The first time we met he was at my door asking about the UXO in my backyard.
UXO? Unexploded ordinance? Yeah. That UXO.
"I just got a complaint saying your back yard is full of leftover UXO because it was some kind of training area or something."
"Good," I answered. "Now go back to the woman that complained and tell her to tell her son to quit stealing my paracord."
"I don't understand," he said. He looked somewhat confused.
"Let's go for a walk," I said, walking out the door. We went into the back yard and I pointed out the trio of wire antennas starting in the back yard, two of which ran into the way-back. We went into the wayback and the base of a tree. A wire was leading from the house to the tree. At the end of the wire was an insulator and at the other end of the insulator was a piece of 550 paracord that acted as a halyard. The wire could be pulled up the tree or lowered.
I had pulled the wire up the tree with the 5550 cord, tied the end off, coiled the end of the cord and hung it on a branch. Someone had cut the cord and taken the coil.
Then I pointed to the sign nearby. It read:
Former military training area
UXO may be present.
If found mark it and notify the authorities.
There were also a couple of pictures of grenades on the sign.
"After my cord was cut I put up the sign figuring the kid would return, run his mouth and a scared parent would call you guys," I explained.
"That's clever," he said.
"Now go to the woman that complained and tell her to tell her son to leave my paracord alone. If he wants a piece he can ask me and I'll give him some. Hell, I buy the stuff by the 1000 foot spools," I said.
He laughed. "You made the kid rat himself out. I'll take care of it. Meanwhile would you please take down that sign?"
And that's how I met one of our local officers.
I'd run into him periodically and we'd chat. He was a really nice guy.
Bum!
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