Category: Guns & Ammos

Bruce arrived in Bangkok from Australia eager for adventure. He was young, naïve, and greedy but he knew there were opportunities here if you kept your options open. He got a job at an English school on Sukhumvit Road while looking for other ways to supplement his income. He ran into Vichai the pimp in Patpong one night. They made some small talk first and then Vichai soon got around to what he wanted to say.

“Khun Bruce, you like make much money fast?”

“What do I have to do, Vichai?”

“Ah! Good. I like you velly much. I trust you. You come go with me. I take you to meet man help us make plenty money.”

They piled into a taxi and drove down to Klong Toey. The streets were narrow. Dark shadows lurked everywhere. They pulled up outside a decrepit hut and knocked on the door. It cracked open and one eye checked them out before swinging the door open just enough for them to slide inside. A single feeble bulb hung from the tin roof.

Vichai led Bruce to a dark alcove where he could vaguely see two men sitting at a table. They motioned the newcomers to sit down. A babble of Thai between them and Vichai established that they were who the men expected. Then one of them spoke in English.

“My friend you, he say you want make money. You no speak anyone else?” one of the men asked.

“No, I can keep my mouth shut.” Bruce replied. These men intimidated him. They looked very nasty and he had no doubt that if he got involved with them he had better keep his mouth shut or else.

“OK. I think you can do. Vichai he tell you what to do. You no worry. We help you, make sure no problem. You go now and listen only to Vichai, no speak any man else, ok?”

Bruce nodded and they both got up, went outside to the waiting taxi and headed back to Patpong. When they got there Vichai took Bruce to a coffee shop and he told Bruce what he had to do.

“You get on plane to Hong Kong and stay three days at this hotel.” He handed Bruce the address of one of the best hotels in Hong Kong. All expenses paid, no problem. On last day you go this address.” Vichai said. “The man there, he give you two big suitcases. They very heavy with calculators and watches. No drugs. No problem.”

Bruce nodded, and Vichai went on. “When you get off plane at Don Muang, you go through green lane. My friend he work in customs, him name Khun Soropong Kittisomsak. He no problem. You walk past him and catch taxi to my apartment. You get free holiday in Hong Kong and I pay you 50,000 baht when you bring suitcases me.”

They spent the next hour talking and planning the trip. Bruce was scheduled to leave in two days, so he told his boss at the English school he needed a week off to do a visa run.

He flew off to Hong Kong, checked into the hotel and had a great time. On the last day he went to the address he had been given and sure enough he was handed two suitcases. He piled them into the taxi, went to Kai Tak airport and checked in.

Four hours later in Bangkok he picked up the suitcases from the luggage carousel and headed for the green lane. He started to waltz through but the customs officer stopped him and asked him if he had anything to declare. Bruce looked at the nametag, but it wasn’t the name he had been given. But he smiled at the man and said that he only had two suitcases filled with his clothes. The officer asked him to open the suitcases. By now, Bruce was getting worried. What had gone wrong? Where was Khun Soropong? He had no choice, so he opened the first suitcase and a glittering array of watches greeted their eyes. The officer immediately called for support and they led Bruce away to a room where he was questioned. He wouldn’t tell them who he was working for, so they arrested him and slung him into immigration jail.

A few hours later Vichai turned up looking very angry. “You say what to police?” he asked.

“Nothing. I guarantee you I didn’t tell them anything, just like you told me. They think I own the suitcases.” Bruce told him.

“OK,” said Vichai looking relieved, “you no say anything I help you. When you get out of here, you must run away back home and no come back here again. You have passport?”

Bruce shook his head. The police had taken it away as soon as they arrested him.

“No problem. We have plan.” Vichai said. “Don’t worry. I get you out of here and we help you leave Thailand. Velly solly about this. Khun Soropong, he have flu. No can come work today. Too late to try tell you.”

Bruce was crestfallen. Suddenly he was looking at an ignomious flight home, if he didn’t go to court and have to spend years in jail here.

It took Vichai another three hours to get Bruce out on bail. They took a taxi to Bruce’s place where Vichai told him his plan. Vichai had seen pictures of Bruce’s brother, Tony. They looked very similar, so Vichai told Bruce to call him and ask him to come to Thailand urgently. They only had two weeks before Bruce was scheduled to go to court.

When Tony arrived, Bruce took his passport, jumped on a plane and flew back to Australia. Meanwhile, Tony went to the embassy and reported that he had lost his passport on the beach at Pattaya. They accepted his story and a few days later he was issued with a new passport and he too flew back to Australia.

It wasn’t until after Bruce was supposed to appear in court that Scott, the owner of the English school, started to feel the repercussions. Even though he had not been involved at all, the police came knocking at his door one morning looking for Bruce. Scott told them that he hadn’t seen Bruce since he left to do a visa run a few weeks ago and he assumed that Bruce had not been able to renew his visa.

The police didn’t believe him. They kept coming back almost every day asking for Bruce. They also set two plainclothes policemen to sit at a noodle stall opposite the school. It’s not hard to pick Thai plainclothes cops. They just change into a t-shirt and still wear their regulation police trousers and boots.

Each time Scott drove up to the gate to drive into his house, one of the policemen would run over and ask him where Bruce was. This went on for two weeks and Scott was getting heartily tired of being harassed. One day he snapped. So as soon as he parked the car he went inside and called the emergency police number.

“There are two kamoeys (burglars) sitting outside my house. They have been there for a few days checking my house. I think they are planning to break into my house.”

Scott’s Thai wasn’t all that good, but when the police heard the word, ‘kamoeys’ they sent a squad of ten police to Scott’s front gate within minutes. One of them with three stars on his shoulder spoke good English. He asked Scott where the kamoeys were. Scott pointed at the two plainclothes police across the road at the noodle stall.

Whoosh! The police squad descended on the two cops and a big noisy discussion ensued. Meanwhile, people from up and down the soi swarmed around to watch the fun and games. Scott just stood there looking as innocent as possible.

Soon, the three star policeman came back and said, “Er, Mr. Scott, those two men are plainclothes policemen. They are looking for someone who works for you.”

Scott told him what he had told the two plainclothes cops before; he hadn’t seen Bruce since he left on a visa run. He knew nothing about Bruce getting arrested, and please leave him alone.

The policeman nodded and apologized. He told Scott that he wouldn’t be bothered again and all the police left.

But it didn’t quite end there. A few days later Scott came home one evening to find his wife in tears. She told him that one of the plainclothes policemen had come to see her armed with a shotgun and threatened her that if she didn’t tell him where Bruce was he would come back and kill her.

