NRA American Warrior Magazine #12 2013

Best of Show: SHOT 2013
Tested: Para USAs Travis Vendelas God Bless Panama: A Journey to Black Ops 1911 Runaway Victory Officer T the End of the Road
American Warrior
THE NRA MAGAZINE FOR THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR
NUMBER 12
We turned four gun nuts loose on the 2013 SHOT Show exhibit floor and asked them to report on the hottest new guns, knives, clothing and accessories they could find. WAR R IOR FEATU R ES
P R ES E N T E D BY C O LT
WarriorWare
Warrior Test Drive: ParaUSA Black Ops
Why another 1911? you might ask. Simple answer: This is by no means just another 1911.
Runaway Victory
In 2007, Sgt. 1st Class Travis Vendela led a convoy into battle in Iraq and lost both his legs. In 2012, Coach Travis Vendela led a Utah high-school football team to a huge state championship win. Officer Camille Tsitsinakis works hard to keep Sin Citys sin from spilling over into Henderson, Nev.
A Journey to the End of the Road

NRA Life of Duty correspondent Chuck Holton drove south until he hit jungle. There, he stopped to report on the Panamanian equivalent of the U.S. Border Patrol and bugs the size of rats.
God Bless This Woman
Welcome to the Warrior.
ON THE COVER: Travis Vendela, an
assistant coach for the Jordan High School Beetdiggers, celebrates his teams victory in Utahs 5A state football championship. Vendela lost both legs during a mission in Iraq in 2007. Photo by Jim Urquhart. THIS SPREAD: Jeremy Lake is a Master Hunting Guide at Castle Valley Outdoors in southern Utah. Castle Valley Outdoors plays host to the annual Glendon Johnson Wounded Warrior Cast & Blast, which offers wounded warfighters an opportunity to hunt, shoot, fish and heal. Photo by Michael Ives.
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The day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, they also attacked the island of Luzon and American forces stationed there. After battling for months, surrender seemed to be the only option for the Americans. Most became prisoners of war and endured the infamous Bataan Death March, but roughly 450 men refused to surrender and found a way to fight on. Click here to hear their story in this exclusive Patriot Profile documentary.
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A M E R I C A N WA R R I O R
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GUNS, GEAR & GADGETS FOR THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR
hat do you get when you turn four gun nuts loose amongst acres of new guns and gear? Only the biggest and best NRA American Warrior SHOT Show Roundup ever!
We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed doing the research.
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BROWNELLS
FLASH SUPPRESSOR
Brownells new flash hider/suppressor is a tiny unit that yields big performance. A series of round holes encompassing the suppressor reduces flash substantially over more conventional units. Its easy to install and available in both 5.56/223 or 7.62/308. MC
www.brownells.com
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MIL-SPEC BOLT CARRIER GROUP
SHOT SHORTS -TF

The Smith & Wesson Performance Center had several new single stack 1911s on display. Taking a page from competitive shooters, the slides have been lightened to reduce reciprocating mass and lessen sight movement. Very nice 30 LPI checkering can be found on them as well.
Brownells Mil-Spec Bolt/Carrier assembly is made for drop-in fit and reliable operation. Extremely durable, it is machined from high-grade 8620 carbon steel alloy and heat-treated for superb strength and hardness. And Mil-spec tolerances ensure proper fit and smooth, reliable function in the widest range of semi-auto rifles.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL IVES
www.smith-wesson.com
Nestled among the other great new Benchmade products was the Volli a very light and sleek knife featuring spring assist, axis lock and S30V steel. Another great knife from Benchmade, for sure.
www.benchmade.com
Greeley Colorado-based Burris continues to build top-notch optics. The MTAC line of scopes continues to impress me. The daylight-visible reticles are a huge plus for both hunters and military shooters. Burris also had its new Laser Rangefinder Eliminator rifle scopes and a new flip mount for red dot magnifiers on display. Good stuff all around.
www.burrisoptics.com
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MOUNTAIN KHAKIS
Mountain Khakis is known for its rugged, functional, comfortable and attractive outerwear. And the companys new lodge jacket and field jacket meet all those criteria.
LODGE JACKET
The Lodge Jacket is made of 22-ounce 50 percent Merino wool, 30 percent polyester and 20 percent Modal, with two hand-warmer pockets with zipper closure, left chest pocket with zippered closure and internal chest pocket. It also features a fold-down collar and Lycra-bound cuffs. MC
FIELD JACKET
The Waxed Canvas Field Jacket is made of 13.25-ounce British Millerain plain-weave waxed canvas featuring a quick-dry, moisturewicking lining. It features a YKK metal zipper front closure with seven-snap storm flap, and a button-tab stand-up collar. MC
www.mountainkhakis.com
SHOT SHORTS -TF

Magpul has also embraced the AK, and a new grip will be available soon. They also had on hand their custom VW bus with a Minigun sticking out of the moonroof, which will not be available anytime soon.
www.magpul.com
Remington introduced its new Commander-sized 1911. The gun is loaded with custom features like night sights, Ambi safeties and a 25 LPI checked front strap.
www.remington.com
AAC showed off its entire suppressor line, and also showcased its firearms chambered in 300 Blackout. The 300 Blackout is a shortened 5.56 case that is necked up to accept a 7.62 (.30 caliber) bullet that can be used in AR-15 size rifles and magazines. Two perks of the caliber are outstanding supersonic performance that is better than the 7.62x39 and the ability to easily suppress the caliber with subsonic ammo. I own several rifles in 300 Blackout and I am very happy to see the popularity of the caliber grow.
www.advancedarmament.com
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PHOTO BY J.R. SALZMAN
SHOT SHORTS -TF
ARMOR EXPRESS LIGHTHAWK XT
For the accuracy buffs out there, the SIG P210 is still being made. Theyre still hard to findand still expensive when you do find them.
www.sigarms.com
Built by Armor Express, the Lighthawk XT was designed to be as pliable, adaptable and scalable as possible. To prove how pliable the Lighthawk XT is, the company hired stuntmen who were accustomed to performing crazy jumps off obstacles and buildings to do so while wearing its body armor (the professional video was playing at SHOT Show and grabbed everyones attention). The Lighthawk XT has an integrated quick-release system so that if a medic needs to get to the wearers vital organs in a hurry he can do so with the pull of a cord. Combine all this with a rear hydration pocket, front utility pouch, integrated MOLLE webbing, a rear drag strap, mesh lining for airflow, wire restraints for radio equipment, and removable sling hooks to hold your rifle sling in place, and you have body armor that you wont mind wearing on the job. JS
This was Thunder Beast Arms Corp.s first trip to the SHOT Show. The team at TBAC had their entire line of titanium suppressors on hand. As the owners are serious and accomplished competitive shooters, accuracy and minimal POI shift is the most important feature of their entire line. The titanium construction makes them very light compared to an all steel suppressor. Most of the TBAC line is available with a muzzle brake attachment method. The company also had on hand their new steel 308 suppressor. The price on the steel versions will be lower than their titanium suppressors. No word on a release date for the steel version.
www.thunderbeastarms.com
This year, LaRue made yet another improvement to its incredibly accurate and reliable OBR line of AR-15 rifles. Now the hand guards can be changed without tools, and barrel changes can be made with limited tools. As always, accuracy and reliability are still the main focus of the entire OBR line of rifles. Currently the wait for most rifles is more than 6 months, with some models being close to 12 months.
www.armorexpress.com
www.laruetactical.com
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ESS CREDENCE GLASSES

Despite all the guns at SHOT Show, you seldom see any projectiles being released. But the sweet sound of impact led us to the ESS booth, where company representatives were demonstrating their new Credence glasses by shooting them side-by-side with competitors products. The Credence boasts a hefty does of performance, protection and style. The broad lens wrap of the unit provides a wide field of view through distortion-free, military-grade polycarbonate. And the frame features low-profile temple arms for comfort with over-the-ear hearing protection, hats or helmets. And dont forget Credence is U.S. Mil-spec Battle Rated. By the end of the show the two tubs of glasses that had been shot showed a distinct difference, with most Credence glasses intact and wearable, and many competitors glasses shattered and in more than one piece. MC
PHOTO COURTESY OF ESS EYE PRO
www.esseyepro.com
WINKLER S.A.R.
SHOT SHORTS -TF

Tactical Solutions of Boise, Idaho, continues to impress me with its line of .22 rifles and replacement top ends for pistols. They make complete rifles built around their X-Ring receivers and dedicated AR-15 top ends. Also they have an outstanding line of rimfire suppressors. New this year was a metal replacement trigger group for the 10/22 rifles. For those that do not care for the plastic one that comes stock on the 10/22, this is an outstanding upgrade.
The WK II S.A.R. knife from Winkler is a top-quality piece of machinery, like all Winkler products. Developed at the request of a municipal Search and Rescue Team, the S.A.R. Knife is combination of the WK II Utility Knife and the WK II Spike. The S.A.R. features cpm-154 Stainless Steel, skeletonized tang, integral crusher spike and serrated spine. Blade length is 4 inches, with a 9-inch overall length. Blade finishes available include Caswell No-Glare finish, Black KG finish and Camo KG finish, each with several handle options. The S.A.R. comes with an ambidextrous Kydex-lined leather sheath that can be worn vertically or horizontally. MC
www.tacticalsol.com
www.winklerknives.com
Mile High showed up at SHOT this year with a ton of Accuracy International goodies and SAS Suppressors. Known as one of the largest dealers of AI, SAS, S&B and Nightforce, Mile High is your go-to shop for long-range rifle accuracy products.
www.milehighshooting.com
Also on display by Browning was its X-Bolt rifles. These rifles are available in many calibers, and are slimmed down to fit small statured shooters. The recoil pads on these rifles feel very soft and should help to tame some of the recoil on this lightweight hunting rifle.
PHOTO COURTESY OF POINT SEVEN
www.browning.com
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SHOT SHORTS -TF

