Chris Kyle - American Gun

But there was one other moment in particular that sums up what these men are all about. Badly injured, Ryan was flown to Germany for stabilization and then to Bethesda for multiple surgeries and a gruesome introduction to the next chapter of his life. He had every right to be bitter and perhaps even hateful toward everyone and everything around him, including the country that sent him to war. But in that time of crisis, with his head bandaged, multiple surgeries behind and in front of him, and the knowledge he would never see again, he asked someone to push his wheelchair to a flag outside. On a windy day in Maryland while on hospital grounds, Ryan Job sat still in full salute to the American flag. He held the salute for quite some time, as the wind whipped the flag and clanged the rope against the hard metal flagpole. I imagine an unspoken communication between flag and warrior, each thanking the other for what they had given them.

Patriotism is not an antiquated ideal. It beats strongly in many an American heart.

I am eternally grateful to the men and women who have such strength and character that they are willing to go to distant lands and write a blank check to this country. Because of them, our lives here in America are full of opportunity and enduring freedom.

When you see an American flag and when you hear the National Anthem, I hope you stop and show your respect, not for the fabric flying in the wind, but for Ryan and the other men and women who like him and my husband have lived the literal meaning of the words “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Other names:Kentucky Long Rifle, Pennsylvania Long Rifle, long hunter

First designed:Eighteenth century, exact date and inventor unknown

Type:Precision rifle, single-shot

Predecessor:Most likely evolved from Jaeger hunting rifles

Caliber:Varied with gun maker, but roughly .50

Primary use:Hunting, military sniping

Notable features:Sleek and long, surprisingly light, slow to load

When used:Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially during and after the American Revolution

Current use:Genuine long rifles are historical antiques of considerable value. Authentic guns and replicas are used for sport and reenactments

First designed by:Christopher Spencer

Type:Repeating rifle, manually cocked

Caliber:.52

Rounds:7 metal rimfire cartridges, loaded through butt magazine

When used:American Civil War, Indian Wars

Used by:American Army soldiers, primarily cavalry and mounted infantry

Of historical note:The Spencer was a key development on the road to the modern combat rifle

Trivia:Following the Civil War, Spencer rifles and carbines were sold overseas to France and Japan. Abe Lincoln tested the Spencer himself before approving its use.

Nicknames & other titles:Peacemaker, Model P., M1873, Colt .45

First designed by:William Mason and Charles Brinckerhoff Richards for Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Co.

Type:Pistol, 6-shot revolver

Predecessor:Colt Army 1860; there were many other earlier influences

Caliber:.45 Colt

Variations:Many, but among the most notable is the Colt Frontier, chambered in .44–40 to be compatible with Winchester 1873 Repeater

When used:First introduced in 1873, the .45 is still available from Colt

Used by:Everyone from Teddy Roosevelt to George C. Patton, Pat Garrett to Buffalo Bill Cody

Trivia:While Colt .45 is the best-known caliber, many revolvers were chambered for other calibers, including the .44-40, so that the ammunition could be used in both the Colt handgun as well as Winchester Model 1873 and 1892 rifles

Nickname:The Gun that Won the West

Type:Rifle, lever-action repeater

Predecessor:Volition Repeating Rifle, Henry Repeater

Caliber:.44

Historical note:One of the key members of a family that was the iconic frontier tool for settling the American West

When used:First introduced in 1873, the gun is still offered for sale by Winchester (although they’re actually manufactured by Miroku in Japan)

Variations:Among the most important was a carbine version with a shorter barrel and rifles chambered in .38 WCF, .32 WCF, and .22 rimfire. Later Winchester models built on the 1873, even as they added improvements

Trivia:A musket version with a 30-inch round barrel was among the family’s lesser-known members

TV & movies:The gun has its own movie: Winchester ’73, produced in 1950 and starring James Stewart. Various other Winchesters have been featured in TV and movies; Chuck Connors used a .44–40 Winchester 1892 in the Rifleman.

Nickname:Springfield

Origin:The rifle was designed at the Springfield Armory immediately after the Spanish-American War

Type:Bolt-action rifle

Predecessor:Mauser bolt-action rifles, 1889–91 & Spanish M93

Caliber:.30

Notable features:Bolt-action, five-shot magazine

Cartridge:The gun fires a .30-06 round. The “aught-six” refers to the year the cartridge was introduced.

When used:The Springfield 1903 was the standard American Army rifle from its introduction in 1903 until 1936. A large number of Springfields were used in WWII. The weapon is still used for recreation

Trivia:The cartridge was changed and the gun rechambered after it was discovered that the original cartridge burned too hot. The .30–06 has a slightly shorter case and bullet.

First designed by:John Moses Browning

Type:Pistol, semi-automatic

Predecessor:The M1911 evolved from a series of designs by Browning in the years before 1911

Caliber:.45

Notable features:7-round detachable box; works on recoil principle