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Military Firearm Restoration Corner

Gentlemen and ladies.......


karlunity

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In 1971 I worked for Frontier Airlines unloading planes. I got a double hernia lifting soldiers caskets working on my knees. Shipping caskets are way heavy and at the end of war there were lots of them. I was 19 and 20 years old and had such a feeling of guilt that I still don’t understand. Some remains were in about 2’x2’ square box. All of us were always horsing around cuttin up and laughing until those shipments came in. It all got solum then. Pilots announced final approach when the crossed Red River and would say HR aboard. Frontier served mostly Military towns so lots of bigger airlines transferred through us. Lawton Ok, Fayetteville and Ft. Smith, Billings and Casper Wy. seemed to get the most. Me and my twin were going to join Air Force together but I crushed my right leg in motorcycle crash so my brother went without me. Sorry to be so long. This day brings back memories and 50 years later I still get a knot in my throat thinking how those guys my age got home. 

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You have some pretty vivid memories. Around 1980 there was a guy innn by our church who was a bit off emotionally- kind of weird, and sometimes kind of scary. The pastor told me the guy’s job in Vietnam was getting the bodies ready to send home.

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I worked with a guy with a similar job in Korea. He was quiet, kept to himself and rarely spoke unless spoken to first. I did see him change for a few days after a new hire told a joke that really made him laugh. The following morning as soon as he saw the joke teller he got a big smile on his face and chuckled. Best I recall it was about the only time I saw him smile. I heard second hand from another coworker.  He had a traumatic experience going through dead bodies weeding out Americans after a suicide attack by the Chinese that were being bulldozed into pits. 

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