That Time Army Rangers Got in a Gunfight…
Skippy sends.
…with the Crips Street Gang
By Blake Stilwell
Sgt. Bill Foulk was an Army Ranger at Fort Lewis, Washington, when he purchased a cheap house in a rough Tacoma neighborhood as an investment in 1989.
To protect that investment, he was determined to help push the drugs and gangs out by any means necessary. He had no idea he was about to see combat from his living room.
The late 1980s and 1990s saw a new peak in gang violence in America. Unlike other periods of gang activity, easy access to cars and deadlier weapons made these years particularly dangerous for some areas of the country.
The late 1980s were also the peak of the crack epidemic in the United States. Drug-related crime surged 180% throughout the decade, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Tacoma was considered ground zero for gang activity in Washington state.
Foulk grew concerned that a house on Ash Street, his block, was being used to deal crack cocaine. He purchased his own house for $10,000 ($20,875 in 2019 dollars), with the idea that property values would rise. He was set on ensuring the “drug-ridden” neighborhood would become safe from gangs and drug dealers — sooner rather than later.
He began to videotape the people who visited the suspected drug house. He wasn’t wrong. The occupants were members of the Crips, the violent street gang that was spreading from California to Washington in search of new markets for drugs.
Foulk told The Associated Press that gang members began to threaten him when they noticed he was filming their movements. When he feared that the gang was about to take action against him, he called friends from the 2nd Ranger Battalion to his house to have a “party” and be present in case the house was attacked.
First rule of a gun fight- have guns. Read the rest of the article here: Military.com
Thanks, Skippy.
Category: Army, Bravo Zulu
Hell Yeah!
And this is why…”Rangers Lead The Way!”
Terrible shooting
Surprise!
We fight back!
I’m thinking the PantyFag #BurnLootMurder Revolutionary Communists are going to get the same surprise when they attempt to invade and burn blue collar conservative neighborhoods.
Those fleabags have already had that happen to them in more than a few locations where the locals showed up armed to greet them!
wonder what he sold the house for? the story says that now (40 years on) the house is worth over $400k, vs the $10k he spent.
Googled and found the house. The picture is from Zillow. The house was built in 1912. It is a 4 Br/1 Ba house on a 5,750 square ft lot.
It was last sold on 5/31/1995 for $25,000. Current value is $427,757. The last 30 day change is +$7,784. 2019 Property tax $4,288.
Live about 15 miles from there. My neighbor just sold his house. They bought 8/18/2018 for $339,900 and sold it 10/16/2020 for $415,000. with no improvements done.
Hack Stone recalls reading about that in Stars And Stripes back in the day. Unfortunately, it turned out that the junior troop was tasked with policing the brass. He earned that Precious Metals Recovery Expert Badge, with Device.
I absolutely love these stories
Job well done to the Rangers too
Remember this from when it happened. (news reports)
Bwaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Some of the same kinda comments were made then as are now on the comments under the article. Dumbasses! If the Rangers had of wanted to, there would have been about 15 dead gang bangers.
The Crips would have won if only they had close air support, but Homeboy Schmuckatelli took the batteries for the tactical radio to lay down some beats from his boom box, because you can’t have a shootout without some music to get the blood flowing.
Perhaps on topic… according to The Navy Times, a chief lost his anchors because of membership in an outlaw motorcycle gang. For some reason I can’t link on my phone.
I think maybe this is what you’re referring to?
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/10/19/how-running-with-a-motorcycle-gang-cost-a-chief-his-anchors/
I’ll give it a read. Might be worthy of its own article.
You gotta fuck up REAL bad to have your anchors ripped.
Did the rangers kill any of the savages? I would hope that at close combat distances, some steel found its target.
Per the article, hundreds of rounds from pistols, rifles and shotguns were exchanged, and somehow no one was hurt. It was if The A-Team was shooting it out with 501st Legion Of Darth Vader’s Storm Troopers. Hurricane winds were generated that fateful day in Tacoma from the Maggie’s Drawers being waved.
Or maybe in the spirit of fairness The Rangers hoped up and down, and fired their guns held sideways to show like, being down with the struggle and all.
I’m guessing they could’ve if they’d wanted to. Washington State? Tacoma? I’d have thought twice probably. Maybe it wasn’t like that then I don’t know.
Hack Stone; I was thinking that like you that it was like watching the A-Team with thousands of rounds expended and everyone walks away. I remember reading the story when it happened. I think that the Rangers were firing up in the air or away from the perps.
Found more in a link US Army Rangers vs drug dealers.
1 gangster was winged. Also “ONE CONVICTION
Frankie Stricklen, the only man charged in connection with the shootout, was convicted of second-degree assault. He was later sentenced to 22 months in prison.”
Best part was:
“After weeks of nonstop tension, Foulk had to get away from the house, just to feel normal for a while.
He picked a barbecue joint on Mildred Street. Not so far from Ash, but it felt like another country. He sat down and ordered a beer.
He heard someone at another table hailing the bartender.
“Say, this guy’s money’s no good here,” the voice said.
Foulk turned and saw a table full of off-duty cops: Tacoma police officers and Pierce County sheriff’s deputies – about a dozen of them. For the rest of the night, beer was free.”
I recall this story when I was in Savannah, and we started having issues with some locals (a young Ranger who was already on crutches was pushed down and beaten with his own crutch). Must have been the folk lore, because it was told like it just happened but it was two years earlier.
Our Battalion Commander told us not to start anything, but if something was started to finish it. No Ranger was to go down town without a buddy, and it was recommended to move in fire teams. I can recall at least a few bar fights that occurred where even our officers were standing back to back with us.
An AAR from the OPFOR–. “Darn white devils’ shoot back”
https://youtu.be/zn6feNK-lvQ
Ah, yes, the Battle of Hilltop. I was in PLDC at Lewis when it happened. As was the practice at that time, the cadre would put one tabbed Ranger into each small group to instruct combat tactics (in the Ranger batt at that time, a Ranger had to have his tab before the battalion sent him to PLDC.)
What you didn’t read about was the sudden “health and welfare” inspection on the Ranger barracks that happened immediately afterwards. I don’t know how many guns were found, but it wasn’t a small number…
BTW within 2 months after this “street battle” many of the Rangers involved jumped into Panama for Operation Just Cause and a taste of the real thing.
Did their target acquisition improve in Panama?
(^_____^)
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