No. 945 HIGH-TECH SEMPER FI

No. 945

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

HIGH-TECH SEMPER FI

If you have ever been caught speeding by a police radar unit, you will love this story a friend sent to me a while back. I am not sure whether or not it’s true, but I suspect that it is. It has been many a moon since I have had a speeding ticket, and the cost of the tickets has increased exponentially. The image I have in my mind for getting a ticket of any kind is taking a hundred dollar bill and setting it on fire, plus an increase in my auto insurance coverage rates that will last at least three years. But back to the story … there is a saying that I have heard many times that everything is bigger and better in Texas, and I have found this generally to be true. I have a lot of good friends in the Lone Star State.
Before the end of the column, I will share with you an interesting observation regarding high technology. But first, a story:
“Two Texas Highway Patrol Officers were conducting speeding enforcement on Highway 77, just south of Kingsville, Texas. One of the officers was using a hand-held radar device to check speeding vehicles approaching this South Texas community. The officers were suddenly surprised when the radar gun began reading 300 miles per hour and climbing. The officer attempted to reset the radar gun but it would not reset, and then it suddenly turned off. Just then a deafening roar over the Mesquite treetops on Highway 77 revealed that the radar had in fact locked on to a USMC F/A-18 Hornet engaged in a low-flying exercise near its Naval Air home base location in Kingsville.
Back at the Texas Highway Patrol Headquarters in Corpus Christi, the Patrol Captain fired off a complaint to the US Naval Base Commander in Kingsville for shutting down his equipment. The reply came back in true USMC style: “Thank you for your letter, you might be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Hornet had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked on to, your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it, which is why it shut down. Furthermore, an Air-to-Ground missile aboard the fully armed aircraft had also automatically locked on to your equipment location.
“Fortunately, the Marine pilot flying the Hornet recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile system alert status, and was able to override the automated defense system before the missile was launched to destroy the hostile radar position, on the side of Highway 77 South of Kerrville. The pilot suggests that you cover your mouths when cussing at them, since the video systems on these jets are very high-tech. Sergeant Johnson, the officer holding the radar gun, should get his dentist to check his left rear molar. It appears the filling is loose … also the strap is broken on his holster. Semper Fi”
Now, that’s high-tech, but we should not be surprised when we consider what is happening with regards to our military all across the world. The use of drones, without a pilot, and taking out targets with pinpoint accuracy is a good example. Having been born long before most of our technology was developed and not being in a related field, I fall woefully short to what many people in our society consider run-of-the-mill knowledge and information. Anyway, I found this illustration to be very interesting and hope you did too.
Another thing I did not know was the meaning of the term Semper Fi. This is the motto of the United States Marine Corps, and Semper Fi is short for Semper Fidelis and means “Always Faithful.”
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a public speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034. To begin a bookcase literacy project visit www.bookcaseforeverychild.com. You won’t go wrong helping a needy child.)