The M-1 Rifle

The M-1 was a basic infantry weapon in WWII and the Korean War. It was described in the Soldier's Manual as a "U.S. Army Rifle, Caliber 30, M-1; semi-automatic, gas-operated, clip-fed, shoulder weapon." Now don't hold me to that quote. It's been a full 50 years since I had to memorize the formal definition of an "M-1." Point is, I recently got to hold one again after more than half a century. It was at a 4th of July parade my wife and I had attended in Hastings, Minnesota. 

 After the parade, a member of the honor guard was walking to his car carrying two M-l rifles. At my request, he let me hold one, and I marveled at how heavy it seemed now, but how light I thought it was those many years ago when I carried it all over Korea along with my full field pack, shelter-half, loaded cartridge belt, bayonet and sheath, first aid kit, canteen, steel helmet, combat boots, parka, heavy clothing, and lots of other things, too. How did I ever manage to carry so much stuff and march all day long?

 My wife was standing nearby, quietly observing my strange behavior as I reverently held and fondled the shiny M-1 rifle, which I kept turning over and over and examining in all its particulars. Undoubtedly she was thinking I'm crazy, which isn't an unusual or new thought she's had about me over the past 63 years of our marriage. 

Reluctantly I returned the M-1 rifle to its owner and thanked him for letting me hold it. Then I defensively explained to my wife how sacred the M-1 rifle really is to me. I concluded by telling her that as a soldier I had to sleep with my M-1, clean it daily, and know its serial number by heart. Furthermore, I had to treat my M-1 rifle as though it were my best girlfriend. 

Instantly my wife responded, "Forget that! Now you've got me, and I'm better than any gun!"
 
There's no way I could top that, so I let my wife have the last word. But we were threatened with a Court Martial, and given company punishment if we ever called our M-1 Rifle a "gun." 

An M-1 Rifle is called a "rifle" because of its "rifling." In other words, an M-1 bore consists of ground out lands and grooves that spin a bullet so it holds a more reliable trajectory as it speeds to its target. A smoothbore weapon, such as a cannon, is more properly referred to as a "gun." 

However, in spite of all this important knowledge, the fact remains, my wife still got the last word.