That was the last straw for Scott. He wasn’t going to have that happening in his house. He got on the phone to a friend of his who owned a private investigation and security company and asked what he could do. His friend told him there wasn’t anything he could do. He was dealing with the police, remember?

Scott thought about it and then decided the best way to fight fire was with fire, and the only way to do that was to take the battle to the cop with the shotgun. He asked his friend to watch the cop and compile a complete dossier on him, his family, and his daily life.

A week later he received the report. It was nearly one inch thick. After reading through it he called the shotgun-wielding cop and told him that he had a complete dossier on him. He told the cop his wife’s name, his kids’ names, and even described his dog. He also told the cop where he lived, and where he had been for the last week, including a couple of places he was sure he wouldn’t want his wife to know about. Then Scott told the cop that if he ever came near his house or if anything happened to his wife, Scott would kill him.

There was shocked silence on the other end, then the cop grunted that he would not be bothering Scott again and hung up the phone. That was the last Scott ever heard of Bruce or the cop. But just to be sure, Scott moved his business to new premises within a week.

NOTE: The names and places have been changed to protect the innocent. Scott still lives in Bangkok and he swears this story is true. It happened way back in 1986. No one has ever seen Bruce in Thailand again.

Tasers are now being used by many law enforcement agencies throughout the world. (Tasers are also called stun guns) They are certainly used by the police in Orlando where I live. Instead of shooting or wounding a victim with bullets the Taser delivers a 50,000 volt electric shock to a law breaker that overrides one’s central nervous system. This causes uncontrollable contractions of the muscle tissue and instant collapse. This is known as nonlethal force.

A while ago I was invited by the Orlando Chapter of Amnesty International to perform some research and deliver an address to the group concerning the pros and cons of Taser use. During the same time period I happened to be serving on Florida State Senator Gary Siplin’s Commission on the Use of Deadly Force by Law Enforcement in Florida and had the opportunity to witness live demonstrations of Taser use by members of the Orlando Police Department.

You might be interested in learning some of the Taser facts that I derived from my research for that speech.

First, from where does the name Taser derive? The inventor of the Taser took the name from a 1911 boy’s adventure story by author Victor Appleton. Appleton wrote a science fiction story about a young crime fighter who foiled criminals by incapacitating them with an electric rifle he had invented. The name of that young crime fighter in the story was Thomas A. Swift. The name of the story was entitled: Thomas A. Swift and his Electric Rifle. The modern day inventor of the first true electric stun gun named his invention after the initials of the story — T A S E R!

The company that makes and markets Tasers is an Arizona corporation called Taser International. The company sells several models of the Taser, in 1994 they came out with their first called the “Air Taser” in 1998 they introduced the model “M26” and in 2003 they brought out the “X26.” These high powered Tasers are the new fad in law enforcement. Police contend that the use of Tasers lower injury to the police and to the public. The police also maintain the Taser is a tool to be used in conjunction of other nonlethal types of force.

However, doctors, reporters and human rights groups contend that the Taser use raise grave safety issues. A number of citizens have died after having been Tasered. Taser International spokespersons disagree that the Taser is a dangerous weapon. When a human being is Tasered his or her body is subjected to a 50,000 volt shock that is designed to override the target’s central nervous system, causing contractions of the muscle tissue that leads to instant collapse. The company maintains that the jolt will physically debilitate a target regardless of their tolerance for pain or their mental focus. The Taser is said to “directly tell the muscles what to do: contract until the target is in the fetal position on the ground.” The company further contends there are no residual effects to the body after having been Tasered.

My research revealed that since 2001, at least 70 people are reported to have died in the United States and Canada after being shocked with the M26 or the X26 models. Twelve of the deaths have occurred in Florida. Four of those deaths have occurred in Orange County where I live. Coroners who have commented on the deaths generally attribute such deaths to other factors such as concurrent drug intoxication when Tasered. Other medical experts question whether Taser Shocks may exacerbate a risk of heart failure. Some scientists contend that that electricity near the heart can be dangerous because it may cause ventricular fibrillation. Still, other scientists suggest or speculate that an excess of potassium, produced when the muscles contract violently, may be a key ingredient in the deaths associated with the device. In essence, no one knows for sure whether the Taser by itself can cause death.

Despite the deaths that have occurred, more than 6,000 law enforcement and correctional agencies in 49 states are deploying or testing Taser equipment. My researched also revealed that several states which formerly banned all stun guns have recently changed their law to allow local and state police to use Tasers. Tasers are now used by campus police on many university campuses. Tasers were used by the U.S. army during the Iraq war and are still being used by the military at Guantanamo Bay. Tasers have been purchased or tested by police or the military in Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Spain, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Forty three states place few or no restrictions on possession of such stun weapons by members of the public for self-defense. However, price may be a deterrent to buying a Taser for personal use. The price of the Air Taser is $399.95; the M26 model costs $699.00, and the X26 is advertised at $999.00.

Local police agencies in Florida were among the first agencies to adopt the new generations of Tasers on a wide scale. The Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported in March 2005 that police had used Tasers against 24 students in the prior 18 months. An Amnesty International report states that Tasers are used against unarmed suspects in 80% of all cases of nonlethal weapons; Tasers were employed in 36% of cases for verbal noncompliance by suspects, but used only in 3% of cases involving deadly assault.

According to information released to the media in 2007 by the Orange County Sheriff’s office when I was pursuing my research, 700 deputies out of the 1,318 man force were armed with Tasers and the department had just ordered 125 more Tasers. The next year it was reported that Orange County deputies made 45,033 arrests and used Tasers 464 times, including against 14 suspects who were so aggressive that the law would have allowed the use of deadly force.

The Orlando Police Department has a stricter policy on the use of Tasers and prohibits Taser use unless a suspect actively resists a police officer. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office mandates that each deputy be given eight hours of annual Taser training – an increase from four hours initially used by the office. This will allow for 6,000 hours a year of training for the deputies of the Orange County Sheriff.

Critics of Taser use, such as Amnesty International, have called for all federal, state and local authorities to suspend use of Tasers and other electro-shock weapons pending an urgent rigorous, independent and impartial inquiry in to their use and effects.

There has been no such suspension and it looks like Tasers are here to stay.

Based on the 1983 movie of the same title, Scarface promises to be unlike anything you’ve seen on a single player action/adventure game before. It creates a little twist to the ending of the movie, and then moves on from there. After being held captive by Sosa’s men, Tony vows to take his revenge and won’t stop at nothing until he gets it. Aside from revenge, he also wish to reclaim his position as Miami’s ultimate drug dealer.

