Celebrating the Model 1911 and Ronald Reagan

by Gerard Valentino

This year, on March 29th, we commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the United States armed forces adoption of the Model 1911 as the general issue handgun. Since that day, whenever or wherever Americans went to war, the John Browning-designed combat masterpiece went along as well.

American GI's carried the 1911 in the trenches of WWI and while storming the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima during WWII. It was called to defend the Pusan perimeter during the darkest hours of the Korean War and was a sense of comfort for our troops in the vicious firefights of Vietnam. Although no longer the general issue sidearm of the American Armed Forces, variations of the 1911 pistol saw combat in Somalia, Panama, Grenada, Iraq and Afghanistan as well.

Despite the advantage of modern computers and modern materials that John Browning couldn't have imagined, there are still very few handguns designed well enough to challenge the 1911's durability, longevity and versatility. Gaston Glock's brilliant polymer wonder pistol comes close, but has to remain a viable combat handgun for another 81 years to match the 1911's length of service.

That assumes, of course, that the 1911 is rendered obsolete immediately.

Since it is carried by countless law enforcement agencies, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, Delta Force Operators, the Marine Expeditionary Unit, and millions of legal concealed carry permit holders, there is little chance it will become obsolete anytime soon.

As America grew into a world power, the 1911 also grew as the symbolic pistol of freedom, and was used wherever people banded together to defend liberty. The gun remains recognizable anywhere in the world as the premier American fighting handgun, and is a symbol of freedom on par with the American Flag, the Bald Eagle, the Staue of Liberty and the White House.

Service members returning from WW I and WW II found ways to bring their prized 1911's home as souvenirs and those same pistols are now prized family heirlooms. They are passed down from one generation to another and are tangible reminders of the sacrifices made to protect the American way of life -- a way of life that overcame the Cold War, two World Wars, Fascism, Communism and will overcome the modern terrorist threat.

But, the 1911 isn't only a symbol of America's military power.

It maintains a place of honor in the pantheon of definitively American machines and ideas. Like the car, the skyscraper and the Interstate highway system, the 1911 also represents America's technical and manufacturing genius. We might not have invented the things that make America great, but we pushed them to the point of near perfection.

The combination of accuracy, ease of use and a truly hard-hitting cartridge made the 1911 a welcome companion when an American was called to war. Usually, in war a pistol is the last resort and only used when in close proximity to the enemy, so there is no telling how many Americans are alive today because they could call on the best fighting handgun ever devised.

A sad but important part of the long legacy of the 1911 is also the countless number of Americans who went down fighting while wielding their trusty 1911's.

Like the people fighting, the gun itself is the very essence of what makes America great. Unlike other iconic handguns like the German Luger, Walther P38 or the Browning P35 that fought with the forces of tyranny, the 1911 alone has always fought to defend liberty.

It remains the great American pistol and fires the .45ACP, which is the great American handgun cartridge. Like America, both are big, visually impressive and hard hitting.

They also perform at their best when the situation is desperate.

This year we also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Reagan, another great American icon. It is fitting that a man of Reagan's stature came into the world in the same year the 1911 pistol began to serve America. Like the 1911, Ronald Reagan fought to defend freedom and was instrumental in relegating the Soviet Union to the dustbin of history.

Reagan also helped deliver America from the economic malaise and shaken morale so prevalent in the aftermath of Vietnam and the Watergate scandal. He returned America's swagger and defiance in the face of a world fractured by the evil of Communist tyranny.

Just like the 1911, he performed best when the chips were down, and the American people loved him for it. He also reminded Americans to be proud that America is the beacon of liberty in an otherwise oppressive world.

The 1911 pistol and Ronald Reagan stand among the greatest examples of liberty's guiding light. Neither ever bowed to tyranny and both served America during times of great peril.

Celebrating both in the same year is a nearly perfect happenstance of history.

Gerard Valentino is a member of the Buckeye Firearms Foundation Board of Directors and the author of "The Valentino Chronicles – Observations of a Middle Class Conservative," available through the Buckeye Firearms Association store.