Out of 308, there were 223 men who survived Officer Candidate School, the largest group since Viet Nam. The new lieutenant had his bars pinned on by his father and grandfather, and now looks forward to an interesting time in basic school. We were delighted again in observing that there are indeed a few good men left in the country. You would not get that impression by watching television, but a visit to Quantico is enough to convince even the skeptical. In view of all the excitement about that sad business in Jonesboro, we should note that fatalities from firearms mishaps are at an all time low today.
More people die each year from medical misadventures than from accidental shooting.
Following our visit to Quantico, we ran off a pistol class at Whittington. I could not do the job full justice, since I am not yet on full duty status, but with the expert help of Colonel Bob Young, Rich Wyatt, Pastor Tom Russell, and Eric S.H. Ching, the program went pretty much as planned. The new reactive targets contributed by the family are on station, but not yet set up. We hope to have this operation ready by the September rifle class. Regardless of what you may have been told at the SHOT Show, it is indeed possible to put a respectable trigger on that fly-weight Smith 22.