BentHeadTX
Flashlight Enthusiast
It started simply,
As a medical military member, I am very concerned with death. Either fellow medics dying or patients so time is always critical. My head boss is heading out for training to culimate with a tour in the desert. He wisely decided to seek me out to see what works and what does not (as a medical person)
This person went through ALL of my deployment knowledge, asked hundreds of question and asked all the tricks of the trade. The point being, when the chips are down... seconds and no more than a few minutes determine if and when a person dies. I am not a serious person, but after seeing dozens of people die... and the nightmares it brings... seconds do count. Not in the way TV portrays it... the behind the scenes things.
The first thing is to never stick out, to never be "seen". Medics should never stand out... let the people that know how to fight, how to protect and how to prevent death to do their miracles. If a medic becomes a focal point, the process has broken down. I repair medical equipment for a living and if a person's life depends one what I do... I lose sleep and burn myself out to make sure their family has a person to hug and not a gravestone to read.
When a person is about to deploy, I know that life they know it is about to change forever. I think of the people that are alive because a few seconds counted, the untested wild *** modifications because there was no other choice... the insanity of the process and how to improve it. My most serious is when I list the things they NEED to take with them.
My "big boss man" left for training to eventually be in a desert. As an experienced medical person, he walked over to me and asked what worked, what did not and how can he save seconds and minutes when the chips were down. I "loaned" him many things, from knives to Leatherman Charge Ti multitools, safety glasses, netting and holsters.
He asked about my flashlight fetish... I told him people are still breathing because of the weird colors, odd configurations and crazy modifications that provide light. The training continued about UV (detects blood and scorpions), red (night vision and laying low) and white (you can see and LED white is less detectable/distractable than bulbs) Yes, my double-edged Gerber folder, bug screens and multi-tools were "borrowed" but I would not give up my flashlights!
The order for 1 AAA red, 3 LED AAA UV, 1 white LED AAA lights came in today. There were also 7 LED UV AA lights and various other things that came in the box. They match the style of all those Mediterraneans that came in... the "medical deployment packs" are now built. Neat little packages with AAA/AA UV, red and white Peak lights... Mediterraneans with CR123A and 2AA bodies... battery chargers, NiMH AA/AAA batteries, multi-tools, holsters, sand goggles, knives, CR123A batteries, chargers and various other devices.
Why is this on the Peak forum? Because ALL of the lights are Peaks! Are they the prettiest? No. Are they the coolest looking? No. The reason they are in the packs is because they work, every day, every hour, every minute... they work. Dump them in water, chemicals, dust, sand, dirt, drop them, beat the crap out of them... they always work. ALWAYS!
That freakin' box came in today and a war insued over the multi-colored lights. A box was filled and will be shipped out tomorrow... a God-forsaken combat zone. The others were open season and all were claimed before I returned. Traded a 1 AAA body for a Snow29 HO 3 LED head though (I order heads without bodies for lightness)
The lights heading to the desert are NOT for the "big boss man"... he is going to train the troops how to use them, what they are used for and the history behind how they work. Another UV light used for surgery, lab and radiology equipment to test for blood contamination... red for attacks to get to bunkers... white single LED lights to give enough illumination to see each other. The Mediterranean is to provide light for infastructure failures, a pack of NiMH AA batteries if things stay down for long periods.
If the Kroll fails, attach the twistie... need a momentary... wait until my shipment reaches you... screw your light on the loc-line magnet/clamp if you need hands-free. Plull the red/UV heads out and screw them on when needed... pull the Matterhorn off your lanyard... unscrew the tail lug... use whatever battery you have laying around... need more? Go to one web address and they ship to APO...
No need to worry about your flashlights... the choppers are coming in. After all, flashlights are tools... and good tools are not thought about until you get one that fails. The guys at work are ready to go if need be, the other lights are heading to the desert.
I find it interesting that when it comes down to actually going, the BS stops and my equipment gets duplicated. The other ironic thing is once something works, is proven to be reliable... it never comes back. At least it is easier for me to give one web address to make it easier for folks.
My original 2004 Peak Matterhorn HA body has a brass tail ring, a battered black aluminum body and a new Snow29 3 LED HO head... it is ugly, saw a lot of abuse but has always worked when needed. The guys at work started to battle over the AAA/AA lights when they came in... the 7-LED Killamanjaro UV lights were in heavy demand (my 5-LED works fine) the single LED red AA/AAA lights were snapped up and the whites were gone. It is strange going from weird to knowledgeable in a few months.
Living in Turkey might of re-enforced the point... does it work? If it does, keep it close since most other things don't. I just wanted to thank all the help from Peak to build our deployment packs... they are being used now and they always work, are not pretty so they don't get stolen (Peak is below the radar so Surefires are the target) The ability to carry an AAA light on the lanyard with UV/red heads in the holster make a few ounces of weight give pounds of results.
Should I email the deployed guy and let him know when the Ocean AAA is released? My wife is going to buy me one for Christmas... a Luxeon AAA head to feed off his AAA NiMH cell might be in big demand. Now for a 3 or 5 watt tactical light to become available...
