“In brightest day, in darkest night, no evil shall escape my sight, for I am the Shadow Wolf.”
–Shadow Wolf motto
The Sonoran Desert of south-western Arizona is an inhospitable place — and home to one of the largest Indian reservation in the United States. The Tohono O’Odham rez is a Connecticut-sized chunk of desert abso-bloody-lutely chock-full of things that sting, bite, claw and poison the unwary — and that’s just the plants.
It’s also a major entry point for illegal aliens and drug smugglers.
The Tohono O’Odham who live here have maintained — as a matter of survival — one of man’s oldest skills. They are superlative trackers.
Somebody in U.S. Customs Service during the 1970’s did his karma a whole lot of good and formed a Customs unit of native Americans for the purposes of tracking people — drug smugglers, mostly — through the desert.
Boy, howdy, was that a good idea. Mostly Tohono, although some other tribes are represented,the unit — calling themselves the Shadow Wolves — took off like rockets, gaining international respect for their skills.
The Department of State has used the Shadow Wolves to train border guards in other countries — Uzbekistan and Tajikstan most recently — as part of an International Mutual Aid program.
Now, however, the Shadow Wolves get to take a shot at the brass ring.
They’re going to Afghanistan.
You know — know — that some of those boys are going to be looking for bin Laden. If he’s still in that area, life just got a hell of a lot more interesting for him and his entourage.
LawDog
15 thoughts on “Shadow Wolves”
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Guess they borrowed their motto from Green Lantern.
In brightest day, in blackest night
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil’s might
Beware my power, Green Lantern’s light!
Wow, gives me goosbumps.
When y’all make war on Americans, some of the original ones is tough hombres.
Here’s hoping they’re aloud to “scalp”.
That would, of course, be: “allowed”.
Although the process will not be particularly quiet.
The original American Badasses – and they don’t need to brag about it (I did see that post about the Chairborne Rangers). I almost feel sorry for whoever they pounce on.
Almost.
This would make a great film, whether or not they ever find him.
When I first read this I imediately thought of the move “Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid” with Paul Newman & Robert Redford.
Watch the movie & you’ll know why. *smiles slyly*
“I couldn’t do that. Could you do that?! How can they do that?”
That part about scalping reminded me of what I read in “One Shot, One Kill” about the American sniper outfit made up mostly of American Indians of various tribes from Texas and Oklahoma. They scalped the Germans they killed and did so all the way up Italy. From what I read, they really scared the hell out of ’em.
A movie after it’s over? Well, if they tell the story truly and accurately, it oughta be better than what they did with “Windtalkers” and the Navajo code talker story.
mustanger98 on THR
I grew up down that way and have spent some time on top of Baboquivari. It’s a mountain and their ancestral birthplace. While I don’t share their beliefs, I have experienced some interesting times up there that I cannot completely explain.
The T’ono get lots of practice tracking and on body recovery given the volume of traffic in the area. Safe travels to them all.
Yea, scalping bin laden…. gives me the warm and fuzzies, it does….
Frankly, I’d rather they bring back his whole head.
Then we can impale it on that fence around 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
I do believe that if I were Osama Been Bombin’, I would be packing my bags and high-tailing it for America about now.
I feel like I’m reading a modern day Louis L’amour story. 🙂
Hi LawDog,
Thought you might enjoy this. I know I’m doing my Happy Dance! (Felony Murder Rule anyone?)
Is there a better way to get things like this to you?
Max
http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070309/NEWS0103/703090376
An eastern Kentucky man fatally shot one of two alleged intruders who claimed to be police officers, according to sheriff’s officials.
The other suspect was arrested and charged with burglary and impersonating a police officer, a sheriff’s report said.
Jason Daniels, 23, of Ashland, shot Robert Lewis Chapman, 50, of Greenup in the chest, shoulder and wrist Wednesday night, the Boyd County Sheriff’s office said.
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Adam C. Justice, 22, of Summitt, was lodged in the Boyd County jail.
Boyd County Sheriff Terry Keelin said a grand jury would decide if Daniels would be charged.
The intruders allegedly broke into a home where Daniels was staying after Daniels refused to answer the door. The men had pounded on the door claiming to be police officers with a search warrant, Keelin said.
The men then tied Daniels up in the bathroom and ransacked the house, the sheriff’s report said. Meanwhile, Daniels freed himself and got a 9 mm pistol from a cabinet, the report said.
“When the suspects returned to the bathroom, they found Mr. Daniels, now armed and in a shooting stance,” the report said.
When one intruder attempted to draw a revolver, Daniels fired four times. Both men fled in a van parked nearby.
Chapman was dumped outside the emergency room entrance to Kings Daughters Medical Center about three miles away and later died, the report said. Police stopped the van a few blocks from the hospital and arrested Justice.
I thought Tony Hillerman wrote fiction?
Sounds like he’s just taking notes.
😉
God speed to the Shadow Wolves.
The whole scalping thing was originally a bounty hunting practice used by the english(IE: bring us indian scalps to confirm your kills) btw. The natives were pretty quick to pick the practice up though.
As for the Shadow Wolves… best of luck to them. May they catch some bad guys and not suffer any casualties.
“Then we can impale it on that fence around 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
No. It deserves to be at the Pentagon, the WTC, or that Pennsylvania field.
And let it be on a fire hydrant, so dogs can come by & relieve themselves on it.
My question is, why didn’t somebody think of this SOONER?!
May GOD shield them on their way & bring them back safely, with their prisoners in tow.
Scalping is entirely optional…..
;^)