Captain Michael Trost gets his gun
MCPO Ret. In TN sends a link to KBIR which tells the story of retired Army Captain Michael Trost who, for the past five years, has been involved in a struggle with the Army to get his issued Beretta handgun back from them. The gun saved his life, as guns tend to do, but, this time, not in the usual way;
Back in 2012 on a mission in Afghanistan, Trost had his Army-issue sidearm holstered in his waist resting against his back. Out of nowhere an Afghan soldier, trained by American troops, turned rouge and suddenly opened fire on Trost and others in his unit.
“Have five or seven bullets go through you, around you, near you, this probably would have been the eighth bullet right here,” said Trost pointing to the sidearm he credits with deflecting one bullet away from his spine.
The attack cost the combat veteran part of his hand, and later the amputation of his leg, but he is certain that sidearm helped save his life.
“It’s like your buddy to the left and to your right, this is like my buddy ‘cause he took a round for me,” said Trost with a smile holding his battered gun with an entry and exit wound of twisted metal.
So, the Army welded the slide to make it inoperable and charged him for their trouble (Trost’s friends picked up the tab), but the captain is together with his buddy again.
Category: Veterans in the news
More than one way a gun can save your life.
Congratulations, Captain.
So did the Afghan soldier turn red or did he put on makeup? 😀
Proof that spell check won’t always save you. 😉
Still, good story. Glad the captain was able to get his sidearm back.
I love the “out of nowhere” phrase. “We don’t know why he did it, just kept saying something about the Aloha Snackbar.”
But he may have turned rouge after the return fire from Trost’s unit?
There weren’t enough jobs or education available so he turned to a life of crime.
It was a statue!!! The statue made him do it.
lol errr make that rogue! 😉
I knew Trost, he wasn’t a Captain, he was a Master Sergeant. I was in Afghanistan when that attack happened (on the other side of the country). I don’t recall him having been an officer before, but I could be wrong.
He is a fun grumpy guy to hang out with. It sucked hearing about him getting hit like he did.
Here’s another story about him:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/decorated-wounded-soldier-kicked-mall-segway-wife/story?id=18856421
He definitely looks like grumpy senior NCO, not and officer.
Uh… no offense intended MSG. 🙂
Thanks for the compliment squirrel shit. 😉
When I left the unit, 489th CA BN, he was a MSG. Not sure when he made officer.
Interesting. Is it possible he is both a CPT (O3) and MSG (E8) in the US Army?
He is wearing CPT (O3) Bars in these three Websites as well as being identified as an O3..
http://amillionthanks.org/wishdetails.asp?id=27
http://premiertire.us/
https://paris.alliesforindy.org/digigive/campaign/
And yes, have seen other pics of him wearing the E8 Stripes.
Possibly went to OCS, got passed over for promotion to O4, but stayed in enough years to retire as an O3? Have friends that went thru that scenario…also had a Drill SGT in Basic who was an E7, but when he retired, he left as an O3.
Yeah, he might’ve been a former Captain who went back to NCO ranks. I went to ANCOC with him a bunch of years ago. So that is very possible. I know more than one NCO that hated being an Officer.
I had a butter bar platoon leader who had 12 years in and was an E-6 prior to OCS. His last assignment as an NCO had been with one of the SF groups. I don’t recall which.
He was not happy as an officer AT ALL!
I’ve known NCOs who had reserve commissions. I remember one Staff Sergeant who went to work as a SSG and came home that night as a Captain when the Army was short captains in the early 80s. He’d been commissioned in the Guard.
The Army is still short of Captains, especially on AGR status (Reserve side, not sure about Guard). But, they still make people jump through hoops to get a direct commission or even do OCS on AGR, even to be an AGR Officer.
No buddy like a battle buddy.
Well, I guess that settles the .45 argument.
Good to know that a Beretta is actually good for something…
Seriously, though, how was this even a question? The weapon is damaged beyond repair and destined for the trash can. Its only value to anyone, anywhere, is the sentimental value to the man who was wearing it when it stopped a bullet intended for him. Why make him jump through hoops for five years for it, especially when he’s already lost a finger and a leg?