All throughout the game, Tony will have to gain turfs and purchase fronts for his drug trades. In the process, he must be able to maintain his empire and make more money out of selling drugs. To make this possible, Tony would have to bring down his enemies and increase his reputation level. As rival gangs will try to dominate the city under your control, you have to make sure to protect them and continue buying businesses to front your drug deals. It works in a chain of some sorts as the more money you got, you increase your power, and an increase in power will also boost your reputation level.

From the start, you will only have limited options. As your reputation is key to rebuilding your empire, you have to complete missions, buy fronts and exotic items to slowly build your reputation. But you will need money to be able to buy things, and you can get them by selling cocaine. Eventually, when your reputation level has increased tremendously, you can have an almost unlimited access to any sort of weapon or vehicle that you need.

You’d start off by selling drugs to street dealers, then move up to large suppliers where you can earn bigger money. Once you have also purchased fronts where you can distribute your drugs, money will just come to you. This will displease your rival gangs, leading them to plot on bringing down your front businesses. You might need the help of a henchman and employ surveillance to help protect your investments.

There will be four turfs in the city of Miami and in each turf, you would have to obtain different fronts. However, some of these fronts are already controlled by certain gangs. You will have to eliminate your rival gangs so you can explore the rest of the city and find new turfs to explore. Just talk your way through the managers so you will gain their trust and you can eventually do business with them. In a separate islands is where cocaines are produced and where you will be making deals with certain large suppliers. As soon as you have secured your fronts and a warehouse, you can smuggle your supply of cocaine from the island to there.

As we have mentioned a while ago about the need to protect your fronts, you will need quite a lot of guns for that. At the start, you’ll have access to only a limited number of guns in your arsenal but you’ll soon increase your options as you also increase your reputation. With higher reputation, you’d have a wide array and good selection of guns like hand guns, automatic rifles, shotguns and rocket launchers. And as if that wasn’t great enough, you can also adjust its accuracy, silencing mechanics, and some other options to make your attack deadlier.

When you are a drug lord fighting off rival gangs, and engaging in fierce gunfire, you are sure to attract police on your way. When you have committed certain unlawful acts, you need to reduce the cops’ heat on you by paying them off. But you have to make sure that you keep the heat of the police in check, or it will cost you quite a lot of money.

And when it comes down to the worst, you will be forced to outrun the police and you got to have a set of wheels to make sure you keep them at bay. You would not ruffle feather with the police some more by stealing a car, so you should get a phone call and have a driver bring in your own car to help you get out of trouble. Only when you have gained enough reputation will you be able to buy and handle extremely fast cars. And from a wide selection of potential cars to use, each have their own traits that sets them apart from the others. For example, you have a speedy car that does not offer much protection or a well-protected car that can be a real drag.

When it comes to battling your enemies, do not fret when you feel like the gang seems just too many to handle. Tony is equipped with a rage meter that builds up with every act you perform using the “balls”. This balls can be earned through skillful driving, pedestrian conversations, and taunting your victims. If the meter is filled up, Tony becomes extremely powerful and he can attack multiple enemies at once, as well as acquire the health of every enemy he has killed. The effects of the rage meter lasts for quite a short span of time, but it can be enough to let you out of a really bad situation.

When you have significantly increased your ball levels, femme fatales will appear on your map. If you try to meet them convince them to stay at your mansion, they will help upgrade your health, rage meter, and stamina. This is of course aside from the fact that these femme fatales would be a nice addition to Tony’s growing collection of exotic items. With every purchase of these exotic items, you will also be able to increase your reputation depending of course on the price and rarity of the item bought.

One great weapon that Tony has in his arsenal is his intimidation meter. Oftentimes, it will work to his advantage by acquiring some great rates in the bank, settle a lucrative drug deal, and squeeze his way out of a potential bust by the cops. All you need to do is be able to time your press and release of the button as soon as the meter fills up. Just make sure you don’t press the button too short or too long, for you might end up with an extremely bad drug deal or lose your money to the cops.

Moving over to the technical aspects of the game, as much as the gameplay is as close to the movie as it can get, so are the overall look of the game. When dealing with drugs and all that underground businesses, you need to be able to create a mood for that through the environment. And what better place to set that than in Miami? The game was able to recreate Miami into the world of Scarface game.

Being a major part of the game, sounds can either make or break it for the game. For Scarface, the voice acting is simply astounding. There just seems to be a great connection between the voice acting and the actual events on the game. Hats off to those actors who lend their voices in this game. And also, not failing to mention that this game is also geared with some of the best bands and artists out there. The game uses the official soundtrack of the movie, and hence it can be quite a similar experience altogether-you know, playing the game and watching the movie-the only difference being in the game, you have control over Tony.

If you haven’t got enough of the movie, this might be a great way to fill in on more of the action/adventure feel that Scarface has delivered. Sosa’s betrayal does not bring you down, and although your empire has been snatched away from you, you are determined more than ever to rebuild it and gain power of it. If there is anything that could take you right into the world of drug lords and see how it works, you have come to the right place. Join Tony’s adventures as he proves he deserves to be on the top.

In Bioshock Infinite, Handyman plays an integral part as a bouncer that his main job is to protect Columbia from any attack and threat of other people outside the city. In this game, Handyman is also one of many villains that will hold back Booker from entering to the city of Columbia. Talking about his strength, Handyman is a really tough villain that can cause such great damages to Booker and even punch him to death.

However, even though this big fat enemy possesses such a great power in his 2 giant hands, in Bioshock Infinite, Handyman proved can be defeated if you can combine all of Booker’s strengths, from his big guns and telekinesis powers, and then optimize the use of Skyline to avoid Handyman whenever he starts attacking you back.

In this article, there are some facts about Handyman that you probably should know about. And if you happen to have some sort of problems when facing him in this game, here you’ll find out about how to defeat Handyman and what is the best way to fight him in this game.

Who is Handyman and What is His Role in Columbia?

First of all, you need to know about who Handyman really is. In this latest installment of Bioshock Infinite, Handyman is narrated as a really big guy that all over his body is made from steel. So from his overall appearance, we can see how Handyman looks like a giant robot. However, even though most of his body is made from metal, there are 2 parts in his body that still humanize him, his head and his heart.

As a matter of fact, these 2 parts are the only genuine human parts that can be found in Handyman’s body. So despite his robot appearance, it’s good to know that he can still think as a human and has a feeling of a normal human. But then again, despite these 2 human parts that still make him a normal person, Handyman is still a dangerous villain that has been programmed by Comstock to stop and kill Booker every time they meet each other in the battle.

