Wild Geese, shot down (but only winged slightly on the wrist)
(Not the actual Wild Geese in question, but still a great film. Dat DPM-UZI combo thoe…)
Back in 2014 a group of four American citizens with ties to the West African country of The Gambia decided to overthrow President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia, whose official state website lists him as His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Azziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh, among other titles.
The would-be revolutionaries had military backgrounds to one degree or another to include one, Papa Faal, 47, of Minnesota, who was a a long-time veteran of the U.S. Army and Air Force that included recent combat service in Afghanistan.
The plot involved shipping semi-auo AR-15s, NVGs and assorted sundry banana republic gear to Africa secreted in 55-gal drums. Once on the ground, Faal led ground assault team of a dozen ethnic Gambians from the UK and Germany in an attack on the Presidential Palace that was supposed to be supported by a sympathetic company of Gambian troops.
Well the turncoats never turned and Faal and the boys were left assed-out, only barely managing to break off the attack and beat feet out of the country.
There four men charged in 2015 with Conspiracy to violate the Neutrality Act and Conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence plead guilty last week and in exchange picked up paperweight sentences of between six months and 366 days in federal prison–except for Papa Faal who got off with time served.
Hmmm, that’s kinda interesting if you ask me. Just saying. Papa Faal, if you are out there, hit me up at egerwriter@gmail.com and let’s talk.
Anyway, more on the coup details in my column at Guns.com where I’ve covered this story here, here and here.