Table of Contents
Books by Roy Chandler
A Foreword
Introduction
The Boy
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
The Marine
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
The Soldier
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
About Roy Chandler
Books by Roy Chandler
By Publication Date
All About a Foot Soldier, 1965
History of Early Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths (With Donald L. Mitchell), 1969
A History of Perry County Railroads, 1970
Alaskan hunter: a book about big game hunting, 1972
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes and Barrel Marks, 1972
Tales of Perry County, 1973
Arrowmaker, 1974
Hunting in Perry County, 1974
Antiques of Perry County, 1976
The Black Rifle, 1976
Homes, Barns and Outbuildings of Perry County, 1978
Shatto, 1979
The Perry County Flavor, 1980
Arms Makers of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1981
The Didactor, 1981
Fort Robinson: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1750-63, 1981
Friend Seeker: A novel of Perry County PA, 1982
Gunsmiths of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1982
Perry County in Pen & Ink, 1983
Shatto's way: A novel of Perry County, Pa, 1984
Chip Shatto: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1863-6, 1984
Pennsylvania Gunmakers (a collection), 1984
Firefighters of Perry County, 1985
The Warrior, A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania 1721-1764, 1985
Perry County Sketchbook (And Katherine R. Chandler), 1986
A 30-foot, $6,000 Cruising Catamaran, 1987
The Gun of Joseph Smith (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1987
The Perry Countian, 1987
Hawk's Feather - An Adventure Story, 1988
Ted's Story, 1988
Alcatraz: The Hard Years 1934-1938 (With Erville F. Chandler), 1989
Cronies, 1989
Song of Blue Moccasin, 1989
Chugger's Hunt, 1990
The Sweet Taste, 1990
Tiff's game: A work of fiction, 1991
Tuck Morgan, Plainsman (Vol. 2) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1991
Death From Afar I (And Norman A. Chandler), 1992
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes All New Volume 2, 1992
Behold the Long Rifle, 1993
Death From Afar II: Marine Corps Sniping (And Norman A. Chandler), 1993
Old Dog, 1993
Tim Murphy, Rifleman: A novel of Perry County, Pa. 1754-1840, 1993
Choose the Right Gun, 1994
Death From Afar Vol. III: The Black Book (And Norman A. Chandler), 1994
The Kentucky Pistol, 1994
Ramsey: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, 1994
Gray's Talent, 1995
Hunting Alaska, 1995
Last Black Book, 1995
Dark shadow (The Red book series), 1996
Death From Afar IV (And Norman A. Chandler, 1996
Morgan's Park (Vol. 3) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1997
White feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC scout sniper (And Norman A. Chandler), 1997
Death From Afar V (And Norman A. Chandler), 1998
Ironhawk: A frontier novel of Perry County Pennsylvania 1759-1765, 1999
Sniper One, 2000
One Shot Brotherhood (And Norman A. Chandler), 2001
Shooter Galloway, 2004
The Hunter's Alaska, 2005
The Boss's Boy, 2007
Pardners, 2009
Hawk's Revenge, 2010
Perry County, Pennsylvania series
History of Early Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths, 1969
A History of Perry County Railroads, 1970
Tales of Perry County, 1973
A History of Hunting in Perry County, 1974
Arrowmaker, 1974
Antiques of Perry County, 1976
The Black Rifle, 1976
Homes, Barns and Outbuildings of Perry County,1978
Shatto, 1979
The Perry County Flavor, 1980
The Didactor, 1981
Fort Robinson: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1750-63, 1981
Friend Seeker: A novel of Perry County PA, 1982
Perry County in Pen &Ink, 1983
Shatto's way: A novel of Perry County, Pa, 1984
Chip Shatto: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1863-65, 1984
Firefighters of Perry County, 1982
Perry County Sketchbook, 1986
The Warrior, A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, 1995
The Perry Countian, 1987
Hawk's Feather - An Adventure Story, 1988
Ted's Story, 1988
Cronies, 1989
Song of Blue Moccasin, 1989
The Sweet Taste, 1990
Tiff's game: A work of fiction, 1991
Old Dog, 1993
Tim Murphy, Rifleman: A novel of Perry County, Pa, 1754-1840, 1993
Ramsey: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, 1994
Last Black Book, 1995
Gun of Joseph Smith series (Juvenile)
Gun of Joseph Smith, The (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1987
Tuck Morgan, Plainsman (Vol. 2) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1991
Morgan's Park (Vol. 3) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1997
Antique Guns
History of Early Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths (With Donald L. Mitchell), 1969
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes and Barrel Marks, 1972
