Most who are familiar of the U.S. Model 1917 have heard the story of how it was used as a substitute for the Model 1903 during World War I, but few have heard of the efforts of John T. Thompson and his band of rifle demonstrators that evaluated, taught and trained American soldiers on the new rifle for U.S. Ordnance.
While the M1903 and M1917 service rifles were the main rifles used by the United States, four other rifles were utilized during World War I in roles that are largely forgotten today, as explored by Jon Krisko.
When the battleship U.S.S. California was sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, several Marine Corps detachment M1903 rifles still in her hull were salvaged after the attack, as revealed thanks to the efforts of the Archival Research Group.