Just a couple of months after hearing the story about the shootout in Cochise County, I was on my way from Phoenix to Tucson. It was Sunday afternoon, I had spent a couple of days in Phoenix with MamaCharlie and intended to layover in Tucson with a couple of my buddies, then drive down to Ft Huachuca early Monday, in time for work call. I was clicking along about 85 mph, a speed and RPM that seemed to please my little GTO...only about 10 miles over the speed limit. I had just gotten onto the freeway, in those days the freeway ended about 40th street in Phoenix and you had to travel a two lane hiway down to Casa Grande to catch the freeway on down to Tucson. I was feeling okay, just let myself get a little inattentive for second...looking at Picacho Peak and looked in the mirror and the red lights were flashing and my heart leapt into my throat. I hadn't been drinking, I had been going a little over the limit but not reckless...I mean it is wide open desert out there...I was barefoot and that was technically against the law in California but I wasn't sure about Arizona...as I ran down this check list one thing kept crossing my mind...I didn't want six holes in my t-shirt.
We stopped on the side of the freeway and he slowly got out and started towards me. I was sizing him up...guaging if I could take him before he got a shot off. Then realized that was just stupid...for all I know this could be the same trooper from the shoot out. The guy with the pistol didn't stand a chance...what was I gonna do? Throw my Taco Bell wrappers at him?
He walked all the way around the car first, then came up to my window and asked where I was going. Tucson. "You're from Huachuca aren't you?" "Yes"..."Well?"..."Well, I am going to Tucson." He gave me a mirrored sunglasses glare. He raised his voice and repeated, "You are from Huachuca aren't you?" "Yes" "Where are you going?" "Tucson".....This time he became really agitated. The louder he got, the more upset he became, the more I wished I had brought out the Taco Bell wrappers...anything...this guy was scaring the crap out of me. He walked around the car again, got REAL close to my face and asked again, "Where are you going?" "Tucson" "You are from Huachuca, right?" "Yes but I am goin to spend the night in Tucson with my friends." "But ..." and this time he is really yelling in my face, "you are going to Huachuca, right?" "Like I said, I am going ot Tuc...." "But you are going to Huachuca eventually, aren't you?" "Well, yea, Monday morning"...With a face redder than Santa's and a voice like thunder he yelled, "well alright then!" He walked back to his car, one of the new Plymouths set up for the Patrol, and burned out like a 16 year old with his new license...leaving me in a cloud of dust, burnt rubber, and utter befuddlement. I checked my t-shirt, just to make sure, then calmly did my own burn out.
In my life to that point, I had been in bad situations on the road, in fuel and ammo trucks, where things were a little iffy. I had just come back from Vietnam where there was a time or two that the VC had my undivided attention...but nothing had scared me near as much as that trooper did. When I think of this, I still see my reflection in his sunglasses...I looked scared to me...he must have seen how scared I was...so why did he have to do that? Over the years I have had a number of law enforcement friends and acquaintances. When I have shared this story I get a variety of responses...some think he was bored...he was messing with me cause he could...he didn't like GTOs...it was his version of "Scared Straight"...lots of other theories...I don't know...do you?