nra book vol 10

7/27/2019 NRA Book vol 10

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Welcome to theWarrior . ON THE COVER: At the 2012 NRA National Police Shooting Championships, Senior U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Vadasz became the first four-time individual champion in the Border Patrol’s illustrious history at theNPSC. Photo by Don Jones. THIS SPREAD: The NRA and NASCAR have supported one another for years, but this past Labor Day weekend the ante was upped as the NRA sponsored the NRA American Warrior 300 tohonor, and entertain, all those who serve this great nation. Photo by Michael Ives.



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WARRIORWARE

A M E R I C A N WA R R I O R

Bad guys, take note!

The next generation of Ford’s venerable police vehicles began rolling off theline at the Chicago Assembly Plant earlier this year. The Ford Police Interceptor

sedan will replace the Crown Victoria, which ended production last year.For the first time, Ford also has added a second Police Interceptor to the

lineup, a utility vehicle to provide customers a choice of the best vehicle to suit

their needs.“Police nationwide asked for a new kind of weapon in the battle for public

safety, and Ford is answering the call with a purpose-built vehicle—engineered

INTERCEPT THIS!



We missed the Vic,

until we laid eyes on

the Interceptor.

P H O T O C R E D

I T : F O R D M O T O R C O M P A N Y



WARRIORWARE

Email the Editor Sponsor an LOD Membership

FORD



Tatiunt quat aperum re volupis dolupta turionet inim

suntum sequistotam late odiam ea dolestrum lit

officimolor re rero Tatiunt quat aperum re volupis

dolupta turionet inim suntum sequistotam late

odiam ea dolestrum lit officimolor re rero

and built in America—that’s as dynamic as it is durable,” said Lisa Teed,marketing manager for the Police Interceptor line.

Building on Ford’s long-standing tradition of safety, the Police Interceptor is engineered to pass 75-mph rear-end crash testing.

The new Police Interceptor also features Ford’s exclusive Safety Canopyside-curtain airbag rollover protection system to help protect front and rear

outboard passengers in both rollover and side-impact crashes.Power-wise, the Interceptor provides a V6 lineup that performs equal

to or better than most V8 engines. A highly efficient 3.5-liter V6 enginedelivering at least 263 horsepower and E85 compatibility is 25 percent more efficient than the outgoing 4.6-liter single-overhead-cam V8 it is

replacing. Plus, the all-new 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 twin-turbocharged,direct-injection engine will deliver at least 365 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft.

of torque across a broad rpm range.

Fast, safe and sporting the fanciest stereo

system we’ve ever seen.

P H O T O C R E D

I T : F O R D M O T O R C O M P A N Y



WARRIORWARE

Email the Editor Visit the Gear Channel

DODGE

Them Duke boys are

gonna be trapped like

two foxes in a hen house

with a sack fulla eggs.

P H O T O C R E D I T : C H R Y S L E R G R O U P L L C .



In its third model year, the Dodge

Charger Pursuit is all about continuedimprovement. And recent developments

reflect critical thinking to better serve the needs of cops on the street. This year’s model boasts custom-sculpted seats with cut-outs to

accommodate police and special service equipment, a brilliantly clear

full-color Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) screen for instant vehicle information, tough GEN 3 front hubs, and improvements to

reduce brake vibration and judder. Dodge also supplies the vehiclesystem Interface Module as standard equipment.

All that’s great, but it’s a Charger and you want to know what’s purring (or growling) under the hood. The Charger Pursuit has power to spare. It’s

available in 3.6L Pentastar V6 with available 50-state Flex Fuel at 292hp/ 260 lb-ft of torque, or 5.7L HEMI V8 with Fuel Saver Technology at 370 hp/395 lb-ft of torque.

Dodge also didn’t skimp on safety with the Charger Pursuit. Awardedas a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS in 2011 and 2012, this year’s model

features reactive head restraints, advanced multistage front airbags,supplemental front-seat mounted side thorax airbags, supplemental side-

curtain airbags and 4-wheel heavy-duty disc brakes with unique ElectronicStability Control, including All-Speed Traction Control and Brake Assist.

CHARGE!



Chevrolet’s Caprice PPV was designed exclusively as a police car, so its roster of standard and available exterior features deliver the performance, comfort

and safety that police departments need. The manufacturer says the Caprice PPV, offered in both police and detective

models, is not based on an existing “civilian” passenger car sold in North

America, but has been developed in key areas specifically for police duty.In the Michigan State Police’s annual evaluation testing, the Caprice PPV

delivered higher top speed than both the Charger and Interceptor. It featuresa standard 3.6L V-6 rated at 301 horsepower (224 kW) that delivers a strong

ON PATROL!

WARRIORWARE


CHEVY



Faster than the

Charger and the

Interceptor? Let’s line

‘em up and prove it.

P H O T O C R E D I T : G E

N E R A L M O T O R S



WARRIORWARE

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balance of performance and efficiency. Also availableis a 6.0L V8, rated at 355 horsepower (265 kW), withfuel-saving technology and E85 capability.

The Caprice PPV’s body employs ultra-high-strengthsteel for greater strength and crash protection, while

standard and available air bags offer protection in theevent of a crash. Dual-stage driver and front passenger

air bags are standard, along with head curtain air bagsfor the driver and front passenger, front seat back-

mounted thorax air bags and—new this year—driver andfront passenger knee air bags.

So rev it up, and give it hell.

THE CAPRICE PPV’S BODY

EMPLOYS ULTRA-HIGH-STRENGTH STEEL FORGREATER STRENGTH ANDCRASH PROTECTION ...

CHEVY



P H O T O C R E D I T : G E N E R A L M O T O R S



WARRIORWARE

Email the Editor View Patriot Profiles

SEGS4VETS



When our severely injured service membersreturn home from Iraq and Afghanistan, many

have little hope—and even less mobility.Since 2005, Segs4Vets has provided

qualified injured and wounded veterans

with a mobility device that does not drawattention to their disability. The Segway solves

many of the mobility issues facing disabledveterans in a manner that is psychologically

uplifting and physically beneficial—rekindling in many the desire and motivation tocontinue to serve their families, their nation

and their fellow man. The program, operated by volunteers, was

presented the 2010 Spirit of Hope Award bythe Office of the Secretary of Defense and the

Secretary of the Army’s Public Service Award

for distinguished public service in providing outstanding support to our nation’s veterans. To learn more, make a donation, or apply to

receive a Segway, go to www.segs4vets.org.

MAKING LIFE BETTERFOR WOUNDED VETERANS

PHOTO CREDIT: SEGS4VETS



WARRIORWARE


PROOF

You’re careful with your rifle. We know you are. In many cases, your firearm

is what gets you home or back to base safety.But we know, and you know, that accidents happen. Barrels get banged

and dinged, and when that happens, accuracy suffers.

What you need is some insurance. Insurance that your rifle’s barrel can

be smacked around with reckless abandon and still function with theaccuracy you depend on. That insurance is available from Proof Researchin the form of their patented carbon-fiber wrapped barrels, lighter than

steel and seven times stronger than steel by weight.Proof is in the pudding, though—or in this case, the proof is in the

hammering. Watch the video included at right and see that your new Proof

Research barrel can double as a sledgehammer and still shoot reasonablysound groupings.

Proof’s carbon-fiber wrapped barrels are available for AR15s and AR10sand for bolt-action rifles in all common calibers, twists and lengths.

YOUR RIFLE IS A HAMMER.HERE’S PROOF.



WARRIORWARE


SOUNDGEAR



SOUNDGEAR: PROTECTING TWO OFYOUR MOST VALUABLE ASSETS

If you’re around shooting often—and as

a reader of this magazine, you probablyare—you know how important it is to

take care of your hearing. SoundGear byLaPierre is a shooting protection product

that is 100 percent digital and enhancesenvironmental awareness while alsoprotecting your hearing from gun blasts.

SoundGear is a brand-new categoryof electronic hearing protection that

combines the instant-fit convenience of a behind-the-ear device with the comfort

of a customized device—way better thanbulky earmuffs or standard earplugs.

Wear it once; you’ll be sold. The units deliver dynamic digital

protection for your ears, eliminate

annoying feedback for a virtually whistle-free experience, and feature a noise

reduction rating (NRR) of 25 dB.And here’s the best news. As a NRA

Life of Duty gear sponsor, SoundGear by LaPierre is offering NRA Life of

Duty members $200 off the CompleteSoundGear Kit, which features a pair of

SoundGear digital hearing protectiondevices, two pairs of orange siliconesleeves, two pairs of black silicone

sleeves, a battery removal tool, twopacks of batteries, a cleaning brush and

a 1-year limited warranty.

Can you hear me now? You could if

you’d have been wearing these. odiam



WARRIORWARE


DARPA

You know the part in X-Men where

Professor Charles Xavier puts on that

Cerebro hat and can see mutants allover the world? That’s the first thing that came to mind when we readabout DARPA’s Cognitive Technology

Threat Warning System or CT2WS for short (presumably because Cerebro

was already taken). The science involved makes about

as much sense to us as something you’d read in a comic book, but

here’s the gist of it:Warfighters use their eyes to detect

threats, but eyes get tired (or gloss

over when reading about DARPAtechnology). Binoculars, radar and

high-tech cameras can help, but what if you had a cap you could put

on that would allow you to see the Taj Mahal, or approaching enemies, on clearer days?

The CT2WS consists of a really powerful camera, something called cognitive visual processing algorithms and, sure enough,an electroencephalogram cap. Slap on the cap, fire up the

computer you’re now connected to, and DARPA says your brainis better able to detect, evaluate and categorize the threats you

might not have noticed without the cap.Or something like that. Seems time would be better spent

developing Wolverine claws.

PUT ON YOURDARPA-DESIGNEDTHINKING CAP

P H O T O C R E D I T : D A R P A



“Hello, DARPA? Hey, it’s

Charles. Cerebro is on the

fritz again and I have adesperate need for mutants.”



WARRIORWARE


Usain Bolt best cash

his endorsement

checks while he can.

DARPA



WARRIORWARE

Email the Editor

DARPA

One if by land ... and

one if by sea. For the

CAAT, it’s all good.

And we’re not talking the kind that meows and gets hair on your clothes and barf

on your carpet, either! This “CAAT” stands for Captive Air Amphibious Transporter, and DARPA’s recently

released video of a brand-new generation prototype of tank/boat hybrid haspeople purring.

The vehicle is basically a tank, but add air-filled treads for buoyancy andamphibious propulsion, and you have the ideal vehicle for ship-to-shore operations

that also operates on dry land.

Designed for use in supply during unconventional warfare scenarios and alsoideal for assisting during humanitarian disasters, a single mid-size container vessel

can carry 5,000 20-foot cargo containers, or about 100,000 tons of cargo.Next on the drawing board: the LOL CAAT, a tank/boat hybrid overlaid with a

hilarious caption.

IT’S A CAAT.

P H O T O C R E D I T : D A R P A



After a ride in

this, we’ll never

be able to go

back to coach.

Flying a rocket plane at many times thespeed of sound was just a far-fetched idea

seen in Hollywood movies and TV seriesonly a generation ago. Soon it could be

a reality.

The U.S. military aims to fly a full-scalerocket plane at 20 times the speed of sound by 2016, according to reports from

the Defense Advanced Research ProjectsAgency (DARPA).

