JT’s excellent article in Guns Magazine. Thank you JT.
SEVENTEEN TO SEVENTY-SEVEN
| Campfire Tales |
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A Lifetime’s Worth Of Reflections
On The Bad And The Good
By John Taffin
In a very few short weeks, as this is being written, I will be 77 years old. I never ever expected this. My paternal grandfather was killed in an accident at the age of 27. I never knew him. My own father was also killed in an accident at the age of 27 when I was 9 months old, so I never knew him either. And now here I am, outliving both of them by 50 years.
When I was 17 I graduated from high school. Because I got out a year early, it was obvious to me I knew everything. Now that I am 77, I realize I know very little. At the age of 17, nearly everything was important. Now I realize very few things are truly important, except for the top four: Faith, Family, Friends and Firearms—all of which go together to give us Freedom. I have been thoroughly blessed with an abundance of all four, and also realize where all four came from, and it certainly had very little to do with what I did on my own. I shudder to think what my life would’ve been if I only followed my instincts.
When I was 17 I felt I was qualified to judge everyone. Now I realize that’s not my job. When I was 17 I was invincible. Now I realize how fragile I am. Sixty years ago, I could pick up 400 pounds. Now I can pick up a fork. When I was 17 I expected to die young and leave a beautiful corpse. Now, although I’m assured of dying old, the body I leave behind will be beat up and worn out.
Friends are vital too. Here’s John with three of his best ones
(left to right): Gary Reeder, Ben Forkin and John Linebaugh.
Family is one of the most important things in life, and John has a pretty extensive one!
A Sad Decline
When I was 17 the future of America looked bright with opportunities everywhere. Now I see what despicable politicians have done to this country, and those who’ve been most hurt are the young people whose future has been terribly damaged. When I was 17 we were encouraged to be the best we could be. Now we have leaders whose main goal is to “level the playing field,” and once again, it’s the young people who are affected most. I realized how bad this was when my grandson, who is now married with a young daughter, asked me to keep score privately at her grade-school basketball game. No official score was kept, so no one could be a loser. But all during the game, the kids would stop by to check on the score. Even at their young age they realized how competition helps breed success.
The teachers I had back in the 1950’s seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. I spent 31 years in the classroom and thoroughly enjoyed my life with junior high kids, as did the vast majority of my colleagues. Now it’s rare to find a public school teacher who isn’t counting the days until retirement.
When I was 17 we got real news we could trust. Now we’re bombarded 24/7 with lies and fabrications. Instead of reporting news, in many cases, so-called journalists are trying to mold the news to fit an agenda. The once-proud tradition of reporting has mostly been destroyed. And many people don’t even realize what’s happened.
When I was 17 Ike was president, and I knew he was worthy of admiration and respect. Now our president does nothing to bring people together. In fact, it seems everything he does is calculated to divide people and cause them to fight each other. Admiration? Respect? Sadly, from my perceptive, he deserves neither. He promised “hope and change.” We got plenty of change, mostly negative, and hope has been destroyed for many people. When I was 17 anyone graduating from high school could get a good job in a factory. Now even college graduates can’t find work.
When I was 17 I looked forward with eager anticipation to being old enough to vote. Now, way too many times, I’ve had to vote for the lesser of two evils. The problem with voting for the lesser of two evils is this: You’re still voting for evil. In one presidential election, I couldn’t decide on the “lesser” and left the polling place without voting.
When I was 17 the president put the country first. Now we have a president who, at least by his actions, shows he hates America. Harry Truman once said: “The presidency is not for sale.” Now I can look back and see a former Democrat president raking in millions upon millions of dollars through speeches and donations to his foundation. Once again, it was Harry Truman who said: “The buck stops here.” Now we have a president who absolutely refuses to take responsibility for anything, blaming everyone but himself for everything that has happened or is happening.
When I was 17 marriage and life were sacred. Now our Supreme Court say neither one is. When I was 17 family was important and had a strong stabilizing effect on our country. Now I see the federal government carrying out policies to destroy families and replace fathers as the primary supporters of families. The last time we saw an official policy like this was to destroy the American Indians’ way of life. When I was 17 I knew many poor folks, including my own family, who wouldn’t think of taking anything from the government. Now I see half the country with their hand out. I recall it was a Democrat president, John F. Kennedy, who once uttered the stirring words, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
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Firearms are another important element in John’s life. His first
sixgun was this Ruger .22 Single-Six. It still shoots and so does he.
A Full Life Lived
When I was 17 I chuckled when I read old-time gunwriter Lucian Cary saying the .38 Special is the largest gun most folks can handle. Now I understand what he meant! When I was 17 my legs were strong and my mind was mush. Now my mind is strong and my legs are mush. When I was 17 I expected to spend the rest of my life by myself. Now I can look back on more than 57 great years with Diamond Dot.
Several readers from time to time have asked how can I afford “so many guns.” I would debate the notion that I have “so many guns,” but I do have more than a few. One reader even asked for my recipe, stating: “It is too late for me, but maybe I can help my son.” There are no magic recipes, and I certainly did not come from a rich family. I have nothing that was left to me from my paternal grandfather, and the only tangibles left behind I received from my dad are a belt buckle and a cheap broken pocket watch. So inheritance had nothing to do with it.
Diamond Dot and I were still teenagers on a frozen morning in February when we crossed the state line in a ’54 Chevy to be married. We had a grand total of $200 to start our life. The first 20 years were definitely a struggle, however, we always pulled together. I attended college full-time during the day while working a full shift in a factory at night. Dot stayed at home, taking care of the kids and never complained once.
When I graduated, I took a 33 percent pay-cut from my factory job to go into teaching. One year later, when we moved from Ohio to Idaho, I took another 20 percent cut. Yes, it was a struggle. But we made it together, and it wouldn’t be until the kids were grown up and gone that we saw our finances begin to improve.
There are some basic factors, which have contributed to what we can do now. Of course, a major one is simply the passage of time. There were many alcoholics in my family, so I made the decision to never drink at a very early age. I also never smoked (OK, maybe for just a couple months in the 7th grade when I was trying to be smart). However, one day after school, I took a big puff and then blew it through my white handkerchief. When I saw all that brown stuff staining my hanky, I was smart enough to quit. I wonder how many guns I’ve been able to afford over the past 60 years by not spending my money on alcohol and tobacco.
We have lived in the same house for 47 years, so it has been a long time since we had to make a house payment. Dot drives a 2000 Dodge Caravan, while my Chevy 4×4 is even older. It’s been a long time since we’ve had to make a car payment. One of the most important factors is the fact Dot doesn’t spend money just to be buying things. We have also tried to be very generous with both charities and grandkids. I have virtually nothing that belonged to my father or grandfather, but I hope to be able to leave “so many guns” to my 12 grandkids and also to my first great grandchild (I hope there will be many more), for whom I have already put away the first adjustable-sighted Ruger Bearcat.
There is no doubt most of my life is now behind me. Someday, I hope not too soon, the Lord will tap me on the shoulder and say: “Son John, it is time to go. Your family and friends are waiting for you.” Until that time, I hope to continue doing just what I’ve been doing.