^^^^ This is so true. Since you have the paperwork where it was sold, can you refresh my memory on the sale price by the Government? I want to say like $27.50 plus a couple of dollars shipping cost. I have heard where some folks even kept the box it was shipped in to them along with the sales receipt.
Many of us are still hoping the CMP will be selling the remaining Government M1911A1's off in the next year or two. Don't expect it to be for a pittance.
Ok, let me share some of my past military time and stolen weapons. It happened from time to time. In one case back in the early 1970's a fine young man with a very promising career made a terrible mistake and stole a M1911A1 from a unit in the 1st Infantry Division. It took about a week to recovery the pistol after a frantic search and investigation. The pistol was recovered and the young soldier was court martialed. He ended up with prison time and a Dishonorable Discharge. I suspect it ruined his life and made a lot of other peoples lives very miserable for the week the gun was missing. The Army even takes the theft or loss of a fully automatic weapon like the M-16, back then, more serious. I saw cases where numerous units of the Division was sent to the field searching for one rifle. In several cases I can recall, the Unit Commander was relieved of his command and I seem to recall even the 1st Sergeant. Of course, if it was a theft the soldier was dealt with severe punishment. The loss of a weapon is investigated and also since it is a property book end item has to be handled with a Report of Survey. This has ruined people's careers and lives.
I understand this does not occur when there are losses during direct combat action during a war/conflict. I also understand that just because an individual brought back a U.S. Government firearm does not mean he was the person who stole it. He may of simply bought it from the person who "liberated" it.
Now is stealing from Uncle Sam/tax payer as bad as stealing from a person or another source? Some seem to thing not. There are procedures for bringing back war trophy's but the person doing so completes the application and will also have the completed approval documents.
I can see the good and the very bad of a liberated firearm. We do not normally hear the bad things that may of gone on when a weapon was not loss during combat action back during the first half of the 20th Century. Most of those stories are already in the grave.