News from Schmidt & Bender is that the not-so-new 1-8 actually has a release date of May 2013. The scope on hand was marked for HK rifles and painted RAL8000, which is an orangish brown color. Like the 1-4, they remain heavy and have a 30 mm tube. Im looking forward to shooting one of these for sure.
US PALM AGILE COMBAT SYSTEM
www.schmidtbender.com
The ACS (Agile Combat System) is a new body armor and integrated gear system by US Palm. The system currently consists of four different components. When it matures in about 24 months it will have a total of 18 to 24 different components that will allow users to mix-and-match to their needs like a tactical Lego set. Current components include a front three-sided plate carrier, their Draco Hardened Backpack (which also takes a plate), and their Multi-Platform Attack Rack. The backpack comes with an integrated VS-17 panel for marking and serves as an optional water carrier to help prevent heat casualties. The MultiPlatform Attack Rack is a favorite among tunnel rats on the border who live in a horizontal world and need to keep track of their gear. All of their components snap together, are interchangeable in seconds and are covered in MOLLE for personal customization. JS
As always the gang at Blue Force continues to make one of the finest padded slings available. Of all the padded slings I have seen outside the wire, the BFG are the most common and are what I continue to use.
www.blueforcegear.com
Several new single-stack pistols were on hand from STI. The companys new line of tactical pistols has forged frames and the blocky heavier weight slides. Like the High Cap line of Tacticals, the Single Stacks have an accessory rail machined into the dustcover. They come in 3-, 4- and 5-inch barrels, and are chambered in 45 ACP .
www.stiguns.com
Klein Tactical had its line of communication equipment on hand. Klein Tactical gear is light, compact and well thought out communication equipment, along with being very affordable.
www.uspalm.com
www.headsetusa.com
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When I spied this rifle on the rack in the Colt booth, the first thing that crossed my mind was what a truly beautiful piece of equipment it was. Then I learned that it has a lot more going for it than just its looks. The M2012 is the only precision bolt-action rifle on the market with the well-known ergonomics of a modern sporting rifle. Chambered in .308 Win., the rifle features a solid forged aluminum chassis; custom fluted, stainless-steel match-grade barrel; Timney trigger; and a custom Colt muzzle brake. Handcrafted in the United States, each M2012 rifle is test-fired for accuracy and must shoot a three-shot group of 1 inch or less before shipping. MC
COLT M2012SA308 PRECISION RIFLE
www.colt.com
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MOLLEMINUS
PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUE FORCE GEAR
Blue Forces new MOLLEminus technology stands for MOLLE minus the weight, the bulk and the complexity. Blue Force touts MOLLEminus as the thinnest, strongest, lightest modular load carriage standard on the market half the thickness of a dime, more than four times as abrasion resistant as air-textured nylon and formed from a single piece of the companys proprietary ULTRAcomp. Fully backward compatible with legacy MOLLE, MOLLEminus supports existing MOLLE and PALS compatible pouches. MC/TF Also new from Blue Force Gear is the Hive Satchel. This bag was designed in collaboration with Chris Costa of Costa Ludus. The bag is large enough to hold most all pistols and some small subguns. The best part of the bag is it does not scream, Gun in this bag! Sometimes hiding in plain sight is the best option. MC/TF
HIVE
www.blueforcegear.com
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NITE IZE
If you thought the Inova Microlight was cool, youll love the Microlight STS. The new touchactivated Microlight STS illuminates with a simple swipe, making bright LED illumination easy, instant and ultra-convenient. Its durable, water-and-shock-resistant casing is designed to fit comfortably in your hand, and brightness is an impressive 16 lumens. High, variable dimming, low and flash modes allow you to use the light in a variety of different scenarios. MC
MICROLIGHT STS
S-BINER SLIDELOCK
Nite Ize also introduced the new S-Biner SlideLock. This enhanced version of the traditional caribiner will help you organize, connect, carry and keep your valuables extra secure. Made of high-quality stainless steel, each S-Biner SlideLock features two simple, innovative plastic sliders that, when slid into correct placement, keep the gates securely closed. Your S-Biner SlideLock will stay firmly locked until you choose to unlock it, allowing for simple and secure linking, attaching and carrying. MC
www.niteize.com
PHOTO CREDIT: MICHAEL IVES
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MECHANIX M-PACT 2
The original M-Pact glove from Mechanix offered full-coverage hand protection, rubberized grip on the thumb, index finger and palm, and sonic-welded molded rubber on the knuckles and fingertips. The new M-Pact 2 adds extreme knuckle guard foam padding and complete impact protection from the fingertips to the wrist area. Add to that a new and improved fit, and the M-Pact 2 provides the whole package. The new model is anatomically designed with advanced features that include tapered stretch side panels that form comfortably between fingers and a molded Neoprene cuff for a seamless fit to your wrist. MC
www.mechanix.com
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FNH
PSR BALLISTA
Designed to meet the requirements of the U.S. Precision Rifle Market, the Ballista is a fully modular bolt-action rifle designed for surgically precise accuracy at longer distances. It features a high-strength, vibration-isolated aluminum alloy receiver with a topmounted MIL-STD 1913 rail. It also has additional rail segments for slings, bipods, lights, lasers or other accessories, and a fully adjustable trigger system for single- or two-stage release between 2 and 5 pounds. The Ballistas 26-inch fluted barrel is configured for .338 Lapua Mag., and is interchangeable with caliber conversion kits for .300 Win. Mag. and .308 Win.. MC/TF
LONG SLIDE PISTOL
FNH also showcased its new FNS-9 longslide pistol. Available in 9x19 and 40, the extended sight radius is sure to help with tight or long shots. This version has interchangeable backstraps and is completely ambidextrous. Like all the FN pistols, it is lightweight and features easy-to-use controls. MC/TF
www.fnhusa.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF FNH USA
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(Tool-less Locking System) and designed a full line of bolt-action patrol rifles using the technology. MVP Series delivered a bolt-action engineering breakthrough with the MVPs patent-pending Drop-Push bolt, designed to accept and reliably feed from AR-style magazines. Adding to the rifles precision performance is the patented Mossberg LBA (Lightning Bolt Action) Adjustable Trigger System, which is user-adjustable from 2 to 7 pounds. FLEX your MVP rifle stock and recoil pad to fit individual shooters or to set-up your rifle for a specific application by changing the six-position tactical stock to standard black or camo FLEX stocks with 12-, 13- or 14-inch LOP options or choose the four-position adjustable hunting stock with dual combs. MC
MOSSBERG FLEX MVPFLEX TLS Mossberg has taken its popular
www.mossberg.com
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BENCHMADE
AUTO TRIAGE
Benchmades new Auto Triage should be just the ticket for first responders looking for a top-quality cutting tool. The knife is basically the dynamic Triage packaged in high-strength aluminum with the speed and efficiency of the companys AXIS auto and an automatic opening hook. Other features include a modified drop-point blade, N680 highly corrosionresistant steel and a carbide glass breaker. MC
PLAN D
The new Plan D, manufactured by Benchmade in conjunction with HK, is an easily concealed backup knife that could make all the difference when the chips are down. It features a fixed Wharncliffe-style blade made of N680 stainless steel, contoured Grivory handle scales with signature HK texture and a low-profile, molded sheath with ambidextrous clip designed for duty belts. MC
www.benchmade.com
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Designed by 14-year veteran smokejumper Jason Ramos, these pants are the product of years of testing and evaluation. By evaluating products and gear for a minimum of a year in some of the worlds most demanding professions, PRg has created a unique business that offers recommendations and consultation for people who dont want to waste their money on inferior products. These new pants designed by Ramos are made especially for hot climates. The PBI Trigard material makes them highly breathable, fire resistant and will dry out in only a few minutes when they get wet. They are perfect for guys on race teams, motorcycle riders and others who need a rugged, breathable pant. MC
PRT OVERLAND PANT
www.productresearchgear.com
One of the neatest things at the Troy booth this year was Squid Grip inserts. Those of us that use a Troy hand guard know that after a while the hand guard can wear on your hands. The Squid Grip inserts make the grip much more comfortable by putting a soft plastic insert in the holes. They are not slippery and not so large that you lose the benefit of the slim rail. No more cheese-grater hands at the end of the day. TF
PHOTO COURTESY OF TROY
TROY SQUID GRIP INSERTS
www.troyind.com
Walking past the Coast booth on several occasions left us no other option than to stop and look at this new flashlight. This company, a favorite of many military, law enforcement, and fire and rescue personnel, introduced a new line of rechargeable LED flashlights, including the handy HP5R. The unit features Coasts exclusive new Flex Charge Dual Power Rechargeable System, including the ProTek Charging Port, with a tail cap that pops up to reveal a mini USB port the charging cable plugs into. At only 4.75 inches long, the HP5R puts out an incredible 121 lumens at maximum setting. MC
COAST HP5R FLASHLIGHT
www.coastportland.com
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GLOCK G30S
Built on the G30 SF frame, the G30S combines the full capacity .45 Auto round count with a slimmer slide. This pistol offers a lighter, more easily concealable option for both law enforcement and concealed-carry enthusiasts. Built in conjunction with elite law enforcement, the newest edition to the Glock product line brings a venerable history of consistency, dependability and safe performance in the powerful .45 Auto round. Fully loaded, the G30S weighs in at only 30.16 ounces, compared to the G30 at 33.69 ounces nearly 10 percent lighter. MC
www.glock.com
LIPSEYS BROWN GLOCK
www.lipseys.com
You cant buy one of these cool brown Glocks directly from Lipseys, but thats the only place your favorite firearms dealer can get one for you. Recently named wholesaler of the year by NASGW, Lipseys has many products made especially for it, including this Glock fourth-generation G19 in Flat Dark Earth. Its the same great, dependable gun as any other G19, but the new finish has made it highly sought after by many in law enforcement. Check your local dealer for one of these coming soon. If he doesnt have one, he can order you one from Lipseys. MC
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OPTICAL TRENDS FW
SINGLE POWER OPTICS
We are glad to see that single-power conventional optics are not being altogether abandoned by reputable manufacturers. While the geegaws are lots of fun and have plenty of legitimate applications, the simple optical complement (fewer lenses and adjustments) means better light transmission and lower weight per dollar in fixed power designs. Fewer parts mean less to break when the going gets tough. And uncomplicated reticles mean no calculations or complexities to get lost in when seconds count and light is low. We saw examples from Burris (2.75x Scout) and Leupold (FX-II Scout IER 2.5x28, FX-II 4x33) that particularly appealed.
www.burrisoptics.com www.leupold.com
RED DOTS
PHOTO COURTESY OF LEUPOLD
Practically every company is fighting for this piece of the market, including some who should not be. While the JPoint, Burris FastFire, Docter Red Dot, Trijicon RMR, Leupold Delta Point and C-More are tough, reliable and proven, they do make demands on the budget. Their light weight and extreme G-force tolerance make them the only real choice for slide-mounting on pistols. But for other applicationsparticularly as secondary or CQB optics on ARsthe result is lower-priced options in huge numbers. Many take the form of tube-style red dots like the excellent Bushnell TRS25 ( about $100; an optional package includes an AR-appropriate riser), but in other cases its strictly caveat emptor: buyer beware. In an effort to have something out there, companies who ought to know better have their names on some pretty poor products. We particularly noted dual color and multi-reticle models with switches/controls so loose by the second day of SHOT that we doubt theyd be worth shipping home.
www.bushnell.com
PH OT O CO UR TE SY OF CH RI S RE EV ES EB EN ZA
CHRIS REEVE SEBENZA
The Sebenza 25 is the 25th anniversary version of this ultrapopular folder, which is one of the companys all-time best-sellers. The Sebenza 25 has a satin-finished titanium handle face with a unique 25th Anniversary graphic. The framelock side, edges and pocket clip are all bead blasted. The blade has double thumb lugs and has Chris Reeves signature and date. The Chris Reeve Sebenza 25 has a revised handle shape that incorporates a second finger groove. Overall length is 8.335 inches, with a 3.625-inch stainless blade, which features Large Hollow Grind Technology delivering the best of hollow and flat grinds. Weight is a scant 5.2 ounces. MC
www.chrisreeve.com
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OPTICAL TRENDS FW
1 - 4X X
This class is particularly built-out at present, with many choices zeroing in on the AR/ Tactical/3-Gun sectors. There are lots and lots and lots of choices. The Millett DMS-1 remains a bargain: 30 mm tube, sharp, etched dot and donut reticle with a small, precise dot, and low-light illumination. Ive heard good reports on the Millett, even up to .308 applications. Farther up the food chain is a pair of Bushnells (a 1-4x24 mm, and the first focal-plane 1-4x Throw Down PCLbut get that mount vertical: you wont like first focalplane mounted even a little off!). Throw Down refers to a built-in fold-down magnification adjustment pillar. It features tactical-style reticles and good grippy adjustments; well see what the field reports. Burris has its great glass in two 30 mm scopes: the XTR (milling-type reticle with dot and donut) and MTAC (CQ reticle + BDC dots); both illuminated, and both available kitted with a PEPR mount and FastFire red dot. An interesting addition to this class is the Leupold HOG in two variants: a 1-4x in 1-inch tube with an interesting FireDot Pig Plex reticle (our winner in the Best Reticle with the Dumbest Name category). It features a smaller tubea nice option for a youth/lightweight kit, or for those rings that are just lying around (under $300 too!). There is a 30 mm version in 1.25-4x, illuminated. Its a little off the beaten path, to be sure, but worth a look. It could find a surprising number of adopters in 3-gun and elsewhere. 1.25x will work for CQB. VX-R and VX-R Patrol (illuminated) look great too: very nice edge-to-edge clarity in the glass; good adjustment ergonomics.
www.millettsights.com www.bushnell.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF MILLETT SIGHTS
KIFARU KRYPTEK CAMO AND BIKINI DUPLEX FRAMES
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www.kifaru.net
PHOTO COURTESY OF KIFARU
Kifaru is offering the new Kryptek camouflage pattern and the new Bikini Duplex Frames. The new frames are much lighterby almost 2 poundsand are able to accept most all Kifaru modular systems. The new camo pattern should be a winner for the hunter and warrior, alike. TF
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OPTICAL TRENDS FW
SPEAKING OF SCOUT SCOPES
The Burris 2x-7x 32 mm is serious business in this class. Certain types of rifles will flourish with this optic, especially those with open-top actions that are best not occluded by a mount. It is now available with a Ballistic-Plex and G2B Mil-Dot reticle. Dont let the 1-inch tube fool you.
OTHER 2X -7
If youre after a conventional mount in this magnification range, dont miss the Bushnell 2-7x 32 mm. It features quarter-inch click adjustments and BDCstyle reticle. At present it is just intended for .22 AR platforms, but well be anxious to see if anyone steps up to adapting it up to the .223. Its a great magnification range, and adaptable to close-quarters with practice at the 2x setting. Leupolds trim 2-7x with a 33 mm objective has three available reticle options, including a BDC.
www.bushnell.com www.leupold.com
RITE IN THE RAIN