Arms Makers of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1981
Gunsmiths of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1982
Pennsylvania Gunmakers (a collection), 1984
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes All New Volume 2, 1992
Behold the Long Rifle, 1993
The Kentucky Pistol, 1994
Hunting
Alaskan hunter: a book about big game hunting, 1972
Choose the Right Gun, 1994
Hunting Alaska, 1995
The Hunter's Alaska, 2005
Sniper Series
Death From Afar I (And Norman A. Chandler), 1992
Death From Afar II: Marine Corps Sniping (And Norman A. Chandler), 1993
Death From Afar Vol. III: The Black Book (And Norman A. Chandler), 1994
Death From Afar IV (And Norman A. Chandler), 1996
White feather : Carlos Hathcock USMC scout sniper (And Norman A. Chandler), 1997
Death From Afar V (And Norman A. Chandler), 1998
Sniper One (Iron Brigade series), 2000
One Shot Brotherhood (And Norman A. Chandler)
Children’s Books
All About a Foot Soldier, 1965
Iron Brigade Armory, Publishers
100 Radcliffe Circle
Jacksonville, NC 28546
Tel: (910) 455-3834
www.ironbrigadearmory.com
Printed in The United States of America
Printing History:
First: December 2004
E-Book 2012
Shooter Galloway by Roy F. Chandler
All rights reserved
Shooter Galloway is a work of fiction. The incidents in this book and the situations depicted are the author’s creations. They do not and did not exist or happen.
Cover Description
USMC Staff Sergeant Steve Reichert was photographed in desert uniform armed with his Iron Brigade Armory, suppressed, sniper rifle.
Sergeant Reichert (MOS 8541) served as a combat Marine in Iraq where he and his rifle saw lengthy and extremely effective service. Sergeant Reichert was wounded in the summer of 2004 and returned to the states. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for valor.
Cover photograph: Norman A. Chandler.
Illustrations: Roy F. Chandler.
This book is for
Norman A. Chandler
Lt Col USMC (Retired)
Warrior, Brother, Friend
and
Creator of the IBA Chandler Sniper Rifle
"The finest in the world-bar none."
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn down, out of ammunition, and loudly proclaiming:
“Wow—what a ride.
Author unknown
A Foreword
Roy F. Chandler has done it again. He has written a powerful story that catches your attention from the moment you crack the book and discover that it is nearly impossible to set it aside. Shooter Galloway, like most Chandler books is brimming with adventure and action that moves you from page to page as fast as a runaway train. The strong story line is about honor, a sense of duty, and obligation toward family most of which is set in and around Perry County, Pennsylvania. The author has also used this opportunity to give us a look inside his Alma Mater, Carson Long Military Academy.
His perspective is unique because not only did he attend the academy as a young man, but he later returned to become the type of teacher that influences and shapes young men for life. All Chandler readers enjoy the way he mixes a touch of history, a pinch of social commentary and a small dab of political views (few of which are politically correct—but should be) into an outstanding story. Shooter Galloway has all of the ingredients for a great and pleasurable book.
Rocky has been blessed with an array of creative ideas and story lines. He has insights that are often outside of the norm but are of great value to his books and are appreciated by his friends. This book is a wonderful read and encompasses a complex and diverse theory of right, wrong, justice, honor and the limitations of our society to protect us.
Enjoy the fascinating tale but remember that there is much to be learned in this little treasure.
Michael Maloney
Professor of Psychology
College of Southern Maryland
St. Mary’s County, Maryland
Introduction
This is a book about guns and their use in peace and in war by civilians and within the military. Shooter Galloway is also a story of courage, determination, and sense of honor. This story describes how an American boy might feel and act.
Citizens of other countries (probably excluding Canada) will decide that this is just an improbable yarn and sit back to enjoy the action, but we who are part of today’s American society (2004) will know that it could happen this way in our nation. Some of us would like to think that it would happen exactly as the story describes.
This is an adventure story that I believe readers will find gripping. I believe that because I write the kind of story I enjoy, and when I do that, my readership invariably claims that they loved the book.
That ends the Introduction to Shooter Galloway—We do not wish to reveal details.
The Boy
Chapter 1
“Ten years ago today, Boxer Elder killed my father.
"The next day, I shot box Elder dead.