Mach 20 is about 13,000 mph—enough

speed to enable the Department of Defense to get anywhere in the world in

under an hour.“By broadening the scope of research

and engaging a larger community in our efforts, we have the opportunity to usher

in a new area of flight more rapidly and, indoing so, develop a new national security

capability far beyond previous initiatives,” explained Air Force Maj. Christopher

Schulz, DARPA program manager. The program is designed to address technical challenges and improve

understanding of long-range hypersonic flight through an initial full-scalebaseline test of an existing hypersonic test vehicle, followed by a series of

subscale flight tests, innovative ground-based testing, expanded modeling andsimulation, and advanced analytic methods, culminating in a test flight of a full-scale hypersonic X-plane (HX) in 2016.

WHEN YOU REALLYNEED TO GETTHERE NOW

P H O T O

C R E D I T : D A R P A



WARRIORWARE


BUGOUT SUV

If you’re looking for a snazzy new ride and have a half million bucks burning a hole in your pocket, might wesuggest you take a look at the Conquest Evade?

Well-known for its armored utility vehicles,Conquest’s Evade is the Canadian company’s first

venture into the non-armored category. But youcouldn’t tell it by looking. The rugged, hard-edged exterior, atop a Ford F550

Super Duty chassis, says “ultra-tough.” Yet early

O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E

BATMAN’S SUV?



W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R

P H O T O C R E D I T : C O N Q U E S T V E H I C L E S I N C .



WARRIORWARE


O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E

BUGOUT SUV



... THE INTERIOR IS ALL LUXURY,WITH 2 + 2 LIMOUSINE-STYLE

SEATING, DECKED OUT INLEATHER AND OTHER HIGH-DOLLAR ACCOUTREMENTS.reports say the interior is all luxury, with 2 + 2 limousine-

style seating, decked out in leather and other high-dollar accoutrements. The Evade has been called “Batman’s SUV.” And judging

from the price, at $579,000 it’ll take Bruce Wayne toactually afford one.

W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R W A R E | W A R R I O R

P H O T O C R E D I T : C O N Q U E S T V E H I C L E S I N C .



WARRIORWARE


PRINTED AR



YOU’VE GOTTO BE KIDDING!

O R W A R E

|

W A R R I O R W A R E

|

W A R R I O R W A

R E

|

W A R R I O R W

A R E

| W A R R I O R

W A R E

|

W A R R I

The recent buzz about an amateur gunsmith“printing” a serviceable .22-caliber pistol using

a 3D printer and plastic feedstock has grown

even louder with his more recent “printing” of an AR-15 style rifle.And no, we’re not making this up!

The gunsmith reportedly downloaded plans

for an AR-15 lower receiver into the SolidWorksfile format from a website. Combining the

lower with off-the-shelf components, heproduced the AR (which he points out is not

reliably functional as a .223).

On one hand, most gun nuts are ecstaticabout the technological advances. And as

expected, gun-banners are wringing their hands over what the future could hold with

such advanced technology.If these 3D printers are anything like the

printers we use at Warrior HQ, the gun-bannershave little to worry about. PC LOAD LETTER?

What the @#$& does that mean?

PHOTO CREDIT: HAVEBLUE



FightvilleMixed-martial arts fans should

enjoy this documentary that follows

two up-and-coming fighters, Dustin

“The Diamond” Poirier and Albert

Stainback, working their way through

the gritty minor leagues of MMA

cage fighting. Filmmakers Michael

Tucker and Petra Epperlein, whoseprevious documentaries have

focused on aspects of the war in

Iraq, follow Poirier and Stainback

as they battle their way through

Louisiana Cajun country, both

hoping to make it to the big time.

VIRTUALWARRIORMUSIC, VIDEO, GAMES, APPS …



The CabinIn The WoodsFive attractive young people head

off for a weekend of fun at a remote

cabin, where they’re quickly cut off from

communication with the outside world

and set upon by all manner of horrors. You think you’ve seen this movie before,

but The Cabin in the Woods is one

of the most inventive, original horror/

comedy films we’ve seen in a long time.

There are too many twists and turns to

mention, and it would be a crime to give

them away, but know this: The movie

features a killer unicorn. What morecould you ask for?

WHAT2WATCH BETWEENWATCHES



SafeDeath, taxes and Jason Statham

kicking ass: These are the things

guaranteed in life. In Safe,

former British diver and current

go-to action star Statham plays

an ex-cage fighter and special

operator who’s gotten himself onthe wrong side of the Russian mob.

Coincidentally enough, he comes

in contact with a young Chinese

girl who is also being hounded by

the same Russian mobsters. Small

world. What follows is a formulaic,

by-the-numbers Statham action

movie—our favorite kind.

MOVIESVIRTUAL WARRIOR

Visit NRA Life of Duty Network



BattleshipWhen we first heard that Hollywood was

making a movie based on the classic

Milton Bradley/Hasbro strategy game

Battleship we were pretty sure it was

a joke. Then we heard Rihanna had a

starring role, and we were certain of it. As

it turns out, Battleship, which pits

U.S. Navy ships against invading aliens in

the Pacific Ocean, is a pretty entertaining

flick. True, it has its failings—we’re still

not sure why the aliens attacked—but the

special effects are fantastic and the movie

features actual Army and Navy veterans in

significant roles. Also keep your eye open

for a great performance by active-duty

Col. Gregory Gadson, the newly appointed

Commander at Fort Belvoir (Va.).

WHAT2WATCHBETWEENWATCHES



MUSICSponsor an LOD Membership

VIRTUAL WARRIOR

The Heavy:The Glorious Dead

As much as we loved the infectious funk rock of

How You Like Me Now off 2009’s The House That Dirt

Built , we’d have bet that The Heavy were destined for

one-hit wonder status. We would have lost that bet.

The Glorious Dead doesn’t have a single as catchy as

How You Like Me Now , but it’s probably a better overall

album than their 2009 release.



Testament: Dark Roots of Earth Sometimes we wonder what rock would be like if Buddy Holly had taken the bus

instead of the plane, if Jimi Hendrix had been a teetotaler and if Metallica had never

put out The Black Album. The lattermost question has been made irrelevant now that

we’ve had a listen to Testament’s Dark Roots of Earth. This is thrash metal the way it

once was and was always meant to be.

Blackberry Smoke: The Whipporwill If the South is indeed gonna rise again, Blackberry Smoke will provide

the soundtrack. The top-notch blend of country and rock presented

here evokes images of beat-up pickup trucks, dusty back roads and

drinking establishments with peanut shells on the floor.



Cost: 99 cents The NRA Gun Guide app brings detailed informationand specs on more than 600 current-productionrifles, pistols and shotguns to your smart device. Thegoal is to expand to more than 1,000 firearms bythe end of 2012 and grow from there. Future plansinclude shooting-instruction videos, tips for buying used firearms and more. If you’re going out to shopfor a new firearm, you’ll want to have this apploaded up and ready.

APPSOLUTEESSENTIALS


VIRTUAL WARRIOR APPS

NRA Gun Guide



Cost: 99 cents This app aims to alleviatesome of the concern familymembers may have for

their loved ones involvedin military operations. Through My Soldier ,

family members or other concerned individualscan request status updates from deployedmilitary personnel, who can in turn respond withpredefined responses letting loved ones know theyare OK without divulging sensitive information that could jeopardize a mission.

Cost: Free If you’re looking for a realistic hunting simulator, lookelsewhere. But, if the idea of taking out a stampeding herd of wild game with a pistol appeals to you … well,this app is free. It’s also pretty and doesn’t seem to crashmuch. Did we mention it’s free?

Deer Hunter Reloaded

My Soldier



Real LifeAssassin’sCreedParkourWho says video

games can’t providea workout?

MadisonRising

The Star Spangled Banner , as

performed by oneof our favorite new

groups.

VIDEOSVIRTUAL WARRIOR

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Drift Racervs. PoliceWe don’t want to

spoil it, but this guyloses a nice spoiler.

Peaceand Quiet

If you’re not registered

to vote yet, Gunnywould like a word.

YOUTUBETHE CLIPLOADED WITH OUR FAVORITE VIDEOS



iven the success of the original Borderlands video game,which sold upward of 4 million copies, a sequel wasreally a no-brainer. Borderlands 2 is finally here, and it doesn’t disappoint.

The sequel mimics the first person shooter/role-playing style of the

orginal Borderlands, but with a number of additions. In Borderlands 2,

you’ll have four all-new characters to choose from as a player with each

character exhibiting a unique skill set. There’s the “Gunzerker” character,


VIRTUAL WARRIOR GAMES




who can wield two weapons at a time, the “Assassin,”

who is able to enter a stealth mode for sneak attacks on

enemies, a turret-wielding

“Commando” character, and

the siren character namedMaya, who has the ability to

suspend enemies in midair.

Gameplay will be

relatively familiar to fans

of the original Borderlands.

Basically, you’ll pick your

character, grab a gun (or

two) and start taking out

a plethora of baddies. Theweapon system has been expanded and overhauled in

Borderlands 2, and you’ll find the enemies are quite a bit

Gameplay willbe relativelyfamiliar to fansof the original

Borderlands .




The weapon system

has been expandedand overhauled…


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Email the Editor Buy Now

VIRTUAL WARRIORGAMES

There’s a lot ofarea to explore,which shouldresult in the gamestaying fresh forquite some time.


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Availability: Xbox 360, PS3 & PC ($59.99)




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Are You Ready for Some Football?

he Madden franchise has pretty much been theking of football video games for the last twodecades—and for good reason. No other NFL game

boasts the realism in graphics and playabilitythat EA Sports pours into its Madden games. The newest release in the series, Madden NFL 13, is no exception and,in fact, ups the ante in realism with numerous important advancements over previous versions.

Additionally, and quite importantly, EA seems to have addressed some

bugs that plagued Madden NFL 11 and Madden NFL 12. While the last

couple of versions of Madden NFL were prone to freezing on Xbox and

T



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Visit NRA Life of Duty

Playstation, we encountered no such

problem playing Madden 13 on Xbox

360. And that’s a very good thing. We

were able to jump right into the game

with no problems. There’s a little bit of a

learning curve involved here if you want

to master some of Madden NFL 13’s

new features, but even those players

new to the franchise will have no troublepicking up the basics of the game.

One of the major improvements in

Madden NFL 13 is evident in the passing

game. With 25 different pass trajectories

available, you can put the ball right

where you want it—in the receiver’s

hands and away from the defender. You’ll also notice this year

that the receiver icons change appearance based on whether or not the receiver is looking for the pass, so, as a quarterback,

You’ll alsonotice this

year thatthe receivericons changeappearance ...

GAMES



Availability: Xbox 360 & PS3 ($59.99), PS Vita ($39.99), Wii ($49.99)



you’ll need to keep your eyes downfield and pay

attention to timing when you release the ball. Pass

defense also seems to be more realistic in this version.

That doesn’t necessarily make passing easier or harder,

but does make it quite a bit less frustrating. In previous

Madden games, pass defenders displayed almost

psychic powers in their ability

to bat away passes from

your intended receiver. Here,

the defensive backs behave

more like normal, human NFL

DBs. If you place your pass

accurately, and release it at

the proper time and at theproper trajectory, you won’t

be foiled by a DB who seems

to have eyes in the back of

his head.

