Patriot Guard Mission - By The Numbers

I did a Patriot Guard mission today at the CT Veterans Cemetery in Middletown. The weather was spectacular... bright sun, cool temperatures, and a light breeze. I rode down on "The Beast" and most of the others rode bikes as well except for a couple of much older guys. I composed this blog post in my head while standing the flag line as the family and mourners arrived.

12 CT Patriot Guard Riders stood in honor of the deceased, US Navy Chaplain Rev. Charles Clark who served in Vietnam.

1 of those twelve was the 12 year old granddaughter of a PGR member that performed her first mission. She did well and received her customary PGR "Mission Accomplished" pin when you do your first one. You can get them for milestones 10-20-30-40-50, etc. The "Mission Accomplished" pin is the only one I wear on my leather vest.

2 US Naval Officers in brilliant dress whites rendered honors with the folding of the flag.

5' x 9' Is the standard size of a casket flag, which is never meant to be flown, only draped over a casket.

13 The number of folds required to put the flag into the triangle for presentation. The flag is folded from the striped end towards the stars. The presented flag when folded is all blue with white stars. Each one of the folds has a meaning which can be found here.

3 The number of riflemen in today's rifle salute detail 

3 The number of volleys fired

24 The number of notes in a standard blowing of Taps. Double that when there are two buglers and one follows the other in a haunting echo from a distance away out of sight.

9 was the number of fired shells from the rifle volleys.

3 was the number of shells recovered and placed in a small velvet bag for presentation to the same family member that receives the flag, AFTER the flag is presented. 

ONE -- the number of military personnel that makes the flag presentation to the spouse, eldest child, or surviving relative of the deceased. I received my father's folded flag since my mother predeceased him and I am the oldest. Sometimes I am within earshot. I could not hear the naval officer today, but this is what he said:

"On behalf of The President of The United States, The United States Navy, and a grateful Nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service."

 

After the service, I mounted up and headed homeward. The weather called for possible showers early this afternoon so I did not want to get caught in one. I wanted to stop at BJ's in Manchester for gas and I could grab lunch at Baja Fresh Grill in the same shopping center. This also took me right near wifey's work place, so I stopped in to see if she would meet me there for lunch. Alas, she had a noon time class she was leading so I went solo. I made it home dry and sure enough while at home a heavy shower lasting a full two minutes came by. Later this afternoon I will do some yard work.

New Gig?

I am looking into a new job as a production line mechanic for a regional food manufacturer about 30 miles from home. First shift Monday thru Friday 7 AM to 3 PM starting pay will be about a $12 per hour raise. This kind of work is right up my alley. Electrical, mechanical, electronics, PLC's, preventative maintenance, and my manager would be a buddy of mine. He actually told me about the job. Probably going in Tuesday to fill out an application. He will be informing them tomorrow that he has a possible candidate for the opening and to find out the process to apply. He got his job offered while doing some contracting work there.

The FD is not going to be pleased if this pans out. As a taxpayer in the town I work in, it is in my best interest to give and honor the 2 weeks notice so they can get coverage, but it will still be a shit show. I will leave on a good note as best I can (even though I would love to stuff it up their asses and tell them why I am REALLY leaving). I will remain with the department as a volunteer, and may take myself off the line as an interior fire fighter and just be driver/pump operator.

I saw myself as a short timer in the FD, shorter if an injury (or worse) were to take me out. This line of work may take me past my normal retirement date if I like it enough, and the chance of serious injury is way less. I will be able to squirrel away much more in retirement savings when SSI kicks in. Other benefits are sleeping in my own bed every night, getting to commute on "The Beast" in good weather, and having staggered hours from my wife making the care of our animals no longer a point of concern.

Nepotism - The Nightmare Has Returned

I posted this on X earlier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to document the latest problem below, redacted heavily for SafeSECS of course. This is not the version I will be discussing with the involved chief officers, leaving off the personal opinion paragraph.

 

Incident #2025-XXXXXXXX   Location totally redacted

 

At 23:48:17 on Wednesday August 13, 2025 Station XX was dispatched for a Fire – Service Call “RESIDENTIAL LOCKOUT / ADULT / 2 CHILDREN”. The response was with A-XXX only since there is a complete lockout kit on board.

