Does it Work? (Courtesy of M1911.org)
How does the Series 80 Colt differ from the true M1911?
Inertial Discharge of the M1911 Pistol By John De Armond
Jim Higginbotham’s Favorite Self Defense Loads
Kimber Series II Firing Pin Block Safety – Diagram and discussion of the Kimber Series II Firing Pin Block Safety
Kimber Series II Detailed Disassembly and Assembly
Maintenance of the M1911-A1
Malfunctions, Stoppages and Remedial Actions for the M1911-A1
Some MEU’s still carry proven M1911 .45’s – Not everyone in the U.S. military carries Beretta’s M-9 9 mm handgun. A small group of Marines still carry .45-caliber pistols — but they’re a far cry from Grandpa’s World War II gun.
Parkerization by Syd
Premature Slide Lock on Kimber
Reliability Secrets by John Marshall
Rebuild the .45 M1911A1 Pistol to USAMTU Specifications
Recoil Spring Selection by Bill Wilson
Recommended Modifications to the Colt .45 Auto for Self-Defense Use by Les Bengtson
When to Restore A Firearm Finish (and when not to) By Bill Adair
Making the Rock Island Armory .45 1911 Pistol Reliable By Jason
The Series 70 Colt Autos
Safety Tests for the M1911/M1911A1 Pistol
Slide Release or Slingshot? Dropping the Slide During a Reload from Slide Lock
The Theory of Operation of the Colt .45 ACP Government Model Pistol
Todd Jarrett On How to Shoot a Pistol
Useful resources to counter the “ballistic fingerprinting” lies
Why Your 1911 Autopistol Won’t Work by Duane Thomas
Will M1911 Springs “Take a Set” if left cocked and locked with magazines loaded for an extended period of time?

1911 Bookstore

by m1911

Hi, and thanks for shopping my bookstore.

Many of the people who stop by The Sight are searching for information on a specific pistol, often for an old M1911 brought back from overseas by a father or grandfather. I thought this list of references might be helpful for those wanting to learn more.

These pages are my recommended reading list for the history and gunsmithing of M1911 pistols, tactics, self defense, RKBA, and then some titles that I just happen to like, and many of them are discounted.

Check back from time to time. If you don’t find the title listed on my pages, try the search engine at the end of each page.

1911 Mystique

by m1911

The Mystique of the 1911 Pistol

I have held and fired a lot of pistols and there are a lot of very good ones out there which aren’t 1911-pattern pistols. But when you pick up a 1911 pistol, especially a government issue or mil-spec, you get a vibe. The gun has a certain aura, a feeling about it that is unique among handguns, a mystique. So what is it about this particular handgun which gives it the enduring appeal and singular identity among handguns that it possesses?

Elements of the Mystique

The Testosterone Factor – “.45” is synonymous with “big, powerful pistol.” The gun goes off with authoritative thunder, a “boom” not a “crack.” Just the sight of this gun evokes images of Sgt. Alvin York single-handedly capturing a regiment of Germans accompanied only by his M1917 Enfield rifle and his M1911, of John Wayne in “Sands of Iwo Jima”, Navy SEALS, and the Texas Rangers. Our villains are there too: the Dillinger Gang with their 1911 accessorized with the front grip and magazine of a Thompson submachine gun, Dutch Schultz, and Bonnie and Clyde. It’s a big pistol. It looks big and feels solid. It launches a big 230 grain bullet and can deliver over 550 ft.lbs. of energy on impact.

Individuality and Customization – Any new-in-the-box 1911 is really a custom kit. The 1911 is to handguns what the `57 Chevy is to hotrods or the P-51 Mustang to air racers, the ultimate platform for customization. Pistoleros inclined to tinkering eventually find their way to the 1911. Aftermarket parts abound for this pistol, and you can make it into almost anything your heart desires. The design requirements for the pistol specified a gun which could be serviced in the field with a minimum number of tools, and it can be completely disassembled using only its own parts. Consequently, the 1911 is very accessible from a mechanical point of view. It is relatively easy to install custom parts or modify existing ones. Few 1911s remain completely stock for very long, unless they are those models which include the custom features usually added to the mil-spec guns, such as extended beavertails, custom triggers and hammers, full length guide rods, and decorative grips. For those who seek a personalized sidearm, the 1911 is one of the best platforms from which to begin.

Accuracy – The 1911 is one of the most accurate autoloaders ever built. The original government issue 1911s were built with generous tolerances in order to keep them functioning in combat conditions. Hence, they were reasonably accurate, but not outstanding. Gunsmiths learned to tune the military surplus guns for greater accuracy by tightening the slides and adding match grade barrels and bushings. Newer incarnations of the 1911 are built to tighter tolerances, yielding pistols with outstanding accuracy. The long 5″ barrel of the Government Model is also an asset, but pistols with shorter barrels also display great accuracy. In my own opinion, a modern 1911 is generally a more accurate handgun than the .45 offerings of leading makers such as SIG, Glock, H&K, and Smith & Wesson.