“I was eleven years old.
“One down; five to go.”
Shooter Galloway
A half hour after his son had been sent to bed, Bob Galloway drove the short half-mile over to Ferdy’s Bar to sit for an hour or two nursing a Bud Light—never more than two, often less. The boy, believed to be sound asleep, had found the perfect spot to watch and to listen.
Ferdy’s Bar had been an old frame house converted into a country store with an apartment upstairs where Ferdy lived. When small rural stores could no longer compete with the big franchised outlets, Ferdy had managed to qualify for a liquor license and stayed open as a country watering hole. Local men hung out there, swapping stories, studying the weather, and listening to each other’s opinions on anything heard about.
In the cold winter months, they warmed themselves around Ferdy’s potbellied stove, melting their boot soles against the red hot stove belly and sniffing the smell of melting rubber.
Ferdy’s was a comfortable place to loaf with Ferdy himself tending bar and assembling thick ham or beef and cheese sandwiches. There were no burgers or dogs because Ferdy was unwilling to cook.
The old house was supported by limestone rocks that provided a barely passable crawl space beneath the thickly planked floor. When he had been two years younger, the boy had explored the mysterious under-floor world and found loose boards that, once pried aside, allowed him to squirm into a small and dusty area beneath the stairs leading upward to Ferdy’s apartment. For comfortable sitting, he brought an old blanket and an abandoned sofa pillow into the protective darkness of his secret room. Leaned against a wall, the boy could see through cracks in the warped wallboards and watch the customers who gathered at Ferdy’s two round tables.
It was annoying that he could not see men at the bar, but Ferdy’s patrons were mostly regulars, and over many visits the youth learned the voices and knew just about everyone that came in. The hearing was, in fact, excellent, and it was exciting to hear the men cussing and talking about things they would never have mentioned in front of a small boy.
His dad, Bob Galloway, usually sat at the closest table and was almost facing the hidden watcher. Sometimes, the boy wondered if his father might actually know he was there, but judging by the subjects that were openly discussed, he decided that his dad would never have used the words he did if he suspected his son might hear.
Occasionally, his own name came up, and the boy listened hungrily for those moments. Someone might say that the son was getting big, and Bob Galloway might answer that Shooter seemed to be right on schedule.
The older Galloway clearly enjoyed talking about his son, and in particular about the boy’s ability to hit targets and small game with his single shot .22 rifle. Bob Galloway had shot competitively during his army years and had trophies and medals to prove it. Shooter, Bob claimed, was a natural who already handled a rifle like a veteran.
The older Galloway enjoyed teaching and running his son through the drills for 4-position shooting matches. To his pleasant surprise, the boy not only liked it all but demonstrated an unusual ability to concentrate on what he was doing. The father marveled as the youth closed his mind to all but the sights and the bull’s-eye and squeezed his trigger gently but surely. Unusual, highly unusual.
Bob Galloway preached that a hunter didn’t often get to shoot off his belly or from some other comfortable resting position. Bob stressed shooting standing during their practice, and again young Shooter proved adept.
When the season opened, Bob Galloway planned on stretching the law’s age limitations a bit by switching the boy to a .30-30 and putting the eleven-year-old onto a good buck.
Country men liked talking guns and almost everyone hunted in season. A few were notorious for hunting no matter what the season.
The Elders were the most brazen poachers. They freely admitted to eating more venison than beef, but Game Protectors were reluctant to explore, much less stake-out Elder lands. Wild bullets from unidentified rifles were known to whistle past anyone found within their heavily posted borders, and although no one had been hit, the stray bullet messages were intimidating. The Elders lived unchallenged within their chopped-out wilderness and no one doubted that they were dangerous men who might react violently if cornered or confronted.
Shooter Galloway did not like them. The Elders often baited and challenged his dad who, hurt like he was, could do little more than ignore their threats and barbed insults.
The Elders had money, which few others could claim. Or at least, the Elders once had money. Things had been changing for them lately.
The Elders owned miles of mountain land, but they had logged everything they owned to the last marketable sapling. Their ruthless denuding sickened the souls of those who cherished the forests, but everyone also knew that the Elders had run out of trees. To pay taxes on logged-out mountain land that could not bring a return for a full generation of tree growing, the Elders were selling off every acre they could peddle.
The talk was that the Elders were facing hard times because they knew nothing except lumbering local forests, and there was no more commercially profitable timber available anywhere in the west end of the county.