8-13-25 23:53:07 A-XXX responding

8-13-25 23:57:09 A-XXX on scene

Upon arrival, found two adult females and two children under 2 years old waiting outside at the end of the sidewalk. They told us they were not locked out of a vehicle, but had lost the keys to the building and the apartment at the location they left to come home. The Knox Box was accessed and the keys to the front door and the “Apartment Master” were retrieved. I followed the resident upstairs to Apartment #XXX. Upon arrival at the door, I observed heavy damage to the door and the exterior housing of the deadbolt. The resident stated she had tried to break open the apartment door using the fire extinguisher from the hall. The apartment master key went into the deadbolt but would not turn. I could not determine if it was an incorrect key or that the resident had damaged the lock making it inoperable. An inspection of the door jamb behind the weather stripping in the immediate area of the dead bolt showed a gap that would easily accommodate a forcible entry attempt. The plan was to get a Halligan bar to see if the door and jamb would give enough to pop open. If that did not work, no further attempts would be made so as NOT to cause more damage than what the resident already caused. Knowing C-XXX was on the air responding from home, I called him on the radio to stop at Station XX to grab R-XXX. He acknowledged.

8-14-25 00:07:05 R-XXX Responding

8-14-25 00:10:14 R-XXX On Scene

As we were discussing the plan and about to get the tools, EMT X. XXXXX called C-XX at home and reported that we “were going to break down the door.” C-XX via telephone through EMT XXXXXX ordered crews on scene not to perform forcible entry.

For the next 15 minutes multiple phone calls were then made to property management to try and get maintenance out ASAP. Maintenance was not immediately available. The residents took shelter inside the vestibule to wait for maintenance to arrive. The keys were secured back in the Knox Box.

8-14-25 00:25:41 All units cleared

FAILURES

1). Non-fire qualified personnel not understanding proper forcible entry techniques and PANICKING. WE are trained in forcible entry and do not “break down doors.” Is there NO FAITH in our abilities to perform the task or use proper restraint?

2). Breach of the “Chain of Command.” This went in both directions. There were TWO Chief Officers on scene (C-XXX & C-XXX). At no time were they consulted by EMT XXXXX or C-XX. One could go as far as to say they were totally ignored.

3). Making command decisions from miles away via telephone relayed by non-fire personnel, instead of speaking DIRECTLY to those on scene with DIRECT KNOWLEDGE of the plan. Or by responding to the scene if concerns were so great.

 

OPINION

True, there was no life safety or medical emergency need to gain entry to the apartment. There was only the need for shelter from insects and proper care of the children. Only one attempt to get the deadbolt to pop free was going to be made. The door was already severely damaged by the resident. Nothing the FD was going to do was going to result in further damage. But unqualified people with no clear understanding rendered concerns that were not necessary, and have now caused tension in the workplace and fostered distrust between team members.

PERSONAL OPINION

There were MANY reasons I left the XXXXXXX Fire Department in 1995 and took a 10 year hiatus from the fire service. A major one was the nepotism of the XXXXXX family which seems to now be the case with the XXXXXX’s and the XXXXXX FD.  XXXXXXX XXXXXX was appointed “Administrator” without that position being offered to anyone in the department or publicly. The lines are now being blurred between line officer and operations and admin of the paid staff, with actual “power” being derived via a phone call to Daddy. All qualifications for line positions have been permanently suspended, and this as well as future situations are proof that this has not, is not, and will not be advisable for the department going forward. There is also the fact that XXXXX constantly leaves a mess in the kitchen, both a sink full of dishes and a disgusting greasy mess on the stove top. The Chief’s response to a complaint early on is “some peoples definition of a mess is different than others.” Therefore, his messes are left for him to clean up on his next shift.

If I can get another job lined up I WILL be terminating my employment.

 

 

All I can say is pretty fucking sad to have to be dealing with this once again. Nothing can be done about it because nothing would change. That would first require an admission that there is a problem. I can only escape it on my own. I will however, remain a volunteer, because I am very close to 20 active years and Lifetime Membership, getting me a lifetime town benefit. Once that is awarded it is for life.

Range Report 8-3-25

Sunny and a bit on the warm side (especially in the sun) with temps in the low 80`s with low humidity. I had two goals in mind; work on the problem I had in this post with my CMP Tisas 1911A1. Scroll down to the bottom to read what was happening and my proposed testing to figure out the problem. I also wanted to try out my new shooting mat from MidwayUSA. The last time I remember shooting prone was in the military so this was going to be a new experience for sure.