The other big advancement in Madden 13 is the

under-the-hood addition of something called the

“Infinity Engine,” which brings more realistic physics to

the action on the field. What that means to the gamer

is far more realistic-looking collisions and tons moretackle animations.

Everything about Madden NFL 13—the television

production-like intros, the roar of the crowd, the

commentating of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms and the

realistic movements of players—is designed to make

this game look and feel as much as possible like the

product you watch on TV on a Sunday afternoon. If you

have the Xbox Kinect system hooked up, you’re even

The “InfinityEngine” ...brings more

realistic physicsto the actionon the field.





able to call out a limited number of voice commands, including play audibles

and defensive line shifts.

Those gamers averse to change may initially be disturbed by the apparent

disappearance of Franchise and Online Franchise modes and the ability to

create players. Rest assured: Those options

are still in the game; they’ve simply been

consolidated and renamed as the Connected

Careers mode.We have no reservations about calling

Madden NFL 13 the best-looking, best-feeling,

best-playing Madden game in recent history.

The gameplay is addictive and realistic, the

graphics are top-notch and with Connected

Careers mode, there are enough playing

options to keep the game fresh for a long, long

time. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Madden

games or completely new to the experience,

pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed.

We have no

reservationsabout calling Madden NFL 13 the best-looking, best-feeling, best-playing

Madden game inrecent history.



Whether you’re a longtimefan of Madden games or completely new to theexperience, pick this one up.



t the time of this writing we were still a couple

of weeks away from the official release of the

latest installment in the Resident Evil franchise,

but here’s what we know. This third-person shooter/horror game is set after

the events of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City ,

and the entire world is on edge in anticipation of further




bioterrorist attacks. The situation seems hopeless with even the

president of the United States succumbing to infection and mutation.

As a player, you’ll work your way through three different but

interconnected storylines, playing as either Leon (in the U.S.), Chris (in

China) or Jake (in eastern Europe). Each of these three characters will be

teamed with partners, and once their storylines are completed another

character, Ada, and campaign will be unlocked.

Resident Evil veterans are in for a challenge as the zombies in RE6 are

reportedly quicker and more agile than ever before. You’ve also got a new

i n R E 6 a re





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J’avo display human intelligence and the ability to organize. They can

communicate with one another and are as adept in the use of weaponry,

if not more so, than your character.

What we’re anticipating is a re-emphasis on horror in RE6. The

interrelated story scenarios should result in an expansive gaming

experience that’ll take a good deal of time to compete. Have you

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S P O N S O R E D B Y C O L T

Caliber:

Operation:

Magazine Capacity:

Trigger:

Barrel Length:

Overall Length Extended:

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COLT “PRO” CRP-18

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30 rounds (10 rounds where required)

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18"

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Email the Editor Visit NRA Life of Duty Network

B Y C L A Y T U R N E R

R E P O R T F R O M T R AC K S I D E :

T H E N R A A M E R I C A N W A R R I O R 3 0

0

N AS C A R N AT I O N W I D E S E R I E S

R AC E

AT L A N T A M O T O R S P E E D W AY , L A B O R D AY W E E K E N D , 2 0 12




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o f U.S. se r v ice me n a nd t he i r fa m i l ies

i n a t te nda nce a t t he N R A A me r i c a n

W a r r i o r 300 N ASC A R Na t io n w ide

Se r ies Race.



he earnest young soldier was one of 30Army Rangers from nearby Fort Benning who, along with their families, were guestsof the National Rifle Association at theNRA American Warrior 300 NASCAR

Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Dayweekend. He was being honest, just as we expect from those whoserve our country. Although he was a supporter of the NRA, he hadn’t yet seen NRA American Warrior , a digital magazine for those who put their lives on the line for the rest of us. That’s one of the reasons NRAwas sponsoring the race—to spread the Warrior word.

But it wasn’t the only reason—or even the mainreason—that NRA stepped up to sponsor its first

NASCAR race.More on that later. » » » » »

“ I C A N ’ T S AY I ’ M

F A M I L I A R W I T H

T H E P R O D U C T ...

B U T I A M A F A N

O F T H E B R A N D .”

N AS C A R W E LC O M E S W A R R I O R



Email the Edi tor Sponsor an L OD Membership

“ T H E Y ’ R E U S I N G

I T T O H O N O R N O T

O N LY T H E S O L D I E R S T H E M S E LV E S , B U T

T H E F A M I L I E S —

S O M E O F W H O M

H AV E P A I D T H E

U LT I M AT E P R I C E .”

N AS C A R W E LC O M E S

W A R R I O R



NRA and NASCAR have enjoyed a close friendship for years, primarilythrough Speedway Children’s Charities.

“Bruton Smith (owner of the Atlanta Motor Speedway and seven other NASCAR host tracks) and I started this in 1982,” said retired Air Force Maj. Gen.

Tom Sadler, executive director of Speedway Children’s Charities. “NRA hasalways been one of our supporters. They’ve been with us longer than any big

sponsor we have.”From his office overlooking Turn 4, Atlanta Motor Speedway President

Ed Clark spoke over the roar of Sprint Cup practice.“NRA has been great partners with our company for 15 years, largely through

Speedway Children’s Charities. We’re all supporters of NRA, and the relationshipand the friendship developed through that.

“This [ American Warrior 300] isa bit of a step up, and it is a uniquething,” he added. “They’re using it to

honor not only soldiers themselves,but the families—some of whom havepaid the ultimate price.”

NRA made 25,000 ticketsavailable to active duty military, lawenforcement and first responders,free of charge, to honor their serviceand to recognize the sacrifice madeby those who live a life of duty. It

was all about them.And NASCAR Nation rose to the occasion,

extending their appreciation—and a little serendipity, too.For example, on Friday night, Ty Dillon won the Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 200

Camping World Truck Series race wearing NRA sponsorship, donated by BassPro Shops, on his truck. Ty is the younger brother of Austin Dillon, who drives the#3 Advocare entry in the Nationwide Series (which has occasionally worn NRAlivery, also donated by Bass Pro Shops). Both Dillons drive for RCR and are thegrandchildren of team owner Richard Childress, an NRA Board member. And,

of course, NRA members will remember that Foxworthy simultaneously filledthe arena and brought down the house at the 2011 NRA Annual Meetings &

Me i l i ng Ho us to n, w ido w o f Na v y S E A

L Ke v i n

Ho us to n, a nd he r so n E t ha n. Ke v i n Ho

us to n was

o ne o f 30 se r v ice me n los t o n A ug. 6, 2011, w he

n

t he i r he l ico p te r was s ho t do w n o ve r A fg ha n is ta n.

A t la n ta Mo to r S peed wa y

P res ide n t Ed C la r k



Exhibits in St. Louis.On Warrior 300 race day,

thousands of fans arrived earlyin the day to enjoy the sponsorsoutside of the main gate. Jamie Gray,2012 Olympic gold medalist in theWomen’s 50-meter three-position riflecompetition, was engaging fans at the impressive U.S. Army Strength In

Action Zone. (Her husband, Staff Sgt.Hank Gray, is a member of the U.S.

Army Marksmanship Unit.)“When I started shooting international rifle, I got an NRA grant, shot a lot

of NRA matches, went to the national matches at Camp Perry six or seventimes—it was a big match for us every year,” she said. “We shot smaller NRAmatches around the area. I’m a Life member.”

That evening, pre-race festivities began with an unusual cast of paradegrand marshals: the families of fallen Navy SEALs Adam Brown, Kevin

Houston and Thomas Ratzlaff. Brown gave his life serving the United Stateson March 17, 2010, and both Thomas Ratzlaff and Kevin Houston were killedin Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011. The children—Nathan and Savannah Brown,Barrett, Sepp and Sophia Ratzlaff, and Michael, Jaina and Ethan Houston—gathered together before the race to deliver their practiced line: “Drivers,start your engines!” They sped off in a pair of convertible Camaro pace cars,accompanied by the roar of engines and the cheers of NASCAR fans.

Lt. Col. Jason Amerine had been chosen to wave the green flag. OnSept. 11, 2001, Amerine was a Green Beret watching the World Trade Center

collapse on TV from a cafe in Kazakhstan. His team, ODA 574, was soon

P R E - R AC E F E S T I V I T I E S B E G A N

W I T H A N U N U S U A L C AS T O F P A R A D E G R A N D M A R S H A LS .

Be lo w le f t: C h i ld re

n o f fa l le n wa r r io rs se r ve as ho no ra r

y g ra nd ma rs ha ls.

F ro m le f t to r ig h t, Sa va n na h B ro w n,

Ja i na Ho us to n, Ba r re t t Ra t z la f f, Se p p

Ra t z la f f, E t ha n Ho us to n, Na t ha n B ro w

n a nd M ic hae l Ho us to n.


W A R R I O R

2012 O l y m p ic

Go ld Meda l is t

Ja m ie G ra y a nd

h us ba nd, Ha n k




W A R R I O R



ordered into Afghanistan to join a tribal revolt in raising hell with the Taliban.Not all of them came home. And of those who did, not all came home whole.(Their full story is chronicled in the Patriot Profiles videos at NRALifeOfDuty.tv,and in Eric Blehm’s book, The Only Thing Worth Dying For .)

The significance of the day was not lost on Amerine.

“We didn’t think about days like today; it was about serving your country,carrying out the mission, fighting alongside your brothers and sisters, serving with honor,” Amerine said. “After coming down the stand and starting to walkup the grandstand, folks all around me spontaneously started standing andclapping and ... it was incredible. I was stunned for a moment to see that kind of outpouring of love and respect.

“The thing I’ll never forget, though, is that I came home, and men who servedwith me did not.”

The NRA American

Warrior 300 was wonby series contender Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.,who was driving for venerable team owner

Jack Roush. NRAcommissioned Idahosculptor Amber Conger to craft a unique

trophy from militaryhardware and firearmsilhouettes. Presenting it to Stenhouse in theWinner’s Circle was

Green Beret Greg Stube, survivor of an IED attack inAfghanistan and now a TV host and contributor to

NRA American Warrior magazine. Stube also had a

“ I C A M E H O M E , A N D M E N W H O

S E R V E D W I T H M E D I D N O T .”

A G ree n Be re t wa v

es t he g ree n f lag. L t. Co l.

Jaso n A me r i ne se nds t he race rs o f f t h

e s ta r t i ng

l i ne a t t he N R A A me r i c a n W a r r i o r 300.




“ T H E R E ’ S

N O T A M O R E P AT R I O T I C G R O U P O F P E O P L E

T H A N T H O S E H E R E AT T H E R AC E T R AC K

T H I S W E E K E N D .”

N AS C A R W E LC O M E S W A R R I O R

R ic k y S te n ho use, J

r.,

c rossed t he f i n is h

l i ne f i rs t a nd d ro ve

ho me w i t h N R A ’s

c us to m- made t ro p h y.



surprise in store for Stenhouse—a cased, engraved Bushmaster M4Patrolman Carbine, donated by the Freedom Group. That gift brought another raucous cheer from the crowd.

Why such a warm reception for America’s warriors by NASCARNation? The key to their affections can be found in the legendary

brand loyalty of NASCAR fans.By any measure, NASCAR fans rank above every other major

sport for fan loyalty—not by a little, but by a lot. And there’s nothing or nobody they are more loyal to than our service men and womenbattling day and night in far corners of the world to ensure we sleepsafely and peacefully at night here at home. These fans know that

we live in perilous times, and the only barrier standing between us and thoseintent on harming us is our armed forces.

