2003 VHS • Guns of Valor 60 FPS

About

Guns of Valor is an episode from the NRA's American Rifleman Video Collection, produced as part of a firearms history series. The program focuses on the Congressional Medal of Honor and the specific firearms carried by recipients in four American conflicts, framing each account as a demonstration of how a soldier's proficiency with a weapon shaped the outcome of a battle.

The Civil War segment covers Private William P. Hogerty of the 23rd New York Infantry, who received one of the first Medals of Honor ever awarded for actions at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. The program describes the Springfield Rifle Musket and its 58-caliber Minie ball, the operation of the cannon as a crew weapon requiring eight men and a 30-second minimum rate of fire, the carnage at Miller's Cornfield where 4,700 died in one day, and Hogerty's solo operation of an abandoned cannon while under fire before picking up a Springfield from a fallen soldier and continuing to fight.

The World War I segment covers Alvin Cullum York of Pall Mall, Tennessee, who registered as a conscientious objector but shipped to France and used a Remington Model 1917 Enfield rifle and a Colt Model 1911 semi-automatic pistol during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive on October 8, 1918. York's unfamiliarity with the Enfield's peep sight is discussed, along with his tactic of shooting charging Germans from back to front so the forward soldiers would not know the men behind them had been hit. He killed 25 Germans, silenced 35 machine guns, and captured 132 prisoners.

The World War II segment covers Marine Platoon Sergeant Mitchell Page of the 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, at Guadalcanal in October 1942. Page's platoon modified their Browning Model 1917 water-cooled machine guns by drilling holes in the bolts to increase the rate of fire from 525 to 900 rounds per minute and improve accuracy. Page's defense of Henderson Field against a Japanese night attack on October 25, carrying the 50-pound machine gun down a hill while firing it, is described in detail. Page's selection as the original GI Joe action figure is noted.

The Vietnam segment covers Marine Staff Sergeant John McGinty and Captain Bob Mogieski of K Company, awarded medals together in a 1968 White House ceremony. The program describes Operation Hastings in July 1966, the helicopter crash on landing, four days of encirclement near the demilitarized zone, the exhaustion of ammunition, McGinty's shooting of five approaching North Vietnamese soldiers with a Colt Model 1911 at close range, and the emotional aftermath among surviving Marines. The M14 rifle and its reliability under dirty conditions is also described.

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Archive

Internet Archive, in The VHS Vault

Licence or status

The Internet Archive states none for this item.

Credit

The Vista Group®

Language

English

Subtitles

English

Who can watch

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