Firsthand proof that Carson was wrong

Ben Carson was echoing NRA propaganda from many years ago. Based on my experiences in Germany during the closing months of WW II, I know that the civilians were not disarmed.

I was a member of a separate engineer company with Third Army Special Troops. We often slept on the ground with our overturned assault boats as shelter, but when we were lucky, we were billeted in German homes, apartments and farm houses. In the homes and apartments, we usually found small arms such as Lugers and "liberated" them.

In the farmhouses, we found small-caliber rifles and shotguns. I personally "liberated" a fine small-caliber Walther rifle.

In the last few days of the war in a small village in southern Germany, the MPs had put up signs telling the people to turn in their guns. The people, apparently used to obeying orders, turned in dozens of guns. modern and antique. I was admiring the collection and saw a Mauser 98K rifle with an unusually beautiful stock and asked the MP if I could have it and he nodded yes.

I had quite a collection but lost it all when I was injured and flown back in a C47 to a hospital at Rheims, France, and never rejoined my old outfit.

James L. Hanrahan

Arlington Heights