Rite In The Rain has expanded their all-weather paper products and designed a tactical index card wallet to hold 3x5 index cards. Outfitted with a pack of 25 cards, the durable and tough Cordura tactical wallet is the ideal solution for those heading off to military or law enforcement schools where they will be in field conditions, yet still required to quickly learn large amounts of information on the fly. With these all-weather index cards, you and your battle buddy can pull guard duty while cramming for the next test. Rite in the Rain pen sold separately. JS
TACTICAL INDEX CARD WALLET
www.riteintherain.com
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OPTICAL TRENDS FW
1X, 1 .25 - .50X OR 2X - 5X, 6X, OR 7X
This class of scopes exploded at SHOT this year. We saw at least 9 Leupolds, 3 Burris and some great-looking Vortex products among many, many others. The rage in this class is true 1x with CQB in mind, and while were believers (and early adopters) of the concept, dont write the near 1x variations off: both eyes open is the key, and with practice this can be learned at higher magnifications (up to about 2.75x, though intermediate eye relief helps a lot beyond 2x). Col. Jeff Cooper believed thrown clays could be reliably hit with centerfire rifles at up to 2.75 power: Weve seen it, and done it. The big benefit in a variable scope is higher magnification at the top end, and that is whats motivating growth in this class. With more older eyes in the tactical and 3-Gun worlds, a little more than 4x is often a huge benefit at 400 yards and beyond. We especially liked the big brothers of some of our 1-4x picks: a 2 -7x Leupold VX-R, and the Burris MTAC 1.5-6x (both available with illuminated reticles).
CRYE PRECISION NIGHTCAP
www.cryeprecision.com
If you want to wear your night-vision goggles, you generally have to wear a combat helmet everywhere you go or endure the uncomfortable strain of an ill-fitting head harness. For a situation where that isnt ideal, Crye Precision has introduced a new product called Nightcap to fill the void between a Kevlar helmet and the uncomfortable headgear usually associated with night-vision equipment. With multiple mounting options available, adjustable straps, channels to tuck the wires out of the way, as well as a Velcro patch to attach a battery pack, Nightcap is a lightweight, sans helmet option for wearing night vision that wont give you a headache the first five minutes you wear it. JS
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MTM RAD
Weve featured MTM Special Ops watches in these pages before and for good reasonthey are top-of-the-line products that wont let you down in a pinch. MTMs newest addition is the RAD, a oneof-a-kind tactical radiation-detection watch. The RAD can be set to sound an alarm at a pre-set level of radiation. Or it can be set to simply monitor radiation levels throughout the day, and the data can be downloaded to your computer via infrared technology. Like other MTM products, the RAD is a tough, precision timepiece youll be proud to own. On another note, MTM is an official sponsor of the upcoming G.I. Joe movie, with the companys Cobra watch being worn by stars in the flick. MC
www.specialopswatch.com
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BLACKHAWK
EPOCH HOLSTER
Slated for release in the spring of 2013 is the new EPOCH Holster from Blackhawk, a new level 3 duty light holster. The thumb-activated holster will accommodate a wide variety of under-barrel lights from Streamlight to Surefire, so you wont need to purchase a new holster if your department decides to switch lights. The EPOCH holster features three levels of retention and a thumbactivated pivot guard designed in such a way that it cannot accidentally close and lock you out of your holster. The Glock 17/22/33 EPOCH Holsters are slated to be released first, with other common duty pistols slated to follow. JS
DIVERSION COURIER BAG
Blackhawks new Diversion line of products is designed to be tactical, yet look discreet. Among those is their new Diversion Courier Bag. On the outside it looks like any other courier bag you see on the street. But open it up and youll find loads of room for your tactical necessities. The outside magazine pouch will hold four 7.62 mm or 5.56 mm magazines with positive retention straps. The lid is removable and features an integrated map case underneath. There is ample storage room inside for everything from first aid pouches and hydration to chemical lights, even pathways for a radio antenna or hydration hose. Throw your pistol inside and you have a discreet bag that meets all your tactical needs. JS
www.blackhawk.com
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Anyone who has ever spent time up in a gun turret or out on patrol in inclement weather understands the importance of keeping your face covered. The Spec-Ops Recon Wrap works as a sweatband, balaclava, neck gaiter, helmet liner, and anything and everything in between. Unlike their previous Recon Wrap that many are familiar with, the new version is made out of 100 percent Nomex for those situations where IEDs or fire may make the job a little hotter than normal. JS
NOMEX RECON WRAP
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPEC-OPS
T.H.E. PACK U.A.P.
Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, Spec-Ops decided to improve their already popular and battle proven T.H.E. Pack (Tactical Holds Everything) and beef it up with better zippers, heavier buckles and an extra pouch for paperwork or armor plates. The result is a new and improved version they call T.H.E. Pack U.A.P (Ultimate . Assault Pack). To make the whole system even better, the company developed a couple of drop-in organizers to help keep gear arranged. For the smaller pouches they developed the Top Drawer insert and for the main pack the Main Frame insert capable of holding a laptop and paperwork. To keep your back from getting too sweaty on long patrols, they developed a back pad called the PT Panel to wick away heat and moisture. If you happen to be one of the more than 250,000 troops who were issued or who purchased T.H.E. Pack, the drop-in organizers will be available separately. JS
www.specopsbrand.com
As too many in the military can tell you, most issued belts have two adjustment settings pants falling down or cutting into your hips. Spec-Ops has sought to change all that with their improved Better BDU Belt. The product is the outcome of three years of development and testing in the U.S. military. It has heavier webbing to carry anything you clip on, and a 7-percent stretch capability to help hold your pants up in comfort. Because the buckle is not metal, the wearer doesnt have to worry about noisy gear, and its safe for EOD use. JS
BETTER BDU BELT
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NIGHTFORCE
PHOTO COURTESY OF NIGHTFORCE
Nightforce has finally released its B.E.A.S.T., a first focal plane scope in 5-25. Available in MOA or Mil turret adjustments and a good selection of reticles, it is sure to be a hit. One of the nice things about the B.E.A.S.T. is the turrets are easy to read. The small lever to add 0.1 mil is very clever and well thought out. TF
B.E.A.S.T.
ATACR
Nightforce also had its new ATACR 34 mm maintube scope on hand. The 34 mm tube gives the shooter much more elevation adjustment. The ATACR has over 120 MOA of internal adjustment. TF
www.nightforceoptics.com
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CZ P-09 PISTOLS
www.cz-usa.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF CZ-USA
New from CZ this year are the P-09 Pistols. The frame assembly is made of polymer, with a rail for flashlights, lasers, bayonets, etc. Available in 9 mm or 40 S&W, these pistols feature DA/SA triggers and a framemounted de-cocker. CZ has also included interchangeable backstraps to allow shooters to better fit the pistol to their hands. TF
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ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL
AX PSR .338 LAPUA MAGNUM RIFLE
Also new at SHOT was Accuracy Internationals AX PSR .338 Lapua Magnum. Based on the DNA of their battle-proven AW series, it has all the same characteristics of its predecessors except it is longer and wider so it can accommodate a double-stacked 10-round magazine. The entire stock system is modular, with an adjustable butt, adjustable cheek piece, adjustable magazine well, and a right-folding rear stock. The rifle has a quick-change barrel capability with a 4 mm Allen wrench hidden underneath the cheek piece. With only three screws and the hand guard to remove, the barrel can be unthreaded and a new one installed in short order. JS
The same stock that is featured on the companys new AX PSR .338 Lapua Magnum will soon be available for short or long action Remington 700s. The entire system is modular, with an adjustable butt, adjustable cheek piece, adjustable magazine well, right folding rear stock, and full Picatinny rails. The stock will be available in the second quarter of 2013. JS
AX PSR STYLE STOCK
www.accuracyinternational.com
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PARACLETE
ADVANCED PLATE CARRIER
The APC, or Advanced Plate Carrier, is a new body armor offering from Paraclete. Their APC is a smaller, more slim-lined plate carrier designed as a flexible, lightweight option for those who need minimal coverage without going overboard. As with all of the companys products, heavy emphasis is placed on scalability and modularity, so there are numerous add-ons that can be integrated into the system as the user sees fit. The system also features a quick release for those times when you need to get someone out of the armor in a hurry.
ADVANCED WARRIOR SYSTEM
The AWS (Advanced Warrior System) is a new Paraclete body armor system that offers superb coverage while offering maximum flexibility. Just like the Advanced Plate Carrier, it can be purchased as a stand-alone vest or with a plethora of other accessories such as neck, groin and shoulder protection to outfit it for maximum coverage and effectiveness. Like the APC, this system also features a quick release. JS
www.pointblankenterprises.com
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SMITH & WESSON M&P 10 AND C.O.R.E.
Smith & Wesson has taken their ultrapopular M&P 15 rifle and ramped it up in a special military and law enforcement package. The new M&P 10 is a fighting carbine chambered in .308 Win. and ready for the meanest streets or foulest deserts. The base model comes with 18-inch, 1-in-10 twist barrel, with stainless bolt and barrel, and chromed gas key, bolt carrier and firing pin. A special Magpul model comes all decked out in Magpul furniture. Smith & Wesson spokesmen emphasize that the M&P 10s are available only to military and law enforcement. But the company also introduced a camo version available to the civilian market that should prove popular among hunters. Also the M&P Pistol line has a new version called the C.O.R.E., Competition Optics Ready Equipment. Just forward of the rear sight there is a removable panel to allow access of many of the different micro red dot sights such as the Leupold Delta Point and Docker. They also feature rough-textured grips and a very nice trigger job. MC/TF
PHOTO COURTESY OF SMITH & WESSON
www.smith-wesson.com
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BROWNING BUCK MARK CAMPER

