Wednesday, May 30, 2012

SGT Gimmy Thanks SEI for Saving Lives

This is a wonderful email we just recieved.  We are honored and humbled by the dedication of our men and women in uniform and thank SGT Gimmy and his fellow Soldiers for all they do for our country.

Mr. Smith and employee's of Smith Inc.,

My name is Keith Gimmy, at the end of 2010 I contacted you about the purchase of 15 Vortex flash eliminators for my platoon as they prepared to go to Afghanistan. I did not make that deployment with them because I was honorably discharged as they left. Your generosity and patriotism led to an order of 84 flash eliminators for the men of Bravo Troop, 1-75 CAV, 2BCT, 101st ABN (AA). This Troop was made up of Cavalry Scouts, Medics, and Fire Support Team Members. Survival for men like these is dependent on stealth and subversion. The noise of a gunshot is loud and narrows the search pattern of the opposition as to where the shot came from. The hills and mountains of Afghanistan echos these shots, thus making the source of the shot difficult to locate. A muzzle flash does not echo, and gives away the shooter's position to the exact place. Their deployment sent these men to a southern portion of that country that had not seen US presence in significant force in a long while. Throughout the year they were there, they engaged in numerous firefights, encountered explosives and enemy threats, and suffered the expensive loss of three good men, Sergeant Justin Officer, Staff Sergeant David Weigle, and Corporal Loren Buffalo.

This last Sunday, I had a cookout with another close Army friend and his wife. During the course of this visit, conversation turned to those we remembered and those who gave all in the protection of American citizens and our way of life. I asked him how your flash eliminators worked for them, and saying he was extremely satisfied and grateful just doesn't do justice to the appreciation he had. He went onto say that your eliminators saved not only his life, but that of many scouts in the field. The only drawback he noticed was that the flash eliminator tended to collect more brush and foliage than the standard flash suppressors, but that was miniscule and a bit of muzzle control soon mitigated that issue. The ability to fire and bring almighty thunder upon the insurgents without giving away their positions kept my friend alive, and that of the men under his command. I cannot thank you enough for donating your product and aiding these men in their mission.

Throughout my search for equipment and weapon care products, led me to discover that the generosity you showed is unmatched by anyone else. No one had bulk rates, or donated any specialty items like your eliminator. You and your company are true Americans. I wish your company prosperous business for many, many years to come.

Thank you for your time,

Keith Gimmy