You see, NASCAR fans remember who has done them this favor. They

repay their debts with their affections. They’re not just brand-loyal—they’reloyal, period!

“There’s not a more patriotic group of people than those here at theracetrack this weekend,” Clark continued. “They’re intensely loyal to their country and their families, and have the same values that the NRA fights for.I always say that if I’m going to go to war, I want to go with race fans.”




The U.S. BorderPatrol has a long

history of excellenceat the NRA National

Police Shooting Championships.But in winning his fourthindividual NPSC title this year,

Senior Border Patrol AgentRobert Vadasz did something noother agent has done before.

Robert Vadasz

Is The ShootingMachineB Y S T E V E N M . B R O W N



“Clay Tippit

is a shootingmachine. I’venever seen aperson better

able to turnon the heat.”That’s what Robert Vadasz, senior agent forthe U.S. Border Patrol, said about one of his

shooting mentors in an exclusive interviewwith NRA American Warrior magazine. Thestatement came shortly after Vadasz fired off

a score of 1497 in the Open Class Semi-Automatic Pistol competitionearly on the first day of the 2012 NRA National Police ShootingChampionships (NPSC).


Let’s take a moment to put that number—1497—intoperspective. That’s 1,497 points out of a possible 1,500.When he spoke with NRA American Warrior , Vadasz had

just taken 150 shots, from distances of 7, 15, 25 and50 yards, in a combination of positions ranging fromstanding unsupported, standing supported, kneeling,sitting to prone—all under strict time limitations, all withopen pistol sights, all with a slew of fellow competitorson either side of him.

Senior AgentRobert Vadasz of theU.S. Border Patrol

takes time awayfrom the action at the

2012 NPSC. On hiship, a hard-chromed1911 made for himby famed gunsmith

John Nowlin, Sr.



Put all 150 of thoseshots in the 10 ring, andyou’ve tallied 1,500 points.

Again, and not tobelabor the point, Vadaszscored 1497. Do themath. That’s a wholebunch of shots in the

10 ring. And just in caseanyone decided to riseup and tie his 1497 (no

one did; fellow Border Patrol agent Enoch Smith came the closest with avery respectable tally of 1492), Vadasz knocked the X out of the targets112 times.

With all due respect to Mr. Tippit, another Border Patrol agent who wonthe NPSC individual title three times (in 1997, 2001 and 2002), Mr. Vadaszis the machine—a laser-focused, space-age shooting machine operating in a

gear most other shooters can only hope to find.After shooting that 1497 in the Open Class Semi-Automatic, Vadasz went

on to shoot a 1494 in the Open Class Revolver. Combining the scores from the1500 Open Revolver and 1500 Open Semi-Automatic matches, Vadasz’s point total of 2991-220x won him his fourth individual title at the National PoliceShooting Championships.

He is the first U.S. Border Patrol agent to accomplishthat feat. He also won the

Grand Aggregate title this year,which combines the scores of three separate competitions:Police Shotgun, the OpenClass 3000 and the ServicePistol Championship. He didso with a record score of 6159-410x.


Pity the center of thatB-27 target. There won’tbe much left of it in afew minutes.

Already focused, Vadaszreadies the target.



Robert Vadasz takes time for aquick interview before the

2012 NPSC awards ceremony.

Put all 150 of thoseshots in the 10 ring,

and you’ve tallied1,500 points.

Vadasz scored 1497.



“Things went well,” Vadasz said after winning his fourth individual title. “Thefirst day I had a really high score here on the semi-auto, and that put me in agood position. The next day I really just wanted to make it almost impossible

for someone to take it away from me. I was able to keep that score up anddo that.”

Things went well, indeed. Although remarkably humble considering hisshooting prowess, Vadasz was, in his own words, “ecstatic” with thewin. Still, he admitted there is room for improvement in his game.

“I definitely made mistakes,” he said. “The 1497 on thesemi-auto was every bit of a 1499 if I hadn’t made one or two sillymistakes. With my revolver, the 1494 was every bit of a 1498 if I hadn’t made some mistakes.”

Vadasz exhibits all the traits of a true champion. He knows he is good, but he strives to be better. He carries himself with a quiet self-confidence and ismore apt to talk about his shooting mentors—current and former Border Patrol

agents such as Tippit and two-time NPSCchamp Tom Gaines, or shooting legendslike 10-time NPSC Champion PhilipHemphill of the Mississippi HighwayPatrol—than he is to talk about himself.

He understands that he is blessed

with talent, and he’s more thanwilling to pay that blessing forward. At competitions like the NPSC, which tookplace Sept. 16-20 at Shooting RangePark just outside Albuquerque, N.M.,Vadasz seems to spend almost as much

time helping others and providing tips to fellow competitors as he doesactually shooting.

“He’s one of my shooting mentors,” said Border Patrol Supervisor Enoch

Smith. “I’ve been competing for six or seven years now and he’s taught me alot along the way.”Smith himself is no slouch when he steps up to the line. He came in

second to Vadasz for the individual NPSC title this year, a scant seven pointsback. Smith also took home the Aggregate Championship in 2009. He’s oneof NPSC’s top shooters, but he speaks reverently of Vadasz, his friend andfellow Border Patrol agent.

“Everyone that knows him will point out the fact that he takes the time toimprove himself. But everything he learns he carries it over to other shooters,”Smith said. “He spends time in practice helping other shooters diagnoseproblems—not just his own teammates but other agencies and teams as well.

“He is really in a league of his own.”


“He really is

in a leagueof his own.”



Flanked in each

relay by 100 othercompetitors, Vadaszsees nothing but the

front sight and thetarget downrange.



Vadasz began working for the Border Patrol in 1998 after a four-year stint with the U.S. Coast Guard. He started out as an agent in California’sBoulevard Border Patrol Station before moving back to his home state of Florida and the Tampa Station, where he still works today.

The Tampa Station is a relatively small Border Patrol station located in anarea of fairly heavy population. On any given day, Vadasz and his fellow agentsin Tampa can find themselves dealing with human smuggling operations,narcotics transportation, criminal aliens, absconders from cruise ships or

other freighters that come into the Port of Tampa, or any of a host of other problems.

They’re often working individually or, at best, in tandem with one other agent. Self-confidence, self-reliance and ingenuity are key to the job.

“You take a young kid, put them on the job, train them for 19 weeks

at the academy, and the next thing you know he’s walking into a canyonarresting 50 to 80 peopleby himself,” Vadasz saidabout the unique challengesinherent in the Border Patrol

job, regardless of locale.“You have to be aware of your surroundings. You haveto be able to get yourself

out of any situation you get yourself into.”

Speaking specifically of his Tampa Station, Vadaszsaid, “For us, you’re on your own with a hope of someoneelse coming. Being a small

station, we have to work smarter, not harder. We have to be analytical.”Smart and analytical are also perfect descriptions of Vadasz’s shooting

style—whether in competition or in practice at the range. His father ingrainedVadasz’s almost Zen-like methods in him at an early age.“I grew up in a rural setting outside of Tampa,” Vadasz said. “We hunted and

shot a decent amount. My dad was a big handgun advocate. He’s actually abig-bore handgun lover, so as a young kid, I was shooting .44 Magnums beforeI was shooting anything else.

“My dad has always believed in the idea of a perfectly placed shot—nomatter how long it takes. The idea was always the same: focus, breathe,squeeze the trigger.”

Vadasz still puts his father’s instruction into practice today.


“The next thing youknow he’s walking

into a canyonarresting 50 to 80people by himself.”



Vadasz isinherentlyhumbleabout his

shootingability, butserves theU.S. BorderPatrol withgreat pride.

“If you squeeze a trigger poorly 100 times, you’ve created a bad habit reinforced by 99 bad trigger pulls,” Vadasz said. “But if you go to the rangeand squeeze that trigger one time perfectly and stop, you’ve just ingrained aproper trigger pull.”

That’s all well and good at the range—but at a national championship,competing (this year) against 395 other shooters? Surely those lessons goout the window.

Not for the cool hands at NPSC, and Vadasz currently sports the coolest hand out there. In fact, he relishes the competition—not just for competition’ssake, but also for the life lessons learned therein.

“No one out here wants to shoot a bad target,” he said. “Competitioncreates nerves. When you get to a national championship that creates a lot of nerves. And that dumps adrenaline and endorphins, the same things that

happen when you get in a fight.“You have to learn to control yourself.

You do this enough, you put yourself in asituation where your stomach gets in knotsand your hands are shaking—not becauseof fear but because of stress—you cancorrelate that into a real-life situations youmay encounter. That’s more valuable thanany training I can think of.”

As we spoke with Vadasz beforethe NPSC awards ceremony this year,it was clear he exhibits another trait of champions: an absolute lack of complacency or apathy. He was proud tohave achieved something no other Border Patrol agent has achieved, but hehas his sights set on even loftier goals—both in the short and long term.

“My short-term goal is just really to make the people from the Border Patrol shooting teams that came before us proud and to be a good

representative and a good mentor for the new agents who may want to comein and take over the reins.”Long term? The humble Vadasz seems slightly reticent to mention it;

you have to ask him about it rather than wait for him to bring it up himself,but legendary NPSC shooter Philip Hemphill’s 10 NPSC titles is out thereas a goal. Like Cal Ripken, Jr.’s consecutive-games-played streak or Coach

John Wooden’s 10 NCAA basketball titles with UCLA, the record may seemunattainable to most.

“The next big one is 10. I’ve got quite a few years to work on that.”He says it humbly—but with the confidence of a champion.



“You have to realize that perfection is unattainable. You cannot

make that bullet go exactly where you want it to go by holding the

gun perfectly still. There’s going to be movement, and you have to

accept that.”

“You have to breathe. The very first thing that happens when you

stop breathing: Your eyes shut down. They immediately blur up.”

“You have to keep the trigger moving. Whether it’s moving slow

or moving fast, you never stop moving the trigger. The second you

stop the trigger and try to take a picture of the sights, it’s going to be

a bad shot.”

“You have to care for your gear—your magazines, your ammo, all

of it. You have to treat that gear like a surgical instrument and not

like a hammer. It’s your lifeline.”

“The key word is focus. You cannot be worried about anythingelse. You turn on the focus right before the gun comes out of the

holster. When the target turns, you block out everything else.”

“Write down your entire shooting regimen step by step—

everything from loading your magazines up until the point you’re

done shooting the match. Read over it, and eventually it only takes

a couple key words to help you remember things. Then it becomes

muscle memory.”

“People get to the match and they think ‘I gotta do great.’ You

don’t have to do great, you just have to do a little better than what

you did before. You put that up there, and if someone else beats it,

well, they earned it.”



Email the Editor Visit NRA Life of Duty Network

The New Mexico C



The NRA American Warrior crew arrived early for the 2012National Police Shooting Championships, and we’re glad we did,as we were able to experience the New Mexico Challenge.

Would’ve been better had we actually been shootingthe Challenge, but this is a special event reserved for lawenforcement and security professionals from New Mexico

agencies who are new to NRA competition and do not havea permanent Police Pistol Combat classification. In short, it’sa good way for aspiring Robert Vadaszs to get their feet wet.All a New Mexico Challenge shooter needs is his or her dutyhandgun, holster, magazines and 50 rounds of ammo. (As anadded bonus, Remington stepped up this year by donatingthe required ammo for those who might’ve come up shy of50 rounds.)

