The Keefe Report: 2nd Lt. Kelso C. Horne

by
posted on May 21, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
horne.jpg

If you look on the June cover of American Rifleman you’ll find a photograph by Bob Landry, taken about a week after D-Day, of a young soldier in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. That photo of 2nd Lt. Kelso C. Horne remains one of the most powerful images of the American rifleman as he helped liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny. Second Lieutenant Horne—an NRA member after the war—landed near Ste.-Mére-Église and fought at La Fière, and he was wounded in the battle for Hill 95 on July 4, 1944. When Landry’s photo appeared on the Aug. 14, 1944, cover of LIFE magazine, Lt. Horne was in the hospital in England. The LIFE cover was tightly cropped, focusing in on Lt. Horne’s face. For this issue, in which we commemorate the service and sacrifice of American riflemen 75 years ago—as they embarked upon the “great crusade”—we thought it best to show the whole image. In his hands is an M1 Garand rifle, not the gun he jumped into France with, but one he picked up from a major who had been wounded. The M1 Garand rifle is but one of the guns covered in Field Editor Martin K.A. Morgan’s “D-Day+75: Arms Of The Airborne.” 

Even though it is covered up by our mailing label, on Lt. Horne’s hip is a U.S. Model of 1911 in .45 ACP. When you turn to the center of this magazine you’ll see a very special M1911, one carried by NRA Life member Jack Agnew (above)—then of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment—when he jumped into occupied France on D-Day. Thanks to the generosity of the Agnew family, you can go and see that gun every day at NRA’s National Firearms Museum.

Speaking of .45s, on p. 41 you’ll see a smiling NRA Life member Don Burgett, in his later years, holding the nickel-plated .45 his dad mailed him—concealed beneath a date cake—before he jumped into Normandy on June 6, 1944. Sadly, Jack and Don, both men I knew and admired, are no longer with us.

As this is written, another D-Day sky soldier, Ray Geddes, is still with us and doing well. At the center of this magazine is a photograph containing artifacts, including the watch issued to Geddes. A radio operator in the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Geddes broke that watch when he hit the ground in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944—1:25 a.m., to be precise. We interviewed Geddes for a special “American Rifleman Television” series on the Outdoor Channel.

Also in this issue is a “Cable From Normandy,” written by one of my predecessors as editor of The American Rifleman, Bill Shadel. He was on assignment for this magazine as one of only 28 reporters on the ground covering the “Longest Day.” 

As long as there is evil and oppression in the world, we will need riflemen. We will need men and women who believe in freedom and liberty, who take seriously the values that make us American, and who are willing to fight to preserve our way of life. We will need patriots like those men who, in the darkness and dawn of June 6, 1944, did nothing less than save the world from evil. Remember them, and remember their sacrifice. They fought against an evil that, hopefully, the world will never see again. But if it does, we will need American riflemen willing to stand up and face it.

Latest

Left A3 Bullpup Web
Left A3 Bullpup Web

Bullpup Your AR-15: The A3 Industries Triad Modular Bullpup Chassis

This chassis kit provides a handy way for AR fans to try a bullpup carbine on for size.

Hillsdale College & The Shooting Sports

Hillsdale College has invested in the Second Amendment and the shooting sports in a way that few schools have. At its John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center, collegiate shotgun and action pistol teams compete and build their firearm-handling skills.

Thompson/Center Arms Acquires Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Company

Thompson/Center Arms announced it has acquired the Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Company.

Teaching Liberty: Hillsdale College & The Second Amendment

At Hillsdale College, students don't just learn about the fundamental truths behind the Second Amendment. They also learn the practical side of the right to keep and bear arms.

Smith & Wesson Partners With Lipsey's On Line Of "Mountain Guns"

First applied to its Model 629 in 1989, the Smith & Wesson "Mountain Gun" is a lightweight and compact variant designed to be carried afield, and thanks to a partnership with Lipsey's, Smith & Wesson is bringing them back.

Pro-NRA & Second Amendment Supporter Dr. Michael Fuljenz Wins National Writing Award

Longtime NRA benefactor Dr. Mike Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion, was honored by the Numismatic Literary Guild for his recent and timely article about the need to eliminate copper pennies.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.