The Buck Mark .22 pistol has a new version, the Camper. The barrel and slide are stainless, and the grip has rubber inserts. The frame itself is aluminum, giving the pistol corrosion resistance and light weight. Being a Buck Mark, you know they will run with just about any flavor of .22 ammo you feed them. TF
PHOTO COURTESY OF BROWNING
www.browning.com
SUREFIRE SUPPRESSORS
The new SureFire suppressors were on hand at SHOT. After spending a few minutes with the companys head of research and development for suppressors, I got a feel for their new line of cans. Selected by USSOCOM as the new suppressor for its troops, the new SOCOM line eliminates first-shot flash while retaining the quick-attach system. Made entirely of steel, they are very lightweight and can handle limited amounts of FA fire. The SOCOM line is avail now in 5.56, 6.8 and 7.62. TF
PHOTO COURTESY OF SUREFIRE
www.surefire.com
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REMINGTON
MSR
Remington brought their new Modular Sniper Rifle to the SHOT Show, and it drew a lot of attention. With a skeletonized folding butt stock and free-float tube, the MSR is lighter than previous versions. Also new is easy external access to the barrel nut, allowing simple barrel changes by the end user.
783
We expect everybody would gladly have an M24 or M40 to tinker with if they could, and wont suggest that the new Model 783 meets those vaunted standards. But an out-of-the-box rifle at the $400 mark, which routinely produces 1 MOA groups with factory ammunition, is worth noting. A pillar-bedded action, free-floated, button-rifled barrel and 3.5-pound user-adjustable trigger move the 783 to the head of the budget classand perhaps further. TF/FW
www.remington.com and www.remingtonmilitary.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF REMINGTON
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PHOTO COURTESY OF PARA-USA
We spent a little time with Para at the Show in the wake of a (good) in-depth experience with their new Black Ops single-stack 1911. I had a chance to handle their new Executive Agent 3-inch carry and Elite LS Hunter, and was impressed with both. Executive Agent is an aluminum-frame .45 with great touchesEd Brown Bobtail, Trijicon night sights, Ionbond-finished stainless slide and G10 grips. It looks great, fits the hand beautifully, and should carry with a minimum print. Hunter is a long-slide (6 inch) 10 mm that is ready for the field right out of the box: fiber front sight, adjustable rear, G10 grips and Ionbond-finished stainless over stainless slide and frame. I cant wait to get our pet 10 mm loads into this pistol200 yard gongs, here we come! FW
PARA USA EXECUTIVE AGENT AND ELITE LS HUNTER
www.para-usa.com
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MGM STEEL TARGETS

PHOTO COURTESY OF MGM TARGETS
Mike Gibson Manufacturing has become the industry standard for steel targets. This year, rimfire steel was its latest and greatest offering. MGMs .22-caliber plate rack and whirlygig are things of beauty. They are well designed, and the welding was perfect, as I have come to expect from this company. The .22 plate rack weighs just over 100 pounds, allowing one person to move it around the range. My home range will have lots of new MGM steel on hand soon, in addition to what we already have. TF
www.mgmtargets.com
ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL
AICS STOCK
AI brought a couple of new items to this years show. After a long wait, the companys AICS stocks are available for Savage rifles. They will be priced the same as its entire line of stocks.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL
TAKEDOWN PSR RIFLE
Also new this year is a takedown version of their PSR Rifle. The entire rifle breaks down and fits inside a 16x16 Pelican Case. Available in 338/300WM/308, it is a very nice, compact package. While it wont fit in my Christmas stocking, one will for sure be in my safe as soon as they are released. TF
www.accuracyinternational.com
When it comes to tactical accessories, nearly anything and everything is available nowadays to help you get the job done. But what about a tactical drinking mug at the end of a hard days work? Enter the Battle Mug. This hefty chunk of machined billet aluminum features a M1913 rail interface system that allows the operator to mount a standard issue M4 carry handle, tactical light, laser device, or even a bayonet for close-quarters, highrisk operations. Each individually serialized Battle Mug is built with the operator in mind and features Mil-Spec Type III anodizing and a crenelated base. For those looking for a more lightweight non-metallic version, Battle Mug is offered in a polymer version as well. Every Battle Mug is proudly made in the USA. JS
BATTLE MUG
www.battlemug.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF BATTLE MUG
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SIG ARMS
P227
The new kid on the block at SIG was the P227, a double-stack handgun chambered in .45 ACP The grip felt . just as wide as the P220, but it holds 10 roundsor 14 with a slightly extended magazine.
SA 226
SIG also plans to have a single-action only version of the P226 available sometime in April. This handgun is a lot like SIGs X5, but at a much lower price. TF
www.sigsauer.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF SIG SAUER
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Magpul has decided to extend its popular line of PMAG polymer magazines to the SR25/M110 weapon systems. This is the first time the company has offered a magazine in a 7.62 mm cartridge. They will be making 25-round magazines with the MagLevel Window, and regular PMAG 20- and 10-round magazines without the window. All three magazines will feature the same no-tilt follower, and dust covers so you can keep the magazines loaded without worrying about fatigue on the feed lips over time. JS
MAGPUL 7.62 PMAG FOR SR25/M110 RIFLE
www.magpul.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGPUL
CONTRIBUTORS
MARK CHESNUT
Editor, NRA American Warrior
A professional journalist for nearly 30 years, Chesnut is a lifelong shooter and avid hunter. This was his 20th trip to the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show.
J.R. SALZMAN
In addition to being an Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, J.R. Salzman is also an eight-time Lumberjack World Champion once named by ESPN among the preeminent outdoors athletes of the last decade. He is a frequent contributor to NRA American Warrior magazine.
TOM FREEMAN
A 20-plus-year veteran of the United States Air Force as a C-130 flight crew member, Freeman started competitive shooting, hunting and reloading when he was 11 years old. He is an NRA Firearms Instructor and has numerous top-3 finishes at state, regional and national championships.
FRANK WINN
An active competitive shooter and NRA Instructor with a lifelong interest in shooting, Winn holds several state and regional action shooting titles, as well as a GSSF Master classification.
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Extras include dehorned ambidextrous safety and a skeletonized hammer.
Unusual grip pattern (checkering? stippling?) seemed aggressive at first, but we quickly grew to love it. Hex head grip screws: just plain better. See that over-travel set screw peeking out of that polymer trigger?
PHOTOS BY DON JONES
Front and rear cocking serrations are some of the best weve ever seen. Especially in 11-degree weather with gloved hands.
SPOILER ALERT:
One More Pistol Youre Gonna Have To Buy.
BLACK OPS
PARAUSA
P
Relieved grip channel provides great access to the mag release, particularly for smaller hands.
BY FRANK WINN
Beefy accessory rail is better to have and not need, than need and not have.
istols on John Moses Brownings 1911 pattern rarely need an introduction. Classic? Without a doubt. Effective? Beyond question. There is particularly after 102 yearsa variation for every taste and application. It is precisely this variety and versatility that begged a question in our minds: Why another, single stack, 5, .45 ACP on Brownings timeless design? Turns out William Smalley, Paras production manager, had a good answer.
BLACK OPS
PARAUSA
Flat backstrap reflects a modern preference that we share. The beveled mag well is an improvement that has become a standard. As remarkable as the original design is, it can benefit from new tools and technology, Smalley said. Weve spent considerable resources in our focus to create a line of hard-use pistols. We are reclaiming the high ground and building the best products in our history and the best 1911 among our peers. The company that Ted and Thanos started was known for quality and innovation. We felt by dropping some of our in-house processes that we deemed sub-par, Pineville could surpass those pistols built during the halcyon days. The partnerships we have struck with manufacturers such as EGW, VZ and Ionbond are showing positive results, like the Black Ops. THE PISTOL The Black Ops is built in Paras North Carolina facility. The frame and slide are forged, with a match-grade, Para-ramped, loaded chamber indicator-notched barrel. A full-length guide rod mates with a conventional bushing assembly to complete the front-end lockup.
Additional technical input: GARY KIMBALL
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BLACK OPS
PARAUSA
The modest undercut of the trigger guard, visible conpared to Brownings original, allows for higher grip position a l Col. Jeff Cooper. Tritium, dovetailed, windage-adjustable sights are, well, a far sight better.
Integral feed ramp, throated chamber, loaded chamber notch and a close-tolerance hood reflect decades of improvement upon John Brownings original.
It has three times the hardness of coatings like Ni-Boron and hard chrome but can run in the absence of lubricant like no other coating we tested.
VINTAGE COLT COURTESY OF R. LANZA
All-dovetailed, dehorned Trijicon three dot/tritium night sights crown the flat-top slide. The frame sports a flat backstrap/ mainspring housing under an ample beavertail/grip safety. Skeletonized hammer and a mid-length overtravel adjustable trigger are mated with an ambidextrous safety and VZ G-10 Operator grips. Other touches include forward cocking serrations and an integral sight/light rail milled into the frame. The remainder of the Black Ops kit is as it should be: a lockable plastic case that will stand in if you must fly with the pistol, comprehensive owners manual and bushing wrench. The finish on the Black Ops is Ionbond. Smalley gave us a primer: It has three times the hardness of coatings like Ni-Boron and hard chrome but can run in the absence of lubricant like no other coating we tested and is a mainstay in the aerospace and racing industries. As a practical matter, its a good-looking deep grey matte andwithin the limits of our testsappears it should hold up very well indeed. INSIDE We asked gunsmith and 1911 expert Gary Kimball to walk us through the pistol before we headed to the range. (The) barrel hood fit is closer than most production guns, and barrel-tobushing fit is good, Kimball said. The feed ramp on the barrel is perfectly blended with the feed ramp on the frame and should result in excellent feeding. Headspace is also correctnot too deep. I like the use of the EGW heavy-duty extractor, and the absence of any play in the extended ejector. Kimball also took some extra time to review tolerance and lock-up tradeoffs with us, reprising the correct relationships of bushing to barrel, slide to frame, and barrel feet to slide stop (pin) fit. Overall, the fit of these crucial components is good: too tight portends a finicky thoroughbred with a long break-in cycle and sensitivity to inevitable contaminants and lube state; too
Ionbond finish: uniform color, high lubricity and tough, tough, tough. Trijicon tritium/threedot night sights are another $150 you wont have to add after you buy the pistol.
BLACK OPS
PARAUSA
The rougher the handling, the greater the benefit of the oftmaligned Series 80 firing pin safety in the Para (left).
Frame bridge cut for integral feed ramp in the Black Ops (left) vs. frame feed ramp in the Colt (right).
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Overall, the Black Ops is an attractive, nicely-finished gun that exceeds my expectations.
loose means disappointing accuracy and unpredictable wear. Kimball said the balance struck in fitting promised very reliable functioning and good accuracy, particularly in the tough operating conditions likely for the Black Ops. The excellent internal tolerances give crisp action on all controls. 1911 aficionados will want to know that the trigger (~4.75 poundsmore on this later) is of the Series-80 style, with a fourth (firing pin-blocking) safety. The ambi thumb safety, grip/beavertail safety, magazine and slide release all functioned as expected. Recoil and mainspring (hammer) tensions were to spec: 16.5 and 24 pounds respectively. Kimball also provided us with a short list of improvements, but was careful to note that these are outside what would normally be expected on a production pistol: Overall the Black Ops is an attractive, nicely finished gun that exceeds my expectations. There are many more positives than negatives, and the negatives are minor in natureeasy to correct without great time or expense. AT THE RANGE We prepped the pistol for the range with disassembly, cleaning and a mechanical check (with action-proving dummies) to be sure all was in order. In the case of the Black Ops, the cleaning took a little doing. Para had protected the Black Ops well for an unknown period of shipping or pre-sale storage. We followed the lubrication instructions in Paras manual. In a wetter operational environment, we might run the pistol wetter than Para recommends, and dryer in other environments to prevent the debris magnet effect, but this is a matter of taste and experience, and may even vary from pistol to pistol. Late autumn gave us a breezy day for our first range session. The conditions would have delayed accuracy work in any event, but the chance to do some burnishing meant the Black Ops got a workout all the same. Our warm-up consisted of 50 rounds of ball ammunition (American Eagle 230 gr. round nose). We loaded and fired one round in a magazine, repeated twice. This gives maximum control in case of a (unlikely) lockwork malfunction but also checks all basic functions, including slide lock and last round feeding. Two rounds from each of the factory magazines came next, reconfirming last round feeding, the absence of hammer-follow to the half-cock notch, or doublingall with no issues of any type.
BLACK OPS
Evolution of a magazine: Variations on the original Colt magazines, 1950s-1990s (upper left); Modern feed lips and followers, 1990-present (above center); and for competition, Limited 10-style mags from Ed Brown, Mec-Gar and Tripp Research.
PARAUSA
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Para overcomes both problems for Black Ops owners with the provided magazines (sourced from Mec-Gar).
A giant leap forward: Paras removable polymer baseplate vs. the original welded design. Utatur, conse necab idebist laut mi, opta et audam quatiis of successively adding a round to The next phase of break-in consisted imperrovid maio que prat. the magazine and firing to slide lock, ending with a chambered round on top of a full magazine. Again we experienced no issues at all: 50 bangs, and every mag load state tested. We noted that magazine insertion needed a very firm hand when all eight rounds are loaded, but this is typical and tends to disappear as magazine springs receive some usage and take their set. As a precaution, we cleaned and re-inspected the Black Ops at 50 rounds. MY KINGDOM FOR A MAGAZINE Original 1911 magazines were considered disposable, to be dropped on the battlefield after a reload. Civilian and law enforcement adopters of the design did not generally have this luxury. We can also theorize that their magazines were more likely to meet with hard-surface abuse in the course of longer service lives. Two shortcomings in the original mag design emerged. Still common today, welded bases were and are prone to breakage. More serious, and taking much longer to discover, was the insufficiency of the original feed lip pattern. Long but relatively shallow, the original lip design facilitated easy manufacture and reloading. But over timeand particularly if left fully chargedthe lips were prone to fatigue and consequent deformation. This led to out-and-out breakage or bullet pitch and yaw as the round was fed, prematurely slowing the slide with an incorrect ramp collision and resulting in a misfeed. Some early apprehensions about reliability in the 1911 design were in fact magazine issues. Para overcomes both problems for Black Ops owners with the provided magazines (sourced from Mec-Gar). Modern feed lips eliminate the problems at the top of the magazine, and a removable/replaceable polymer base plate not only absorbs shock far better, but also provides for easy magazine maintenance. And Para goes one step further by providing three magazines: many duty and competitive basics can be met right out of the box. In the longer run, however, even the quantity and excellence of the factory magazines wont be enough. Or wont be available. Or something. Given the imperatives of duty, it is always wise to know what other options are available and known to work in a given pistol. To that end, phase two of our testing
Our gunsmith admired the wobble-free fit of the Paras skeletonized polymer trigger. The Paras integral feed ramp fed everything. The match-grade barrel rendered our shooters insufferable. Check out the precision of the lug cuts (top).
BLACK OPS
PARAUSA
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moved to a collection of magazines kept for just this purpose: a vintage (circa 1970original feed lip design) and Series 80 Colt; a couple of Chip McCormicks (regular Shooting Star and a PowerMag); a Wilson Combat; a mid-80s Pachmayr; a pair of Mec-Gars (8- and 10-round); a Tripp Research (10-round); a Kimber and a couple of after-market who-knows-whatsall in all, 13 magazines. And just in case that didnt turn out to be enough variation, we had our rogues gallery of hard-to-feed bullet shapes available: everything from a needle-nosed 155grain semi-wadcutter to a soft-nosed 260-grain jacketed hollow-point. We concede to a little vanity in producing stoppages in 1911s, but had practically no luck with the Para. With the exception of one classically difficult, very short OAL 185-grain Hornady semi-wadcutter, each of the next 150 rounds in varied magazine and bullet combinations worked very well indeed. As is our habit, we ran a reference pistol alongside the Black Ops, repeating all our procedures. (This is to prevent ammunition issues from presenting as pistol problems.) It was useful in this case, as our well-shot reference pistol had trouble with the 185-grain SWC as well, locking up on the misfeed even harder than the Black Ops. Our first range visit ended at 200 rounds. THE TRIGGER Trigger variation is storied in the 1911 design: weve seen 1.8 to 8 lbs. pulls: just plain gravely, is-this-thing-ever-going-off messes to butter-smooth, thrilling glass rod breaks. Wed put the Para in the middle. It is safe and reliable, and should last a long time. We did notice slight improvement in the feel of the trigger over time. Many purists will attribute the middle ranking as an inherent result of the additional Series-80 safety and parts. They argue this is an intrinsic deficit to a truly excellent tune on a 1911 trigger. Kimball assured us this isnt so, though it demands more of a pistolsmith. Our experience leads us to concur. Very light, professionally tuned triggers certainly have their place, but duty use is not generally one of them; acquiring the expectation that all triggers will be superb can also become a technique problem. Developing proper trigger control remains the best solution, and we barely escaped with our lives resisting Kimballs willingness to duty tune the Para for us! BACK TO THE RANGE A second trip to the range was in order after a thorough cleaning and inspection of the Black Ops revealed no causes for concern. This trip occurred on an extremely cold dayhigh of 11 degrees. While this makes for more difficult shooting between the tendency to shiver and overcome bulky clothing, it provides a good test environment.
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This session was less structured than the first, though we continued to range widely through our selection of magazine and ammunition types. The Para performed very well again, producing a single misfeed that we suspected was ammunition-related, and which we could not reproduce. Particularly impressive was the continued smooth cycling; such temperatures often produce balky feeding and function as lubrication degrades. We did pay special attention to that misbehaving 185-grain SWC from the first session to see how the slightly looser Para would now behave: Three full magazines were dumped this time, all without incident. Our intended accuracy work was again thwarted by conditions, but we had no trouble putting rounds on any target we posted, including snap shots on gongs at 35 yards. To our eye, the Para sights are regulated to point of aim as opposed to six oclock hold. This is not a problem, and certainly not incorrect, but good to know depending on what your plans are for the pistol. A good cleaning preceded a third trip to the range, where we (finally!) had a good opportunity to test accuracy in the Black Ops: Ammunition: American Eagle 230 gr. JRN (845 fps, 364 ft-lbs.) Winchester White Box 185 gr. JFP (868 fps, 306 ft-lbs.) 5-shot 1.915 1.925 3-shot 1.156 0.971
25 yard, rested, hand-held five-shot groups (each test group had a called flyer, which was not scored)
We used two shooters to introduce a little more variability, but the Black Ops continued to perform. Sight regulation had both rounds reintersecting point of aim at 25 yards. We also did speed work with the pistol in this session. We kept a steady supply of loaded mags with a variety of major power-factor and higher loads (factory) feeding the Para and hammering a plate rack. Even without a tuned trigger and lots of dryfire, we saw from-the-holster, 6-plate times creep steadily downward, coming to rest in the mid to low 4 sec range at 11 yards. No doubt Paras Travis Tomasie would run it much faster, but it bodes well for the inherent capabilities of the Black Ops. Its important to note that this session took us well over 500 total rounds through the Para, and this is where we believe real-world performance assessment in a 1911 comes to light.
MSRP on the ParaUSA Black Ops is $1299. See it at www.para-usa.com/new/product_pistol.php?id=93

