That's another story that shows how anxious Americans were to 'get back to normal' after the war.
Your uncle was probably like many, many folks who were worried about their family's safety.
Since lots of people weren't really into guns, and didn't forsee the future value of ordnance like Lugers
Hello Don
I have Only Known my Uncle to be straight laced and Proper. Believe it or not he was of all Things a Sniper in World War II. To know him, he is very quiet, well dressed and would not at all seem like the Kind of Person that would be a sniper.
The Luger he Brought home was Taken from
a 12 Year Old Kid he had to Take out that was Perched high in a warehouse and was Knocking off Our Men as soon as they
tried to advance. It took My Uncle Three Hours to work into a Position where he could see this Kid and he had No Earthly Idea it was
a 12 Year Old Kid the Germans had Placed as a Sniper.
Once he took the shot he advanced into the warehouse and that is when he discovered he had Killed a 12 Year old Kid, and took The Luger off him, of which he more than Likely grabbed it off a dead Officer, as he was way too Young to be an Officer. My Father shared this story with me many years ago, and he said that My Uncle
was forever effected after that shot was Placed, but he did what he had to do.
I suspect Safety was one of his Concerns, But I would be willing to bet he Buried
a Bad memory the day he laid that Luger in the hole he Dug for it on the family Farm...I Hunted Deer with him Once on Our Family Farm land and he took
a Giant 8 Point Buck. He gave his son his shotgun Right after that, and had the Head Mounted which is still in his Den.
I found it
real odd that he would not want to return to hunt with us again, and that is when my Father told me the story above and said he More than Likely had
a flash back after Taking that deer as that was the Only time he had seen him with a gun in his hands since the War..
Hammerdown
