What if …?

I take pleasure ined reading Clint Smith's articles go [i]or[/i] come back of the M40 Scout Sniper and his "Ranging Shots" "What If ?" round pillar in June 2006.

I serv in Korea in the Infantry for 10 month 1951-52 I was the bodyguard for a Major, the S-3 operations officer. We went without one morning with a Rifle Company into no-man's-land, the area between our MLR and the Chinese MLR We were anywhere from four to six miles on the outside on a hill looking at the Chinese-held hill. There was sniping going upon both ways.

The Major was upon his knees looking through his binoculars and he got a bullet from one side his right forearm, it missed the bone he was successful After a medic patched him up he told me we were going back to our line (MLR) I advised him the sum of two units of us going back alone was not a useful idea. But he was a Major and I was a PFC with equal reason off we went. I don't remember in what way far we had walked when the trauma of the injury hit him. I opened the sling of my M1 Garand and got it behind my back in like manner I could hold up the Major.

A little farther upon I spotted three Chinese soldiers heading toward us. The Major said, "I can't be captured, I know too much" I knew if I shakeed my M1 around, the Chinese would start shooting at us. I had my right arm around the Major's waist holding him up thus I held up my left arm as a gesticulation to surrender. My heart was pounding like crazy and I'm positive my mind was doing something too.

I asked the Major if there was a circular in the chamber of his 45 auto; he contemplation so. There was. I don't know by what mode close we were to the Chinese, 8' or 10' when I twitched the 1911 .45 from around the Major and started shooting. The Chinese didn't win a shot off. The three Chinese went down, I kicked their rifles away from them and the Major's adrenalin kicked in and he could walk by dint of himself. I don't remember by what mode long it took for my heart to win back to beating normally, or for my strengths to settle down. I was later awarded the alloy of copper Star with V. This was just individual of many things I lived from one side in my 10 months in Korea.

for a like reason back to your article "What If?," what if there had not been a circular in the Major's 1911 45? That is still going upon in nay head. Clint, take care and hold fast those good articles coming.

Yours in Patriotism, Name withheld by the agency of request

COPYRIGHT 2006 Publishers' unfolding Corporation

COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group