A Shiloh Sharps 45-110 with custom bullet mold. Shipping it out in approx 30 minutes

Of course, I couldn't let the Sailors mistake the origins of the Friendship


I put my Division Insignia on the case

The thing that impresses me most is that little blue badge inside the case (and what it represents).

You sir, are a gentleman of the first order. I would like to thank you both for your service to this country. My hats off to you.

Thanks Ken. Keep in mind that crazy bastards like Jorge helped bring a lot of us home in one piece. A grunt has a looong memory of those who helped and cared. Jim Martin

Dang that's a pretty gun!!!!!!

Thinkin something with a few war wounds would be fitting for a jarhead........................................

Cdr Jorge---when I see you at GRPC will you let me shoot that thing a couple of times ??? MCPO

Thank you both for your service. Wow makes me wish I were retireing! Bear

Looks good ET, bet you had that screamin' eagle engraved somewhere on that rifle.

From and to people who deserve it.

A salute to both of you!

sweet! pretty cool of ya.

Impressive. My hat's off to you both.

That ain't no Screamin Eagle, that's a Gobbling Turkey.....

With that said ET my hats off to you that's a fine retirement gift to a rival service member. I only wish I were the recipient of that beautiful hunk of Iron & Wood it is a work of art. I'm Jealous.

WOW!

The Fire has some incredibly good people on it. It's a damn good place . I'm proud, and grateful, to be here.

Thanks guys and gals. And special thanks to Jorge and ET.


Steve

psssstttt...we called 'em Pukin' Buzzards...



Many thanks to ET and Jorge for their service. Macho and crotcho...guts and balls. A fine gesture from an outstanding gentleman to a deserving hero. I raise a glass of Jameson to y'all as we speak. It's 5 o'clock somewheres...

Yeah, I know... I never figure out why someone wanted to jump out of perfectly good airplane....

WOW.....He's just Navy...

Pukin' Buzzards Ethan??? Sounds like a case of envy to me I hoisted one back at ya with Maker's Mark. The rifle is a #3 Sporter, 28" barrel. The bullet mold is custom made for that particular rifle (paper patch mold). Weight is about 10 lbs. It was custom ordered as a pure hunting rifle. It balances and hangs SWEET! Now that Swabbie will be properly armed when he goes to shoot big tasty critters anywhere he wants to go.

Y'all put a lump in my throat. What fine gentlemen!

Ladies and gentlemen what can I say in response to ET's generosity? I really don't deserve this. He's a combat wounded veteran and a true hero and he's honoring me??? All I can say is that I will do it justice and promise to take lots of pictures at my retirement ceremony and he has my eternal respect 7 gratitude, but he already knew that. I am truly blessed to have friends and a brother in arms like Jim. jorge

Congrats on retirement Jorge!

____________________

Ethan...you've become a friend!

Each year, I bookmark threads that make me realize why I come here. I've just done it again!!

agreed isaac,



just when I get discouraged about how many idiot citizens occupy this great land


I get a reminder such as this, those idiots are able to occupy because better men than them have paid the price for them to do so.


you may "just" be giving away a rifle Jim Martin, but your respect and gratitude to a fellow member of your armed services has gained for you an even deeper appreciation and respect for the man you are.

there are still men who exhibit their worth to ride the river.

kudos to the both of you

just when I get discouraged about how many idiot citizens occupy this great land
_____________________


No kidding , huh Randy?

Thank you Jorge, but the heroes have their names on a Black Wall in D.C. I'd be fertilizer if guys like you hadn't have come in and nailed down our flanks numerous times. When ya live in the world of "Danger VERY close",one gets to appreciate the fact that except for guys like you and the chopper gunships and Medevacs, there ain't ANYONE else coming to help. Sometimes you realize that hardly anyone else even cares. ESPECIALLY in Vietnam. You gave us 30 years of service and flew combat and close air support in 2 wars. How many of my Brothers are alive today because of guys like YOU?? Hell, we never knew the names of the blowtorch jockeys and rotorheads that saved our sorry asses and they never knew ours but NOBODY EVER gave it less than their best. Yup. I can give you this rifle and thank you.

Dammit Jim, that was great.....seriously!

_______________________

Yes...it certainly was!!

Can somebody explain to an ignorant Swede what the blue badge signifies?

John

Combat Infantry Badge. Awarded to Infantrymen (Grunts) who have experienced extensive and mostly intense combat action. The WWll standard. Up close and personal. USUALLY accompanied by a Purple Heart.