It’s about as nonthreatening a competitive environment asyou’ll find, and everyone we spoke with at this year’s NewMexico Challenge had a great time and was able to find valuein the event, including an abundance of prizes for those whostuck around for the awards ceremony. It seemed nearlyeveryone walked away with something, whether it was a prizeor a valuable tidbit of shooting information to relay back to thehome agency.

Most importantly, the New Mexico Challenge participants wespoke with walked away with a desire to further their skills incompetition. And that pays dividends not only to the individualofficer but to the entire community he or she serves.

You can learn more about the New Mexico Challenge athttp://www.nrahq.org/law/competitions/npsc/npsc.asp. If youare eligible to participate next year, we strongly encourage it.

You won’t be disappointed.

allenge: A Gateway to Competition



C.O.P.S.

CAMP

N O T Y O U R O R D I N A R Y

S U M M E R C A M P




At first, all the parents accompanyingseem to be women.

Two campers, one wearinga shirt emblazoned with

a photo of a fallen lawenforcement officer, share

an emotional embrace.



A t first glance itlooks like yourtypical summercamp. Childrensit in the shade

practicing skits,singing songs with a camp mentor. A gentlebreeze off Army Lake gently rocks the giantcentury-old trees throughout the camp. Childrenare laughing and smiling while parents sittogether, chatting.

Yet subtle clues indicate this is not your usual summer camp. Nearby,a mother sits on the grass with her son in her lap. Both have the residualeffects of tears in their eyes. At first, all the parents accompanying thechildren seem to be women. While most wear smiles, some carry a look of despondence, staring down at the ground as they talk.

I am in East Troy, Wis., at Army Lake Camp, a 240-acre lakeside retreat run by the Salvation Army. For one week each summer it becomes the siteof the annual kids camp for Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), anorganization created to help the families of fallen law enforcement cope with

their losses.

B Y J R S A L Z M A N

he children



Campers spend their evening around the campfireacting out skits, singing songs and receiving

awards for the day’s activities. Right: Trina Scotthas attended the camp for the last nine years.


In total there are 290 campers at this

year’s camp, representing about100 fallen law enforcement personnel.



I am greeted by camp director Jennifer Thacker, or “Mother Thacker” as sheis affectionately referred to around the camp. As we drive through the groundson her golf cart, Thacker gives me a rundown of the camp. Only childrenbetween the ages of 6 and 14 can attend. All children are accompanied by a

parent or legal guardian. In total there are 290 campers at this year’s camp,representing about 100 fallen law enforcement personnel.

The days at C.O.P.S. kids camp are long and packed withactivities. Morning begins with a flag-raising ceremony andbreakfast, followed by chores. Skit preparation, counseling sessions, and arts and crafts take place until lunch. Outdoor activities are reserved for the afternoon before dinner,followed by skits and awards around the campfire. Lights out is at 10 p.m. so weary campers can wake up at 7 a.m. and

start the process over again.We pull up in front of a large building filled with parents

and children participating in arts and crafts activities,weaving strands of material together into bracelets. The mood

is light and cheerful. Echoes of laughter and conversation bounce off theconcrete walls and floor of the building.

Thacker introduces me to C.O.P.S camper Trina Scott. Scott made thenine-hour drive to the camp from her home in Clarksville, Tenn., withher 14-year-old daughter Aletheia. Without hesitation Trina tells me her

husband, David Scott, was killed in the line of duty in Clarksville in2002 when their three children were only 4, 6 and 10 years old. Prior to becoming a police officer, David Scott had served with the Army’s

5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell. During his military career he saw deployments to Ethiopia,Bosnia, Somalia and Desert Storm.

The cruel sense of irony is not lost on Trina Scott.



Far left: Aletheia Scott and KyraVasquez share a laugh in the

shade of the camp’s toweringtrees. Left: McKenzie Werda holdsa necklace with an image of herfather, Jeffrey Werda, who waskilled in the line of duty last year.

“He survived all of these places, yet he died in the streets of Clarksville ina high-speed chase,” she said.

But having lived both lives—military and law enforcement—she sees asimilarity that many do not realize exists.

“Soldiers are protecting the country, and officers areprotecting their communitiesand their cities and their

states,” she said. “And it is just as big a battlefield here.”Her daughter Aletheia has been coming to the camp for the last nine

years. As I look around at the participants, I realize the vast majority of campers are wearing blue name badges, indicating they have participatedin the camp before.

“People in the ‘real world’ don’t relate because they say things like, ‘Aren’t you done grieving yet?’ ‘You can be dating again.’ ‘The kids should get over this,’” Trina Scott said. “The survivors here at kids camp, they understand,and they truly get it. They don’t begrudge us for sitting back, going, ‘No I’mnot over it, and it’s been 10 years and I still cry.’ The real world people,they’re not getting it.”

Trina Scott credits the camp with helping her deal with the loss of her husband by giving her the tools and resources needed to help her and her children move forward. More specifically, she cites the friendships she has

“The real world people,they’re not getting it.”



Right: A young camper provides emotionalsupport to another during a difficult time.Far right: Karmen Walker Brown and son

Anthony show a photo of their husband andfather, killed in the line of duty in 2003.

made with fellow C.O.P.S. campers who can relate to her loss.Among those is good friend and fellow camper Kristina Vasquez. Their

friendship started after they lost their husbands, and their daughters attendedcamp together.

“We didn’t lose the same, and we didn’t lose our husbands the same year,but she knows my loss and I know her loss,” Trina Scott said. “And I can call

her and cry, and I can call her and laugh, and Iwon’t be judged one way or another.”

Their daughters, Aletheia and Kyra, have been

friends since they first attended camp together at age 6. Despite the fact that the Vasquez family lives six hours away in Ohio, they keep in touch withone another through phone calls and text messages.

Earlier this summer,Alethia stayed a week withKyra at her home in Ohio,and the girls have plans totry to get together six timesover the next year—a lofty

goal for 14-year-olds whocannot yet drive. Yet it isevidence of the incrediblebonds of friendship made here at the camp, that 14-year-old girls wouldrather be best friends with someone six hours away who can relate to their sacrifice, than endure awkward conversations with classmatesat school.

It is a common theme that I would hear repeatedly at C.O.P.S. kids’ camp. As one camper later put it, “They are the

best group of friends I never wanted.”After lunch in the enormous dining hall, campers make their way to the many outdoor activities. These include a high-ropescourse, archery, rifle shooting (air rifle for the younger children,

As one camper put it,“They are the best group of

friends I never wanted.”



C.O.P.S. campers enjoy numerous dailyoutdoor activities, such as rock climbing,archery and rifle shooting.

.22 for the older), swimming, fishing, canoeing and other miscellaneous events. I ride in a golf cart down a dusty gravel road through the camp’ssprawling acreage to a narrow shooting lane in

the woods where conservation officers from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources instruct both children and parents on the basicfundamentals of shooting. Using Marlin .22 rifles, the officers give instructionon safety, loading, unloading, and basic rifle marksmanship. Scores aretallied at the end of each session and participants are given ribbons basedon their performance.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources handles most of theoutdoor activities, calling in conservation officers from around the state.While they stress they are happy to help out, the reason for the camp isnot lost on them. One officer informs me there is a boy from Louisiana at

the camp whose father was shot and killed while performing his job asconservation officer.

After dinner,camp participantswalk to the sportsfields to engagein the sport of their choice. Manyof the parents

sit together inthe grass, whilecamp mentorsorganize gamesof basketball,

kickball and volleyball with the children.Bill Theep is working with the 6-year-old boys, attempting to teach them

how to catch a football. Theep is a third-year volunteer and a member of theMilwaukee Police Department. The reality of why the camp exists hit home

with him just two days earlier when a fellow officer and friend lost his life.Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputy Sergio Aleman was killed in a vehicle

After lunch in theenormous dining hall,campers make their

way to the manyoutdoor activities.



accident on I-43, just miles downthe road from Army Lake Camp. It is a harsh reminder for all thoseproviding local assets as to whythe camp exists. Deputy Aleman

leaves behind a wife and five children, including a 6-year-olddaughter, who will have to learn to move forward in their liveswithout their father.

“There is nothing I can do about the dead,” Theep later told me as he choked back tears. “Maybe I can help out the living.”

After the activities have finished, the throngs of campgoersslowly make their way over to the campfire area on the

lakeshore. The sun is going down, and the scene is absolutelypicturesque. The canoes have been returned to neat rowsalong the shoreline. Lifejackets are stacked in wet pilesnearby, awaiting their use again tomorrow.

As the activities commence, two mentors dressed inblack and white suits do a Blues Brothers routine, dancing chaotically throughout the crowd as they lip-synch tothe blaring music. The parents and children laugh at theperformance and seem to forget why they are here.

The next morning I sit in on arts and crafts, where childrenare painting small wooden shadowboxes. In front of them are

A young camper sits inthe pilot’s seat of a DEAhelicopter, one of manyassets brought in for theC.O.P.S. kids’ camp.

“There’s nothing I can do

about the dead. Maybe I canhelp out the living.”



Below: A young camper sits behindthe wheel of a police cruiser.Bottom: Derwinn Magruder was

the only male survivor at thisyear’s C.O.P.S. Camp.




“Once I hit 11 or 12,I started realizing Idon’t have a dad.

I’m never going toknow what he’s like.”

I step out of arts and craftsto speak briefly with Derwinn

Magruder, who is jokingly referred to as “token” at this year’s camp becausehe is the only male survivor in attendance.

Magruder is a veteran of the Army’s 101st, so we swap stories of the

military and Air Assault School amid conversation about his deceased wife,a former sheriff’s deputy in Maryland. His eight years as a camp participant have shown that, although he gets the same experience, his immediatefeelings following his wife’s death were different.

“For a male, my first thought was my family and my wife,” he said. “I wasn’t there to protect my wife.”

His experience over the years has shown him that most female campers’first concerns are for their children, perhaps a testament to the maternalinstincts of the group. He largely credits the camp with helping him cope withthe loss of his wife, emphasizing, “As time went on, I stopped being a victimand started being a survivor.”

After lunch, I bump into the two 14-year-olds from earlier—Aletheia Scott and her partner-in-crime, Kyra Vazquez—as they mull about the shorelinetogether. It is obvious they are best friends. As we chat, they finish eachother’s sentences and answer questions in unison.

“Are you two twins?” I ask.“Yes!” they reply in unison, amid smiles and giggles.As we escape the afternoon sun beneath the shade of a towering oak tree,

I gently inquire what their lives have been like growing up without their fathers.Kyra was only 3 years old when her father was killed in the line of duty and

has no memory of him. Alethia had just turned 4 when her father was killedand only has one memory, a prank she played by mixing multicolored ketchupinto a glass of milk. Assuming it was chocolate milk, her father drank it andmade a funny face at her. Outside of that lone memory, she has to rely onphotos and anecdotal evidence from family and friends to find out what her father was like.

Kyra explains, “You don’t really know what’s going on until you hit doubledigits. Once I hit 11 or 12, I started realizing I don’t have a dad. I’m never

going to know what he’s like.”After our conversation, Kyra introduces me to her mother, Kristina Vasquez.




She and I walk toward the shade of one of the aging camp buildings toescape the afternoon sun. We walk slowly, as the endeavor is a laborious onefor Kristina Vasquez, who is eight months pregnant.

