#1

The Slap Flare

Well anyone who was at Clark, AB and who was a cop of any kind knew what a slap flare was.
For those who where not there or who were not cops here's what it was. A Slap Flare, small hand held aluminum rocket propelled illumination flare that was around 14 inches long and around 1 ½ to 2 inches thick. It was housed in an aluminum case with a primer on the closed end and the cap which covered the open end for carry. The cap had a firing pin welded in it.
To launch it you took the cap off exposing the rocket. Then you fit the cap with the firing pin on the other end. This next part is where it got its name from. You held it pointing upward, toward the area you needed lighted, with your left hand and with your right hand hit the cap as hard as you could which sent it skyward.
Well all we K-9 would have at least 2 of them every time we went out. One reason was to light on area up. But most of the time in the 70's it was because our radios died and we needed to call for help.
Well I was stationed at POL one night with AIC Doug Olinger (Oly). Our K-9 flt had been playing around stealing things from everyone's web belt. Just fun and games as nothing was kept.
We were at the end of our midnight shift waiting to get picked up. Our K-9 flt Chief SSgt Louis Robilard (Robby) was there with us, in I think a rubber duck, waiting also.
Doug was going on how no one would ever take anything off his web belt. He went on for at least 5 min. Well all this time I was behind him with one of his slap flares. Slapping it in my hand like a night stick.
Robby did a great job of not laughing while Oly was going on and on. When he finished I calmly ask Oly if he wanted this (his slap flare) back.
Boy did he hit the roof. Robby and I had a hard time trying to stop laughing.
Slap Flares were used for many a times to set one or other washout during dry season on fire.
One night when I had the elephant cage they found the RP guy knocked out and the building open.
SSgt John Grammer was on the back of a deuce and a half with a case of them. As the driver drove around the cage John was setting them off about every 100 meters.
You could read the Sunday comics with all that light