The rifle is a fine gift but IMO it pales in comparison to that combat infantryman's badge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_Infantryman_Badge

That is the Combat Infantry Badge. It is awarded only to officers and men with an MOS of infantry or to people in special forces, who were actively engaged in combat on the ground. Soldiers above the rank of Colonel don't get it.

The CIB is in the upper lefthand corner, next is the dopeon a rope badge(Air Assault), Expert Wheels Badge, Expert Riflemans Badge

Already considered you one brother.

I know it's cheesy, but y'all should watch a certain episode of Magnum PI some time. It's about a fighter jock who is interested in buried treasure. It shows him saving Magnum and a bunch of Marines in Vietnam, back in the day. One thing about Tom Selleck, he always respects our men and women in uniform.

Sorry. Guess I jumped to the conclusion that he was just wondering about the CIB.

Naw, I think you were right there Ethan, by the way Jim, are those Jump wings I see in there? Never wanted them, can't understand wanting to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

He was Ethan. The CIB is one pretty badge as it is. The honor of it is such that on Class "A"s the CIB goes on the top over EVERYTHING else and that would also include being on top for a MOH holder.

Thanks again Jim, but my "CAS" was limited to lazering the bad guys while the pointy nose guys dropped the good stuff. I do have a video I need to send you though of my last CAS mission. I think you'll like it jorge

I didn't know the CIB was not issued about the rank of Col. Learn something new every day. Tom Selleck is a great guy and a proponent of our armed forces. That is why I still like watching Magnum PI when it comes on. You can really tell the amount of respect the show offered all fighting men and the camaraderie that comes with it. jorge

....which means you had to get CLOSE!! Close enough to make positive the bad guys were in the gunsights. The enemy had first crack at you. NOT an enviable position. nobody could hit a bull in the ass with a mop until somebody hung a bullseye on the badguys. Balls??? Fully qualified and then some. So how many of my Brothers made it home because of you? A lot. Now when we go moose hunting, you get first crack with yer new Buffalo Gun. I back you up with my old Buffalo Gun. We eat moose.

Reach arounder Military Buddies!!

Refer to Rocky Raab as the monkey in the middle. He can tell anyone what it takes. He was in my war, in some of the same places at the same time. He knows. You guys brought our sorry asses in. Every time.

You got to get you a moose with the buffler gun. I've got one although mine is just the Italian version. They are nice. I may have to shoot some pumpkins tomorrow with mine. I think they've been getting closer to the house. They're creeping me out. Then again, maybe that's just the Jameson.

Later y'all. I got some stuff to do then got to take my little girl over to Gymnastics.

A grand gesture, between two good men.

A lot of good information has come out of this thread on military decorations and it has been a worthy honor as to have served our country in both a time of peace and conflict. My hat is off to those who served on and off the battlefield especially those who still remain on the battlefield at Normandy, or any other battlefield throughout this great nations history. They gave their all to protect our right to live here.

As an ex-sailor who served at the beginning of Vietnam who never was under fire I salute you that were there that came home either alive or in a body bag.

ET as I said earlier Thanks from this Sailor for the honor you have bestowed on Jorge in your presentation to him for his service to our country......

Reach around???? ouch!

Rocky's a REAL hero, flying those little airplanes down low, unarmed and unafraid. A REAL HERO!

A continuing thanks folks for all the kind words. Jim deserves all that and more! And we WILL kill a moose, but watch the pumpkins. Be afraid, very afraid! jorge

Rocky is just like any of the other FACS I have met, one helluva a great guy, but ya gotta have some screws loose to enjoy it. :grin;

ET...........Really Neat.

Jorge, happy retirement.

My hat's off to both of you and Thank You for your service.

MM

_____________________

When it comes down to it....that says it all!!

Thanks to all of you who served!

Great sacrafice done on both parts!

One has to go no farther than The Fire to find true heroes and fine gentlemen!

Congrats Jorge and one hell of a gesture ET!

Wayne

Thanks Jorge

g

Bill Buckley once opined that anybody who gave a gift expected something in return.
I disagreed with him, and he accepted my point after I told
him about the Forster case-trimmer that I gave
to a young infantry vet at a gun show in Kalispell.
Buckley said that my case-trimmer story made his day.
Gracious man, he!

I had a brand-new Forster case-trimmer with all the "trimmin's" on my table.
That young veteran, with two small childen, came to my table several times.
He'd pick the case-trimmer up, look it over longingly, and with obvious regret
put it down and move on.

