Man Continues Fight Against Civilization-Threatening Hornets
Taken from the Enduring Vision
By Scott Wagner
John Carlson, a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, recently expressed deep concern when he was viciously attacked by several hornets. The hornets stung him repeatedly, which caused his skin to swell and put him in "grave pain." Carlson called the hornets "cowards" and began a full-scale invasion of their nest, equipped with a semiautomatic AK-47.
Carlson is described by his neighbors as a "patriot with a spine of steel" who would not let his wounds "be in vain."
"He’s one damn fine American," said his friend and neighbor Gary Detch. "I know that all of us in the neighborhood support him."
"It’s what has to be done," said Detch’s wife Sandy. "It’s hard, but we all know it’ll be all right." She stuck a yellowish-red ribbon on the back of the family’s SUV and said: "Until the fight is over."
Carlson originally served in the US Marine Corps as a first lieutenant during the first Gulf War, and returned as a Major in the second Gulf War.
"I remember those days," he said in an interview with a smile. "And when those bees attacked me I could remember the feel of battle like it was yesterday. I knew what I had to do."
"He makes me proud to be an American," said his son, Army Private John Wayne Carlson Jr., who lost his legs and an arm when his military convoy was attacked by insurgents in Baghdad. "Protecting the freedom of the American people is what our family does. Now he’s protecting the freedom of our household -- the freedom to take a stand against having our freedom attacked."
Emotions flew high on the night of the invasion. Carlson, who is trained in the use of semiautomatic weaponry, unleashed a fury of bullets into the nest, which hung suspended fifteen feet above his front door on his roof. The bullets ripped through the nest and the house, destroying the wall and a portion of the roof. His daughter Celia was killed in the initial stages of the invasion.
Carlson proudly declared all major combat operations complete, and his family was subsequently stung repeatedly by a swarm of hornets, both from the original nest and abroad. Carlson used the weapon to shoot the hornets as they attacked his family, though his wife and mailman were killed by "friendly fire" in the process.
"They killed my wife," he shouted before unleashing a third torrent of bullets into the Enduring Vision news van. One hornet was killed and the tires of the van were destroyed.
"It’s difficult," said his neighbor Donald Catalano. "But it’s war. War isn’t pretty. If it was, it wouldn’t be called war. It would be called 'Walker Texas Ranger' or something else. But it's not."
He then added: "It’s war."
Carlson grieved for the loss of his wife and daughter briefly before steeling himself for a second invasion. "It may be years before I get every last one of those hornets. It would send the wrong message to tell you when exactly I’ll be done, and here’s the message I want to send to them: my wife and child will be avenged."
His eyes glowed with resolve, and he concluded: "I’ve got some C4 in the truck."
"When you’re doing the right thing, you just know it," said Carlson Jr. "And when you've got the power, you've got to stand up for what’s right. It makes me so damn proud to be an American."
He stuck another yellowish-red ribbon on the back of the SUV.
By Scott Wagner
John Carlson, a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, recently expressed deep concern when he was viciously attacked by several hornets. The hornets stung him repeatedly, which caused his skin to swell and put him in "grave pain." Carlson called the hornets "cowards" and began a full-scale invasion of their nest, equipped with a semiautomatic AK-47.
Carlson is described by his neighbors as a "patriot with a spine of steel" who would not let his wounds "be in vain."
"He’s one damn fine American," said his friend and neighbor Gary Detch. "I know that all of us in the neighborhood support him."
"It’s what has to be done," said Detch’s wife Sandy. "It’s hard, but we all know it’ll be all right." She stuck a yellowish-red ribbon on the back of the family’s SUV and said: "Until the fight is over."
Carlson originally served in the US Marine Corps as a first lieutenant during the first Gulf War, and returned as a Major in the second Gulf War.
"I remember those days," he said in an interview with a smile. "And when those bees attacked me I could remember the feel of battle like it was yesterday. I knew what I had to do."
"He makes me proud to be an American," said his son, Army Private John Wayne Carlson Jr., who lost his legs and an arm when his military convoy was attacked by insurgents in Baghdad. "Protecting the freedom of the American people is what our family does. Now he’s protecting the freedom of our household -- the freedom to take a stand against having our freedom attacked."
Emotions flew high on the night of the invasion. Carlson, who is trained in the use of semiautomatic weaponry, unleashed a fury of bullets into the nest, which hung suspended fifteen feet above his front door on his roof. The bullets ripped through the nest and the house, destroying the wall and a portion of the roof. His daughter Celia was killed in the initial stages of the invasion.
Carlson proudly declared all major combat operations complete, and his family was subsequently stung repeatedly by a swarm of hornets, both from the original nest and abroad. Carlson used the weapon to shoot the hornets as they attacked his family, though his wife and mailman were killed by "friendly fire" in the process.
"They killed my wife," he shouted before unleashing a third torrent of bullets into the Enduring Vision news van. One hornet was killed and the tires of the van were destroyed.
"It’s difficult," said his neighbor Donald Catalano. "But it’s war. War isn’t pretty. If it was, it wouldn’t be called war. It would be called 'Walker Texas Ranger' or something else. But it's not."
He then added: "It’s war."
Carlson grieved for the loss of his wife and daughter briefly before steeling himself for a second invasion. "It may be years before I get every last one of those hornets. It would send the wrong message to tell you when exactly I’ll be done, and here’s the message I want to send to them: my wife and child will be avenged."
His eyes glowed with resolve, and he concluded: "I’ve got some C4 in the truck."
"When you’re doing the right thing, you just know it," said Carlson Jr. "And when you've got the power, you've got to stand up for what’s right. It makes me so damn proud to be an American."
He stuck another yellowish-red ribbon on the back of the SUV.
posted by College Libertarians of Notre Dame at 5:06 AM
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