A chance to shoot, lest we forget

Sixty-one years ago the young men of the United States were called to arms when the country was sucker punched into World War II.
The arms they took into the ensuing battles carried such names as Enfield, Springfield, Johnson and Garand. They were the weapons of war that helped the United States to victory three and a half years later.
Get the chance
Nestled in the wooded outskirts of the greater Youngstown area, some of those same men got the chance Saturday to raise those same arms again, though this time in fun and remembrance instead of in war.
The Youngstown Rifle & amp; Pistol Club held a Pearl Harbor Day Match at its Shaffer Road clubhouse and range just off Lipkey Road.
Mike Policy, a YRPC member and one of the event organizers, said one of the reason's behind the event was to give some of the veterans a chance to shoot.
"Most of the older guys, like the World War II and Korean War veterans, are in their 80s or so and want a chance to shoot the weapons they used during the war," Policy said. "The match gives these guys a chance to come out and shoot something they used 50 years ago."
Policy said the fact that the shoot was free for the older veterans helped those on limited incomes.
He added that the proceeds of the day's event will be donated to a Youngstown-area veterans organization. "It won't be a huge amount, but it will help," he said.
The match used paper targets, and those participating were allowed to bring any rifle that saw action in World War II, such as the M1903 Springfield, M1917 Enfield, M1 Garand, M1941 Johnson and the M1 Carbine.
Rules of the game
Rules were the same as those at the John C. Garand Match Course "A," which is held annually at the National Matches at Camp Perry near Sandusky: 30 shots from 200 yards with sighters.
Participants were also provided with .30-caliber and 30-06 ammo for the weapons.
Policy said a nice byproduct of the match was that successful completion of the event provided the certification needed to allow the purchase of a government surplus M1 rifle through the Civilian Marksmanship Program (www.odcmp.org).
The YRPC is involved in all aspects of the shooting sports with monthly matches in high power rifle (service rifle), IDPA (combat handgun), weekly activities in PPC (police pistol combat) and trap.
In addition, for the past two years the YRPC has been home to the Ohio State IDPA Championships.
Dates and times for the club's monthly matches will be announced later. For more information on the club, visit www.yrpc.org.