When my Great-Uncle Jim was discharged at the end of WWII, he checked a box on the form to purchase the M1 he carried from Falaise to Austria from the Army and took it home with him. When my (step)Grandpa came home from Korea in ’53, nobody even bothered to say a word to him about the scoped Lee-Enfield that he traded his M1 to a British sniper for.
I remember a tanker having to give the SAPI plate that saved his life when a sniper shot him in the back to Rumsfeld. If I recall correctly, he wasn’t too happy about it.
I was deployed in ’05-’06 and I recall reading a flyer where we picked up our plates saying you could keep them if they’d taken a round.
It seems like they had to go back to CONUS for study first, but there was a procedure to get them back to you.
Someone here may know: when did “they” decide a soldier returning from battle was not allowed to bring mementoes with him? I can guess at some of the “why” although the reasons I come up with are silly.
Dad got to bring a lot of stuff home from WWII Germany. I know some guys got stuff from ‘Nam, so I ‘spect the Korea vets were allowed mementoes as well.
Did this start with the SJWs in the Pentagon sometime around 9/11?
As best i recall hearing, it was started in Vietnam (National Firearms Act of 1968 and all) and accelerated since then
That decision is made case by case during operations IME.
Sometimes you get to bring stuff back sometimes you don’t.
The Army welded the slide and charged for it.
Right there I was told everything I need to know about the Army’s relation with it’s soldiers.
This just fucking STINKS.
Yeah, I picked up on that as well.
Another indication of the Army placing LAWFARE over WARFARE.
They should have given him the skull of the fuck stick that shot him.
And let him turn it into a beer mug!
That would make the snowflakes faint.
Bonus!
SCREW the snowflakes, he could be like Vikings in Valhalla drinking mead from the skulls of their slain enemies!
I thought the same. Never mind the fact that it has a huge gapping hole where one would put the magazine, but I guess someone COULD HAVE put a round in the pipe. Then the questions is, so what?
I suppose they couldn’t have someone with one of those “military grade pistols” out on the streets.
It’s been a long time since they let you bring enemy weapons back from battle. (I have the Luger my grandfather earned in WWII.)
The only “military grade” part of a Beretta is the 15-round magazine, everything else is the same as you can buy as a civilian, but worse (especially the crappy ammo). In this case, the magazine wouldn’t even work, so there ya go.
Just more bureaucrats being extra bureaucratty.
I can’t help but think of Mel Gibson “Riggs” in the movie lethal weapon. Lol. A few years later when I first held and eventually qualified with the beretta I thought I was actually Sht Riggs. 🙂
https://youtu.be/vTik8bUV588
Look at this asshole US Army in action destroys firearm just out of spite. No problem giving a bunch of Islamists fully functional weapons though and wads of cash. Absolutely no reason what so ever to destroy the firearm like they did. Somebody should inform the shithead that went out of their way to do that in America firearm ownership is still a civil right.
This really angers me.
The Army didn’t destroy the M9.
An Afghani did.
And there is no civil right to take the Government’s property with you when you muster out.
Amazing he was able to get it!
It is true that you don’t have the right to have US property upon discharge, but that is moot since they did, in fact, decide to give him that piece of US property.
To Fatty’s point, Mr Trost has the right to have a firearm (I’m going to assume there are no Lautenberg Amendment kind of thing going on here.) It is also not a controlled firearm (i.e. one requiring a class III License.) So why destroy it?
There may be a order or regulation that says the government cannot give firearms to servicemembers under any circumstances. I just don’t know.
Charging him mor DEMILing the pistol was ABSOLUTELY a dick move. Come on, Army. You don’t have armorers who do that on a daily basis as a part of their job? Or did they have to contract it out because the art of DEMILing weapons is lost?
*Afghan
Afghani is money.
For as opposed to “mor”
The ammo cans that were opened and not used when we were cruising off of Santo Domingo during operation Power Pack in 1965 were dumped over board, ammo and all. I managed to grab a couple of empty cans and stored them behind the hydraulic oil tanks in the port aircraft elevator machinery room which was my cleaning space. After we got back to NOB, Norfolk, I tried going through the main gate operated by the Marine gate rats and the cans were confiscated-Govt. property I was told so how come all the munitions were dumped over board????