I knew what his problem was. He and the kids wore frayed and faded clothes
but were obviously well scrubbed and groomed. He wore a "baseball" cap
embroidered with the name of some outfit in Vietnam, and there was a faded CIB patch
on his faded and frayed field jacket.

The third or fourth time he came around, I gestured at the CIB and asked whether
he'd earned it in Vietnam (it was obvious that he had!).

"Yes, Sir," he said.

"Just a minute." I reached under the table for all the Forster boxes, put the case-trimmer
and all the attachments in 'em, and handed him the pile.

"Please accept these with my compliments and my gratitude."

He was speechless with obvious surprise and amazement for a moment, then he
thanked me profusely � and unnecesaarily, of course. The look in his eyes was more
than enough to show indelibly that he knew and appreciated the value of the gift
(which obviously meant more to him than it did to me).

I wish that I could've given him more.

All I gotta say, is that I (and likely a helluva lot of the rest of us) owe Jim, Jorge, and the rest like 'em a helluva lot more than we'll ever be able to repay, and they'd never ask for nor accept payment even if we could tender it.

That they both have my respect and admiration, day one, is a given.

A salute, and a thanks, for service and such gestures as this, to you both.

Well, here is a pic of the Shiloh and the original Sharps side by side for the first and last time. 130 years old vs 1 year old. Now Jorge has to create his rifle's heritage



There they are. The Old and the New. I think that they are VERRRY cool!!

Just one more reason to LOVE this place!

Many thanks to all for the info!

John

Amazing gesture, and in some strange way makes me proud to be an American. Jorge and Jim, and all others who have served, I bow my head before you all in gratitude. Your sacrifices and service will never go unappreciated.

Thanks for sharing that, ET. You're a gentleman of honor, and I am humbled by your generosity and compassion to a fellow soldier.

Cheers to you both,

Leighton

P.S. I saw a hilarious license plate today while driving near an AF base (Pease). It read: SKYPYRO. Clever!

I like my late buddy Bill's plate (he was a retired airline captain) �

AV8 DC9

And I like the business card that identified the Japanese American helicopter instructor as a "fright instructor."

soldier??? Them's fightin' woids! jorge

Swabbie?

I can live with that jorge

Ain't the marines a sub-service of the Department of the Navy???

Yeah, but don't remind 'em!

He can't reach me through my monitor, though I'd bet there are times he'd like to try

I thought the marines was the Men's department of the navy?

No.............................................. livestock.

DOH!

A helicopter pilot (a Vietnam vet) that I met in the arctic said that the Marines were on a ship so the sailors would have somebody to dance with...

No offense intended, just passing along a bit of American inter-service rivalry I thought funny.

John

Thats why squids take marines onboard ship with them. It would look real funny havin em walk sheep up the gangplank.

ET that's a very fine gift to a sailor! As to that patch, I have one for both shoulders from the 2nd Squardon, 17th United States Air Cavalry, 101st Abn Division (Air Assault).

We had business cards that read: "United States Air Cavalry, enemies reconnoitered, flanks screened, attacks lead, bacon saved and damsels rescued- experts in gunship diplomacy".

The Swabbie EARNED it in my book!! Interesting info about the 101st patch. While we were in Vietnam, Department of the Army orders came that all divisional insignia were to be subdued. EXCEPT the 101st ordered that We wear our patches in full color ALL the time and for many years after the war, 101st veterans still in service would wear the right shoulder 101st patch in color while the left shoulder, was subdued. It drove REMF commanders absolutely nuts for years until the last of the Vietnam 101st soldiers finally left service. From the Generals on down to the privates, if they served in the Division in Vietnam, the Combat Patch remined in full color forever after.

They earned it, 1st Cav was another good one, but they had a Tarnished name after Korea. Les

"The Horse that can't be ridden, the line that couldn't be crossed, and the color was the reason why!" They won their colors back. First time that was ever done. Great soldiers in the 1st ACD!!

Can you two doggies enlighten me on the 1st ACD and Korea? sounds interesting. Hey Jim, two boxes arrived today at the house jorge

Yeah, but those weren't THE boxes!

Or, were they?

