This thread stirred up something from long ago...
The
Rifleman's Creed (also known as
My Rifle and
The Creed of the United States Marine) is a part of basic
United States Marine Corps doctrine.
Major General William H. Rupertus wrote it during
World War II following the attack on
Pearl Harbor between late 1941 and early 1942, but its first publication was in San Diego in the
Marine Corps Chevron on March 14, 1942. His reasoning for writing the Creed is believed to be that he felt that his men had to understand the concept "that the only weapon which stands between them and Death is the rifle…they must understand that their rifle is their life…"
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifleman's_Creed
"This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will ...
My rifle and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit ...
My rifle is human, even as I [am human], because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will ...
Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but peace!"
How many remember reciting something like that? It seems relevant to dangerous game hunting when facing the elephant at 20 meters or a buffalo that doesn't know he's dead!
en.wikipedia.org
