FIRST AS TO THE SANCTITY OF THE MAG-LITE: like Jeanette, you will also have to pry mine out of my cold dead hand, It now rests between my car seat and center compartment, upgraded with a Tera-Lux LED and window breaker rear cap.

My 5, C cell version saved my life one early August evening, many years ago. ( Its a shame they discontinued the 5 & 6 , C cell models.) I was a young volunteer EMT, fending off a big 16 year old girl , who had already cut her younger sister to the bone on her right arm. When she reentered the scene, for a second attack, I was bandaging the younger girl. We were both both sitting on the living room couch with a long heavy coffee table in front of us. As older sister charged, screaming , I was caught between them, with no escape and in fear for my patient’s and my life. As I leaned over to avoid the 8” kitchen knife, i backhanded her in the face with my Mag-Lite, breaking her nose and knocking her unconscious. The fact that it was only her nose that got broken and not her skull, was probably due to the fact that I was well leaned-over & off balance trying to avoid the knife. All survived and older sister was arriested by responding police and committed for treatment.

Funny post script: My even younger , brand new, EMT partner, correctly and immediately radioed the Comcen that an attack was in progress. “Ambulance Corps needs help.” But then he added, “SHOTS FIRED!” ( He had no later memory of saying that and denied it until we replayed the tape for him.)

Remember I said it was an early August evening, It was also hot and quiet, emergency wise, in our town and in the neighboring densely packed urban towns. Within one minute the first responding police officer, a friend of mine, ran THROUGH the closed screen door with shotgun in his hands. , racking it as he came to a halt. Within two minutes , there were so many shotguns ( and police ) in that room, you would’ve thought it was duck season!