As the conversation turns to her daughter and family, she admits her search for a new male companion and role model has not always goneas well as she hoped. Conflicts arose from a potential suitor who failedto understand why her late husband is constantly being honored andremembered. Still, the setback has not stopped her from moving forward in

her life and having a baby with her boyfriend.Despite all the turmoil in her life surrounding the loss of her husband,

C.O.P.S. has proven to be the asset that has helped her most.“My long-lasting friendships are with people that I have met through

C.O.P.S.,” she said.As we chat in the shade, the sound of a helicopter flying overhead alludes

to the after-dinner activities at the sporting fields.Campers arrive at the fields to find a wide array of law enforcement

assets from the

Milwaukee area. The SWAT team hasbrought an armoredvehicle, along witha table filled withthe equipment they

use, such as a Benelli shotgun. There are horses and mounted police officers.Explosive Ordinance Disposal has brought out a bomb suit and a remotecontrolled robot. The DEA even flew in a helicopter for campers to sit in. The

climax of the display is when EOD uses Det-Cord to blow up a watermelon.As the campers stroll back to camp and my second day at C.O.P.S kid’s

camp comes to a close, I reflect upon the sacrifices made by thosein attendance.

When a local police officer is killed in the line of duty, it is not nationalnews. The death of a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan usually brings somenational headlines, if only for political reasons. But rarely does this happen inlaw enforcement, especially in flyover country. They are the unknown heroes,risking their lives in the streets of America—many in small towns that most

have never heard of, nor care about.Only once at the camp do I say, “I am sorry for your loss,” beforesuccumbing to the realization that this overused politeness toward one’s grief

The emphasis is not on gettingover it, but getting through it.



has no place here. With each camper I talk to, I come closer to the realizationthat they are not looking for sympathy. They are looking for recognition, theacknowledgment of their loss and sacrifice, and the allowance of time andenergy to address wounds that will never fully heal.

It became clear to me that the emphasis is not on getting over it, but getting through it. A child who was only 2 years old when his or her father waskilled will never “get over it.” A mother of four who lost her husband in the lineof duty cannot just “move on.” Long after the bagpipes have been silenced

and the dress uniforms put away, the wounds these families experience willcontinue to hurt.

This camp is a place where the participants can feel normal again, wherepeople understand and do not ask awkward questions and say the obligatory,“I’m sorry for your loss,” before changing the subject. While the reason for thiscamp is tragic, the survivors are grateful the C.O.P.S camp exists.

As the campers and mentors slowly file into the campfire area to preparefor the night’s activities, the DEA helicopter makes a circle over Army Lakebefore making a low pass over the campfire area in salute. It then turns

north toward Milwaukee, where the body of Milwaukee County Sheriff’sDeputy Sergio Aleman will soon be laid to rest, leaving behind a wife andfive children—including a 6-year-old girl.

Kristina Vasquez and daughter Kyra take time out fromevening sports activities to pose for the camera.



TELL THE TRUTH:DID YOU EVEN KNOW WE

WERE STILL THERE?

B Y

C H U C K H O L T O N



Icrouched behind a tree, panting from exertion anddesperately hoping I wasn’t about to get shot. Before me,the hillside stretching north into Serbia looked like it hadbeen firebombed. As I tried to get my racing heart undercontrol, I watched as a huge tree toppled over a few

hundred yards away. A dozen thieves worked down below loadingtheir stolen cargo aboard a trailer attached to an old Russian tractor.I’d been told in no uncertain terms that if they caught me, theywould probably kill me.


Serbian timber thieves

load their cargo of stolenlumber inside Kosovo.



America is stillcelebrated inKosovo, where our

intervention in the1990s may haveprevented genocide.



I bet you didn’t know there are still about 1,000 U.S. troops stationed inKosovo. Neither did I. But that’s why Azato and I came here—to find out what our soldiers are doing here, and why.

We were met at the airport by the most helpful public affairs folks I’ve met in a long time. I got the distinct impression they don’t get many media visits, sothey were as friendly and attentive as I was on my first date. That was kind of

nice, after the media-weary reception we sometimes get inAfghanistan and other places.

The public affairs folks drove us an hour south from theairport to Camp Bondsteel, a sprawling U.S. base that forms the headquartersof the U.N. mission here, called KFOR. The base was originally constructed tohold more than 7,000 troops, so with only 1,000 or so using the base, it feels

almost like a very well-maintained ghost town built from wooden SEA huts. The troops here have it pretty good, however. The base has a movie theater,

two huge fitness facilities, a Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Burger King, and even a Thairestaurant that delivers. They also have the largest post exchange (PX) inEastern Europe.

When we arrived we met Capt. Joy Staab, another very helpful publicaffairs officer who hails from Wisconsin. It turns out almost all the U.S. troopsat Bondsteel were guardsmen from that state. Some of them were membersof the same Guard unit I myself belonged to when I was going to college at

UW-La Crosse. It says a lot about today’s military that I’ve run into membersof that unit in Iraq, Afghanistan and on the Mexican border, all in the last five years.

Anyway, Capt. Staab gave us a driving tour of the base and explained that most of the soldiers there rotate out to remote outposts near the “AdministrativeBoundary Line” with Serbia. This being a peacekeeping mission, they have tobe very careful not to take sides in the continuing dispute over whether or not Kosovo is an independent state.

“So what exactly are we doing here?” I asked.

Capt. Staab had a ready reply. “Our mission is toensure security and freedom of movement for all peoplein Kosovo, no matter what their religion or ethnicity.”

We soon found that mission is harder than it sounds. Earlier this year, a roadblock appeared ina Serb-controlled area in the center of the country,and when KFOR troops went to remove it, a firefight ensued in which two German peacekeepers were wounded. I knew something was up when Capt. Staab issued Azato and I body armor for our drive to thenorthernmost KFOR checkpoint the next morning.

We left camp Bondsteel early and convoyed north from the flat, dry areaaround Pristina to the mountainous region still controlled by the Serbs. A

The United Statesis just one of morethan 20 countriesthat help keep thepeace in this area.




I f y ou ar e lik e me , y ou hav e s ome v ag u

e r ec ollec t ion of a w ar t ak ing plac e in t hat par t of t he w or ld a dec ade or s o ag o.

I’ve run into members of that unit in Iraq,Afghanistan and on the Mexican border,

all in the last five years.



squad of soldiers provided security as we visited the various forwardoperating bases where troops from the 30 countries that make up theNATO mission here are stationed—places like camp Nothing Hill andGate One, which looked like the set of the old TV series M*A*S*H.

These camps were much more spartan, with few luxuries and lots of mud, but spirits were high among the guardsmen we met, and it wasclear they had purposeful work to do.

We spent the night at the aptly named camp Nothing Hill, andthe next morning joined a squad of Americansoldiers on a mounted patrol along the

Administrative Boundary Line, or ABL. In the briefing before we left,the commander made it clear that this was a route reconnaissance.

The mission was to gather intelligence about the state of the roads

leading to the ABL, as the remote areas are often used as smuggling routes for everything from cigarettes to guns to slaves.

Rather than taking military vehicles, they opted for a lower profile,so we mounted up in three Mitsubishi Montero SUVs. The roads got


Men could be seen in the fields cuttinghay with scythes, stacking it the way it

was done in the U.S. a century ago.



A drivethrough thecountrysidehere is likesteppingback intime to19th-centuryAmerica.

rougher as we passed through remote farming villages where men could beseen in the fields cutting hay with scythes, stacking it the way it was done inthe U.S. a century ago.

We soon passed beyond the farms altogether as the road wound higher

and higher into the mountains. Eventually it became little more than a two-track, and before long we were crawling along in four-wheel drive, with thesquad leader, Staff Sgt. Hector Arbosferrer, keeping an eye on his handheldGPS to make sure we didn’t inadvertently cross the ABL.

We stopped at the crest of a hill, and the view was almost indescribable.Wooded hills stretched off to the horizon in all directions, their green-bluehues reminding me of the Appalachian Mountains near my home. It was oneof those places that make you feel so small and yet grateful for the feeling.

We mounted back up and continued toward the ABL. About a half-mile

from it, we rounded a corner and encountered a tree down across the track. Oncloser inspection, it was obvious the tree had been placed there intentionally.

We dismounted and proceeded cautiously on foot, the guardsmenscanning the slope ahead and above with weapons at the ready. Two hundred



yards farther on, we rounded another bend and stopped suddenly, our eyes wide in horror.

The entire hillside had been completely denuded. Stumps andsmoking remnants of the forest stretched down and away, not a singletree left standing. It was an environmental nightmare.

“Timber thieves,” Arbosferrer growled. His face remained impassive,but I could hear the anger in his voice.

Then we heard the sound of chain saws. The soldiers looked at each other, fingering their weapons. We’d

talked about this in the briefing. Timber theft was a serious problembetween Kosovo and Serbia, and the thieves were known to shoot at anyone who tried to stop them.

Staff Sgt. Arbosferrer was all business.“Let’s go see if we can get a look at them. Maybe a few pictures

with those fancy cameras of yours. If they take any potshots at us,return fire and break contact. Hooah?”

“Roger that,” the men responded.We split into two groups. Suddenly Azato and I weren’t just making

a documentary—our photographs and video could potentially be usedas evidence. For that to happen, we’d have to get close enough toactually record the crime in progress.

Doing so took the better part of an hour. One of the soldiers tookthe lead as we quietly made our way over the top of a ridge and down

Timberpoachers

give nothought

to thedestruction

they cause—sometimes

clear-cuttingentire

forests. Lawenforcementhere is more

of a dreamthan areality.




But the guardsmen here have done much morethan that. Aviators from the Wisconsin NationalGuard started something a few years ago that isknown around Camp Bondsteel as “waffle house.”Every Sunday morning, volunteers transform one of the aircraft hangars into a restaurant and cook uphomemade waffles with every topping imaginable.

Troops from across the base make donations to eat there, and the proceeds are donated to an orphanagein the area. To date, they’ve raised more than$16,000, which has made a huge difference in thelives of dozens of war orphans.

This is the kind of thing I see everywhere U.S.troops go, but that almost never gets any presscoverage. Americans are, without a doubt, the most generous people group on the planet, and as anAmerican general once said, “The American flag hasnever waved over any country but in blessing.”

The residents of Kosovo would agree. Thesentiment we heard most often from Albanians hereis this: “If the Americans ever leave, we’ll be right behind them.”

The KFOR mission is slated to end in 2014.

Kosovo has a very youngpopulation, and if the U.S. military

has its way, these kids face abrighter future.



As an American generalonce said, “The Americanflag has never waved overany country but in blessing.”



RidingRemem

Warrior Stories

By Rick Stewart



nrance

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Polished chrome,waving flags andpatched leather allplayed an importantpart in the anniversarytribute to the men ofExtortion 17.

A communitygathers to pay

its respects tofallen heroes.



TWarrior Stories

Knifing low through the mountain air under the cover of darkness, the distinctive sound and “whop” of the Army CH-47Dhelicopter sent shivers down the spines of America’s enemies andsignaled the cavalry had arrived for those in harm’s way.

At approximately 0300 hours on Aug. 6, 2011, at Tangi JoiZareen, in the district of Sayd Abad in the Wardak Province of Afghanistan, the helicopter loaded with American warriors andmembers of Afghanistan’s IRF force was assisting elite soldiers of

the 75th Ranger battalion engaged in a fierce firefight.As the Tier One Special Operations war fighters made ready

their approach in support of their military counterparts already onthe ground, a lone Taliban fighter turned the heroic into the horrificin the blink of an eye.

