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When I was a young boy we loved to play outdoors at night. To make things more fun and to extend our horizons beyond the flood lamp on the garage we would get flashlights, and play flashlight tag. On a warm summer night in 1955 we wanted to be outdoors, as we didn’t have any air conditioning in those days. As the kids on the block finished their dinner and started to gather, I would go to the basement workshop and get a flashlight. We found out quickly that the batteries wouldn’t last very long, so we started saving our money to buy more batteries. It always seemed that one of the batteries would leak and ruin the flashlight before the summer ended, so I wanted a flashlight that would last forever and not use up the batteries so quickly. Leaving home in 1963 and joining the Marine Corps, we went on night marches and were issued among other things a flashlight. This flashlight was not very bright and batteries were good for limited use of only one night. Again we were searching for batteries from day to day. Some of the Marines packed their flashlights in their backpack and didn’t use them. After a couple of weeks these flashlights got corroded inside and we couldn’t even get the batteries out of them. I still longed for a bright flashlight that would not allow the batteries to corrode and could give extended use of the batteries. Returning from two tours in the Marines in 1971, I got married and became a civilian again. I got into aviation and the need for a good reliable flashlight that would be bright and ready when I needed it became even more important. We used flashlights to preflight our aircraft at night and in the cockpit to read maps and be there in case of electrical failure. I went through all shapes and sizes of flashlights made of various materials. None seemed truly reliable, rugged and bright enough. One evening in 1974, I was sitting in a coffee shop and notice a police officer with a flashlight on his pistol belt. We got into a discussion and he told me the flashlight was made by Maglite® and made here in the United States. This light had been used to smash windows, subdue criminals and was used in all kinds of weather. He stated he had this light for several years and it never failed him. Outside the restaurant he pointed the light at a distant building and it really lit the building up. The officer said that each evening before his tour, he would just turn the light on and if it was bright, he knew it was good for the whole night. The next day I went to a police uniform shop and bought my first Maglite® Flashlight. I can’t remember how much I paid, but I still have that flashlight today and carry it in my car. Over the years I have purchased several more Maglite® Flashlights for gifts, home and to carry in my flight bag. Just when I thought I owned the finest flashlight, Maglite® came out with the LED series which are even brighter and the batteries last much longer. In 1982 I took a job flying prisoners in small aircraft all over the country. I had a badge and could carry a firearm, but what would I do with a gun in a small airplane? I went out and bought a 4 D cell Maglite® Flashlight. A lot of these prisoners were either on the run before we caught them or being transferred from prison to court and back to prison. These people had little fear and love to try to “push the limits” to see what they could get away with, or get away. With a person in handcuffs and leg irons, how could I even think of using deadly force? When a prisoner got rowdy or refused to follow instructions, a rap on the collarbone with the butt of my flashlight showed them I meant business. A sharp rap to the back of the knees would put someone on the ground, or a jab to the stomach with the butt of my flashlight would show them I mean business. I still have that flashlight today and it works very well. I have taken my Maglite® Flashlights to high altitude, dropped them into water and left the batteries in for over a year. I have yet to have one of these lights fail when I needed it and have never had corroded batteries. Over the years I have introduced Maglite® Flashlights to my Flight Attendants, other pilots, friends and relatives. All of them have thanked me for the introduction. I do not believe there is a brighter, stronger and more reliable light than the Maglite® line of flashlights; I have staked my life on that fact. Doug Harper is the owner of SharperSafety.com and SharperDefense.com.
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