1919

I enjoy the right to own firearms. I enjoy shooting firearms. I am a firearm enthusiast. I am NOT a "gun NUT"! Short of actually reading the second amendment to the US Constitution, I'm not sure how many people really understand what I'm talking about.

I read a quote in a magazine recently from actor Steve Zhan which said "Veterans are my sports heroes. When I meet someone who landed on Iwo Jima, or who landed on D-Day, those are the guys I want a picture and autograph with." I honestly couldn't have expressed those thoughts any better, and I couldn't agree more.

Last week, I enjoyed the opportunity provided by my colleagues to indulge in this interest at a Las Vegas firing line. Myself and nine others spent the better part of a few hours getting a taste of something (not just burnt powder - yuck!) we had not previously had any experience with: firing MACHINE GUNS! Yep, you read it right, fully automatic firearms. Here's the list: Browning 1919, AK-47, M-16, UZI, RPD, and a Thompson "Tommy gun". A few chose to also fire other weapons they had always wanted to shoot like a 12 gauge shotgun, a 44 Magnum, a 500 Smith and Wesson (mostly because it was just plain enormous), and maybe one or two others I'm forgetting about. Needless to say, we ALL had smiles on our faces when we entered the building, while we were on the line, and when we left. The smiles changed only in how big they got.

A few of the members of this would be "Band of Brothers" are from European countries. I'm not going into politics and why they have certain views on firearms or why their countries have certain views of firearms, but I noticed the same dynamic with them that we have in the US when it comes to firearms. They all thoroughly enjoyed this particular shooting experience. One person in particular had never fired a gun of any kind prior to this visit, and his first experience shooting a weapon was an UZI sub-machine gun. I don't think I've ever seen him more excited. It was fantastic.

At one point, a colleague said to me after we had fired off a few hundred rounds from the Browning model 1919, "Can you imagine having that thing shooting at you?!" My response would be typical of anyone "Hell no!" I haven't stopped thinking about his question. You'd think that would be an obvious thought anyone would have about a machine gun, but for me, it hit home a little differently. You see, I had the privilege to visit Omaha Beach in Normandy France last fall. When I stood on the actual sandy beach itself there in Normandy and stared at the waves, emotion rolled over me like those waves rolling in. It has magnitude that is difficult to describe, especially for someone who has difficulty describing his own emotions. To my left, Utah beach, to my right Gold, Sword, and Juno beaches. When I turned around to look back up the hill toward the cemetery, the distance to it, while not necessarily great, becomes un-imaginably far when you realize 67 years ago thousands of American soldiers stood in the exact same spot I stood while being shot at with artillery, machine guns, and everything else Hitler's army could throw at them.

No, I can't imagine being shot at with a machine gun. The Browning 1919 was exhilarating to shoot. It was mounted on a tripod. The range master laid out a cushion for customers to lay face down on in a prone position in order to comfortably fire the weapon. He sighted in and locked the firing position of the 1919 in place, and then turned to invite any one of us to take position. You would lay down prone behind the 1919, one hand on the tripod to steady it, one hand on the grip, and an index finger wrapped gently around the trigger. A few deep breaths to steady your heart rate, then...squeeze the trigger. Pop, pop, pop!! A short burst. Squeeze the trigger again but hold it just a bit longer, and fire begins spilling out of the barrel in all directions. Emotions run wild. Excitement being at the top of the list.

If you have ever watched any movies or television shows about World War II, you have undoubtedly seen the 1919. A simple search of "browning 1919" at images.google.com will yield results for the exact weapon. The sound, even wearing ear protection, is unmistakable and distinctive. This was an absolutely thrilling experience, and one that I hope to indulge in again. However, the business end of the 1919 is not something I ever want to experience, and I cannot imagine the terror that American soldiers experienced in June 1944 while they ran out of landing crafts in front of our enemies equivalent. These soldiers weren't just running from one gunner firing deliberately at them. History books and military historians have clearly documented how well defended those Normandy beaches were by the Nazis. There were many machine guns trained on our soldiers, and the odds of survival were not in the soldiers favor. Fully automatic machine guns firing down on you while trudging through water and sand, carrying wet and already heavy gear, and people all around you being killed in gruesome ways had to be the epitome of terror. I'm firing a machine gun in a fairly comfortable environment, and I can feel the very real terror that exists on the opposite end of it.

These men, American soldiers, walked right into the hail of bullets spewing out of the Nazi machine guns. What must have gone through their minds at that moment is likely indescribable. Then there's the reality that humans have senses beyond sight. What about sound? Deafening, even painful sound. Smells. Awful smells of sulfur from burned gun powder, the smell of blood and scorched flesh. Touch. Feeling cold or wet or having open cuts with sand in them. Taste. Mouthfuls or a stomach full of salt water from slipping and falling under the weight of their gear into waves. The whole thing is gruesome, but occurred for a righteous cause on the part of our soldiers. They did what they had to do to stop what had to be stopped. The thought of it puts a lump in my throat as I write.

Firing that 1919 reminded me of my journey to and experience at Omaha Beach 67 years after D-Day took place. America lost so many men on those beaches, but those men truly shaped our world into what we enjoy today, and gave us a lengthy extension on the lease to our freedom. The 1919 also reminded me that Memorial Day will be celebrated two weeks from today. I cannot express how much that day means to me. It goes beyond barbecues and entertainment. It's a day to remember what sacrifices were made for me by people that, in many cases, never got to experience the fruits of their labor.

I remember the line from the movie "Saving Private Ryan" where Tom Hanks' character says to the movie's namesake, "Earn this." What he was saying to Private Ryan was to not forget the ultimate price paid by so many in order for even one man to be free.

I don't know if I've "earned it" yet, but I do know that on Memorial Day, I'll remember why I have the privilege, in my freedom bought at a high price, to strive for more than mediocrity.