FINAL ANALYSIS Simply put, this assessment meant we had both Smalleys and Kimballs separate but similar words ringing in our ears: The balance of tolerances between barrel hood, barrel link and barrel bushing along with slide to frame fit give us accuracy AND the ability to run under more extreme conditions. This is where the Para ramped barrel and Ionbonds low coefficient of friction really shines. This was certainly our experience. The Black Ops is a tough, reliable pistol that really delivers. We shot it in the cold. We shot it dirty. We shot it with dozens of magazine and ammunition combinations. We shot it at 50 yards on 8-inch plates and produced reliable hits when we did our part. If your department or unit will allow it, or as a personal arm to shadow an issue weapon (you listening, Marines?), the ParaUSA Black Ops deserves a serious look. And yes, were stalling in getting this pistol back to Smalley.
BLACK OPS
Staked two-piece guide rod is a nice and necessary touch; Weve had more than one come apart. Polymer bushing wrench worked, but could be more robust. Para beveled the end of the guide rod in production before we could gripe about it here.
PARAUSA
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CALIBER AND CHAMBER: OPERATION:
5.56X45 MM/ .223 REMINGTON CHAMBER DIRECT IMPINGEMENT, GAS OPERATED, WITH CARBINE-LENGTH GAS BLOCK 30 ROUNDS 32.5 INCHES 36 INCHES 16 INCHES BUTTON-RIFLED 1 TURN IN 8 INCHES 6-GROOVE, R.H. TWIST, 1/2-INCH DIAMETER28 T.P.I. 6.45 POUNDS SAFE/FIRE
MAGAZINE CAPACITY: OVERALL LENGTH (BUTTSTOCK RETRACTED): OVERALL LENGTH (BUTTSTOCK EXTENDED): BARREL LENGTH: BARREL RIFLING: BARREL MUZZLE THREADS: WEIGHT (WITHOUT MAGAZINE): MODES OF FIRE:
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PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY JIM URQUHART
Coach
Tra Vendela
was out in front long before Jordan High School claimed its 12th Utah state championship.
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n Nov. 16, 2012, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, the Jordan High School Beetdiggers defeated the Syracuse Titans to win Utahs 5A state football championship. They did so in spectacular fashion. Jordan took any drama out of this championship matchup early on. One play into the second quarter, Jordan already led by a score of 30-0. By halftime, the Beetdiggers lead had swelled to 51 points. Equally dominant on the defensive side of the football, Jordan held Syracuse to 62 yards of total offense in the game before eventually winning its 12th state title by a score of 58-2. The Jordan High School Beetdiggers
BY
STEVEN M. BROWN
PHOTO BY JIM URQUHART
encountered very little resistance or strife in winning the state championship. But on the Jordan sideline was a man who has encountered strife more of it than most people can fathom. Travis Tra Vendela works as an assistant coach for Jordan High School. This was his first year on the coaching staff, and he works specifically with the Beetdiggers running backs. Ironically, he coaches the positionone so reliant on good footwork and leg strengthfrom a wheelchair.
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Vendela joined the U.S. Army in 1997 at the of age 17, continuing a family tradition of military service.
The whole reason I stayed in the military after my first four years was because I found out early
Vendela lost both legs above the knee in early 2007 during his third tour of duty in Iraq. Technically speaking, he even lost his life, having to be resuscitated on the battlefield three times. But one thing he never lost was his spirit. The smile that Vendela wore as his team celebrated its championship victory on the field is testament to that fact. Despite all the war took from him, Vendela remains positivein large part because of his current vocation, working with the student athletes at Jordan High. Just like it is for the young men he now coaches, football was a big part of Vendelas early, pre-military life. He was a promising high school player himself, even garnering scholarship offers to play at the collegiate level. Vendela strongly considered attending college and continuing his football career, but in the back of his mind, he knew he had a different calling. My senior year in high school, I kind of felt like I was doing everything for myself, Vendela remembers. I wanted to do something bigger and better. That something was military service. I had been dreaming of it since I was a kid. Its a family business. Every male on my dads side of the family had been in the military in some form or another. Vendela joined the U.S. Army at age 17 in 1997, and it didnt take long for him to realize that he had made the right decision for himself. I loved it, he said. The whole reason I stayed in the military after my first four years was because I found early on that I was good at it. After a six-month tour in Iraq in 2003, working combat search-and-rescue missions for the 1st Cavalry Division, Vendela came back to the States and trained to be an Army Scout. After completing his training, he embarked on a second tour of Iraqthis time for 15 months before again returning home. After each of those first two tours, getting back into combat was the first thing on Vendelas mind.
I was good at it.
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The Army was my whole life at that point. I was all about the Army, all about getting prepared to go back again. I wanted to go as many times as I could. Not because I thought it was fun or anything, but because I knew I had guys that were friends of mine or guys that I had trained that were over there. I needed to be there with them. Sgt. 1st Class Vendela would return to Iraq in 2006 as a Scout Sniper. And in the early morning hours of Feb. 7, 2007, he would embark on his final mission. Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) had a stronghold north of Balad in the Jabouri Peninsula area. There is one way into and out of the peninsula: a bridge crossing the Tigris River. The mission for Vendelas battalion was to cross the river with tanks and infantry, and push AQI out. Vendelas Humvee would lead more than 300 vehicles and 1,000 men across the Tigris River into the al Qaeda stronghold. Being the senior NCO in his platoon and having confidence in his training and combat experience, Vendela had no reservations about doing so. He did understand, though, that this would be, as he put it, a pretty hairy mission. As the convoy began crossing the bridge into the peninsula, a large IED detonated on the right side of Vendelas Humvee. The vehicles armor withstood the blast. It threw a bunch of dirt up on the hood and scared the crap out of us. But we were already on the bridge so there was no turning around. Vendela and his men continued to push across the bridge as fast as their Humvee would carry them. As they crested the top of the bridge, Vendela and his driver both saw a partially buried refrigerator-sized object in their path. They knew what it wasanother IED. And Vendela knew what he had to do. I had briefed all the guys in my Humvee before that if there was anything we could do to keep other guys alive, we were going to do it. They all agreed. They all believed in the same thing I believed in. Vendela instructed his driver to drive over the IED. We werent thinking, Lets go get ourselves blown up, Vendela said. It was, Lets drive over this thing as fast as we can, and itll detonate either right before us or right after us. That was the plan. It definitely did not work out that way. The IED detonated directly under Vendelas Humvee, ripping the engine completely out and throwing the heavy armored vehicle 10 feet into the air. Inside the vehicle, a scene ensued that was a close to Hell as anything one could witness on Earth. Molten metal burst into the Humvee, hitting the gunner in the left leg, which he would eventually lose below the knee. The man to Vendelas rear in the vehicle was knocked unconscious by the blast from the fireball and would lose partial sight in one eye. The driver was also knocked unconscious and suffered lacerations up and down the right side of his body.
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Lets go get ourselves blown up.