Handyman Appearance in Bioshock Infinite

Handyman has 2 really giant hands. These 2 doll alike hands are capable to create such great damages to your health bar every time his jab lands in Booker’s face. That’s not so surprising given that Handyman has a really huge body, plus he is made from steel. So no wonder if he possesses such a great power in his hands.

As shown in this latest Bioshock game, Handyman appears for the very first time when Booker enters the floating city of Columbia. In that part of the game, we can see how Handyman is being “showcased” in front of the people in Columbia on the stage, similar like a “Freak Show” stage where weird people are gathered around in one place to show off their weirdness to people.

The good thing is, in that moment, Booker, who hasn’t been recognized as “the False Sheppard” by the public of Columbia, doesn’t need to face Handyman yet in the direct battle. However, the bad news comes around when Booker finally has to meet Handyman face-to-face in the real battle after people of Columbia find out about the initial of “AD” or Anna Dewitt on Booker’s hand.

What is Handyman’s job in Columbia?

In Bioshock Infinite, Handyman is given a job by Comstock to protect Columbia along with the people from the attacks and threats of Vox Populi, some group of people that are against “The Founders”, the group from Columbia government led by Comstock, and want to change Columbia as a new better place where all people, including black and Irish people, can be treated equally without any discrimination of race, tribe, or anything.

Besides protecting Columbia from Vox Populi’s attacks, Handyman also becomes one of Booker’s enemies, big bosses to be exact. Handyman is also tasked by Comstock to keep Booker away from Columbia and most importantly, from Elizabeth.

What is Handyman’s Main Strength?

The biggest strength possessed by Handyman in this game is the power to knock enemies down with his 2 giant hands. This is the reason why you as Booker has to stay in far distance whenever you fight against Handyman in the battle because if he manages to land his jab in Booker’s face, then most of the time, his giant hands can cause such great damages to your health bar.

The other strength of Handyman is his ability to hack the Skyline and stream an electric shock to this track. Well, the Skyline is the roller coaster track that is spreading out across the sky of Columbia. This skyline is mostly used to transport cargoes, while people with grappling hook, including Booker, can also use the Skyline to travel quickly from one place to other place without walking.

However, when facing this big villain, you must be really careful when jumping to the skyline because Handyman is capable to shock you to death when he turns the skyline into the electrocuted track.

How to Defeat Handyman?

There are many ways to defeat Handyman. The most obvious way is definitely by using your big guns like shotgun or other powerful weapons at your disposal. However, using only big guns to fight Handyman will not be effective because Handyman is really strong and he can quickly bounce back to attack Booker with his big fat hands. Therefore, before facing Handyman in person, you must firstly master the controls of Booker and knows how to use all of Booker’s weapons, including his telekinesis powers.

Using the Skyline

Besides depending your life to your weapons and telekinesis powers, the Skyline can also be really helpful to avoid any attack from Handyman. But you must always be well aware whenever Handyman uses his electric power to hack the Skyline. This will turn the Skyline into such a big danger to you as this electrocuted track will suck most of your health bar to death. So every time you see any electric spark on the Skyline, the best thing to do is to jump away from the skyline and make a fast landing to the ground or any platform around you.

Using the Guns and Telekinesis Powers

And as I mentioned earlier, one of the best guns to kill Handyman is shotgun. If you happen to own this weapon at your disposal, then you better use it when facing Handyman. Aim your target to his heart as this is the most fragile element in his body. Not to mention, even though the damages created by telekinesis powers are not that huge to Handyman, this magic power can still be useful to attack Handyman every time you have a chance to use it.

Elizabeth’s Help Always Comes in Handy

Not only that, besides using guns, telekinesis powers and the Skyline, you can also depend on Elizabeth’s help to open the tears in order to bring some goodies from other different realities to Booker’s reality, such as: medics, bullets, armors, walls to defend and even decoys to distract Handyman from attacking you.

Well, if you can combine all of those Booker’s strengths and know when to jump to the skyline to avoid Handyman’s attacks, plus with the help from Elizabeth, then you have a huge chance to defeat Handyman in any direct battle with him.

What about you? Do you have any other trick that you usually use to fight Handyman in Bioshock Infinite? If you do, then feel free to share your town trick on the comment section below.

Have you ever been faced with a situation when your target ran away while you were preparing your shot? If so, you will have wondered if there is any way to resolve this issue. Consider that you need to allow a period of time in which to determine the distance to the target if it’s far away, and that then you need to find an appropriate point for holdover or to adjust the elevation knob. After all, you need to find the most comfortable position from which to make a precise shot. You can consider yourself lucky if the game stays in the same position while all this preparation is taking place. But what if it doesn’t? The timing in such a situation is quite critical.

Redfield has solved this problem. The Revenge hunting scopes series features the unique Accu-Ranger reticle. With this reticle you can quickly determine the distance to the target and make your shot without any delay, whilst keeping your eyes on the target at all times. It may sound like some expensive rifle scope with laser rangefinder − but, in fact, it’s not. The range estimation performs by virtue of the scope’s optics and mechanics, and that is what makes this scope affordable. Let’s see how the Accu-Ranger reticle works.

The upper vertical post has hash marks called brackets. Each of these brackets refers to a specific animal. All you need to do is to turn the magnification ring until an animal’s body appears between the bracket and center of the reticle. There is another horizontal line that moves along the upper vertical post while you are changing the magnification. The vertical post has numbers from two to six, which refer to 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 yards. When you have got your game between the brackets, look at the upper horizontal line. If it has stopped at number four, it means that your game is 400 yards away. Now just use an appropriate aiming point for hold over and make your shot.

As you can see, the system is very simple: bracket the animal and make a shot. The price is really affordable for a scope with range estimation ability and a ballistic reticle.

To ensure that the Accu-Ranger reticle meets the requirements of every hunter, Redfield has designed four different types: Crossbow, Hunter, Sabot ML and Varmint.

All these reticles come with brackets for 16″ and 25″ targets, while the Varmint reticle features an 8″ bracket. The 8″ bracket can be used for prairie dogs or other similar-sized varmints. The 16″ bracket will be correct for a deer, while the 25″ bracket is designed for elks and coyotes.

The Accu-Ranger Crossbow is a unique reticle in this series and was designed especially for crossbow hunters. This reticle estimates the distance up to 60 yards and has holdover points for the same yardage.

