Granddad On Memorial Day

svnmag

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Granddad was a gunner in the Navy during WWII and became a coal miner upon his return to the World.

We always left him at the truck at "his" point while we dispersed. He commanded a view of several thousand yards and used it with great skilll. We used road surveying flags to find his deer and a rope a couple times to lower it off the "highwall" (He lived just below a spent strip mine). I had the honor of posting beside the carcass with the "sporterized" 1918 Danzig 8mm Mauser as Dad retrieved the truck and Granddad. You'd never "know" if another would come by. I remember wondering how the hell how I would find it in the Williams site hole when it got too dark.

I later graduated to a single bbl 16ga and whacked my first deer with a slug. I still have that gun and the recovered slug.

Granddad, Dad and my uncle (the source of Granddad's ammo for his Remington 742) were all present at the first report of the "Elephant 7" when I was fourteen. They were amused. I was determined.

As I've said before; Uncle Dave was very displeased by my lawn mowing money expenditure: " I could have kept you supplied with .257 (Roberts) or at least you should have bought a .30/06!" (profanity excluded). As recently before mentioned; he supplied Granddad with home-rolled 180's and was rightly pissed.

Anyways: " I don't know if I shot any of them down but I sure as hell shot at them! There was so much gd fire it looked like daylight out there!!" He also had an 1873 hanging on a huge WT rack in the basement.

In the basement...across from the stove where Dad used to throw in squirrel skins...in the effing basement.


Drag on cigarette, spit in can and back to talking about the mines with the adults.

Firefights and coal mines: Here I am on a computer.​

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svnmag

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I'm older than Dad at the time. He knew where to take a piss. My grandchildren (if I get any) may be confused.

- - - Updated - - -

I've edited my yarn now about fifteen times. I still see the need for more polishing. I'd appreciate questions...

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Granddad cried a little (as told by Dad--amazed) when I left for the Farce. He died two months into my first assignment of black lung. And smoking And whiskey And cholesterol And stress: He was 67.

He stepped off the back porch on the first day of squirrel season; died and irreparably bent his 1100 bbl: So I'm told--I have no idea of the whereabouts of his guns. It wasn't a concern at the time because I'm an idiot.
 
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