BB Between the Eyes

(Left to Right: Robert "Red" Halverson, Albert "Grandpa" Halverson, Duane Halverson and Earl Halverson)

CULTURAL ARTIFACT – Family Legend

Ashley Halverson

Informant: Scott Halverson

Facebook Messaging

3 March 2013

Title:

“BB Between the Eyes”

Genre:

Family Legend

Informant:

Colonel Scott J. Halverson was born and raised in Rupert, Idaho. He is 45 years old. Halverson attended Utah State University and graduated from the school’s ROTC program. He holds a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Technology. As an Apache Helicopter Pilot in the United States Army, Halverson had the opportunity to live in many exciting places, such as Rhode Island, Arizona, and Germany, to name a few. He and his wife and three children are stationed in Fort Rucker, Alabama,  though he is currently deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan as the Inspector General for the NATO Forces. This year-long deployment will end in June 2014. Halverson is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He enjoys fishing, boating, flying, and hunting. I am his oldest daughter.

Context:

This story is often told when Halverson’s family comes together, which does not happen very often as a result of the distance between them. In regards to safety, it is a story Halverson enjoys telling in order to increase safety awareness. I asked Halverson to share this story with me after having heard it from him several times over the years. Because he is in Afghanistan, our conversation was held through the Facebook messaging system.

Text:

09:57pm Scott Halverson: So when I was a kid my dad gave me my first BB gun. It wasn't a Red Rider but it was still my first gun that actually shot something out of the end. When my Grandpa saw me with it he said "Scott you better be careful with that thing and don't shoot any of the glass lying around here." Grandpa had a lot of antique colored glass jars and bottles around the farm that would shatte [shatter] when shot with a BB gun. I told Grandpa that he didn't have to worry because it was "just a BB gun". That's when he called me over and sat me on his lap and asked if he could look at my new BB gun. He looked at it and sat it down and told me his story: He said, Scott, when I was a kid we all had deer hides that we had collected from past hunting seasons that we dried in the son [sun]. On the non-hairy side we painted red targets to shoot at. My friends and I would get together with our "BB guns" and one guy would walk down range with the deer hide held on his back and the other kid would shoot it for awhile. Then we'd swap out and the other kid would hold it on his back while we shot. One day, when it was my turn to hold the target I grabbed the deer hide and walked down to where I was supposed to be shot. I stood there and stood there and nothing happend. So I turned around to see what was taking the kid so long which was exactly when [he] shot. The BB hit me in the head square between the eyes. "It hurt like hell!" Blood started to trickle down my nose but I didn't want to tell my parents what happend so I told them I had been hit with a rock. A fraction of an inch to the left or right and I would have lost an eye. As it was I got a BB stuck between my eyes.

10:00pm Scott Halverson: I wasn't sure I believed him so I asked -"Really Grandpa?" and he said "Really" and he took my finger and put it in the spot directly at the top of his nose, centered between his eyes and moved my finger left and right and I could feel the BB THAT WAS STILL THERE rolling around under my finger. He taught me one of my most important lessons regarding guns. They are all dangerous, no matter how small or how big. Until I was old enough to know better I would often ask my Grandpa if I could feel the BB because it was kind of cool to know it was there.

10:01pm Scott Halverson: Love you Ashley. I hope that's what you needed.

Texture:

Halverson wrote out this family legend while sitting in his office in Afghanistan. Because I am familiar with the way my father types, it is plain to me that he was trying to be somewhat humorous as he told the story. Halverson is someone who is used to speaking with his hands, so the limitations of typing the story were probably a bit irritating. When he felt his grandpa’s forehead, he showed his shock at feeling the BB by typing in all caps.

Meaning:

This exchange between my father and his grandfather was obviously important to both of them. For my dad, it was an exciting and funny experience with a person he looked up to. For his grandfather, it was an opportunity to share knowledge with his grandson in order to keep him safe. To me, this is an amazing story that I greatly enjoy listening to. We often forget that our parents were once children as well. Hearing about this interaction reminds me of that fact and teaches me that I must enjoy the time I have with family while we are together.

Ashley Halverson

Utah State University

Professor Bonnie Moore

English 2010-0035

12:00-1:20

Spring 2014