Please accept my appreciation for (Tim Whyte’s) Aug. 15 column article regarding “Local Names That Explain the ‘WHY.’”
At the time of the Newhall Incident I was a young officer with the Monterey Police Department. In 1978, shortly after Art Pelino was murdered at the Gorman Substation, I arrived in the area as the first resident U.S. Border Patrol agent, where I remained for nine years. During that time I resided in Frazier Park and worked out of the Gorman Sub, where one of the bullet holes still remained from Art’s murder. I also worked closely with both the Tejon and Newhall California Highway Patrol officers and was dispatched by the CHP Communications Center in L.A.
These murders still reverberate in law enforcement training and, although long retired after 51 years in law enforcement, I still teach firearms safety and concealed weapons classes here in Nevada. I have long ago incorporated the details of the Newhall Incident of April 6, 1970, into my firearms classes. I thank you for reminding the public of the sacrifices made by those officers and the reasons why.
Ted L. Bader
Carson City, Nevada