The Accu-Ranger Crossbow reticle is designed to be used with different velocities. At higher magnification, this reticle works well with arrows or bolts that have 425 fps velocities, whilst at lower magnification, this reticle is good for use with 250 fps cartridges.

This reticle comes with the Redfield Revenge 2-7x34mm.

The Accu-Ranger Hunter reticle is designed to be used with elks, deer, coyotes or other animals of similar size. This reticle allows you to estimate the distance up to 600 yards, and has holdover points for the same yardage.

The center of the Accu-Ranger Hunter reticle is calibrated for a distance of 200 yards. This reticle is great for velocities of 2900 – 3800 fps, and works with the following cartridges: .338 RUM, .338 Win Mag, .300 WSM, .300 Win Mag, .30-06 Springfield, 7mm Rem Mag, .280 Rem, .270 Win, .270 WSM, .25-06 Rem, .243 Win, .22-250 Rem, and .223 Rem.

The Hunter reticle is the most popular in the Accu-Ranger series and comes with the following scopes:

• Revenge 3-9×42
• Revenge 3-9×52
• Revenge 4-12×42

The Accu-Ranger Sabot ML reticle has the same estimation range as the Hunter reticle (200-600 yards) and is designed for muzzleloaders and shotguns. However, its aiming points for bullet drop compensation are calibrated at distances of 150, 200, 250 and 300. Center crosshair is zeroed at 100 yards.

The Sabot ML reticle can be used with cartridges of most velocities. At high magnification settings this reticle works fine with 45 caliber plastic tipped bullets (250 grain, 2200 fps).

The Accu-Ranger Sabot ML reticle is available in the Redfield Revenge 3-9×42.

The Accu-Ranger Varmint reticle has an 8″ bracket for prairie dogs as well as 16″ and 25″ brackets. This reticle works well with the most flat shooting cartridges with velocities of 3100-4000 fps. The Varmint reticle is universal. You can use it either for varmint or big game hunting.

The Accu-Ranger Varmint reticle allows you to estimate the distance and hold over for the bullet drop at a distance of up to 600 yards. This reticle is designed to be used with the following cartridges: .300 Win Mag., 7mm Rem Mag, .270 Weatherby, .270 WSM, .270 Win, .25-06 Rem, .243 Win, .223 WSSM, .223 Swift, .220 Swift, .22-250 Rem, .222 Rem, .223 Rem, and .17 Rem.

The Varmint reticle comes with the Redfield Revenge 4-12×42 and the Revenge 6-18×40.

The only drawback with the Accu-Ranger reticles is that they are designed to work for particular animals. However, they can also be used for similar-sized objects. If you are hunting prairie dogs, deer, elk or coyotes, you will usually find that Redfield Revenge scopes are just right for you. At a price range of $139.99 – $249.99, these scopes that have range estimation ability and bullet drop compensating reticles are a very good deal indeed.

As a criminal lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, I periodically have clients arrested for driving while under the influence or possession of drugs ask me, “Can the police testify in Court as to the results of a radar gun to show the speed of my vehicle or rely upon a caller ID display to prove that I made a phone call?… Shouldn’t this evidence be considered inadmissible hearsay?” According to Bowe v. State, 785 So.2d 531 (Fla. 4th D.C.A., 2001), radar gun readouts and caller ID displays are not considered inadmissible hearsay and the police can (and routinely) introduce this type of evidence in Court.

The Florida Evidence Code (90.801(1)(c)) defines hearsay as an out-of-court statement of a “declarant” offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. A declarant is a “person” who makes a statement. Therefore, only statements made by persons fall within the definition of hearsay. This distinction is crucial when determining what testimony is considered inadmissible hearsay.

Radar gun readouts are often relied upon by police officers to prove an individual’s speed of travel in Courtroom proceedings for driving while under the influence. Surprisingly, radar guns do not generate paper printouts for police officers to introduce into evidence. Instead, police officers testify in Court as to what the radar gun registered to prove an individual’s speed.

Similarly, caller ID displays are occasionally relied upon by police officers to prove an individual’s knowledge or involvement in a crime. For example, a police officer may testify in Court that a caller ID readout of an individual’s assigned telephone number on an undercover police officer’s cell phone corroborates that the individual was conspiring with the undercover police officer to sell or purchase drugs. Caller ID displays are also relied upon by police officers in domestic violence, stalking, and assault cases.

In both instances, Courts have held that neither the radar gun readouts nor the caller ID displays are considered hearsay because of their designation as machines, and not “persons”, capable of being a declarant within the definition of hearsay. Importantly, these statements (i.e. actual radar readings) are not generated by persons. Conversely, out of court statements generated by persons (i.e. email strings) offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted are considered hearsay. For example, a witness testifying to statements he/she read from an email would be considered hearsay as the email was generated by a person, not a machine.

The main justification for the hearsay rule is to provide a defendant the opportunity to cross-examine a decalrant who made an out of court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. Remembering that one does not cross examine a machine; one cross-examines the person who operated or maintained the machine. In cases involving a radar gun readout or caller ID display, the information introduced is limited to numbers generated by machines, not persons. Additionally, this information cannot be influenced or manipulated by other individuals. As a result, the proper remedy to challenge the evidence is by either: attacking the reliability of the declarant’s statements (i.e. a declarant may have a reason to lie to bolster his case or justify an arrest); highlighting that the declarant could have misread or improperly transcribed the numbers; attacking the reliability of the machine, if applicable; attacking the declarant’s ability to read/understand the machine’s results (i.e. complicated program to interpret retina scans); or by challenging the relevancy of the evidence.

As nothing can be more damning evidence at trial then a radar gun readout or caller ID display, it is important to immediately contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to review such evidence and attack its admissibility or weight at trial.

The information in this article site was developed by Lyons, Snyder & Collin, P.A. for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. The transmission and receipt of information from this article does not form or constitute an attorney-client relationship with Lyons, Snyder & Collin. Persons receiving the information from this article should not act upon the information provided without seeking profession legal counsel.

My bread and butter as a videographer (especially a Chicago videographer) is filming interviews and testimonials. I have filmed hundreds of such interviews, I have worked with other videographers setting up interviews and I have seen many more video interviews all over the web. Over this time I have learned a few important keys to making a good and engaging interview.

First point, be brief. When I set up a video interview I usually end up talking to my subject for 30 -40 minutes. However, an effective interview video with one subject is 1.5 minutes to 2.5 minutes. When I get a response from my subject that is long, verbose, and it feels like he/she is wondering with an idea, I let them finish, complement them on how good their response was and ask them to summarize it in 2-3 sentences. Sometimes it takes a few takes. Hence, allow 40 minutes for an interview.

