01Nov04

Sage comments from a friend in DEA on concealment:

"As to your friend's comments about concealed pistols in his deploye d unit, I will relate the following:

On my third tour with a jungle operations team in South America, the aircraft I was on crashed while attempting to land on a clandestine airstrip in an area controlled by drug traffickers. I, and a host national, were taken into custody by a heavily armed, local 'militia group.' We were q uickly stripped of all weapons and explosives, or so they thought. A poor search failed to disclose that I was carrying concealed a Glock 17 under my fatigues.

At gunpoint, We were loaded on another aircraft and removed from the crash site. Assuming that I would be strip searched shortly after landing (whereve r they were taking us), I began to formulate a plan based around the 18 rounds

of 9mm. Fortunately, friendlies had made radio contact with our 'ho sts.' Upon landing, everything was resolved without incident.

Having a pistol available opened a host of options that would have been unavailable to me had it not been there. My true piece of mind was that, i f it was my time to meet my maker, I could make the opportunity to bring many wi th me. They're not getting me without a fight!"

Comment: Me neither!

/John