OT: High School ROTC - May be Boring

[Jim Tarleton]

Been hanging around with two of my grandsons on summer vacation. Discovered both are in ROTC (15 and 16 years old). One in Flour Bluff Junior High (Texas) and the other in Trask HS in Rocky Point, NC. Both use M1's and not 03's (I was a little disappointed they didn't use 03's). The M1's in Texas are plugged, but Trask HS shoots their's on the rifle range along with M22's.

My youngest grandson is very small in statue, and he told me his M1 weighed 10 lbs. I told him I thought it was closer to 8 lbs, and he said "Not with all that lead in the barrel"! They evidently plugged them by pouring lead down the barrel. I asked both of them if they ever got M1 thumb, and both knew exactly what I was talking about. We all had a good laugh. We were all doing the Manual of Arms in the woods.

I am very glad to see ROTC is still in our schools. I thought it was long gone. Both of these boys have been shooting (with adult supervision) since they were about six years old. The younger one is a particularly good shot, and the older one is on the school rifle team - go figure.

If you want to have a nice day, spend it with your grandsons in the woods shooting at tree limbs and plastic bottles filled with water (trash patrol follows). Boys haven't changed a bit since I was a kid. Those rascals went through a brick of 22's in two days.

Each day I let them pick out a heavy recoil rifle to shoot just to let them understand recoil and how to control it, as well as the various sights they will encounter on different rifles. I started getting away from scoping all my rifles several years ago. They do the picking and we are up to full bore bolt-action 45-70 loads that will rattle your cage.

We will be back at it tomorrow. I hope I live long enough to tell them all I know about the sport, and its ethics. Someone has to take care of my 1903's by golly!

Jim

Information

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[Bill Hollinger]

North High in Bakersfield, CA uses M14s and from what I see, functional! One is missing the rear sight.

[Jim Tarleton]

I like that M14. That was my Qual rifle.

Jim

[Lancebear]

Not boring at all, Jim you are a very lucky man. Must be having the time of your life shootin' with your grandsons. Got any pistols or revolvers? Get'em started on those too.

Robert

[Griff Murphey]

My high school ROTC Unit was Army, '63-'67, M-1's, Carbines, 03A3's owned by the school system. They would check out the A3's to us for "maneouvers" weekends out on the old Army Guard airbase (before that ex WW2 USMC) or somebody's farm. Back of my house (I was the trusty) was stuffed with pyrotechnics the Active duty Army Staff Sergeant brought back from Fort Sill every year... in the summer they were cadre for the college boys. We bought our blanks from Morgan's gun shop on Jacksboro highway in Fort Worth. Half of the guns the "special forces" "unit" had were privately owned... Arisakas bored out to '06, Enfields with treasured few blanks wrapped in blue paper.. guns you bought for under $15. Crazy. Kids trusted with live, firing weapons. And Nobody got hurt. Another far-off galaxy in another space-time continuium (spelling?).

[Gibbs505]

Well, good for them!!

[Emri]

ROTC in Memphis school system in early 70's had M14's. Fully functional but for a ground firing pin. A new FP and a magazine and they would be ready to go. We had 22's also, but I didn't shoot so don't know what makes they were. Using my memory of what they looked like I would guess Remingtons and Winchesters.

[Donzi]

My Dad, now in his 90s, grew up in Dallas & was in high school(Wilson?) ROTC in the early 1930s. They used '03s & he once had to transport his from his home to some sort of parade function on the trolley-car, which I think was called the "inter-urban" in Dallas. He wore his dress uniform and was feeling quite proud until he noticed that his fellow passengers seemed to be casting nervous glances at his Springfield. He was so embarrassed that he got off at the next stop and walked the rest of the way. He was all smiles when I showed him my CMP '03 several years ago. He said he still recalled the manual of arms.
BTW, Jim, I know exactly where Flour Bluff is. My family has a beach place just up the road on Mustang Island at Port Aransas. Sure wish I was there right now on the South Jetty, trying to hook a big lunker:-)
Donzi

[lapensek]

Jim:
Glad to hear your grandkids are into ROTC. My son spent 3 years in ROTC drill (M1's) He is currently in the Delay Enlistement program (ships out 24 Aug), but because he was able to provide documentation for ROTC, he will enter basic as an E3. Pretty good if you ask me. I think I was only an E3 when I got out in 68.
Ken L

[Jim Tarleton]

My Dad, now in his 90s, grew up in Dallas & was in high school(Wilson?) ROTC in the early 1930s. They used '03s & he once had to transport his from his home to some sort of parade function on the trolley-car, which I think was called the "inter-urban" in Dallas. He wore his dress uniform and was feeling quite proud until he noticed that his fellow passengers seemed to be casting nervous glances at his Springfield. He was so embarrassed that he got off at the next stop and walked the rest of the way. He was all smiles when I showed him my CMP '03 several years ago. He said he still recalled the manual of arms.
BTW, Jim, I know exactly where Flour Bluff is. My family has a beach place just up the road on Mustang Island at Port Aransas. Sure wish I was there right now on the South Jetty, trying to hook a big lunker:-)
Donzi

My home away from home. My last home in Texas was in Flour Bluff across frpm the High School. Port Aransas was my favorite hangout. Do you know a Captain Totsy Belcher, King of the Bay Fishermen?

I spent 3 or 4 days a week on the beach. I still know where to find the gold coins!

Jim