Secondly, make the interview conversational. There is nothing more boring and flat than reading questions to the subject. As humans, we are social beings. Yes, the subject understands that ultimately he/she is talking to an imaginary audience and he/she is just being filmed. However, I have seen shy people open up to me when I engaged them with conversations. They forget the camera is pointing at them and they give me content that is rich and personal. At times, as videographer, you can’t engage in conversation or you don’t feel comfortable doing it, and prefer just attending to the gear. If this is the case, it is worth bringing another person to whom the subject can talk (and engage).

Always use at least two cameras. Having multiple angles makes the editing much easier. You can easily cut the interview and jump from one camera to another during the transitions. Cutting interview filmed with one camera creates distracting jump cuts. Additionally, having multiple camera angles makes the video more dynamic. Sometimes, I even add a little slider movement to add more dynamic feel to an otherwise static shot.

The sound quality is huge. In my video production I use high end lavalier microphones. The lavalier mic is close to the subject and you get much more voice signal and less environment noise. Truthfully, most viewers watching these types of videos will not be able to tell the difference between a video shot with a $30k camera and something shot with a smartphone. However, bed sound is immediately noticeable. Bed sound screams “amateur” video. If you don’t have a good lavalier mics you can use a shotgun mic. Ideally, you want to get the microphone as close to the subject as you can. You can mount such microphone on a stand and run the cable to the camera. Mixing of the sound is also crucial. To get that professional sound quality you always want to add a little compression to the sound, so the loud parts are attenuated and quite parts are turned up. I often use a little EQ to remove the low end of the sound spectrum. When mixed with some music, the voice that is compressed and lightly EQ will cut through the mix easier.

Lastly, to make a video interview engaging you need to have something visual to cut to. Often this is called B-roll. B-roll shots are visuals scenes that support the story the subject is telling. However, sometimes I use photographs from the subject and build a collage that visually tells the story. When I do this type of a collage, I actually prefer photos that are not taken professionally, as they better represent the reality of the person being interviewed.

In summary, a video interviews need to be cut to about 2 minutes, they need to be conversational, recorded with good sound and multiple cameras. When done well, they are one of the more powerful marketing tools for any business, product or service.

When it comes to firearms, the optimal humidity in a gun safe is zero. Humidity causes rust to form on the steel construction of the guns kept while kept inside the safe; as well as allows moisture to accumulate in the gunpowder inside the ammunition. Neither are optimal conditions for your firearms and both can cause extremely dangerous accidents should you need to fire your weapons. If you use a gun or pistol safe, it is extremely important to take safety precautions, such as using gun safe anchor kits to prevent accidentally turning over the security device.

One excellent, and very popular though hard to find brand, is the Kingsbury gun safe. A beautiful copper finish completes the look. It is fireproof and features 5 adjustable shelves and an S&G lock system. If a vintage model is in your future, you might luck up on a Kingsbury gun safe online for about $600.

Providing the conditions to maintain the optimal humidity in a firearms safe was once nearly impossible, prior to the modern technologies that are available now to prevent it. Depending on the humidity levels in the air surrounding the safe, the steel walls could sweat and damage the firearms and ammunition kept inside. The majority of modern firearms safes are fireproof and waterproof; but don’t let that fool you. That only means that water is unable to enter from the outside of the safe if it is submerged. It does not mean that under the right conditions, the air inside the rifle or firearm safe will not contain moisture and cause the steel to sweat.

There are several products on the market that can be placed inside, with the firearms and ammunition, to insure the optimal humidity in a gun safe. One is a portable mini dehumidifier, which runs on a rechargeable battery and lasts 30-60 days between charges. Recharging releases the moisture trapped in water crystals, and gets it ready to absorb moisture for another 30-60 days. Another option is either a rechargeable desiccant container, or a container that can be placed in the oven to release the moisture from the desiccant crystals; then reinstalled to maintain the optimal humidity in a firearms safe. Any of these options will take care of an inside area of at least 35 cubic feet.

Many gun aficionados ask if an ammunition safe or firearms locker be kept in an unheated garage. The temperature surrounding the firearms safe is not the issue; it is the moisture content of that air. So, can a rifle safe or firearms locker be kept in an unheated garage? The answer is definitely yes, as long as there is a good moisture removal product inside of it. Even in the garage accidents can happen, so don’t forget to use the gun safe anchor kits.

The two most important things to remember about gun or ammo safes are: use anchor kits and secure locks to prevent accidents, and use products to remove odors and moisture inside the safe to maintain the optimal humidity in a gun safe.

Are there, actually, so many ignorant Americans, or, simply, do they, purposely, enjoy ignoring reality, unless/ until, it fits, neatly, into their personal/ political agenda, and/ or, perceived, self – interest? Why do voters, allow, constant, political hypocrisy, when viable solutions/ well – considered actions, are needed? How many times have you witnessed, and/ or, heard, a politician say one thing, and do, something, quite – different? When, these individuals, attempt to take credit, for a popular program/ idea, although, they voted against it, I they trying to fool us, or are we the fools, because, we permit this behavior, rather than demanding, better? With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 5 examples, when these hypocritical behaviors and actions, harm this nation.

1. Pandemic: Remember – back, to the early stages of this horrific pandemic, when President Donald Trump, and many, in his political party, first, denied there was a potential crisis, then, ignored it, and followed, that, by declaring, the process, and health crisis, was a hoax! Although, the past President, was not responsible for the virus, many believe, his behavior, rhetoric, and actions, led to far – worse results! Is it possible, to be, any more, of a hypocrite, than to harm the public health efforts, while, appearing to do, all he could, to down – play the risks, and equate economic challenges, with saving and preserving lives?

2. Sane gun safety: For decades, many gun owners, and manufacturers, have seemed to try to hide behind, what they referred to, as their 2nd Amendment Rights, every time, there was a call, for some sane gun safety measures, to reduce the many deaths, etc, especially, mass shootings, etc! It is interesting, that amendment, used the, Right to Bear Arms, predominantly, to protect, states rights, to form a militia, for protection, against foreign invaders, back in the late – 18th Century. Guns at that time, took, nearly, two minutes, to reload, so how could the Founding Fathers, have predicted, assault weapons, which would fire, multiple rounds, in that period of time. Gun manufacturers, and their organization, the National Rifle Association, have done a superb job, trying to convince us, these gun – rights, were limitless, and making, hunters, believe, someone was trying, to take away, their guns. But, couldn’t we have sane regulations, for the public safety, without harming, anyone’s true rights?

