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Back in 1986, while I was a police
officer with the Shaker Heights
Police Department, although my SWAT
unit was always fortunate during
actual raids, we seemed to average
at least one minor injury per
practice session. Other teams had
similar problems, especially during
SWAT competitions, so I decided to
create something to remind everyone
to be more careful. The idea for the
1* logo came from a joke I heard as
a kid. It went like this:
On the day before the Little Bighorn
Expedition began, Col. George
Armstrong Custer summoned his main
Indian scout to his office.
"Tomorrow," said Custer, looking up
at the scout from his typewriter,
"we are leaving to go round up
Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and the
rest of the hostile Sioux and
Cheyenne who have left their
reservations, and force them to go
back. I want you to lead us to
them."
"What's that?" asked the scout,
looking down at the order Custer was
typing, and pointing to the strange
star shaped symbol on the paper.
"That?"
replied Custer. "Why that's
an asterisk."
"A WHAT?" asked the scout in a
surprised tone.
"AN ASTERISK," said Custer.
"ASS-TE-RISK!"
"Uh," replied scout, nodding his
head as he left.
Early the next morning, Custer found
a note typed on his typewriter that
read as follows:
"Dear Col.
Custer,
Me Very proud
you want me to be your main scout to
find hostile Indians and make them
go back to reservation, but me think
about it and me decide not to go,
because me have only 1*!"
Designed in the form of the U.S.
Army's Big Red 1 insignia, the "1*"
logo not only looks sharp and
reminds one to be careful, but also
provides another important element
to tactical teams and other
professionals who find themselves
living on the edge - humor. The 1*
insignia was approved field wear for
the 82nd Airborne during Desert
Shield/Desert Storm and has been
adopted by many other elements of
the US Military, as well as hundreds
of law enforcement agencies and fire
departments around the world.
In 2001 I contracted with Columbia
River Knife & Tool to engrave the 1*
logo on a number of its M16 Series
Tactical Knives including a special
red fire fighter FD M16 in the wake
of 9-11. Several other 1* logo items
are also available.
All the best,
Gary Paul Johnston
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