The single action trigger of the 1911 is its glory and curse. The 1911 must be cocked, either by hand (not recommended) or by racking the slide. You cannot cock the hammer by pulling the trigger as is done with a double action revolver or autoloader. For this reason, the pistol must be cocked and locked with the manual safety on in order to be ready to fire quickly. Browning’s 1911 prototype did not have the manual safety at all. Browning felt that the grip safety was sufficient, but the Army disagreed and directed Browning to add the thumb activated manual safety on the side of the frame. Even with the double safety configuration, the Army remained jumpy about the action and trained soldiers to carry the pistol hammer down on an empty chamber. See “The Conditions of Readiness.”

This action, the source of so much anxiety, is also the basis for the pistol’s accuracy, speed, and consistency. Since there is no double action linkage to add resistance and catches, the trigger pull of the 1911 is very short and light, requiring only about 5 lbs. of pressure to fire. Every shot is the same since there isn’t the long, hard, cocking pull of the first shot of a DA/SA auto. The result is better trigger control and consistency.

Power – The .45 ACP is a proven stopper. The only other handgun cartridge which has demonstrated stopping power comparable to the .45 ACP is the 125 grain .357 Magnum jacketed hollowpoint. The Army moved to the .45 caliber bullet after the failure of the .38 Long Colt to stop the Moro tribesmen in the Philippines. Contrary to popular myth, the .45 ACP was not issued in the Philippines during the Moro uprising, but the experience with the Moros led the Army to specify the .45 for its new autoloader. The Moros used religious ritual and body binding to put themselves into an altered state of consciousness prior to battles, and the .38 Long Colt would not adequately stop these highly motivated warriors. Moving forward a century, law enforcement is again looking to the brute force stopping power of the .45 ACP to deal the current generation of criminals, many of whom use drugs which numb the senses, suppress the response to systemic shock, and repress the survival instinct. While ballistics mavens may argue the merits of their particular pet cartridges, few would argue that there is a better pistol cartridge than the .45 ACP. It has been decisively stopping fights for longer than most of us have been on this troubled little planet.

Cocked, locked and ready to rock – From Chuck Taylor, “The controls of the 1911 are well-located for quick, efficient use and require no fine motor skill to operate, a major advantage when the adrenaline is pumping through your veins like a high-pressure pipeline. In fact, the slide stop/release, magazine release button and thumb safety of the M1911 are so easy to operate that no additional training is required. Even when the gun is being presented from a holster, proper training technique incorporates disengagement of the thumb safety at the appropriate time. As practical firearms go, we’ll search far and wide for something as easy to use effectively, particularly under stress, as Old Ugly.”

The Last of the Cowboy Guns – In some ways, the 1911 is the last of the cowboy guns. It was, after all, a product of the 19th Century, designed as a sidearm for horse-mounted cavalry, and carries the single action legacy of the old cowboy six guns from Samuel Colt. Only a few other autoloaders adopted the single action trigger such as the Llama .380, the Colt Government .380, and the Browning Hi-Power, Browning’s last, and perhaps, most elegant design. Other pistol designers did not adopt the grip safety and tended to follow the double action/single action pattern being used in French and German pistols built by FN, Walther, and Mauser. The 1911 launches a big, slow bullet, hearkening back again to the six shooters of the fabled Old West. The Europeans, by way of contrast, tended to favor the smaller and faster cartridges such as the .32, .380, and 9mm Luger.

Tenure – Some designs capture our imaginations and become archetypes by virtue of their success and staying power: The Single Action Colt Revolver, the Snubnose .38 Special, the 30-30 Winchester lever-action Rifle, The AK-47, the Winchester12 gauge pump shotgun, the bolt action Mauser rifle, and the M-16. The 1911 is one of these enduring design archetypes. I know of no other firearm introduced in 1911 which is still in production virtually unchanged. Today, scores of manufacturers produce 1911-pattern guns, and many more make their living through customizing and servicing the venerable hand cannon. The 1911 is an extremely durable design and it is not uncommon to find 1911’s with a service life of 150,000 rounds. Perhaps we like the things which endure, those things which have been battle tested and validated time and time again. Maybe it’s just a really good design that we like. Regardless of the explanations, the shear staying-power of the 1911 .45 ACP is an element of its mystique.

Tenure, history, individuality, power, ease of use, and accuracy–these things make up the mystique of the 1911-pattern pistol. Is it the best? It is if you like it the best. For me, it’s the most enjoyable handgun to shoot and study of them all.

1911 Pistol

Original Colt M1911 & M1911A1 Basic Field Manual (FM 23-35)

by m1911

We now have the complete Basic Field Manual of the M1911 and M1911A1 online. This is the version which was issued in 1940 and authorized by General George C. Marshall. Special thanks goes to Anthony Gabrielson who did the scanning and OCR which allows this online document to look like the original while having the type in text so that it is searchable and prints using fonts. If you ever wanted to know how to fire your 1911 from horseback at a full gallop, this manual will show you how. It also shows us how the Army expected soldiers to be trained with the M1911 in the WWII era. Included are target and range diagrams, scoring charts, funky old pictures and much more. Enjoy!