Happy Anniversary to the 1911 pistol!

Posing with the 1911 Pistol

Today is the day, 100 years ago, that the U.S. military first adopted John Browning's invention the Colt 1911 pistol.  I am celebrating by including this photograph of my great-grandfather Orrin Lawrence Brodie at ROTC camp ca. 1911 with a newly issued pistol.  CPT Brodie defended the New York City water system during World War One and was forced to retire, still a National Guard Captain, in 1943.  He died in October 1943.  By that time the 1911A1s had been in production for several years and World War Two was raging.

Thirty years later I entered service and used some of those 1911A1s from World War Two.  They were good guns then and they are good guns now. 

NOTE:  It has been pointed out to me that the first pistols weren't shipped until 1912.  As this is during the summer and he has the pistol I'm wondering if this was in 1912.  As it is I can't find the original right now (in the huge stack of old photos) to check the penciled date.  He would be about 31 or 32 years old and a 1st Lieutenant here and was a Captain for a long, long time (1918 or so until 1943). 

Defending the NYC Water Supply, 1918