Courage and Conviction: An Alaska State Trooper's Journey Through a Life of Principled Law Enforcement, (Hardcover)

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.