As a medical military member, I am very concerned with death. Either fellow medics dying or patients so time is always critical. My head boss is heading out for training to culimate with a tour in the desert. He wisely decided to seek me out to see what works and what does not (as a medical person)
This person went through ALL of my deployment knowledge, asked hundreds of question and asked all the tricks of the trade. The point being, when the chips are down... seconds and no more than a few minutes determine if and when a person dies. I am not a serious person, but after seeing dozens of people die... and the nightmares it brings... seconds do count. Not in the way TV portrays it... the behind the scenes things.
The first thing is to never stick out, to never be "seen". Medics should never stand out... let the people that know how to fight, how to protect and how to prevent death to do their miracles. If a medic becomes a focal point, the process has broken down. I repair medical equipment for a living and if a person's life depends one what I do... I lose sleep and burn myself out to make sure their family has a person to hug and not a gravestone to read.
When a person is about to deploy, I know that life they know it is about to change forever. I think of the people that are alive because a few seconds counted, the untested wild *** modifications because there was no other choice... the insanity of the process and how to improve it. My most serious is when I list the things they NEED to take with them.
My "big boss man" left for training to eventually be in a desert. As an experienced medical person, he walked over to me and asked what worked, what did not and how can he save seconds and minutes when the chips were down. I "loaned" him many things, from knives to Leatherman Charge Ti multitools, safety glasses, netting and holsters.
He asked about my flashlight fetish... I told him people are still breathing because of the weird colors, odd configurations and crazy modifications that provide light. The training continued about UV (detects blood and scorpions), red (night vision and laying low) and white (you can see and LED white is less detectable/distractable than bulbs) Yes, my double-edged Gerber folder, bug screens and multi-tools were "borrowed" but I would not give up my flashlights!
The order for 1 AAA red, 3 LED AAA UV, 1 white LED AAA lights came in today. There were also 7 LED UV AA lights and various other things that came in the box. They match the style of all those Mediterraneans that came in... the "medical deployment packs" are now built. Neat little packages with AAA/AA UV, red and white Peak lights... Mediterraneans with CR123A and 2AA bodies... battery chargers, NiMH AA/AAA batteries, multi-tools, holsters, sand goggles, knives, CR123A batteries, chargers and various other devices.
Why is this on the Peak forum? Because ALL of the lights are Peaks! Are they the prettiest? No. Are they the coolest looking? No. The reason they are in the packs is because they work, every day, every hour, every minute... they work. Dump them in water, chemicals, dust, sand, dirt, drop them, beat the crap out of them... they always work. ALWAYS!
That freakin' box came in today and a war insued over the multi-colored lights. A box was filled and will be shipped out tomorrow... a God-forsaken combat zone. The others were open season and all were claimed before I returned. Traded a 1 AAA body for a Snow29 HO 3 LED head though (I order heads without bodies for lightness)
The lights heading to the desert are NOT for the "big boss man"... he is going to train the troops how to use them, what they are used for and the history behind how they work. Another UV light used for surgery, lab and radiology equipment to test for blood contamination... red for attacks to get to bunkers... white single LED lights to give enough illumination to see each other. The Mediterranean is to provide light for infastructure failures, a pack of NiMH AA batteries if things stay down for long periods.
If the Kroll fails, attach the twistie... need a momentary... wait until my shipment reaches you... screw your light on the loc-line magnet/clamp if you need hands-free. Plull the red/UV heads out and screw them on when needed... pull the Matterhorn off your lanyard... unscrew the tail lug... use whatever battery you have laying around... need more? Go to one web address and they ship to APO...
No need to worry about your flashlights... the choppers are coming in. After all, flashlights are tools... and good tools are not thought about until you get one that fails. The guys at work are ready to go if need be, the other lights are heading to the desert.
I find it interesting that when it comes down to actually going, the BS stops and my equipment gets duplicated. The other ironic thing is once something works, is proven to be reliable... it never comes back. At least it is easier for me to give one web address to make it easier for folks.
My original 2004 Peak Matterhorn HA body has a brass tail ring, a battered black aluminum body and a new Snow29 3 LED HO head... it is ugly, saw a lot of abuse but has always worked when needed. The guys at work started to battle over the AAA/AA lights when they came in... the 7-LED Killamanjaro UV lights were in heavy demand (my 5-LED works fine) the single LED red AA/AAA lights were snapped up and the whites were gone. It is strange going from weird to knowledgeable in a few months.
Living in Turkey might of re-enforced the point... does it work? If it does, keep it close since most other things don't. I just wanted to thank all the help from Peak to build our deployment packs... they are being used now and they always work, are not pretty so they don't get stolen (Peak is below the radar so Surefires are the target) The ability to carry an AAA light on the lanyard with UV/red heads in the holster make a few ounces of weight give pounds of results.
Should I email the deployed guy and let him know when the Ocean AAA is released? My wife is going to buy me one for Christmas... a Luxeon AAA head to feed off his AAA NiMH cell might be in big demand. Now for a 3 or 5 watt tactical light to become available...
