That the snipers managed to pick off five terrorists in pitch darkness attested to their superior marksmanship, but in law enforcement, unlike war, success is never measured by the number of adversaries killed. All that counts is lives saved, and the Germans scored zero.
What do they [Delta Force] have that we [FBI SWAT] don't have?" Oh? Oh! Webster's eyebrows curved like his beloved St. Louis arch as the realization dawned that since the military resolved situations with bullets, there might be no one left to be taken to jail.
He had an ego so big the joke around the Bureau was 'We gave Buck a zip code but he wanted an area code.
We consoled ourselves with the thought that we would never face terrorists as well trained, equipped, or courageous as Delta operators. 'Go home tonight and pray to God that no Delta personnel ever decide to go bad,' I told Don Brigham, one of our 'dead'.
Our SAS hosts got a big kick out of our confusion. 'It's the nature of the people in Hereford to protect us,' explained an officer. 'They believe that if you have business with the SAS, you damn well ought to know how to get there, and if you have to ask directions, you're probably a terrorist or stupid, and in any event, they aren't about to help you.
They spew all sorts of conspiracy theories about black helicopters and the New World Order, but in their hearts, they'd love nothing more than to be a Green Beret or a Delta commando or HRT operator. They're well aware they can't pass the physicals, let alone the intelligence or psychological tests. In fact, they never succeed in anything they tackle.
At times like this, I flashed back to a movie I'd seen as a boy, "
I was always being asked, 'Boss, did you have a good run?' To which I would snarl, 'Hell, I've been running most of my life, and I haven't had a good run yet.'