Lieutenant Normandy before his promotion.

You have seen him on many an episode helping the gang out with weapons-based myths, MSgt Alan Normandy of the South San Francisco Police Department takes a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer fan questions.

A regular contributor on the MBFC Forums, you know him as AlwaysJust1*.  Master Sargent Lieutenant Alan Normandy has appeared in several episodes of Mythbusters as the firearms safety officer.  Right from the always controversial “Ice Bullet” episode, he has kept Jamie, Adam and the rest of the build team safe when handling firearms.  Alan answers some questions about himself.

MBFC: Thank you for taking the time out to answer some questions.  On the show you are seen for brief moments in several segments.  The viewers don’t really get to know you that well unless they are regulars on the MBFC Forums.  Given this, what would you like us to know about “Lieutenant Normandy.”

Alan:  Well, for the most part, I don’t know.  I lead a fairly staid and uneventful life, but I do consider many of the members of MBFC part of my extended family.  As such, I suppose for their sake, it's worth playing along.  I'm certain no one would be interested, if it were not for my relationship to the production.  I don’t think anyone will be commissioning my autobiography anytime soon.

I come from a police family.  Both of my brothers and I are Police Officers.  My mother wasn't keen on all three of her boys being cops at first, but she's gotten used to it.  My father is in politics, and he serves on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

MBFC:  How did you get involved in the MythBusters show? 

Alan:  I get this question quite a bit, actually – usually from peers from other agencies.  I've been involved with the production from the very beginning.  Before Episode #1 aired, Associate Producer Linda Wolkovitch was researching Ice Bullet.  Yes, THAT Ice Bullet…

Since the production is based in San Francisco, the team contacted the local gun shop, Jackson Arms Shooting Range.  They asked the staff if it was possible for a Police Officer to witness the event, ostensibly to add some credibility to the testing. 

My brother, Brian, is the Director of Training at Jackson Arms, so the call came to me.  I was working as a Detective Sergeant then, so I didn't want the onscreen time.  I sent Officer Dave Kennan (not Dan Keenan as credited), one of my assistant rangemasters, in my place. 

Ever since, I forged a lovely working relationship with the production staff.  When the production needed someone local with access to machineguns for Blown Away, Linda called me again.  Blown Away was the first time I appeared onscreen. 

Later, as the show got more popular, the production’s attorneys stepped in and required all firearms myths be supervised by a certified Firearms Safety Officer.  I have about 30 related certificates and was familiar with production, so they hired me as a consultant.  I’ve been on a half a dozen more times, since. 

Apparently, nepotism, being helpful and keeping a Rolodex has its benefits.

MBFC:  On a more personal note, when did you know you were going to go into the field of law enforcement?

Alan:  Well, it’s kind of corny, really.  When I was about six years old, I was shopping with my mom and grandmother, when I got lost in downtown San Francisco.  I was lost for over four hours, when I finally found a telephone.  I carried a dime in my shoe for emergencies, and after trying to get home for several hours, one was declared!  I phoned home, and SFPD dispatched a squad car to rescue me. 

The two officers who showed up looked just like Reed and Malloy from Adam-12.  They let me play with the light and siren, and I was hooked from then on.  What six-year old wouldn’t have been?  Fortunately, the world was a lot less scary in 1970 than it is today.  Who knows what could have happened.

MBFC:  What has been one of your more memorable moments as a law enforcement officer?

Alan:  My most memorable was my very first SWAT call-out.  My partner and I were positioned as forward observers in a hostage situation that started 100 miles away.  The hostage-taker kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, exchanged gunfire with the Highway Patrol, and crashed his car in a cul-de-sac in my area of operations.  He ended up barging in on a family of three and took them hostage, too.  During the siege, my partner and I heard a shot from inside the home, when the bullet whizzed by both of us! We suddenly realized the suspect shot through the garage door, and that was as close to the receiving end of a bullet I'd ever want to get...

MBFC:  For regular participants in the MBFC forums we know you took the first treatment of the “Sniper through the Scope” in November of 2006 segment’s conclusions (Busted) very personally which many of the MBFC members suspect led to its revisit and very different outcome.  Would you care to share your thoughts on this subject?

Alan:  The crew called and asked if I was familiar with the Sniper movie series, and asked if it was really possible to hit a scope and shoot through it.  I asked what kind of scope they had to shoot and encouraged them to purchase similar scopes. 

I was of the opinion that hitting the scope wasn't too hard, but getting it all the way through would require several attempts.  After speaking with a friend of mine, who is a vetted US Navy SeAL, I believed it to be thoroughly possible, as I knew GySgt Carlos Hathcock did it under combat conditions during Vietnam.  Since we were doing it under sterile conditions, I imagined we could pull it off eventually.  That’s what I get for speculating!  You won't see me predict anything on air now!