1st Cav is the Only unit in the Army to have lost the Division Standard, they lost it when the Chinese entered the Korean War, it was recovered, but it was a major slap in the face for them. The write up that jim did , patch is just waht the unit patch stood for. Les

1st ACD-1st Air Cavalry Division. The patch is pre-WWll. It fought on Luzon in the Phillipines, New Georgia. After they lost their colors in Korea, the Division could NOT come home which was Ft. Hood Texas. When the Vietnam War was ramping up, the experimental 11th Air Assault Div. was in Ft. Lewis Washington. When the division was ordered to Vietnam, it was re-designated the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).The division fought so superbly in 'Nam that the Colors were fully restored and after the war the Division could come home. The First Cav is and has been one of the Premier divisions of the Army for close to 42 years. We called the Cav patch "The Horseblanket". The most famous battle division troopers fought was LZ X-Ray, Ia Drang Valley under Ltc. Hal Moore. During the Gulf War, that crazy bastard of a combat reporter was in Scharzkopf's reporters pool when the First Cav SENT A CHOPPER TO PICK HIM UP and brought him to a front line artillery battalion that was the same one who fired artillery support for the 1/7 at X-Ray. The Battalion Commander ESCRTED him to where the full artillery battalion was presented at FULL INSPECTION for him,a Civilian. THAT is the highest honor he ever had.

Wow, I continue to be amazed at what I've learned--and the great friends I've made-- on this site.Thanks! jorge

Wow, that is pretty impressive! Thanks to both of you, and, all who serve!

Just so our Brothers here from the Cav don't get their heads up TOO big, the first commander of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was MG Harry O. Kinnard. He was the innovative hard charging genius behind the Air Cav concept and he cut his combat teeth serving with the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne. He wuz a "Battered Bastard of Bastogne" officially!!Gotta figger it took a Screaming Eagle to teach those pony boys how to REALLY do it to it!!!

I'm a few pages late, but thanks for the very kind words about FACs, guys.

At the time, it didn't seem so insane a job, but in hindsight...

Dang nice gift EvilTwin, and Jorge, enjoy retirement!
You guy's are gonna make me cry

Jorge, Congratulations on a distinguished career. I hope you enjoy your retirement. ET, very nice gift. Dave

Rocky, you sir have balls of brass. And a continuing thanks to all of you gents for the kind words. jorge

ET, I envy you the deep, warm pleasure of having given such a glorious gift.

I have a safe and a cabinet loaded with high-quality guns � mostly custom Mausers � that I'd
love to be able to afford to give to appreciative amigos � including the safe and the cabinet.

A department of the Navy, the Marine Corps is. The men's department...............

That's very cool!

Can't argue with that...Except one caveat; Night Carrier landings. Any questions? Didn't think so
jorge

Master Chief! my sincere apologies for not having responded sooner! OF COURSE you are more than welcome to shoot the rifle! ANYTIME! Hope to see you there soon! jorge

Careful there Jorge!! The Master Chief will become as addicted as you're likely gonna be and then he's gonna go looking for one of those too!!

After reading MOST of this thread. I, again say, there are some really nice guys in NY in spite of what you have read or heard. Soo... ET.. or Ken .... would either of you want to adopt me.. I always appreciate guns.
ET, wonderful gesture and I am sure you don't need to hear it from me, in fact I suspect you didn't want to hear it from anyone as your gift was from the heart. Jorge, would you put the gun in your will for me?
Damn, I sound just like my ex wife... I apologize to all..

The day we meet fer coffee, keep some time ready and we'll take my old Sharps out and burn a pound of powder!!!

The Sharps Rifle made the West safe for Colts and Winchesters.

Well done,.....both of you,

and best regards.

What caliber that Shilo?

GTC

45-110. What else??? Its a cannon.

I have a LOT of lead I can bring.. Take care Amigo

dunno' what J.'s got for cartridge brass,......I reckon I've got some of that OLD Norma Basic ( 2 7/8", right ?) out in the lurk.

he may well be needin' some of that,.....No?

GTC

Ever do the Black Powder Silhouette shoot?

Jorge, did you receive it yet?

Jorge, FACs are not the sole owners of brass. I'd rather have tracers popping in my boom mic than try a night WEATHER carrier landing!

crossfire: Jim sent me some brass, 50 pieces I think. The rifle arrives Monday at the Gun Shop here in Pensacola.

Rocky, yes night carrier landings in bad WX is an attention getter. In fact some of those were some of my worst times in Naval Aviation. No horizon, on instruments at 1200' until 3/4 mile then transitioning to the "ball" and 600' only to watch the "ball" move up and down like it was on a string, hoping to catch the deck steady and avoiding it coming "up" as you came down at a 3.5 deg glideslope and 750fpm rate of descent. After the trap, I always needed to "pull" the ejection seat cushion out of my ass! jorge

Ya gonna get the thing bloddy or is it just for paper punchin?

