My dad was a young Marine in Korea, went there at 18 yrs old, In a Marine Long Range Recon Unit...
His 1Sgt told him and everyone else to go over to the PX there in Japan and buy a couple of side arms to carry with them in Korea..
Told them a 22 Revolver and a small, but larger caliber...
My dad picked up a 9 shot 22 Revolver and then some sort of 32 Caliber, 5 shot revolver...
1 Sgt had used the 22 Revolver in WW 2, doing a lot of behind enemy lines missions...
he told the troops, he's seen Japanese soldiers get run thru with a K bar, and then shoot a Marine in the back, when the Marine thought he was dead..
A 22 behind the ear, left them on the ground shaking profusely as they died... but they wouldn't shoot any one in the back....
and the 22 didn't make much if any noise to be heard...
he gave me both when I turned 18... he had tears in his eyes and told me he never wanted to see them again...
coming up behind enemy sentries, he'd throw a hand over their mouth, while he shoved the 22 behind their ear and pulled the trigger...
then let them drop.....he was doing this as an 18, 19 and 20 year old Marine Sgt.... the Korean War ended on his 21st birthday... July 27, 1953....
