Jeff Cooper, a true shooter, died recently. The world lost a unique character, the 'scout' rifle lost a devotee, and shooters everywhere lost an icon. His Commentaries were a must-read for gunners for decades. He was, to no one's surprise, a Marine, serving in the Pacific during WW2 and again in Korea. His development of shooting techniques at the Gunsite Academy in Arizona was the thing of legend; he brought the use of the Colt 1911 to an art form.His book To Ride, to Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth pretty much summed it all up.
An example of his writing: "Hiring other people, public or private, to protect yourself, is perhaps not totally futile, but it must never be considered more than marginally effective."
One of the Great Ones has passed. Stand and uncover...
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Here's another one that passed last year:
In case you missed it, "Lucky" Lupo passed away recently. His obit was in the Times Picayune. Lucky was flying off the "USS Fanshaw Bay" during the battle of Leyte Gulf (That's when MacArthur made his return), Halsey had taken his fleet of battleships and carriers off to chase a Japanese decoy leaving the protection of the landing troops to a few small destroyer escorts and escort carriers. These small, thin hulled ships stood up to an overwhelming Japanese naval force. When their torpedoes were expended, the DEs still made fake torpedo runs to force the Japanese ships to evade. 5" guns went up against 14" guns. The pilots would make dummy strafing runs after they ran out of ammunition. At one point "Lucky" Lupo landed at the Army air strip on the island to re-arm. He was told the Army would not re-arm Navy planes. He pulled his service pistol and made them re-arm him at gunpoint. You got to admire some one who would do that. And they were able to drive off the Japanese fleet thereby saving the invasion of the Philippines.
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