# My Fathers 1911 is Really ONE of a Kind



## stowlin (Apr 25, 2016)

Going to try and brief this for you it’s compelling and impossible to follow.

In 1943 December my dad was in transit from having served in North African Naval Operations to the Pacific. He went thru Hawaii and had a short leave before being assigned a role on an LCS #118. Later LCS #122. In Hawaii he goes to a bar and is recognized by a high school teacher of his. The teacher was injured, lost an arm, and headed home. The teacher was an officer and handed my dad a 1911 and a note. My dad would need to check the 1911 with each commander to keep it, and note made that possible. When the #118 got caught on a beach sand bar in Okinawa the only two firearms left with ammo were the commanders 1911 and my dads. Between them they had 3 rounds left when the tide turned and raised the small ship to safety. That was the worst story my dad told me with some tears. Think of a small war ship out of ammo against a ground force. 

In the mid 2000’s my dad traveled to Dublin Ireland for his dual citizenship. With papers from the Irish embassy, our state department and DOJ he was able to import the 1911 to Ireland. He registered it. It became a legal firearm, but months later they changed the law, and it was locked up in a LE office and tough to recover. I inherited the license in 2011. I pressed legally for it and it and it was returned in 2013. I managed to get the paper work to take it back to the states that year. I did not relinquish the license for it in Ireland. I’ve renewed it every year. 

When I sailed into Ireland it was on board. No not from CA. I picked it up in Massachusetts from a family member and legally carried it into Ireland and renewed my license that year. Papers from US, Canada, and Ireland necessary for the transport. Because we made stops in Canada that was the worst paper wise. I could not have sailed thru Panama or by Columbia or even Mexico with it. No way, 

The license renewal was completed this past week. The super at the Gardas office asked me to tear it down just so he could smile and see it done. Congrats he said. The only legal 1911 in Ireland. ONE of a kind.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Great story. My 1911 was given to me by my father in law, at his death. He carried it across Normandy beach & across Europe. No registering or paperwork. 

I do find it interesting that all these 1911s are actually stolen property. For some reason, the government wasn't too concerned with getting their property back. An old guy told me when is troopship arrived in the US, that as he disembarked there was a big crate where you were supposed to put your pistols. They were told it would be huge trouble if they kept the guns. So he turned his in... and regretted it the rest of his life. Come to find out, most of his friends kept theirs and nothing happened.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

stowlin said:


> Going to try and brief this for you it's compelling and impossible to follow.
> 
> In 1943 December my dad was in transit from having served in North African Naval Operations to the Pacific. He went thru Hawaii and had a short leave before being assigned a role on an LCS #118. Later LCS #122. In Hawaii he goes to a bar and is recognized by a high school teacher of his. The teacher was injured, lost an arm, and headed home. The teacher was an officer and handed my dad a 1911 and a note. My dad would need to check the 1911 with each commander to keep it, and note made that possible. When the #118 got caught on a beach sand bar in Okinawa the only two firearms left with ammo were the commanders 1911 and my dads. Between them they had 3 rounds left when the tide turned and raised the small ship to safety. That was the worst story my dad told me with some tears. Think of a small war ship out of ammo against a ground force.
> 
> ...


Now that is an EXCELLENT Historical story! Thanks stowlin!


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I don't have any guns with any history that I know of but when you pick up old guns or surplus rifles it starts me thinking on the history of it. Where did it serve? How many battles won and lost? How did it come to be here in my hands after decades of travel. Cool story @stowlin


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## Demitri.14 (Nov 21, 2018)

After spending 10's if not 100's of thousands of dollars on the training of military personnel, Allowing War Vets to retain their weapons, seems like an minuscule cost to Govt to allow this. 

Too bad the Libtards that control congress can't get past their petty agendas to support this type of action.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Demitri.14 said:


> After spending 10's if not 100's of thousands of dollars on the training of military personnel, Allowing War Vets to retain their weapons, seems like an minuscule cost to Govt to allow this.
> 
> Too bad the Libtards that control congress can't get past their petty agendas to support this type of action.


Great idea. It would be so cool if I could have brought home one of my Minuteman III ICBMs. It would look really cool in the front yard.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Prepared One said:


> I don't have any guns with any history that I know of but when you pick up old guns or surplus rifles it starts me thinking on the history of it. Where did it serve? How many battles won and lost? How did it come to be here in my hands after decades of travel. Cool story @*stowlin*


One of the best, heart-warming gun stories I ever saw: A video of two old British veterans attending a gun show in the US. They were amazed by it as they apparently don't have them on the other side of the pond. These two veterans had been part of the Allied forces that landed in Normandy, and one of them marched all the way to Belgium fighting the Nazis.

As they stood at one table, they were commenting on the collectable rifles displayed. They even noticed some that were similar to the rifles they had carried during the war. They starting talking about the subtle difference, like "Well, mine didn't have this...." pointing to the rifle. The attendant of the display started talking to them, and one of the old guys said, "Yep, I remember my rifle well. It was a such-n-such with this and that. I even remember the serial number." which he rattled off.

The attendant stood there stunned, then replied, "Give me a second". He goes over to another table, reached into a large box under it, and pulls out a rifle. The exact same model as the one the veteran described. He asked the old man to repeat the serial number, which he dutifully does.

Right there, in the vendors hands, was the old veterans service rifle. Not the same model, but the same one. The serial numbers matched.

The vendor could barely speak over his tears to hold it out and say, "Here, take it. It's yours".


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

stowlin said:


> Going to try and brief this for you it's compelling and impossible to follow.
> 
> In 1943 December my dad was in transit from having served in North African Naval Operations to the Pacific. He went thru Hawaii and had a short leave before being assigned a role on an LCS #118. Later LCS #122. In Hawaii he goes to a bar and is recognized by a high school teacher of his. The teacher was injured, lost an arm, and headed home. The teacher was an officer and handed my dad a 1911 and a note. My dad would need to check the 1911 with each commander to keep it, and note made that possible. When the #118 got caught on a beach sand bar in Okinawa the only two firearms left with ammo were the commanders 1911 and my dads. Between them they had 3 rounds left when the tide turned and raised the small ship to safety. That was the worst story my dad told me with some tears. Think of a small war ship out of ammo against a ground force.
> 
> ...


Beautiful.
And some people can not understand why a person would want an old, genuine USGI 1911, when they could have a brand new Kimber.

There is a reason I hold my Garand, or Carbine, or 1903A3, with reverence and have absolutely no desire for an AR.
That reason is in my very soul.


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