STRIKE ONE, STRIKE TWO, STRIKE THREE, YOU'RE OUT
Sent to us by Frank Roche
This does not describe a trip to a baseball game but the task assigned to the U.S. Navy Seals on the night of 12 April 2009. Described as "untrained teenagers with pistols and AK-47's" four Somali pirates took the U.S. civilian ship MAERSK ALABAMA hostage.
After offering himself as hostage to gain his crew's release Captain Richard Phillips of Burlington, Vermont boarded a lifeboat with the four pirates. The USS Bainbridge arrived a few hours later, the USS Boxer and USS Halyburton arrived a few days later. On 11 April 2009 NAVY SEALS parachuted from C-17's and boarded the Bainbridge.
Now out of fuel and drifting out to sea the pirates allowed a tow line from the Bainbridge to be attached to the lifeboat. Big mistake. Unknown to the pirates and under the cover of darkness the Bainbridge crew began to reel them in. Now within 80 feet and very choppy seas the Seals fired almost in unison. The result: three pirates, three rounds, three dead bodies. Although this was a task in the international spotlight the Seals do many, many more assignments that will never be known. A tip of the hat to all US Navy Seals for a job well done.
P.S. The fourth pirate is lucky there are only three strikes in baseball.