Vendela served as a Scout Sniper in Iraq. He is pictured here target shooting at the 3rd Annual Glendon Johnson Wounded Warrior Cast & Blast at Castle Valley Outdoors in southern Utah.
We werent thinking,
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caught the worst of the impact.

At the Glendon Johnson Wounded Warrior Cast & Blast, Vendela was introduced to the art of fly-fishing by Jon Malovich (right) of Hardy & Greys Limited.
Vendela, the man who made the call to engage the IED in the hopes of saving the convoy he was leading,
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I ended up dying three times.
One man in the vehiclethe radio operator, as luck would have itescaped the blast virtually unharmed. He would quickly get out of the Humvee and call in air support to suppress the fire that the convoy had begun taking from the far side of the bridge. Vendela, the man who made the call to engage the IED in the hopes of saving the convoy he was leading, caught the worst of the explosions impact. The blast violently threw Vendela upward in the vehicle. He hit his head and broke three vertebrae as well as his jaw. His left armed snapped like a pencil, and his pelvis was blown open to a 90-degree angle. The explosion caused a crack to open in the Humvees armor right between Vendelas legs, and molten copper began shooting through the Long story short, floorboard, immediately shearing off his left leg and throwing it into the backseat. The blast caused Vendelas M4 carbine to explode and superheated its barrel, the rear of which became fused to the inside armor of the vehicle. The other end of the barrel sliced through Vendelas knee and stuck. He was now pinned in the Humvee by his own firearm and by his arm, which had become smashed between his body armor and the Humvees door. My medic crawled in through the roof of the Humvee and saw my arm was all jacked up. He took his pocketknife out and released the pressure in it. That kept me from losing my right arm, which Im extremely grateful for. In the meantime, other men began to try to extricate Vendelas trapped leg using pocketknives and ball-peen hammersessentially, albeit roughly, amputating his remaining leg in the field. Long story short, I ended up dying three times, Vendela said. But the combination of my medic and two of my guys who were combat lifesavercertified kept oxygen going in me long enough that I didnt have any brain damage. They brought me back. When Vendela came to, still on the bridge, the convoy was taking heavy fire. He had no idea where he was. I thought I was watching the Fourth of July as a 10-year-old boy. All I saw were tracers and explosions going off everywhere. It was pretty nuts. The next time Vendela regained full consciousness, he was in Walter Reed Medical Center. He had been in a drug-induced coma for nearly a month and,
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Leading a convoy on a mission into Iraqs Jabouri Peninsula on Feb. 7, 2007, Vendela suffered serious injuries, including the loss of both legs above the knee, due to an IED detonation beneath the Humvee he was riding in.
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again, had no idea where he was. This time, his mother was at his side. I couldnt ask her anything because my mouth was wired shut and I had tubes down my throat, Vendela said. But she knew I was wondering where I was. Vendelas mother told him that he was in the hospital and that he had lost both his legs. He was able to confirm this shocking news with a quick look under his hospital bed sheet, but Venedela was immediately more concerned about what happened to his men than he was TRA VENDELA TRA his own loss of limbs. That was the most difficult thing for me to deal withnot knowing what happened to my guys. I knew I made the decision that got them hurt. Emotionally, that was the worst thing. Vendela would learn that no one in his Humvee was killed, but as he lay in the hospital bed, he still had one concern. His mother could sense that there was something else on Vendelas mind. I had a fianc at the time and I thought she was going to leave, Vendela said. I was afraid I was going to lose the love of my life. Are you worried about Tiff? his mother asked. Vendela nodded his head yes, and a moment later, his fianc, Tiffany, walked into the room, allaying Vendelas fears. The two were married a little over a year later, in 2008, and now have a son. Vendela says he focuses primarily on three things in his life after war. Continued recovery tops the list. His wifes occupationas a physical therapistno doubt helps. Beyond that, Vendela is focused on helping others as an inspirational speaker. I try to do inspirational speaking to anyone thatll listen. Most people look at me and they think all the negative things about war, and theres not really
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lose the love of my life.
I was afraid that I was going to
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a lot of positive that comes out of it, but there are bonds that are built and freedoms that are gained for people in a conflict like this. I want people to understand that. But Vendela says his most fun and most personally rewarding post-military activity is coaching high school football. Jordan High Schools head football coach, Eric Kjar, remembers being immediately impressed with Vendelas knowledge of the game when he asked to join the Beetdiggers coaching staff. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Vendela has an uncanny knack for putting the players he coaches in the right position and describing to them what they need to do, Kjar says. But he said Vendela brings much more to the team than just his knowledge of the game.
Vendela, his wife, Tiffany, and son, Quentin, enjoy some time on the turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, following the Jordan High School Beetdiggers state championship win.
or else life isnt very

You cant focus on the bad stuff,
Hes taught our players mental toughness, Kjar said. He has had to overcome quite a bit of stuff, but he does his job and doesnt let whats happened to him affect him. He asks a lot of our running backs, but theyre happy to give it back to him, Kjar continued. The players really love him. The feeling is mutual. Vendela loves and respects the young men he leads on the football practice and playing fields just as he loved and respected the men he led into battle in Iraq. He gives them his all, and in turn, they have helped him heal from his mental and physical wounds. They treat you like youre a normal human being and that nothings wrong with you, Vendela said of the student athletes he coaches. They dont even look at you wrong. Seeing that from the next generation of Americans gives you hope. I guess thats the bottom line. Hope keeps you upbeat. You cant focus on the bad stuff, or else lifes not very fun. An emotional Vendela leaves the field following his teams 58-2 victory in the Utah 5A state football championship game. Inset: Vendela celebrates with his son, Quentin.
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fun.
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Cast & Blas