I got to the range about 10:20 this morning, well after the 10:00 allowed start time. First thing I did was pull my weed-whacker out of my truck and trim the grass around the range house. Then I used my backpack blower to clear away all the debris and leaves. What do I find sitting on the floor of the range house in the corner? An empty Jack Daniels bottle with half a swallow of whiskey on the bottom. Alcohol is forbidden on the ranges by both club rules and state law and apparently someone thinks that does not apply to them. I took photos of it and locked the bottle in my truck for safe keeping. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next was range inspection. As a club Range Safety Officer I always walk the range out to the 200 yard backstop and back, stopping at all the shorter range backstops whether I am there to shoot or just passing by. Once again, the bullet trap angled 8'x4' Hardox 450 plate at 100 yards has been freshly damaged by penetrator ammo in what appears to be 30 caliber. Photos were taken for evidence, since this is now the third time this has happened. I sent all the photos I took to the range chairman and am currently awaiting his return phone call as I write this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I was getting ready to shoot, a few guys showed up after Trap to shoot handguns. I decided to hold off on my activities and act as R.S.O. just to keep an eye on things. The rule is you can't be an effective R.S.O. and participate in shooting activities at the same time. No safety violations occurred and the guys weren't there all that long. I was able to start checking out my 1911A1 after they left. I field stripped it, and taking just the barrel while holding it muzzle down, plunked (dropped) some random Winchester factory rounds of 230 gr "hardball" into the breech. Every round settled all the way in as expected. I then tried it with random rounds of my target reloads. AHA! most of the rounds did not seat properly. It turns out that the end of the case is not crimped. Next time I load some .45ACP I need to check to make sure the die is a little lower in the turret, and back off the bullet seat adjustment to get a proper crimp and case overall length. My old Colt Government Model 1911, my Glock 21, my S&W Governor (revolver with full moon clips), and my 45 Shield didn't seem to have any issues with these rounds that I loaded quite a while back. I re-assembled the 1911A1 and proceeded to run mag after mag of the Winchester ammo through it with zero malfunctions. I did all my shooting unrested at 25 yards and repeatedly dinged the steel plates. I shot at a B-27 human torso target at 25 yards and it was obvious I would be able to qualify to Army standards with my pistol. Satisfied with the operation and results I packed it away. I police up my brass after every mag and after I was finished shooting two were still missing. I looked everywhere including the open top trash can but never found them. But what I did find in the trash REALLY pissed me off.... a fucking Coors Light can. It had no bullet holes in it so it wasn't used as a target. More evidence of alcohol consumption at the range. All I have to say is God help them if I catch them. Certain members obviously see nothing wrong with this behavior, but if I catch them, as an elected officer of the club, I will recommend that they instantly and permanently lose their membership, as well as be banned from the club facilities FOR LIFE!! How you like me now, fuckers.... place my range in legal jeopardy will ya?

Now it was time for the prone shooting from my new mat. I would be using my US Patriot 1775 sniper rifle in 7.62x54r. I went down and set up a target at 100 yards and freshly painted the steel gong for verifying my 100 yard zero. I then headed out to the 200 yard backstop to place a Birchwood-Casey spatter target with an orange decal 2"bullseye, and a fresh coat of white paint on the large round hanging gong and the chunky steel disc lying on its side. Satisfied, I headed back to the firing line area.

I got down on the mat, set up the rifle for 100 yards, dropped a fresh round in front of the bolt and sent it into battery. Because of the staggered layout of our backstops, I was unable to see the bullseye target but could see the gong. Instead I took aim at the center of the freshly painted round steel gong and sent it. The 2 1/2 pound set Timney Trigger breaks crisp and clean and the round impacted dead center of the gong. Satisfied with my standard zero, I then set up the rifle for 200 yards.

This took some doing, and as I found out, I am all out of sorts trying to maintain hold, arm position, the stock on my shoulder, eye relief, cheek weld... it's all different lying prone as opposed to sitting at a bench. While breathing is easy to control, timing the shot with my heartbeat is more important and difficult lying on my chest. Using my known dope for 200 yards I dialed up 2" of elevation and 1" of windage to the left. The first round I sent down range was dead center but high. The next 3 or 4 were also high. Weird, I thought but then I took aim at the gong for a couple of shots. Better, but still a little high. I dialed the elevation back down one click and took aim at the chunky disc lying on its side. I put all 3 shots in a nice little group in the center. After 10 rounds I was done shooting for the day and went down range to retrieve my targets. As I was walking back, the gunsmith that cut and crowned my barrel and is also a club member was just getting his stuff out of his car. He builds precision rifles and shoots long range precision competitively. I told him what I experienced shooting prone. He told me that everything changes and that I will need to document the differences if I am going to shoot from different positions. I waited until he went down range to set up his windage flags and targets before touching my firearms to case and move to my truck. I loaded everything up and was headed to the clubhouse for a cold drink before he even fired a shot. As I was getting in my truck another younger member showed up to do some shootin'.

Of Course He Does

 

Unlike the previous demented meat puppet occupant of The White House.