3. Immigration: The only people living in the United States, whose ancestors, were born here, are the Native Americans! Every one, else, is an immigrant! We have always, been a nation, which declared, we welcomed immigrants, yet, certain politicians, especially, recently, have used the issue, to use hatred, and fears, as a political weapon!

4. Addressing systemic racism: How can we call ourselves, a democracy, unless/ until, we honor, all our freedoms, instead of, only, selectively, favoring, those, which serve our purposes? However, we often witness, systemic racism, in police enforcement, Courts/ Justice, employment and educational opportunities, etc, despite, the politicians, denials, and statements, to the contrary!

5. Environmental and Climate issues: Each generation should consider itself, caretakers, of our planet, and strive, to leave it, to the next generation, better, than we found it! Those, we elect to serve and represent us, are, at – best, hypocrites, when/ if, they don’t proactively, address, environmental and climate challenges, and issues!

We must demand better, from those we elect! We can’t permit, this constant hypocrisy!

It was a sparkling late afternoon in April 1975. Abruptly the news flashes raced across the base: A U.S. Air Force C-5A Galaxy transport plane carrying 243 Vietnamese orphans had gone down shortly after leaving Tan Son Nhut airfield, near Saigon. Air Force officials feared sabotage.

Only a few of the adult passengers, including some U.S. Embassy personnel covertly leaving Vietnam, managed to make their way to the limited oxygen masks. The overcrowded transport plane should have been carrying no more than 100 children, rather than the 243 who had been loaded aboard. With enormous difficulty, the pilot managed to turn the plane around and crash-land two miles south of Tan Son Nhut, skidding 1,000 feet into a rice paddy. Nurses, volunteers and crew aboard, many injured themselves, did all they could to save as many children as possible.

The news reached Clark almost instantly. Operation Babylift had just gotten started when the crash occurred. Although there were conflicting reports of the casualties, more than 130 people died, including at least 78 children. Many Americans came to regard the crash as just one more in the long series of heartbreaking incidents during the ill-fated war in Vietnam.

At the time of the crash, various groups had been working frantically to shuttle the infants out of the country before it fell to the invading NVA. With this tragedy, the mission was severely disrupted, but it continued. Reports differ, but in the 24 hours that followed, possibly some 1,200 children, including 40 of the crash survivors, were evacuated on other planes. As the evacuation continued, the growing panic in the streets of Saigon and the constant rocket attacks turned the loading of the infants and children into a safety nightmare.

Adult participants wondered if the plane they were boarding would get off the ground. And if it did, would it then be shot down? Two armed military security police officers rode shotgun on nearly every subsequent evacuation flight.

Prior to the fatal C-5A crash, New York’s Cardinal Terrence Cooke had sent a plea to President Gerald Ford for federal support and an immediate waiver of immigration red tape for more than 4,000 children living in Catholic orphanages in South Vietnam. With South Vietnam’s reluctant agreement, the order for Operation Babylift had come from the U.S. president, who told the press: I have directed that C-5A aircraft and other aircraft especially equipped to care for these orphans during the flight, be sent to Saigon. It’s the least we can do.

As Saigon fell, President Ford ordered all in-country U.S. orphans to be airlifted out for asylum and adoption. Although he allocated $2 million for the operation, many flights were made in aircraft not outfitted to carry passengers. Nonetheless, more than 2,000 babies and children were flown out by military and smaller private chartered planes and eventually adopted in the United States. Another 1,300 were adopted in Canada, Europe and Australia.

When that first flight crashed, the rest of the C-5A fleet was grounded temporarily. That only added to the pressure on the mission and the workload at Clark Air Base, which more than doubled. All flight-line and ground crews immediately went to high-alert status. The usual turnaround ground time for C-130 and C-141 aircraft was eight hours. On high alert it shrank to three hours. With C-130s coming in at the rate of three per hour after dark, an air traffic control nightmare developed. The logistics of the operation was staggering, and the cycle was nonstop. Often the flight crew members ran close to the maximum flying time or crew rest limit.

Because of the differences in aircraft capabilities, the C-141s flew during daylight hours and the C-130s flew at night. The C-141 required a longer runway for landing and takeoff. The C-130 was capable of short-field approach and takeoff, meaning it could land by diving to the end of the runway when it was directly overhead, and it could take off with less than 2,000 feet of runway.

The aircrews had orders to evacuate as many infants and children as they could. The exact number for each lift was left up to the discretion of the individual pilot. The children were loaded aboard in any way possible, until the plane was full. Often, Vietnamese mothers with Amerasian children were still attempting to get their children aboard as the paratroop doors were closing, trusting their children to an uncertain fate.

Frequently, aircraft cargo straps were used to group and secure all passengers during flight. Each pilot gave his loadmaster instructions on how he wanted the plane loaded. On board, milk, food and medicine were always in short supply. During the brief turnaround time at Clark, every aircraft required a cursory cleaning. Ground maintenance crews sometimes resorted to firehoses to flush out the aircraft, leaving them open to air-dry before the next outbound flight.

American military personnel had fathered most of the children being airlifted out of Vietnam. Some of the infants on the crashed C-5A are believed to have come from the Hoi Due Anh Orphanage. The majority were children whose only support came from overseas agencies.

During this time, our family had been living at Clark, where my husband, a career Air Force sergeant, was stationed as a C-130 crew chief. We were not scheduled to return to the United States for some months. With the radio and TV news flashes, the Stars and Stripes newspaper stories, word of mouth reports and my husband’s stepped-up work schedule, the scope of Operation Babylift became very evident. Our two children were attending schools on the base, which gave me the latitude to volunteer to help.

Even before the first plane carrying the Operation Babylift evacuees touched down at Clark, a plea for help was broadcast on Armed Forces Radio and Television. The emergency task force to provide humanitarian assistance, shelter and nurturing care needed all the volunteers it could get. There was an especially acute need for volunteer military wives to help support the massive operation, not only with child care, but also administrative work, such as keypunch data entry.

While thinking of those precious lives, my maternal instincts instantly kicked in and I remembered once hearing a quotation from English essayist Sydney Smith: It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can do only a little.

The Operation Babylift evacuees began to arrive from Tan Son Nhut, some with their Vietnamese names on a bracelet around one wrist and the name and address of their prospective American parents on the other. The U.S. Air Force housed all of the children in a base gymnasium that had been set up for their care. Military bunk mattresses were spread across the floor of the large room. A separate area for infants had cribs, changing tables, disposable diapers, ointment for diaper rash, Q-tips, bottles and food-warming equipment, as well as rocking chairs to soothe restless children. There I met and spoke with the Catholic sisters who had fled Vietnam with abandoned children who had been left in their care.