The mountains, grass pastures and trout ponds of Castle Valley Outdoors in southern Utah provide a breath-taking, almost spiritual, setting for war veterans to heal their mental and physical wounds.
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL IVES
Glendon Johnson Wounded Warrio
st
or
he NRA American Warrior staff met Tra Vendela at the Third Annual Glendon Johnson Wounded Warrior Cast & Blast at Castle Valley Outdoors in southern Utah. Each year, the events organizer, Bill Hansen, brings together five wounded warriors from current and recent conflicts, such as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF), and pairs them with five older combat veterans for four days of upland bird hunting, target shooting and trout fishing. It is a time for healing and camaraderie. A time for younger warfighters to learn from those who came before. Most of all, it is a time to have fun amid an absolutely breathtaking high-desert setting. The true benefit in attending the event can be seen on the faces of the wounded warriors who gather here. Young fighting men who may have suffered loss of limb or traumatic brain injury often transform in remarkable ways over the course of the four days spent at Castle Valley. Many appear visibly uncomfortable at the beginning of the eventshy, unsure of themselves and maybe even a little mistrustful. But it doesnt take long for solemn looks to be replaced by broad smiles and laughter as these men who have been through so much begin to unwind and learn that they have a wonderful support group
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Cast & Blast
Glendon Johnson Wounded Warrior
herea band of brothers, as Hansen saysto lean on and to learn from. Maj. Gen. George Harmeyer, who served in Vietnam, has attended each of the annual Cast & Blasts. He enjoys his role acting as mentor to the younger wounded warriors and sees tremendous benefit in the interaction. Its a great opportunity for us to share our old experiences and our life experiences with these young guys and give them a
Two generations of warfighters come together to hunt, shoot, fish and heal at the annual Glendon Johnson Wounded Warrior Cast & Blast.
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sense that their life means something and theyve got a lot to live for, Harmeyer said of the event. The old guys that are here, weve all been friends for 20, 30 years. We know the value of this friendship and this interaction and camaraderie and mentorship that can take place just by walking around a field shooting a couple pheasant or fly fishing. The Fourth Annual Glendon Johnson
Wounded Warrior Cast & Blast will take place once again at the beautiful Castle Valley Outdoors. Those interested in participating or sponsoring the Oct. 6-9 event are encouraged to contact Bill Hansen, president of Cavalry Creek Consulting Group, at (703) 447-1888 or by e-mail at william.w.hansen@cox.net.
PHOTOS BY AUTHOR
BLESS THIS WOMAN
GOD
I spent two days riding with Officer Camille Tsitsinakis, or T, as she is more commonly known.
T
Officer Tsitsinakis sits in her Crown Vic filling out paperwork for a vehicle accident in Henderson.
he saying goes, What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Sin City is the famed escape for those looking to let their hair down, to unleash some of their inhibitions for a day or two before returning home to a more sensible existence. But for many of the residents who live in the city and surrounding area, the 24-hour temptation can prove too strong to resist. What can be discounted as a momentary lapse in judgment for visitors can prove to be an inescapable downward spiral of depravity for those who spend their lives enveloped in it.
With more than 250,000 residents, Henderson is the second-largest city in Nevada after Las Vegas. And although it is a fair distance from the Las Vegas Strip, it is situated within the Las Vegas metro area, where its residents are not immune to the vices commonly associated with Sin City. To get an inside view of what law enforcement regularly faces in Henderson, I spent two days riding with Officer Camille Tsitsinakis, or T as she is more commonly known by the other officers at Henderson Police Departments North Area Command. She has served nearly six years with Henderson Police.
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BLESS THIS WOMAN
GOD
Officer Tsitsinakis keeps her eyes on a driver with a long criminal history during a traffic stop in Henderson.
I wanted to join the Marines, but my mom wouldnt let me, and Im more afraid of her than anyone else.
Ninety percent of our job is paperwork and counseling, T tells me as we sit in the spacious briefing room for the 1400 patrol brief. And then you get that 10 percent, that is really fun and exciting. She opens up her Toughbook and shows me some of the recent calls in the area: burglary, car break-in, 9-1-1 hang-up, domestic battery, suicideall within the last few hours. This is a normal day in Henderson. We leave Patrol North in her Crown Vic on an unusually cold day. The temperature is hovering around freezing with a biting wind. Moments after rolling out, Dispatch brings us to a local apartment complex in an area of Henderson known as Pittman, a low-income area where officers are frequently dispatched. The call in question is a routine domestic dispute, made more routine by the fact T was just here yesterday dealing with the same people. Do you understand that you control your own mouth, that you control your own actions? Tsitsinakis asks the female perpetrator. The situation ends with the woman wailing uncontrollably as she is led away in handcuffs and placed in the back of a cruiser. It is hard for the officers to give her any leeway considering they were here 24 hours earlier and warned her that actions have consequences. We get back into the Crown Vic and try to head to her assigned area of Henderson before Dispatch again brings us back to the same apartment complex for a health and welfare check on a missing individual. We learn from the manager of the complex that the individual in question suffered a head injury a few days ago. After a few tense moments of wondering if we would encounter a dead body within the locked apartment, the woman is found alive. We finally make it to Ts assigned neighborhood of North 2 when she gives me a bit of background on her past. I always wanted to be a cop, ever since I was little. It was always sort of a calling for me, she says. After 9/11, T joined the Air Force and served four years in the Security Forces, the Air Force equivalent of military police. I wanted to join the Marines, but my mom wouldnt let me, and Im more afraid of her than anybody else, she jokes. Although her mother served in the Army, they were both stationed in Iraq in 2003. Ts swing shift is starting slowly, and we spend some time patrolling residential neighborhoods. Eventually dispatch brings us to an upscale neighborhood in response to a domestic dispute over a motorcycle title. As we enter the housing development, it is clear that this upscale, gated community is not a normal neighborhood for a police call. She brings her police cruiser to a stop around the corner, a few hundred yards away from the target residence. As T looks around the neighborhood cautiously, she explains that this could be a legitimate call, a false call to test
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A lot of people say Dont take it personal. But it is personal.
BLESS THIS WOMAN
GOD
Officer Tsitsinakis jokes with other Henderson Police officers during their 1400 patrol brief at North Area Command.
their response time to this neighborhood, or any other number of things. Some people hate us. People hate cops. Some people are sick, she explains as we wait for backup. We dont know what theyre planning, so you always have to be thinking like, this could be something else. So we have to be cautious and just be prepared for that, no matter what. While the call ends up being nothing, it provides a revealing look into her mindset as an officer and the situations she and others have to constantly consider. As a result of the frigid weather, the night is extremely slow. The dispatches are minor, and her work is mostly tedious. We encounter one gentleman who is convinced people are stalking and surveilling him. Officer Tsitsinakis has encountered the man before, and suspects he is taking bath salts, a drug becoming popular in Henderson. There is an insurance swap for a minor accident. She assists another officer in taking a man into custody on an outstanding warrant. We patrol neighborhoods and look for the perpetrator of a recent hit-and-run. Due to the unusually slow night, a Henderson K-9 Unit decides to conduct some bite training. Officer Craig Mancuso helps Tsitsinakis into a bite suit, and by the headlights of his cruiser, he directs his German Shepherd, Rony, to bite. Officer Tsitsinakis is spun wildly by the dog and nearly loses her footing. Although she can feel the dogs teeth through the suit, she doesnt mind. Inside the massive bite suit, its the first time she has felt warm all evening. As we approach the end of her swing shift and she steers the Crown Vic in the direction of Henderson Police Departments North Area Command, we receive a dispatch about a suicide attempt. Tsitsinakis tells me this is an all too common occurrence in their area. Las Vegas has the highest suicide rate in the nation, at over three times the national average. For a while it seemed like every day we were having someone threatening or committing suicide for financial reasons, habitual reasons like alcohol, drugs, gambling, whatever it may be. And it just seemed like it was an everyday thing, she says. I question where she finds the strength to continually face such adversity. It is one thing to apprehend criminals for stealing, but its another thing entirely to deal with people attempting to take their own lives on a regular basis. It seems like a job, but for meI kind of label this as a personal business because were in peoples personal lives. Were in the deepest problems that they have, and its personal, she says. A lot of people say Dont take work home with you, Dont take this home with you, or Dont take it personal. But it is personal. Over the din of road noise, equipment rattling inside her Crown Vic, radio calls and a passing helicopter, she continues. Ive been on many attempted suicides, and you try to talk to those people, and try to help them see a way that they can have a solutionhave some type of recoveryand try to tell
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A dog peeks out from behind the door of an apartment where the residents and their 13-year-old child were found living with a dozen pets in extremely unsanitary conditions.
them, Look, this is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. As she parks her car behind the station, she concludes, Its a personal business and its getting your hands dirty in other peoples lives. And you have to wash your hands, but does it all ever come off? No. The next day as we roll out to warmer weather in Henderson, I inquire what it means to be a female doing a job typically done by males. Standing at only 5 feet 2 inches, T might seem an unlikely person to serve in law enforcement. Im sure some people are skeptical of our abilities because we are the weaker sex, physically, she answers. In her view, it has a lot more to do with having a warrior spirit and confidence in ones abilities than a particular physical size. I might not be as strong as you, but it doesnt mean I cant do something. Like a lot of fighting training, its not how strong you are, its your technique. Her first call this night is to assist Animal Control. The residents of an apartment are living with a number of dogs and cats in extremely unsanitary conditions. The police were called when Animal Control learned that a 13-year-old child was also living in the apartment. As I make my way into the apartment, I am immediately hit by the overwhelming stench of animal feces and urine. It is everywhere, including on the kitchen counter where the occupants recently have been cooking food. Roughly a dozen dogs and cats have been living inside the apartment, many with noticeable injuries or ailments. There is a miniature dog on the couch that seems intent on getting me to pet him, but I resist the urge for fear of disease. Many of the cats are inside cages, meowing in hunger after being rounded up by Animal Control. Everyone has to watch where they step because, rather than just cleaning the pet feces off the carpet or emptying the two large litter boxes that are literally overflowing in the hallway, the occupants just put cat litter over it. Officer Tsitsinakis is tasked with taking photos and documenting the interior. As she steps into the kitchen area, she turns her nose up more and more in disgust. I watch as she opens a kitchen cabinet door, jumps back, and suppresses the urge to vomit. Cockroaches
BLESS THIS WOMAN
GOD
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There is a miniature dog on the couch that seems intent on getting me to pet him, but I resist the urge for fear of disease.
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As he recounts his story to police, he is strangely nonchalant about the entire situation.
scurry out of the cabinet and run about the kitchen cabinets and walls. T quickly takes photos of everything inside the apartment for documentation. She finishes the task and only makes it two steps outside the door and down the stairs before she starts gagging and dry-heaving. That smelled worse than the dead-body call we were on last week, she says after composing herself. We are back in her Crown Vic, traveling down the road when a silver sedan speeds past. Oh, Ive been looking for you! she exclaims as she steps on the accelerator and skillfully maneuvers her cruiser through heavy traffic. The owner of the vehicle is the resident of a suspected drug house in the area and is suspected to be transporting drugs. He has a viewing obstruction in his windshield, so she decides to pull him over. She runs the license plate through her computer, which confirms her suspicions about the owners record: assault with a deadly weapon, burglary with a deadly weapon, transporting drugs, possession of paraphernalia, among others on a very long list of prior violations. After pulling the vehicle over and exiting her cruiser, she says to me, He already knows, and nods to the man holding his hands in the air. With one hand on her Glock 19 and her eyes fixed on the vehicles driver, she does not flinch as traffic passes within inches of her. It turns out the driver is not the suspect she anticipated, but his brother, who also has a long list of violations and is driving without a license. She writes him a citation for driving without a license and for the viewing obstruction. The man is angry and tells her the police have cost him $20,000 in fines, and he is going to file a complaint against her. To Tsitsinakis, its just another traffic citation. Just as she pulls over another vehicle for a driving violation, there is a dispatch for a burglar alarm at a local pawnshop. It is the drivers lucky day. He will get away with a verbal warning. As we speed across town to the local shopping area, she tells me that officers have to take burglar alarms very seriously. The police get so many false alarms that they can never tell when theyre real, so its a constant battle against getting complacent. She pulls her Crown Vic next to her lieutenants cruiser before grabbing her Colt M4 and exiting the vehicle. After a few tense
moments of watching and waiting, it is determined to be a false alarm. As the responding officers regroup, there is a dispatch about a man being charged with embezzling $40,000 at a retail store at the local shopping mall. After a short drive we make our way into the back office of the retail store where the alleged perpetrator is already busy telling his side of the story to Officer Bob Hunt. The perpetrator is the store manager, a skinny, frail-looking man in his 30s with a scruffy beard. As the officers question him, he weaves an apologetic tale of a man down on his luck, crushed under the insufferable weight of his financial troubles. With a broken-down car, the burden of paying child support for his six children, and no one to reach out to, he was left with no other choice but to start floating money from the stores night deposit to cover his own personal expenses. For a while his racket worked. With a series of successful gambles at various casinos he was able to pay back thousands of dollars of the money he floated without anyone noticing. Eventually, floating small amounts of the night deposit cash would turn into gambling the entire amount at a local casino, forgoing the night deposit altogether. In fact, he reveals that after he opened the store this morning he took the night deposit cash and used it to place a number of sports bets for todays games. As he recounts his story to police, he is strangely nonchalant about the entire situation. He seems to be completely unaware of the severity of his crimes and incapable of feeling the emotions one would normally expect in such a situation. Further questioning reveals the man has a prescription for Hydrocodone, a commonly abused prescription drug. At one point during questioning, the man dozes off with his head resting on his hand. He appears to be too strung-out on opioids to truly comprehend his situation. With evidence stretching out for nearly a month, the process of documenting his crimes is long and time-consuming. Eventually the man is taken into custody and charged with 29 counts of embezzlement totaling more than $38,000. Officer Tsitsinakis places the man in the back of her Crown Vic, and we drop him off at Henderson Detention Center for processing. All he was concerned about was taking his pills, she says. With drugs, gambling, and theft prevalent all throughout his ordeal, his crimes have many of the same markers that Henderson Police officers encounter time and time again in their slice of the Las Vegas metro.
