While a member of the U.S. Congress and on the House Appropriations Committee, Wilson was responsible for securing millions of dollars for the CIA to arm the Afghani mujahedeen against the powerful Soviet military.  Some of those arms included the Barrett .50-caliber rifles manufactured in Murfreesboro.

Ronnie Barrett was involved in the covert effort but remained silently loyal to those involved over the years, dating back to the 1980s.  He said, “We frequently met with people from the front; some of whom were portrayed in the movie, and learned through them how the former Soviet Union was gripping that area of the world with an iron fist.  Their military was bombarding Afghanistan constantly 24 hours a day.  The freedom fighters had limited means of defense”.

Barrett still has the personal letter from Charlie Wilson, dated September 22, 1987, ordering the purchase of the Barrett rifles, which were picked up in Murfreesboro by the United States Government and routed through Pakistan and onto the Afghani freedom fighters.

“I think that it is interesting how much of a role Tennessee played in that covert operation,” recalled Barrett.  “The CIA actually purchased a large number of Tennessee mules from the mid-state to transport supplies, arms and munitions over the mountains and rough terrain in order to sneak them into Afghanistan.”

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Murfreesboro firearms manufacturer Ronnie Barrett was honored earlier this year by the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville through and exhibit that paid homage to Tennesseans whose lives and legacies have contributed to the rich and storied history of the Volunteer State.

According to Ronald Westphal, a curator at the museum, the exhibit, “Tennesseans: A People’s Legacy”, used artifacts to tell stories about outstanding personalities from the 1700s to the present. “It was designed to give a sampling of the richness of Tennesseans who have over the centuries made our state what it is today.  Included among the artifacts was the Ronnie Barrett designed rifle, Model 82A1, that was used in the desert war, Operation Desert Storm.”

Barrett designed his first .50-caliber rifle back in 1982 in his Murfreesboro garage.  While the rifle was used in Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s, it was officially adopted by the United States Army in 2002 and named the M107.  The rifle was recognized in 2005 as one of the Top 10 Great Inventions for the United States military.  Barrett rifles have also been fielded by over 50 American allied countries around the world.

Westphal said, “The rifle was joined by artifacts representing many other personalities, including the Medal of Honor given to World War One hero Alvin C. York, the Red Cross cap of Mrs. C.A. Craig, the binoculars of early naturalist Emma Bell Miles, the portrait of John Sevier by Charles Willson Peale, an early postman’s wagon from DeKalb County, and recognition of Sarah Childress Polk, a native of Murfreesboro who became the first lady of both Tennessee and the United States as wife of Governor and U.S. President James K. Polk.”

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