BLOOD!!!!BLOOD!!!BLOOD!!!BLOOD!!!!!

Know what ya mean about "cushionectomy," brother. There were times when the only thing visible of my seat pad was the "Do not remove under penalty of law" tag!!!!

Real panic has you spittin' upholstery washers for a week.

A night trap'd sure do it for me � if I survived.

Is it Monday yet?

Just wanted to jump in before this thread goes on down the rolls to express my approbation (?? is that a word) of this fine gift.

That guy who said that gifts are given with the expectation of something in return was wrong. Gifts are given as an expression of regard and for the sheer joy of giving, and this is a good 'un

Jorge, congrats on an enviable career well done, and thank you for your service

Birdwatcher

As opposed to opprobrium: something that brings disgrace or disapproval.

See? today we learned TWO somethings!

But it took two of us, Rocky!

Isn't there a word for those of us whom it takes two of to make a wit?

Would that be contracted to "t'wit?"



Bruce

.... I've had students who are ON probation. Is that related?



(.... and one nice thing about being a public school teacher? Nobody expects you to be very literate....)

Far from being a nice thing, my good friend birdwatcher, it is among the very, very worst things possible. When our teachers are not very literate, our children cannot be anything except even less so. Illiterate people cannot reason, cannot think critically, and invariably fall victim to the propaganda and impossible promises made to them. In short, they vote Democratic.

And it is our fault, because we not only did not demand our teachers to be literate, we did not even expect them to be.

...um.... does the frase "tong in cheek" ring a bell?....

..anyhoo... end of thread creep, we wuz talking about Sharps and the gifting of same.

This chart shows elementary teachers range from about 85 to about 123 IQ, with about 3/8 of them below 100.

http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/Occupations.aspx

I have been informed that the rifle is IN the shop and our worthy representative from NAS Pensacola will be picking up his new heavy artillery at 1400 hours Central time

Ladies and gentlemen, the Shiloh-Sharps has landed. I have it here next to me as I type this. The photos DO NOT do it justice. It is a magnificent piece of steel and wood. But what is even more valuable was the note from ET inside. I feel totally unworthy of such praise and gifts. All I can say again is thannk you my friend and I just don't think I rate THAT much praise! I'll try and get some pics posted this evening, but for sure, I'll have some good pictures taken during the retirement ceremony on 21 November for all to see. Off to stroke it...jorge

It IS Monday!

What a great gift!

I think we're all pleased for you.

Jorge - Sir, congrats on the retirement. I wish I could be there to hear the bosun's whistle. Very cool deal. Thank you so much for your service.

ET - I can't say anything more than what the others have said. Not about the gift and not about the CIB or all those others who have earned that piece of uniform.

I am greatly indebted to the fine men that went before me and earned that so I can sit here and post about such things. I don't care which battlefield they were earned on - you went at the request of our great nation (and she is great), for that I am grateful and feel just a bit inadequate for being a member here. I feel like there really is no better place on the net. Truly a "Band of Brothers" in every sense.

Praise???? Ya done the job for US,on the ground. You are a "LIFER" in Grunt terminology. Deserves? Man, I have a bit of my own perspective on this and I stand by my words.It is mine and mine alone. Enjoy that rifle...but I figger in about 2 months, when you are up to yer eyeballs in blackpowder and drooling a lot, you might have a choice word or two for me Now go kill sumpthin

Here you go folks, a picture of my new rifle thanks to ET and feel free to peruse the other photos as well:
A tribute to a friend

Thanks, brother...jorge

Thank you Jorge. I gotta admit that is one HELLUVA pretty rifle!! It talked to mee too!!! I'd walk by where I had the case stowed and I'd hear,"SHOOT ME!! SHOOT ME!!". Foregoing that pleasure wuz a tough one fer sure!! Enjoy Jorge. Fill a freezer or three with it!!!

Very nice rifle indeed.

Congrats on the retirement -- and perfect timing it was too. You will not have Obama as Commander-in-Chief. (sorry to bring the thread down, but I just heard the election results).

John

Thanks, John. With all the [bleep] bad news of late and lacking the eloquence of guys like Steelhead & others, I just wanted to give this thread a bump in order to show my appreciation to my brother in arms ET. Man, the rifle's gorgeous and I thought it would also give some of you a reason to smile about something. jorge