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As we patrol a residential neighborhood in her area, Officer Tsitsinakis explains, A lot of people think its just like a party town. You come for the weekend, have fun and you leave. But the people, the residents that actually live here, the citizens of this town, a good majority of them have problems: gambling, drugs, alcohol, violence issues, and they all tie in together. She explains that all too many times these issues have a similar ending. We get suicide attempts every day, and we get a lot of suicides. And it all bases back to financial issues or depression issues related to prescription medications and alcohol. Its all related, and its all easily accessible out here. This town is bad, bad, bad, for people who have addictive personalities. As the night progresses, the conversation drifts back to her role as a female doing a job predominately done by males. As one of only four female police officers out of her station who patrol the streets, I inquire if it affects her job in any way, being a woman surrounded by males. The guys in my squad, theyre so open and welcoming, I feel like their sister, she says. They make me feel like family. I dont feel any awkwardness or distrustnothing. Her last call of the night brings us back to the shopping mall, where one of the large department stores caught a woman shoplifting. We enter the stores security office and find Officer Hunt already processing the woman. A search of her body and possessions turned up two pipes for smoking meth. The woman weighs perhaps 100 pounds and has scabs on her drugworn face from where she has been picking. She was trying to shoplift a large number of clothes on a slow day, making her an easy target for store security. Officer Tsitsinakis begins to both question the woman and lecture her on the poorly chosen life path she is heading down. The woman has a history of drug abuse, starting two years ago after her second child was born. After going through rehab for prescription pain medications, she started using meth. Throughout the entire ordeal she was supposed to be taking care of her two children (2 and 12 years old) while her husband served in the Air Force as an EOD technician. Her domestic situation is currently in turmoil because her husband suffered a head injury from a bomb in Afghanistan. His injury and time away has manifested anger issuesissues punctuated by the fact she spent all of their money (presumably on drugs) while he was deployed. She informs Tsitsinakis she was arrested only a week ago for domestic abuse after beating her husband. The woman is crying and seems remorseful, but it is difficult to tell. Officer Tsitsinakis asks her if she knows what is actually in meth. The woman says she does not. Officer Tsitsinakis continues her tough-love speech from the retail store all the way into the Henderson Detention Center. As we finish the final call of the night and get back into her Crown Vic, Tsitsinakis shakes her
Before I was a cop I didnt think about that stuff. ... Our job is a hard reality.
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head and says to me, She doesnt care. It is obvious that the call has affected Tsitsinakis personally. She has a child at home and served overseas in the Air Force. They say, Dont take anything personal, she says. But its a personal business. Were in peoples personal lives. We are dealing with their personal problems. Its human nature. We take it a little personal sometimes. Our two-day excursion ends where it began, inside the briefing room at the Henderson Police Departments Patrol North station. In the calm, quiet surroundings, it seems worlds away from the whirlwind of activity weve encountered the last two days. I ask Tsitsinakis how hard it is to be a police officer in Henderson and do the kind of work she does on a daily basis. She tells me the biggest challenge is the reality check in what they encounter regularly: drugs, alcohol, gambling and suicide. Before I was a cop I didnt think about that stuff, she says. I didnt know how many people had it in them to do that. I never thought that people thought about it so much. Suicide is a huge thing. Our job is a hard reality, she continues. The way we deal with it personally and professionally is something that we have to learn to do from our first day to our last. I ask if she regrets her decision to become a police officer now that she has experienced the darker side of Henderson and Las Vegas. She does not, and explains that being a police officer is her identity. Being a police officer isnt coming to work, and putting your uniform on and going out there and arresting people, she says. Its your morals. Its your ethics. Its who you are as a person. Its your integrity. Its what you believe in because of the personal issues that you deal with in this job. It is obvious from her response that her job as a Henderson Police officer is deeply personal. And how can it not be? Like she said, its a personal business.
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Panamas equivalent of the U.S. Border Patrol holds the line in the war on drugs.
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The last time I visited the end of this road, I got arrested.
The Embera and Kuna tribes inhabit the Darien and live much as they did hundreds of years ago.
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awns first rays filtered through the gray mist, quieting the nighttime chaos of the jungle. Indians in loincloths unloaded hundred-pound stalks of plantains from dugout canoes on the rivers edge, where trucks caked with mud sat waiting for their cargo and for the spine-jarring trip to Panama City, five hours to the west. Here, the road simply ends, replaced by a sluggish, mud-brown river that smells of rot and new life at the same time.
The last time I visited the end of this road, I got arrested. But Ill get back to that. The place is called Yaviza, and its the farthest point south one can drive from the United States of America. It signals the beginning of one of the most formidable stretches of jungle anywhere on the planet. The Darien. Today, Im again surrounded by policemen. But this time, Im joining them of my own free will. The uniformed Panamanians mustering at rivers edge bear a grim-faced determination that I have seen beforein Afghanistan and Iraq, among troops who are steeling themselves for combat.
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Here in Panama, SENAFRONT agents find themselves in armed conflict on a nearly daily basis.
Few Americans know about the struggle taking place in this literal backwater on Panamas eastern border. Here, the remnants of the FARC, soundly defeated after years of terrorizing Colombia, have retreated into the vast wilderness of the Darien to regroup, and have since become Panamas problem. The narco-terrorists and human traffickers have joined forces there and are terrorizing the tribes that inhabit the Darien, often forcing them to become mules to transport cocaine to Panama City. Panama has responded by creating a specially trained unit of the police force to deal with the problem. It equates to the U.S. Border Patrol, and here is known as SENAFRONT, an acronym that stands for Servicio Nacional de la Fronteras, or in English, National Frontier Service. Much of my reporting seems to center around borders. Every country faces challenges in securing their frontiers against smugglers of all kinds, and borders like this one often become battlegrounds between governments and criminal organizations that make their millions moving weapons, drugs or people to meet demand for firepower, labor or addiction. Ive spent months along the U.S.-Mexican border, ridden into battle with Special Ops forces on the Af-Pak border, and seen entire forests stolen on the frontier between Serbia and Kosovo. Here in Panama, SENAFRONT agents find themselves in armed conflict on a nearly daily basis, and are often outmanned and outgunned by their drug-financed enemies. We found this out firsthand when the SENAFRONT officer accompanying our team took us to a training base on the edge of the Darien, in a village called Meteti. Here, we saw agents training with new Glock pistols, performing raids on a mock drug lab, and drilling on the PT field. One unit consists solely of females, and they were busy practicing the assembly and disassembly of their AK-47 carbines. We watched for a while, then I began to interview the women as a group.
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SENAFRONT often enjoys better treatment than their counterparts in other police divisions in Panama. Access to new Glock pistols is but one example of this.
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I landed on my face with a thwump, my arm bent at an odd angle behind me and Genesis petite combat boot on my head.
Do you all train with the men? I asked in Spanish. Si, senor, they answered in unison. What about hand-to-hand training? Again they replied in the affirmative. Would one of you like to show me something youve learned? Yes! Have Genesis do it! they shouted. Genesis stepped forward, a pretty and slightly built woman dressed in digital camouflage and a boonie cap. She stood about 5 foot 2. I would be gentle with her. So, I began. What would you do, say, if I came at you with a knife, like this... I thrust my right hand at her at waist level, at about half speed. The sky spun above me and I landed on my face with a thwump, my arm bent at an odd angle behind me and Genesis petite combat boot on my head. The rest of her team howled with laughter. I got up slowly, brushing grass out of my hair. Uh ... muy bien, I said. The captain stifled an amused grin and said, Again? My cameraman, Dennis Azato, was very excited. Yes! Yes! Do that again! But I decided it wouldnt be right taking valuable training time away from these young ladies. It was clear they took their training seriously, and with good reason. There are people out there trying to kill them. Later, we rode up-river with a platoon of SENAFRONT agents headed into the jungle for an extended patrol. The agents set up listening and observation posts out there to keep an eye out for the FARC and help secure the Indian villages that dot the waterline at increasingly distant intervals the farther one goes into the jungle. The United States has maintained a quiet presence in this area for several years, with Special Ops units and other government
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The requirements for joining SENAFRONT are tough, and the unit carries a certain amount of prestige for those who make it.
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Females are not excluded from any of the duties of the SENAFRONT officers, but are housed in separate garrisons.
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Panama enjoys one of the highest standards of living in Central America, but little of that prosperity has made its way to the Darien.
The major export from the jungle is lumber, but this has caused massive deforestation in some areas. Efforts are being made to curb the illegal logging.
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Locals here are very happy to have SENAFRONT operating in their backyard and feel safer because of their efforts.
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Much of the equipment and training enjoyed by SENAFRONT is provided by the United States.
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agencies assisting SENAFRONT with training and equipment such as boats and all-terrain vehicles. The reason? Panama is acting in our best interests by standing between us and the Colombian drug runners, the literal first line of defense as cocaine is shipped north from Colombia. And while the U.S. and Panamanian governments are both reluctant to discuss how much of a role Americans play in the region, the help they provide SENAFRONT is substantial and much appreciated. ARRESTED IN THE JUNGLE The Darien holds a sort of dark allure for adventurers from around the globe. Nearly the size REPORT FR of Connecticut, the jungle here is so thick and impenetrable that it wasnt until 1972 that a 150-man British expedition led by the legendary Col. John Blashford-Snell succeeded in crossing it in a vehicle. Thats a feat that may never become a regular occurrence, partly because of a Delawaresized swamp that nearly sunk the British attempt. Suffice it to say that this dengue-infested region with houseplants the size of actual houses and bugs the size of your mobile phone will never be a popular place for summer holidays. But there are a few intrepid souls who attempt to trek across it every year. Their success rate is so low that it has become something of a joke among the Panamanian policemen who take your passport information at each checkpoint along the road to the Darien from Panama City. They need your data so that theyll know who they are looking for whennot ifyou disappear. The first time I visited the Darien was a few years ago when my brotherin-law, who had just completed a four-year hitch with the 75th Ranger Regiment, came for a visit. My family and I were living in Panama at the time, and he and another friend came down for a couple weeks looking for some adventure. We decided to take several days and drive south as far as we could go.
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This dengue-infested region with houseplants the size of actual houses and bugs the size of your mobile phone will never be a popular place for summer holidays.
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The Pan-American Highway system runs from Alaska all the way to Argentina, with the only gap being here in the Darien. We headed out from Panama City in my four-wheel-drive Hyundai and within an hour had left the suburbs far behind. With every passing mile we seemed to be traveling back in time, with concrete-and-tin homes owned by typical Panamanian campesinos giving way to grass and bamboo huts on stilts, lived in by tribes of Embera indians. The road was in terrible condition, probably because of the heavy truck traffic passing us coming out of the Darien loaded with enormous tree trunks, some more than 10 feet in diameter.
Elephant Beetles like this one are common sights in the Darien.
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We soon came across the first police checkpoint. They wanted to know where we were going. We werent exactly sure, but threw out the name of a town farther south. We passed several more checkpoints in the next hour, and they all dutifully recorded our personal details and asked where we were going. We tried to act like we had something important to do in La Palma, near the southern end of the road. One policeman said something in Spanish about the only people who had business in La Palma were drug dealers or fishermen. And we didnt look like fishermen. We pressed on. As the terrain became more remote and the rain heavier, the mud began to be a real issue, and we had to be very careful not to slide off the road on tight turns. People began flagging us down and asking for ridesapparently a common practice where taxis are nonexistent. We were happy for the company. Figuring we had about 20 minutes to go, we asked our passenger how far it was to the end of the road. About four hours, was the reply. It was only later we realized she was speaking in the only terms she knewwalking distance. It was after 2100 when we finally reached Yaviza. By then, Im not sure what I was expecting, but what we found there looked like a movie set. Hulks of rusted logging trailers lined the roadside, with surly-looking drivers huddled around smoking in the darkness. Dilapidated wooden huts built on stilts to get above the mosquitoes sat in a cluster, and Panamanian typica country music wailed from somewhere in the village. We were a little apprehensive since we hadnt bothered to find out if there was a hotel in this tiny outpost on the edge of humanity. The surrounding jungle looked positively malevolent in the black of night. No sooner had I shut off the truck than it was surrounded by men with automatic rifles. Because my eyes were still unaccustomed to the darkness, it wasnt immediately clear if they were wearing uniforms, but then a voice rang out in Spanish: Police! Out of the car! It turned out these fatigue-clad Panamanians were members of the Panamanian police force stationed in Yavizaand we should have made an appointment. They rounded us up and marched us through the village toward their headquarters on the banks of the Chucunaque River. Naked children stared
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It was after 2100 when we finally reached Yaviza. Hulks of rusting logging trailers lined the roadside ...
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wide-eyed as we passed, then ran away screaming, Gringos! Gringos! Everyone else stared from doorways and windows. It turned out that since the previous checkpoint had failed to radio Yaviza and tell them about the truckload of stupid gringos headed their way, the police in Yaviza were not expecting us. And because their outpost had been recently attacked, everyone was on high alert. After a couple of hours of being detained, they determined we were not dangerousjust idiotsand we were free to go. They made us promise, however, not to try to go upriver and to be
There was a new hotel that had just opened next door to the cantina. It was the best nine bucks Ive ever spent.
out of town as soon as the sun rose. Thankfully, there was a new hotel that had just opened next door to the cantina. It was spartan and we were the only guests (besides the giant bugs), but because it had air conditioning, it was the best nine bucks Ive ever spent. The Darien will continue to be a hotspot for drug trafficking as long as there is a demand in the north and a supply in the south. But the SENAFRONT officers we visited have made progress in ensuring that the FARC and other criminal groups cannot find safe haven, even in the deepest, darkest jungle along the border. This is dangerous work under miserable conditions, but with Americas help, every kilo of drugs stopped in the jungle can potentially save many lives on the streets of the U.S.
Yaviza by night: the town has the look and feel of an end-of-the-world movie.
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