One of them likely said something like “Hey, look at my new toolboxes!” as soon as you drove off.
Definitely. “Honey I’m home! Look what I ‘confiscated’ today! hahahahahahaha.”
I know Trost. Served with him for 4 years. Stand up guy.
Just for everyone’s FYI (since the subject has been discussed several times above):
The military (specifically the Army because it had 99+% of the cases) no longer allows enlisted in the active component to hold reserve commissions and hasn’t in over 20 years now.
This was a holdover program from the RIF after Vietnam. It allowed the Army to fuck over a bunch of formerly enlisted guys turned Officer in Vietnam out of an Officer’s retirement while keeping a ready pool of combat experienced reserve officers in the wings in case the balloon went up with the Soviets
For about 5 years (2004-2009ish) the Guard and Reserve were direct commissioning a lot of NCOs (mainly experienced E6s and E7s) to fill deploying unit shortages
More than likely that is the case with this gentleman
My first Battalion CSM in 88 was a Vietnam Vet
I was on CQ one day and the First Sergeant sends me to get distro/mail from Battalion
There stands the CSM wearing Majors gold oak leaves and artillery crossed cannons
He sees how puzzled I am and explains the situation to me
He was an enlisted guy during Vietnam and was commissioned in country serving a second tour
Made it to Captain. The RIF after Nam caught him and a bunch like him. Their choice? Get out of active duty and serve as part time Reserve Officers or stay on active duty as enlisted guys and retain a reserve commission.
Upon retirement they would initially retire at the highest active duty enlisted rank held and upon reaching age 60 would start receiving the retirement for the highest reserve commissioned rank held.
Anyways. The CSM was in his “officer outfit” on his way to CGSC
First time I had seen an example of this out of the 3 times in my entire career.
Good god, what a demotion. I almost feel bad for him, especially having to go to CGSC.
Interesting information there, I didn’t realize that.
Trost was an AGR and selected for MSG while in Afghanistan in 2011 (I was selected on the same board) and promoted while in country.
He was pretty old when I went with him to ANCOC (E-7 school), but I think it was just that he was a Captain at one point and reverted to being an NCO again.
AGRs ‘can’ get direct commissions, but it isn’t too common and its a pain in the butt to do (had a friend do it, long painful process for him).
I’m a retired AGR with 26 years of active duty
13 in the regular Army (9 years as an NCO and 4 as an Officer) followed by 13 in the AGR
3 years of that I was a State OSM (the HMFIC of Officer Recruiting and Retention)
I have a few good friends in Retention. I don’t envy them the job they do, though it could be worse. They could be recruiters.
About 17 years so far for me, but as a Reserve AGR. I was just explaining to someone today there are goods and bads to AGR same as being AC.
Hang in there brother. It’s well worth it
He looks like a MSG to me. Just guessing. He just looks too intelligent to be an 01 butter bar, or Captain for that matter.
I know of 1 guy in my infantry platoon who shot 2 dinks in Vietnam that just walked out of the bush, right in front of him. The CO allowed him to keep 2 AK’s and other shit he took off them.
He then got a 6 day in country RR, in Dalat for the 2 confirmed kills.
Well times have changed old timer.
Hate to break it to you
“Confirmed kills” is kind of a douchebaggy term that makes professional Soldiers cringe
Professional soldiers don’t cringe. At least, not because they heard a “douchebaggy term.” Sounds more like something a sparkle pony would do.
Yeah ok moth ball. Run your suck and regale us.
Generally douchebags that talk about “confirmed kills” where never in any close vicinity to any “kills”
What rock did you crawl out from under? You’re about as irritating POS as an inflamed hemorrhoid, or Commissar, one or the other
Oh I’m the irritating one huh?
At least Lars has two things you don’t.
Service in a real branch of the military and combat experience.
He’s earned the right to be irritating.
So how about you crawl under a rock, shut your suck and let the adults talk?
One of my Soldiers coming back from Afghanistan couldn’t even make it past Customs with a cigar because it didn’t have a band on it.
That’s how significantly times have changed.
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