Several years ago, when I was in the military, I formed a keen friendship with one of the guys I served with. We first met in Germany where we were stationed. After I came back state-side, I was stationed at Ft. Campbell and things went on as normal. After I'd been there about a year, my old service buddy in Germany called and said that he'd landed in Nashville and was Ft. Campbell bound.
After he got settled in, we picked up where we had left off and anyone that's been in the service can appreciate. That fall, we both took leave and headed to my parent's home in Metcalfe County for the modern gun deer season. He was originally from Pendleton, OR and had never had the opportunity to hunt whitetail deer. To make a long story a tad shorter, we both filled tags and put backstraps in the freezer.
My parents thought the world of him and told him to come back whenever he got the notion. He wound up spending the holidays with us as it was too costly to fly to Oregon for him at the time. From that point on, he was basically like part of the family.
About a year later, I got out of the service and came back home. My buddy continued to come and spend time with us and stored some of his stuff with me when he went to Korea.
Before he left for Korea, he walked in one weekend and handed my dad a rifle case. In it was a Centennial 1870-1970 Marlin 336 .30-30 that looked prisitine. My dad looked her over and bragged on how good the condition was. My buddy looked at dad and said it was unfired, he'd bought it from someone around Ft. Campbell. There was a zip-tie around the lever and the old gentleman he got it from stated he'd never fired the rifle. Dad told my buddy that was a neat piece of history. My buddy told dad, "You all have been like family to me, welcomed me into your home. You've treated me like one of your own when I couldn't get home to see my parents. I want you to have this rifle.".
Dad looked at the rifle and it truly touched him at my friend's gesture. Dad smiled and handed the rifle back to my buddy, he said to him, "Hang on a second.". Dad walked over to the gun cabinet and handed my buddy a lone .30-30 round, my buddy looked at the round and back at Dad. Dad said to him, "If you want me to have this rifle, you'll have to shoot it first. I won't take it unless you do that.".
We walekd outside, back towards the "holler". Dad handed him a well-worn Case XX and told him to cut the zip-tie and let fly. He did as Dad asked, loaded her and shot the very first round through her. Afterwards, he handed the rifle to Dad and she sat in his collection for years.
Last Christmas, my Mom and Dad came up on Christmas Eve and stayed the night with us and the kids. As my wife was preparing supper, my Dad handed me the Marlin. He said, "Merry Christmas Son, I'm gettin' up in years and can't see using this. It's your's now.". Needless to say, I was touched, I sat there looking at the old Marlin and the memories flooded back, I told Dad, "As long as I'm alive, it's got a home Dad. It'll be handed down to my kids as you have handed her down to me.". I gave the old man a hug and we enjoyed the rest of the evening visiting.
Here's a picture of the old Marlin, 42 years old and only one round put through her......
Not the best pic, but the medallion that's set into the stock.....