Racing across the sky at nearly 300 meters per second, theshoulder-launched, rocket-propelled grenade struck the lumbering giant on its inbound approach, killing all 38 aboard: 30 Americansand a military working dog representing the various branches of

our U.S. military including the Army, Air Force and Navy, along withan eight-member Afghan security element.

he earth shook,

and the earlymorning silence wasinterrupted by thesound of approachingAmerican heroes.




Section 60 was thefinal resting placefor many of the

fallen warriors ofExtortion 17. It ishallowed ground forhonored heroes.




WarriorStories

A caisson delivers a warrior to his final

resting place, where many headstonesproclaim, “Never Forget.”



That incident, known by the mission call sign “Extortion 17,” claimedthe lives of 17 Navy SEALs, five Naval Special Warfare sailors, three Air Force airmen, and the five-soldier crew of the Army CH-47D Chinook

helicopter that was inserting them. For the Naval Special Warfarecommunity, it was the single greatest loss-of-life incident in the 25-year history of the SEALs—a tragedy that still leaves many in stunned disbelief and almost unbearable sorrow.

Almost a year removed from that fateful day, the early morning silencewas once again interrupted by the sound of a helicopter overhead andthe thunderous roar of Americans inbound for support. But on this day, asthe ground shook, the approach was lined with a community of cheering citizens and neighbors, gathered to welcome those riding in honor of the

families and friends of the fallen.




Warrior Stories



Crossing over the Rudee Inlet where Oceana Boulevardspills onto the hotel-lined streets of Virginia Beach, I

watched as more than 1,000 motorcycles and 1,400 riderscrested the bridge with a police escort, flying flags andcolors of support for the heroes they were here to honor. Thethunderous procession of bikes—everything from Fatboys to

The thunderous procession of bikes—everything fromFatboys to Springers, crotch rockets to Road Kings and

everything in between—was an amazing sight to behold ...

A seeminglyendless processionof bikes make its

way across theRudee Inlet Bridge.



Springers, crotch rockets to Road Kings and everything in between—was an amazing sight to behold, spanning some six and half miles

from first bike to last. Hats, T-shirts and even tattoos all proclaimedvarious words of remembrance and support—a loud and clear message that those fallen would never be forgotten.

Among the standing, cheering, flag-waving and saluting sea of onlookers in the sweltering August humidity were military veterans,vacationers and residents from thelocal community, all wanting to paytheir respects as bikers made the

22.5-mile pilgrimage from Clutch Bar & Grill to Knuckleheads Roadhouse,two local watering holes oftenfrequented by those in uniform fromnearby military communities. At ride’s end, live entertainment and anauction raised money for the familiesof those lost, equally divided anddistributed through the 31 Heroes

Project.Speaking with the widows,

friends and teammates of the fallenyields an almost unfathomablerealization that a year now

separates them from the day they learned the terrible fate of thosethey loved—the day husbands, fathers, brothers and friends wereripped from them in such a horrible way.

Meiling Houston, the widow of Naval Special Warfare Operator

(SEAL) Kevin Houston killed in the crash, remembers wondering how she was ever going to get her feet out of bed in the days that followed, let alone meet her responsibilities for three children.

WarriorStories

Speaking with the widows,sons and teammates ofthe fallen yields an almostunfathomable realizationthat a year now separatesthem from the day theylearned the terrible fateof those they loved—theday husbands, fathers,

brothers and friends wereripped from them in such ahorrible way.




Clutch Bar & Grill also hostedthe more than 1,000 bikes

and riders to start the day.



Warrior Stories


“The outpouring of supportfrom the Naval Special Warfarecommunity, neighbors, and theNaval Special Warfare Foundationhas been overwhelming.”



Angelina Campbell, the widow of NavySEAL Chris Campbell, was humbled by thegathering of so many friends.



Warrior Stories

“As cruel as it seems, life does go on,” she said.“But some days are far better than others, andmoving forward is far easier said than done.”

Houston says she just puts one foot in front of the other and does her best to move forward in a

way that honors her husband, “the way Kevin wouldhave expected me to.”“My faith,” Houston said, “and the grace that

only God can provide is the thing that’s gotten methrough this and truly sustained me.”

The outpouring of love and support from their churches, friends, family, fellow team wives and theteammates of their husbands have all worked in

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A beautiful piece of

3-D “printed art” wasauctioned to benefitsurivors, as was ahandmade quilt withimages of the fallen.



various ways to pull the widows through the most difficult days. Almost all the wivesadmit there are good and bad days.

“Some really good, and some really bad,” widow Victoria Kelsall told me. “But days like today diminish the pain and remind us how lucky we are to be a part of acommunity like this.”

Angelina Campbell, the widow of Naval Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Chris

Campbell, says she would have never fathomed how a loss so devastating to her and the other widows could be so equally devastating to others.

“I knew what I had lost,” she said, “but it was mind-blowing to see how many




Candles representthe fallen war

fighters, a tribute tothose who paid all.

“As cruel as it seems,life does go on”...



WarriorStories

people connected to my husband wereimpacted by his death as well.”

Campbell says it’s hard to believe that ayear has come and gone; yet in other ways, timeseems to have ticked by ever so slowly.

“I am not even sure that makes rationalsense to anyone who hasn’t lived it, but it’s thereality of my new reality,” she said.

Like other widows, Campbell isn’t sure what the future holds for her, but she is emboldenedby the support network around her.

“The outpouring of support from the NavalSpecial Warfare community, neighbors, andthe Naval Special Warfare Foundation has

been overwhelming,” she said. “I mean, simplegestures or acts of human kindness, like theneighbor that mows my lawn every times it needs it, have really touched me.”

Anya Langlais says that when her husband,Naval Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) LouLanglais, was killed, she was “blown away” bythe love and support she has received frompeople she didn’t even know. But it has been

the other widows and wives within her inner circle who have been her rock and greatest source of strength outside of her faith. Shesays she is also grateful for the men and SEALsher husband worked with that have steppedin as surrogate dads and uncles, brothers andmentors to her children.

Like Meiling Houston, Victoria Kelsall saysshe can’t believe how far she has come in the

year following the death of her husband, NavalSpecial Warfare Operator (SEAL) Jonas Kelsall.“How Jonas would have responded to this



Warrior Stories

tragedy had he survived instead of others is something that guides mydecisions,” she said.

For each of the widows and family members of the fallen who haveattended the Extortion 17 Memorial Ride, the attention focused on them isawkward and bittersweet. On one hand, they are moved that people can beso generous, caring, charitable and compassionate. On the other hand, thereis a sense that they cannot escape the sorrowful eyes of those watching them. Each admits there are days when they really wish they could pullthe covers over their heads and not face another reminder of their loss. Yet somehow they know there is “healing” in these events as well.

The event was the brainchild of a Navy veteran who has a deepconnection with the men lost in the crash. She says the idea for the event came about as she and other friends wondered how they were going tomemorialize the anniversary of the crash.

Respectful of her responsibilities to the ethos of the community andher desire to honor the codes of conduct required of those in uniform, she

Four SEAL widows

(l to r): Meiling Houston,Victoria Kelsall, Anya Langlais,and Kimberly Vaughn.



Warrior Stories

deflects any credit and asks that her name not be used.“We all felt that we couldn’t let the day come and go without doing something,”

she said. “But at the same time, we knew that whatever that something was, it needed to benefit the families of those left behind.”

Despite the anonymity, from those who know her there is high praise and utmost

admiration for what she has done to make the event so amazing. The auction alone raised more than $88,000, and combined with other donations,the event collected about $175,000 for the families. It also pulled a close communityof industry partners and war fighters even closer.

At the memorial event, I witnessed a hundred acts of kindness and acknowledgethat for each I saw there were probably 10 more. One that really touched me cameduring the live auction when I saw Houston bidding on an item of special significance



Warrior Stories

to her. As she raised her bid card at each incremental increase,I saw a gentleman raising his card to outbid her. Obvious at acertain point that she was not going to win the bidding exchange,Houston finally relented and let him win. After making the winning bid, the gentleman came forward and gave the item to her.

At this amazing event, I saw the hurting and the healers,the grieving and the giver. Somewhere up above I see brothers

smiling down on all, blessed and honored in the knowledge that those they loved are being well attended.

Somewhere up above I see brothers smiling down onall, blessed and honored in the knowledge that thosethey loved are being well attended.





Warrior Stories

These heroesserved us.May we never

fail them.



Increased military suicide rates are a very realproblem, but infringing on servicemembers’

Second Amendment rights is not the solution.



Do you completely give up your right to keep and bear arms whenyou put on our nation’s uniform? Unfortunately, some in the Pentagonhave said “Yes”—so for more than two years, the National RifleAssociation has been taking action.

In 2010, senior leadership issued an order at Fort Riley, Kan.,requiring servicemembers stationed there to register their privately

owned firearms even if they lived, or if the firearms were being stored, off the installation. The directive also included a prohibitionagainst those with Right-to-Carry permits from carrying while off theinstallation and, to top it all off, authorized unit commanders to set arbitrary limits on the caliber of firearms and ammunition members of their command could privately own.

This regulation and others tailored off the same principles,which clearly infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of servicemembers, caused the NRA to take action. Through the

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n alarming increase in the rateof active duty military memberscommitting suicide has manypeople looking for answers toquell this dire problem. Yet the

popular trend of focusing on limiting service members’ access topersonally owned firearms gives rise to an important question.

B Y J A M E S M . B A R A N O W S K I



championing efforts of Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., Section 1062 of the Ike SkeltonNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 became law.

Written almost a year earlier but officially enacted Jan. 7, 2011, Section1062 prohibits the secretary of defense from issuing any requirement or from collecting or recording any information “relating to the otherwise lawfulacquisition, possession, ownership, carrying, or other use of a privately ownedfirearm, privately owned ammunition, or another privately owned weapon by

a member of the Armed Forces or civilian employee of the Department of Defense” on property not owned or operated by the DoD. It also required, within90 days, the destruction of any existing registration information prohibited bythe Act.

Regrettably, Section 1062 has not put an end to such practices. Since it was signed into law, the NRA has assisted servicemembers at 10 installationsthroughout the country that have continued to restrict the same activitiesSection 1062 was enacted to protect. In most instances, NRA attorneys wereable to work through installation judge advocates to help explain the prohibition

and ensure that violating commands were made aware of the illegality of their orders. Most commands to date have been willing to revoke their orders whennotified, but sometimes that notification comes too late.

In one case, NRA attorneys were able to intervene in a situation at Fort Richardson, Alaska, in which two soldiers were being strong-armed intoaccepting non-judicial punishment for violating an installation order whenthey failed to register firearms they possessed and stored off the installation.Attempts to explain the prohibitions contained in Section 1062 to theunit’s commanders fell on deaf ears, and it was only after working through

multiple judge advocates at the installation that the illegality of the order wasunderstood and the charges were finally dropped.As is common in many situations involving non-judicial punishment, those

involved do not always understand their legal rights in this regard. Militarymembers, who operate under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ),recognize that they are bound by different rules and laws than civilians are,and that their orders are not to be taken lightly. Servicemembers should never disregard any orders, regulations or directives issued to them in situations suchas those presented here, but rather should seek legal counsel or assistance to

correct a directive that clearly violates their Second Amendment rights.As some commands continue the unlawful practice of restricting their servicemembers from exercising their right to own firearms, some senior officials




Every servicemember out there has heard a story or two of a boot taking his life at the range during recruit training, and I can point to twosuicides that occurred during or closely after my own deployment to Iraqin which service-issued firearms were used—one of which resulted in thehighest ranking Marine Corps casualty at the time for both the Iraq andAfghanistan wars.

