Gary Gunkel tells about his real-life experiences as a US Marine, an Anchorage City Policeman, an Alaska State Trooper, Chief of Police in small town Alaska and Sheriff of Asotin County, Washington. His stories are guaranteed to keep you turning the pages on call after call, and his sometimes hair-raising law enforcement experiences will keep you on the edge of your seat. And just when you think you have heard it all there will be another call that you can't imagine. You will discover how Gary handles a dangerous situation surrounded by 24 members of a motorcycle gang with the nearest backup over 200 miles away. Another time you will feel the experience of stopping 17 gang members on a main highway because they were displaying a sawed off shotgun. The amazing thing is all these calls are real life . . . there is no fiction involved. Gary has, on occasion, changed a name to protect someone's privacy, or sometimes a name is left out because he cannot recall it or has no way of getting the name. You will experience commercial fishing with his whole family for salmon in Bristol Bay and flying loads of fish off the beach in his plane. You will read about several live action and near-death aircraft incidents that you cannot believe happened to Gary and his family. He writes about bush flying experiences that will make you laugh, and some truly whacko ones that will make you shake your head as you go fishing, trapping and hunting with him. And through it all, you will come away with the understanding that everything Gary Gunkel did in law enforcement was professional, that he has a huge capacity for living life completely, and great love for his family. Jim C Feb 21,2012 "As a writer and editor I've read hundreds of good and bad books in my 72 years, and Courage and Conviction is wonderful ! It's the fascinating, true story of raising a family in some of the most primitive and beautiful places in Alaska, and later in Washing state, written by a tough but totally honest, dedicated police officer and loving family man. This is the real thing, and the perfect read to take you away from these chaotic times." COURAGE AND CONVICTION An Alaska State Trooper's Journey Through a Life of Principled Law Enforcement By L. Gary Gunkel AuthorHouse Copyright © 2012 L. Gary Gunkel All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4685-4569-2 Chapter One My mother and father were concerned that I would never grow up. I was not a bad kid but I was always doing something different. I fully embraced life, enjoying every single moment of it. I still do. After high school and a stint in the service, I had put together a dog team of Irish Setters, which had earned the reputation as the fastest dog sled team in the lower 48 states ... most of the time. To help support my passion of dog sled racing, I did construction work, and worked for the forest service running a crew of fire fighters in the summer, while living in the most incredible area of the United States ... the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Beginning in September, I spent the biggest part of my time in the outdoors, hunting, training sled dogs and getting ready for the winter racing season. Both Ann and I raced teams of our Irish Setter sled dogs all over the western US. From our home near Lake Tahoe, we raced in California, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Most sled dog races were tied in with winter carnivals and our team of Irish Setters was always a crowd favorite, likely due to their uniqueness. While at first being regarded the "underdogs" (no pun intended), we quickly overcame the myth and usually beat the traditional teams made up of huskies. Ann was a registered nurse, making a living for our family in the winter, while I would supplement our income with prize money won at dog races. She also helped with the training. In order to have the greatest chance of winning, I would take our best dogs for my team. Ann would make a team out of the remaining dogs and enter whatever class (three dog, five dog, or women's class) we thought would win us the most money. While I basked in the glory of winning, Ann would take her team of dogs and also do very well, often winning her division. In December of 1964, at the age of 26, I had an incredible experience that would shape my life forever. This "defining moment" opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities, giving me a completely different view on what I could accomplish, allowed me an avenue to develop a unique background of skills and prepared me to take on enormous tasks and prevail at great odds. On a Sunday morning I answered the door to find the local pastor asking if I did any rescue work with my dog team. When I asked what the problem was he said that on the previous morning, four young people, late teens and early 20's, had driven up the Mount Rose highway to look at the snow had not returned, and their folks were very worried about them. Saturday had been a very nice day until ea