"Sons of Guns" Review: Showing True Respect for a Local Hero

“Somewhere between a rare privilege and a high honor.”

That’s how Will Hayden describes being in the presence of Congressional Medal of Honor Winner, Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, on tonight’s episode of “Sons of Guns.”

“Guns” is a docu-series that follows Will, his daughter, Stephanie, and the rest of the crew at Red Jacket in Baton Rouge. Red Jacket is a unique gun shop where they not only sell guns, but they also customize, repair and restore guns and other weapons.

It’s the restoration part of the business that involves Cabell County resident Woody (His last name is never given during the show.) as he entrusts Will and the gang to restore his World War II flamethrower after they meet at the World War II museum.

I don’t think it’s a surprise that the crew fixes the flamethrower rather easily. The real drama comes after the repairs as Will reveals the reason behind his hesitation to fire it.

Also in the episode, Stephanie shows her gun knowledge to a customer trying to scam the shop and Will teaches a pretty important lesson about using guns as home defense.

The show does a great job balancing the nuts and bolts of the flamethrower repair with a history lesson and it manages to mix in some humor too. Several things actually made me laugh out loud.

But in the end, the episode is all about Woody. If you’ve read the story in today’s “Herald-Dispatch,” you know that some dramatic license has been taken in the episode. But don’t let that get in your way of enjoying a fun and important half-hour. I say important, because it pays great tribute to Woody and his heroism during the war as each member of the Red Jacket crew is humbled by his accomplishments. Anyone watching will gain a great deal of respect for Woody and his comrades as well.

Plus, how can you resist watching an 87-year-old veteran fire a flamethrower?

“Sons of Guns” airs tonight (Wednesday, February 2nd) at 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel. You can watch clips from the episode here.

Photo Credit: Discovery Channel