The bottom line is that commands, lawmakers and caregivers need to

focus on why military suicides are on the rise rather than the tools that are sometimes used to commit the act. Firearms are not the cause behindthe increase. Firearms are not the cause for the mental anguish that leadsto the choice to take one’s life, but placing the blame on the tool that committed the act is a lot easier than focusing on the reasons that led tothe fateful decision.

Mental health care is costly. With the ever-increasing reduction indefense spending supported by the current administration and the attack onveteran’s benefits, it seems that it is more cost effective to shift the blame

to an inanimate object as the source for rising suicides rather than to focuson the treatment and care that is desperately needed among our troubledservicemembers and veterans. Section 1062 was implemented to protect the rights of our servicemembers, and any claims that it is the cause of, or related to, the ever-increasing suicide rates of our nation’s servicemembersis absurd.

While Jordan’s article failed to hit the mark, he was right on one thing—any effort by the DoD to limit a servicemember’s ability to exercise thefundamental rights guaranteed to them through the Second Amendment will

be considered “fighting words” to us here at the NRA.

James M. Baranowski is associate legislative counsel at NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. He is a decorated combat veteran, having served morethan eight years in the United States Marine Corps both as an officer with1st Reconnaissance Battalion and as a judge advocate. His numerousawards and decorations most proudly include the Navy and Marine CorpsCommendation Medal with Valor, which he received for his actions during asniper attack on his unit in Fallujah, Iraq.

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It seems that it is more costeffective to shift the blame to aninanimate object as the sourcefor rising suicides.


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ByRickStewart

Warrior Stories

One Man’s

Life of

Sacrifice,

Secrecy

and

Sorrow

(Part 1)

“KeithArmstrong”

livesunderanaliasina small

townfarfrom hishomecountry—justasmallpartofthesacrificehe’smade

forservice.



Warrior Stories

In occupied Holland, the first mission as a saboteur for the mannow known as “Keith Armstrong” began with a short, low-level flight

across the English Channel. Over his target, he jumped from a planeflying so low that his parachute hardly had time to open.

Unknown to Armstrong at the time, there was little expectation onthe part of those above him that he or his mission would succeed. Infact, he would later learn that the information he carried into Hollandfor the underground was false. His superiors believed he would becaptured and hoped that once the enemy “extracted” the informationfrom him after his best resistance they would believe it to be true.

On the ground, Armstrong linked up with Dutch resistance fighters,

who were fighting a diligent, yet silent battle against their Germanoccupiers. The Gestapo made their position clear regarding thosecaught aiding or abetting Allied forces. Many were marched intothe center of town and publicly executed as a way of terrorizing thepeople into compliance.

“The brutality of the Nazis backfired,” Armstrong said.“The people were only more emboldened.”

Armstrong participated in two operations with theDutch resistance before entering what was known

to English-speaking warriors as “The Comet Line.” This infamous resistance groupestablished an escape route toaid Allied flyers and others out of the country, some 700miles from Brusselsthrough Franceand all the wayto Spain.




“KeithArmstrong”



“Of the 10,000 British paratrooperswho jumped into Holland that day, 8,000 of them were killed before the fight was over,”Armstrong said.

Armed with a Mark II Sten gun, a few handgrenades and two Fairbairn-Sykes commando

knives, he got out of the glider and wasengaged almost immediately by trucks loaded

with German SS troops. Armstrong fought alongside other commandos as long asnecessary to defeat their initial opposition,but as quickly as he could, he separated

himself from the main group to begin themission and secret objective for which he hadbeen inserted.

Armstrong’s mission had two purposes. Thefirst was to meet another SOE operative, IanElliott, at a railway bridge and get informationfrom him. That information was to be deliveredby Armstrong to Maj. Gen. Robert Urquhart of the Airborne Division.

The street fighting in Oosterbeek wassevere, and Armstrong dodged from houseto house to make it to his first objective in

time. In the backyard vegetable garden of one home, Armstrong, his SOE contact and aBritish paratrooper encountered a German SSmachine gun emplacement and tried to takeit out. The Germans manning the gun saw theBritish paratrooper and cut him down.

A small boy only 5 or 6 years old ranout of the house and knelt down beside the

mortally wounded paratrooper. When hisgrandfather ran out after the boy, he wasgunned down, as well.

“I could hear the SS soldiers laughing,”

Armstrong said, “so I crept in near their position and lobbed a couple of grenades inon them. One completely detached the headfrom one of the bodies as it launched andcircled in the air.”

In the silent pause that followed,Armstrong saw the little boy still sitting by thewounded paratrooper. He ran out, scooped theboy up and carried him to the house, where

his mother was crying.When he arrived at the place wherehe was to meet Gen. Urquhart, he saw an

In the backyard vegetable garden of one home,Armstrong, his SOE contact and a British paratrooperencountered a German SS machine gun emplacement

and tried to take it out. The Germans manning the gunsaw the British paratrooper and cut him down.




Warrior Stories

“I fired a sustainedburst at the car,and they foundtheir mark.”

Armstrong’s heroicsin Holland includedtaking out four Germanofficers at one time,but the deed left himgravely wounded.



unmanned Bren gun in the road. The majority of a platoon hadalready crossed a bridge there when Armstrong saw a German staff car approaching with four German officers in it.

“When the driver saw me running for the Bren gun, he tried toput the car into reverse but he was too late,” Armstrong said. “I fireda sustained burst at the car, and they found their mark.”

Armstrong would later learn that one of the officers hekilled that day was Maj. Gen. Friedrich Kussin, the German fieldcommander at Arnhem.

From over a mile away, the Germans began mortaring thecrossroads, and Armstrong was knocked unconscious. He clearlyremembers one of his comrades throwing him over his shoulder and trying to get him to safety before being shot and dropping him.As Armstrong treated his companion’s wounds, he saw Germansapproaching and tried to play dead. He must have passed out,

because when he came to, the soldier he was treating was gone.Other enemy soldiers came by, and one thrust the bayonet of hisrifle toward Armstrong’s chest. Armstrong rolled away in the nick of



time, but the bayonet still sliced through his arm. The secondthrust entered Armstrong’s stomach just above the belt line. Yet

another soldier slashed at his throat ashe ran by, ripping it open but somehowmissing his jugular.

Armstrong looked down and saw that

his intestines were protruding from theopen wound, so he took his belt andcinched it tight over the wound. Whenhe woke up again a Dutch farmer hadcarried him to his house to care for him.

When the wounds began to fester,it was decided he would have to risktreatment at St. Elizabeth’s Hospitalon the outskirts of Arnhem. A few days

later, a Gestapo officer entered thehospital with a picture of him on awanted poster.

“The officer tied a rope around myneck,” Armstrong said, “and violentlypulled me from the bed and draggedme to an awaiting German staff car.”

At Gestapo HQ, Armstrong wasinterrogated, water boarded and

beaten. He was eventually given amock trial where was he sentencedto execution for crimes against the Third Reich.

“The trial,” Armstrong said,“lasted less than 20 minutes, andit was announced that I would be

executed at 5 a.m. the following morning.” The following morning, Armstrong stood before the firing

squad wall. He heard the weapons loading, then the order to fire.All intentionally shot over his head. Such mock executions wereconducted every morning for the next four days.


WarriorStories

Armstrong inuniform afterthe war.



months in a concentration camp, I was anything but innocent and naïve.”

When he returned home to England,Armstrong, for the second time in his life, wassummoned to No. 10 Downing Street. During

that meeting, Winston Churchill began to inquireabout his experience in Holland and thenthe camp, but Armstrong was angry becausehe knew he had been sent into the countryexpected to fail and divulge false information tothe enemy.

Unable to control his emotions, he lashedout at Churchill, wanting to know “why inGod’s name” they had used him as they

did. Churchill honestly told him that his ownorganization thought that he had not comeup to the standards of others and that, in a“calculated assessment, they thought that hissacrifice would save lives.”

“Well, sir,” he told Churchill, “bad luck, it didn’t work.”

As the meeting went on, Churchill toldArmstrong of his faith and the strength he

received from Almighty God.“As he spoke,” Armstrong said, “I began

to feel that maybe God had brought me incontact with this great man for reasons of his own.”

Whatever else motivated Armstrong to move forward in life after the horrific experiences in the camp, he

was hell-bent on finding those responsible for killing his wife. With or without permission, one way or another, he planned to make someone pay.

Over time, he learned of a German SS prisoner who might have insight intothose assigned at Ravensbruck. The man had not been at Ravensbruck at the timeof his wife’s death, but he knew the name of two executioners who had been there

Warrior Stories




will solicit many emotions from her readers, including both grief and anger, as you learn of Armstrong’s

losses, come to understand the depth of hissuffering, and realize the inexcusable circumstancessurrounding his betrayals.

On a pilgrimage years after the day he killed acarload of German officers on that bridge near Arnhem,Armstrong visited a cemetery in the hopes of paying respects to a brother SOE agent and British paratrooper who had died serving with him. Entering the cemeteryat Oosterbeek, he found the grave of the SOE operative

he was looking for, when he was approached by a tallyoung man who had been watching him.

“Did you know that person?” the man asked.“Why do you want to know?” Armstrong responded.“Well,” he replied, “for a while the man’s body

was buried in the garden of our house, along with aBritish paratrooper who was fighting the Germans theday my grandfather was killed in that garden.”

Armstrong told the young man that it was he who

had carried him to the house that day, to the waiting arms of his mother. He followed the young man tothat house and once again met the woman he hadseen so distraught all those years before.

“As I went to leave,” Armstrong said, “the womanplaced her arms around my neck, and there weretears in her eyes. I was too moved to say anything else. I don’t suppose I will see them again.”

Keith Armstrong has lived a thousand lives

compared to most. He’s suffered the torment of captivity, separation and ultimate betrayal. In theWorld Court he found a place he could win the right

To this day, Armstrong still hasn’treceived all he rightfully earned.



WarriorStories

KeithArmstronghas lived athousandlivescomparedto most.



Today, Keith Armstrong leads a simple life in thePacific Northwest.



Warrior Stories


to have his reputation restored, but in the end he may never receiveall that he has rightfully earned and truly deserves.

In some small way, telling his story unearths old wounds he wisheshe could leave alone. Yet at the same time, he understands that thoseunwilling to learn from the past are fools or, as philosopher GeorgeSantayana so eloquently said, “condemned to repeat it.”

In N o Cloak , N o D agger: An Undercover Agent Breaks the Silence,

author Grace Stoddard tells the fascinating story of a man she first

met and hired to speak at an event she hosted in 1989.

Today, Keith Armstrong lives a simple life without frills on a

limited budget, still waiting for the pension the British government

refuses to pay their ex-patriot and saboteur.

The book N o Cloak , N o D agger can be found by clicking HERE.



BEFORE YOU GO! TEXT

”PATRIOT”

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