LOCK-PICKING 101 WITH THE DELTA FORCE
SPECIAL OPERATIONS
BY GEORGE HAND
APRIL 1, 2024
The combat actions in Mogadishu, Somalia were horrendous and nightmarish without a shred of doubt, but the months following the deployment to East Africa proved to be… well, somewhat cush and enjoyable. The reason for that was that the fight in Mogadishu interrupted our 18-month training cycle back home, causing the cancellation of already planned training. There was a scramble to fill voids in training to keep up the men’s skills – the world still turned despite the horror – and “fun” trips were easier to lay on at short notice than training that sucked.
One of these trips was scheduled for the men who were Combat Diver qualified – but as Combat Divers were far and few between in the Unit that meant only eight men. We eight faced a diver’s dream vacation to Key West, FL for a week of reef and recreational diving. We used the charter boat service of one of the well-known dive committee sergeants and his “after-hours” business – buddies helping buddies, I reckon.
Another very popular deployment was to a lock-picking course held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That was a dream vacation that was almost un-defensible to the command, and yet it happened. A typical day of lock-picking instruction concluded by 1400hrs, followed by afternoons and evenings of free time… in Fort Lauderdale!
https://www.sandboxx.us/news/lock-picking-101-with-the-delta-force/