Both the nuns and the orphans had only the clothes they were wearing when they fled. I can still almost see one of the sisters, whose shoe sole was coming off. The sadness of its flap, flap, flap, against the gymnasium’s shiny hardwood floor still haunts me.

Operation Babylift was one of the largest rescue efforts in history. More than 3,000 infants and children were airlifted out of Vietnam between April 4 and April 19, 1975. The time they spent in the care of the special task force volunteers at Clark averaged between 12 and 24 hours. This permitted each child to receive the necessary vaccinations, nourishment and nurturing, before continuing the long trip across the Pacific. Every incoming child and infant was assigned to a surrogate mom. Each was cared for until it was time to board the next flight – the next leg on the journey to a new life. I helped where needed, sometimes around the clock.

As darkness fell over the base, I reported for my first shift at the ad hoc child-care center. I had committed to stay through the night and was assigned a young boy of about 4 or 5. His admirable dark eyes gave me a careful once-over. Well-behaved and quiet, but travel-weary, my young charge was too keyed up to sleep. Experiencing new sights and smells in a roomful of strangers, he needed reassurance. I read him a couple of children’s stories while holding him close. When the lights began to dim, signaling time for the children to sleep, he chose to remain awake for a while longer. We had established a bond, one of tenderness and comfort.

Sitting on his mattress, next to me, my temporary offspring drew pictures, with crayons and paper provided by the center. Drawing objects he knew and perhaps loved, he cemented them onto the paper with the vision of a preschooler. I still have his crayon pictures, and treasure them along with the shared experience. The following morning, in the bright tropical sunlight, these infants and children were bused to the flight line.

Because babies are especially endearing, many of the volunteers hoped for an infant to care for. Another of my charges was a small infant. This experience, too, proved memorable. As I rode the bus to the flight line with my charge, after caring for her overnight, the sun reflected off the planes parked on the runway. When we boarded the assigned plane, I strapped the infant into a passenger seat, kissed her goodbye and silently said a prayer for her well-being.

With the recent C-5A crash still fresh in my mind, I felt a cascade of emotions. Leaving the plane and the baby I had cared for behind was difficult. I wondered with concern what life had in store for my baby and the other children.

On some flights, the babies were put into the cargo bays of Air Force planes filled with temporary cribs and empty crates, lined up corner to corner inside the aircraft. When available, the babies’ birth records were stowed with them for the flight, documenting their short histories.

As for the older children, Babylift was the crucible that shaped their lives. Already they had seen more adversity in their short lives than most adults, and they seemed to be feeling a cloak of desolation settling around their shoulders. Some of the older children wanted to know when they could go back to Vietnam, possibly to grandmothers or foster parents who had been caring for them. Those who wanted these children to have a better future had taken them from the only life they had ever known.

Even though it was a force of goodwill that was propelling these children into an uncertain new life, the experts said that culture shock and conflicting identity would be normal for them. It was going to be up to their new parents to help them find a healthy identity, embracing cultures old and new. As they moved toward the unknown future, the children were intensely aware, while still too young to understand. Excitement mingled with fear.

These children faced change the moment they were taken aboard the planes, and many more changes lay ahead. I hoped that they would be gaining the security of unconditional love that would drive away their shadows, making something good rise from the ashes of war. In the 30 years since Operation Babylift, I have hoped that each of them found a loving and understanding home.

For many children swept up in the evacuation from Vietnam, appropriate documentation was one of the casualties of Operation Babylift and its aftermath. According to a 1976 report recorded in the Des Moines Register: A year after they arrived by planeload from embattled South Vietnam, hundreds of Operation Babylift children remain under murky legal status in this country. And, more important, the Americans who took the young refugees into their homes still are uncertain about whether the children are really theirs to keep and rear.

During the 1980s there was a widely reported class action lawsuit in the state of California, filed against President Ford, Henry Kissinger and others, challenging that many of the children had been taken from South Vietnam against the wills of their parents. This lawsuit caused delays in citizenship processing for some of the adopting families. Their children had entered the United States on a parolee visa that had been signed by Ford. But despite the disorder of the documentation surrounding some adoptions, most were completed without hindrance.

Australians adopted many Operation Babylift infants and children. Ian Harvey reported in his 1983 study of adoptive families, Once the news of the impeding evacuation of Vietnamese children became known in Australia there was a rush of adoption applications. On their arrival, he wrote, Most of the airlift children were suffering from some illness, trauma, malnutrition or other deprivation. Harvey’s study concluded that by the third year after adoption, pediatricians noted that most of the adoptees had become stable in health, secure within their families, and exhibited behavior acceptable for a child of that age.

In June 2005, World Airways, the primary civilian airline involved in evacuating the orphans from Vietnam, sponsored a 30th anniversary trip called Operation Babylift – Homeward Bound, in which 21 Babylift adoptees and their guests were flown to Vietnam. Once there, they were given a special greeting and tours inside the country of their birth. They found a country brimming with promise. For many, it was an extraordinary voyage to connect with their flesh and blood beginnings, their Asian ancestry.

Operation Babylift is only a small part of the story of Vietnamese refugees, however. Thousands of families also were evacuated in the panicked exodus as the South Vietnamese government crumbled. On April 27, 1975, more than 7,000 South Vietnamese refugees reportedly were flown out of Saigon. As the gunfire closed in, making the airport unsafe to use any longer, the signal – Bing Crosby’s I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas – played on Armed Forces Radio, triggering the last evacuation by helicopter. More than 130,000 Southeast Asian refugees immigrated to the United States by the end of 1975. Many others wound up in makeshift tent cities set up around the Pacific rim, where they remained for an extended time, waiting to be sponsored or documented so that they too could be brought into the United States and other countries offering to accept them. Several years after my own involvement, I learned that the actress Julie Andrews and her husband, director Blake Edwards, adopted two airlifted Vietnamese infants in 1975. Actor Yul Brynner and his wife, Jacqueline, adopted a baby girl who had survived the downed C-5A.

Military families seldom know where life will take them, but it is always an adventure. Just a few months after the fall of Saigon, as my family and I sat on a plane taking off from Clark Air Base, I thought of Operation Babylift. I felt fortunate to have been so closely involved in the sweep of history – events that those back home knew only from their newspapers and TV news. In return for having given, I felt I had received far greater rewards.