LSP972 has passed away

[El Cid]

Damn. RIP and my thoughts and condolences to his loved ones.

[LSP552]

He was a great source of information and I'll always call him my friend and brother cop. My condolences and prayers for his family.

Can you please advise when you know of funeral arrangements?

Will do Wayne. Preliminary info is no public funeral but a celebration of life, time not yet decided. Will let everyone know more as it develops.

Ken

[Jeep]

He was a true Smith & Wesson revolver expert who was glad to share his knowledge with others.

He was also unbelievably tough. As a proud Airborne Ranger he never dreamed that he'd go off jump status. Here is his description of his last jump. A lot here are jump qualified, and those who aren't will still get the picture:

"The jumpmaster mis-read the wind dummy; winds on the DZ were 28 knots. My T-10 main had a mis-routed static line, causing a cigarette roll. The reserve got partially tangled in the main lift web and didn't fully deploy, because I was facing into the stiff breeze when I pulled. About the only thing that went right was I remembered to dump my ruck before I hit.

I was damn lucky were at 750 feet. Usually we jumped at 1200 at night. Fucked me up pretty bad, 17 broken bones and a compressed spine, which of course took me off status permanently even though I recovered fully."

In other words he landed, at night, with only part of a reserve chute deployed. 17 broken bones and a compressed spine. 17! But he stayed on in the Army long enough to go to Korea and then become a "Blues" platoon leader in an armored cavalry squadron. After that he began his police career (and did a later tour in the AF Reserves. In his PM's to me he reflected that was just the way he was trained--duty first, everything else after that.

What a man. What a loss, but the country was far better off for his presence.

[LSP552]

He was a true Smith & Wesson revolver expert who was glad to share his knowledge with others.

He was also unbelievably tough. As a proud Airborne Ranger he never dreamed that he'd go off jump status. Here is his description of his last jump. A lot here are jump qualified, and those who aren't will still get the picture:

"The jumpmaster mis-read the wind dummy; winds on the DZ were 28 knots. My T-10 main had a mis-routed static line, causing a cigarette roll. The reserve got partially tangled in the main lift web and didn't fully deploy, because I was facing into the stiff breeze when I pulled. About the only thing that went right was I remembered to dump my ruck before I hit.

I was damn lucky were at 750 feet. Usually we jumped at 1200 at night. Fucked me up pretty bad, 17 broken bones and a compressed spine, which of course took me off status permanently even though I recovered fully."

In other words he landed, at night, with only part of a reserve chute deployed. 17 broken bones and a compressed spine. 17! But he stayed on in the Army long enough to go to Korea and then become a "Blues" platoon leader in an armored cavalry squadron. After that he began his police career (and did a later tour in the AF Reserves. In his PM's to me he reflected that was just the way he was trained--duty first, everything else after that.

What a man. What a loss, but the country was far better off for his presence.

Steve was short, probably about 5'6 on a good day. I've joked a few folks that he was 6'0 before the last jump.

[Jeep]

Steve was short, probably about 5'6 on a good day. I've joked a few folks that he was 6'0 before the last jump.

He might have been. Landing in 28 knot wind with a T-10 is going to hurt at best, and with your main in a cigarette roll and a partly collapsed reserve, you are probably hitting the ground at well over 60mph, which means that "compressed spine" was probably real compressed.

[GJM]

Always enjoyed 972, and he reminded me of a quality 90's vintage P series in a world of cheap strikers. Loved the way he used PF to converse with 552, when the CB radios went down. He will be missed.

[PickinUpBrass]

RIP Sheepdog.

[coconutdave]

RIP. I always learned something from his posts.

[LOKNLOD]

I'm sad to hear this. It sounds like he fully lived, a claim not all can make, and fought to the end. Rest peacefully, Steve.

[karmapolice]

We are diminished. God speed Brother!