Editor’s Note: Greg writes about a distinguished family of US Marines and their imprint on the Corp, on the Bureau and on Smith & Wesson. In this Part II, Greg fills in the blanks about “George Three” and “George Four,” as well as the impact of the Van Orden family on the Corps, the Bureau and – of all things – Smith & Wesson.
Lieutenant Colonel George Mason Van Orden (George 3)
It was probably unavoidable that the General and Flora’s son could become anything other than a Marine and a competitive shooter. George Mason Van Orden won two Junior National rifle Championships, the first at the age of 15, and was considered an Olympic hopeful. He was commissioned a 2nd Lt. upon graduating from the Virginia Military Institute and then from The Basic School (obligatory for all Marine officers) and the Engineer Officer Course in 1961. During his career, he was twice assigned to the Marksmanship Training Unit (MTU) at Quantico. He shot at the Camp Perry National Championship matches several times, leading the Marine team to the National Team Trophy in 1967 and becoming the National Service Rifle champion at his last tournament in 1979. He authored two Fleet Marine Force Manuals during his 26-year career: FMFM 1-3 Basic Rifle Marksmanship, and FMFM 1-3A Field Firing Techniques. Picking up the mantle of his father, he also co-authored FMFM 1-3B Sniping. In addition to his success on the rifle range, Lt. Col. Van Orden served two tours in Vietnam where he earned a combat action ribbon and the Navy Commendation Medal with valor. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1983 and tragically was killed in an automobile accident in 2013.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 George Kelly Van Orden (George 4)
Unlike his predecessors, George Kelly Van Orden did not grow up with aspirations to be either a Marine or a competitive shooter. When he was laid off from his job as a concrete truck driver at the age of 20, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. It was 1982 and his father performed his swearing in ceremony. Upon graduating from boot camp, he was assigned to the newly formed Engineer Reconnaissance Team where he received training in demolition, jungle warfare and a host of recon skills. He spent time as an instructor at the Mountain Warfare School prior to another fleet tour and then two years as a Drill Instructor. He then served in a unique billet with The Minefield Maintenance section at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, locating, disarming, removing, replacing and rearming mines. In 1991 he became an instructor at the Amphibious Recon School in Coronado, CA. He became a “bill board” Marine in both looks and performance. In 1996 he was promoted to Warrant Officer. Many of the ordnance testing and evaluating duties that his grandfather had been responsible for as a senior field-grade officer were now handled by Warrant Officers. The youngest Van Orden played a key role in testing weapons such as the Joint Service Shotgun, Designated Marksman Rifle, M16A4 and the Squad Advanced Marksman rifle, a role reminiscent of his grandfather’s. It was during this tenure that he returned to competitive shooting, earning his distinguished rifle badge in 2001 thereby making the Van Ordens the only family to ever have three consecutive generations become distinguished shooters. George Kelly Van Orden retired in 2003 thus ending a dynasty of over achievers in an organization known for over achievement.
Evaluators Limited
Upon his retirement, General Van Orden along with his wife, Flora, opened a gun shop selling to Military and Law Enforcement personnel as well as individuals, especially competitive shooters. In the realm of “Collectibles,” their company is most closely aligned with Winchester and Smith & Wesson.
The Van Orden Model 70 Target and Sniper Rifles
Although his recommendation that the Marine Corps adopt the Model 70 as their sniper rifle in 1942 was rejected, General (then Captain) Van Orden never lost his affinity for the Winchester platform. At the conclusion of his career, he began custom building Model 70’s according to his personal preferences in two versions; the “Special Target” and the “Van Orden Sniper” models. The hardware was basically similar between the two models but the stock dimensions differed. A number of these rifles were sold to the military for competitive shooting and it’s estimated that many of those ultimately were pressed into service as sniper rifles in Viet Nam although none had been purchased initially for that intent. Today, Winchester Van Orden rifles bring a significant premium on the collectors’ market, much the way that an Armand Swenson 1911 does on the handgun market.
The S&W Highway Patrolman and Combat Masterpiece
The Van Orden’s were obviously a shooting family and Flora was no exception. She won the NRA East Coast pistol championship in 1941 and 42 with a Colt 1911 and according to her daughter, had a “wall of medals” and also “taught at least 2000 FBI agents how to shoot and helped to improve their scores” while living and competing near Quantico. She took the name “Evaluators” seriously, personally “evaluating” every firearm that they sold to ensure that her customers would be well equipped and defended. Every firearm that left their shop had a sticker on the box that said, “Ready for Service. Evaluated.” Her fervor caused her to “design” an improved version of the S&W “Masterpiece” series of revolvers by reducing the 6” barrels to 4” and adding the Baughman Quick Draw ramp front sight. In 1949 she took her design to S&W headquarters and convinced Carl Helstrom, president of S&W to make the alterations which became the “Combat Masterpiece.”
In 1954, the General and Flora convinced Helstrom, to make a less expensive version of the Model 27 which would be more readily marketable to law enforcement agencies. Flora originated the name “Highway Patrolman” for the new model. Thus the “Father of Marine Snipers” and the “Mother of the Combat Masterpiece” became the parents of the “Highway Patrolman.’’
A couple of years after meeting Flora, I attended a gun show in southern California while stationed at Camp Pendleton. While sifting through a pile of old holsters on a vendor’s table I found a Berns Martin holster for a 6” K-frame. Tragically, it was left-handed and useless to me. As I was putting it down, I noticed lettering cut into the back side of the holster that said, “Evaluators Quantico, VA.” I almost dislocated my shoulder trying to speed draw my wallet. Knowing the 4 generations of men and the one woman that represent the heritage behind that holster makes it priceless and deepens my appreciation for all my brothers that have served for the past 250 years.
— Greg Moats