The day of the shoot, they mentioned the Gunny Hathcock incident as part of their research, and the bus took a hard left turn!  I was mortified.  We hadn’t set up the equipment parameters to evaluate that incident!  Still, I was completely mistaken when I thought we could replicate the event with modern scopes.  I guess we never stop learning, and shame on me! 

To my dismay, I felt we had called one of America's greatest military heroes into question, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.  It was great to spotlight Gunny Hathcock’s achievements, but not like that!  Since he is a personal hero, too – I campaigned for a revisit, which we actually shot a day before the first Sniper vs. Sniper episode aired in November. 

For the revisit, I did the research and purchased the Mosin-Nagant rifle and PU 91/30 scope as documented in Henderson’s Marine Sniper.  A fan donated period ammo, and I brought some armor-piercing rounds just in case. 

Happily, we were able to determine the revisit as Plausible.  Because of the revisit episode, I ended up meeting GySgt Carlos Hathcock III, who is a true gentleman.  As I suspected, a large number of Marines watch the show and were ready to fight!  They even called Carlos III about the show!

After the revisit, Carlos III told me he and his family appreciated the effort we put into honoring his father’s reputation, and he signed my copies of Marine Sniper and Out of Nowhere, two sniper history books. 

The Hathcocks are wonderful, humble and gracious people.  I am forever in their debt.

MBFC:  Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

Alan:  I grew up in San Francisco, and am the product of several generations of Jesuit education.  I graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory and earned a Bachelor of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.  I’m working on my Master of Protection Management from Henley-Putnam University, where only active duty Police and Military personnel can attend.  I have a lot of friends in the Homeland Security and Intelligence community.  It’s a very small fraternity.  I’ve been a South San Francisco Police Officer for over 21 years.

MBFC:  What do you do outside of work? 

Alan:  Well, my wife and I live in South San Francisco, and are the proud new parents of an adorable little girl, born just this last June.  Being a father rocks!  Linda [Wolkovitch] and Kari [Byron] ask all the time when we are going to bring the baby to the shop.  We intend to do that very soon.  As I said, “Staid and uneventful...”

MBFC:  When you are not “saving the world from evil or unsafe weapons practices” what do you do to relax and have fun? 

Alan:  I enjoy a good game of poker, but not the trendy Texas Hold’em.  It tends to be too much about positioning.  I am bit of a traditionalist, so it’s all Five Card Draw or Seven Card Stud for me.  My wife would live in Las Vegas in a heartbeat, if it were an option.

I am passionate about all the shooting sports, gun rights and freedom, and I find precision shooting very soothing, as well.  I am certainly not the best or fastest shot, but that said, I try to be a good student and well-rounded with pistols, rifles and shotguns. 

When she’s not depriving me of sleep, I find fatherhood very relaxing.  My wife and I love the outdoors, so we hunt, fish, camp and shoot together.  Right now, the baby has affected those activities somewhat, but we intend to rectify that as soon as the little one is big enough to appreciate it. 

Daddy needs a spotter!

MBFC:  You are a married man, so if your spouse had an opportunity to describe you what would she say?

Alan:  Well, she says I am contradictorily scatterbrained and focused, attentive yet forgetful, but nearly always patient.  It takes a lot to get me angry.  I suppose it is because I work on my relationship with my maker regularly, and that keeps me on an even keel.  Of course, I am also a flawed human being, so I definitely have my moments.  Still, getting me angry isn’t prudent.  Not even a little bit.  I’m working on it.  

For the most part, the only thing that can upset me is an attack on my family.  If that happens, all bets are off.  For the most part, I tend to be stoic, so like the Spartans – my anger bothers me.  It is good I have a long fuse.  Venting helps, too.  My wife knows I love her completely and unconditionally, and that’s not always easy!

MBFC:  Finally, if you could speak to the youth of America, what would you say?

Alan:  Hmm, that’s a tough question.

We live in a very self-absorbed postmodern society.  I might remind those inclined to listen that “It isn’t about YOU.”  We need to get over ourselves.  If we always behave as if we were the center of the universe, our relationships suffer – and so will we.  While suffering is part of life, being alone is much more cold and painful.

I was taught that life is about relationships, and relationships are about service – so we need to help wherever and whenever we can.  Self-sacrifice is good.  If our moral compass always points to us, is it really a surprise when we’ve lost our way?  Our compass doesn’t work without absolute north.

Lastly, stay in school, do your best, be patient, and give back more than you get.

MBFC: We thank you for your time. As always, good health and happiness... and "Stay safe."

Alan: Thanks for letting me go on about this.  It’s been an honor and privilege.  See you on the boards!