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Over the years, I've seen several members of this board with the following quote in their signature line:

"You may find me one day dead in a ditch somewhere. But by God, you'll find me in a pile of brass."~~ Tpr. M. Padgett

I've always wondered who Tpr. M. Padgett was/is. So, I actually went and googled "who is the real Trooper M. Padgett?"

Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero.

Apparently, about 5 million pro-gun Internet users have that as their signature line on various discussion boards all over the 'net, but I've noticed a curiosity: A) nobody knows who he is; and B) nobody is asking about it. They just take that quote—and it's a wonderful quote—and append it to everything without wondering who it was who said it, and why. When we see one of Jeff Cooper's pungent offerings, it smells like Cooper, and we know about him and love him for who he was, for his wry humor, and for his plain talk. But Padgett, if there ever actually was a real "Trooper M. Padgett," also sounds like the same kind of guy, and who in tarnation wouldn't want to know about a guy like that?

Apparently, nobody.

C'mon guys. Help a brother out here. If you know something about Trooper Padgett, cough it up now. Don't keep me in the dark any longer.

I have to subscribe to this one.

TAM, can't wait to see what you find out on this.

http://www.odmp.org/officer/10301-priva ... -g-padgett

The above link is to Bobby G. Padgett, Alexandria, VA. End of watch 2/4/1959.

http://www.odmp.org/officer/10302-deput ... on-padgett

The above link is to Deputy Sheriff Sidney Nelson Padgett of Hardin County, Texas.
Hardin County is directly N.W. of Beaumont. End of watch 1/11/1969.

These are the only 2 LEO's with last name = Padgett that I could find, who died between 1791 and 2012.

If the above website contains complete data on fallen LEO's, then Trooper M. Padgett does not seem to have existed.

Of course the flaw in my above research is that I only found LEO's killed on duty, who were named Padgett.

SIA

Maybe
Trooper First Class Markael O. Padgett Post 14 - Ashland

http://www.kentuckystatepolice.org/2006 ... _17_06.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He changed his name to Joe Horn and moved to Pasadena.

Maybe someone put red dots on his tires

There is/was a Florida Highway Patrol named M.W. Padgett (1990) if this article is correct
http://files.andelman.com/ARTICLES/nigh ... 0-tbl.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Trooper Markael O. Padgett Post 14-Ashland, Kentucky State Police (2005)
http://www.kentuckystatepolice.org/2005 ... _23_05.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I figure him to be too young

Both articles just mention a name. No other info.

That's all I got.

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:http://www.odmp.org/officer/10301-priva ... -g-padgett

The above link is to Bobby G. Padgett, Alexandria, VA. End of watch 2/4/1959.

Now I have a friend from church by the name of Bobby Padgett, but he's an attorney, not a cop. He likes him some fancy shotguns and upland bird hunting, but I don't know if he's a "dead in a ditch in a pile of brass" kind of guy.

Maybe he's the Trooper Padgett from the Twilight Zone episode "Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?"

http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/The_Twili ... and_Up.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've seen this also. My impression was that it was a quote from a U.S. Calvary Trooper but then that was my take and it may not be right. I would love to find out just who first said it though, good luck in finding out just who he was.

In a twist of delicious irony, I just googled the phrase "the legend of trooper m. Padgett" (because, once again, I saw that quote in someone's sig line), and guess what link was the number 1 google listing? That's right.....this thread.

Apparently the all-seeing Google doesn't know anymore about this man than the rest of us.

I'll ask Captain Tuttle.

I knew a NY State Park Police patrolman named Padgette (with the 'e' on the end and he pronounced it "Pahzhae") when I was a park patrolman, but I don't believe his first name was an 'M' initial, and he was a high school teacher who worked for the park police in the summers, not a trooper. OTOH, that just about covers his attitude, he carried a 9mm Browning Hi-Power and more than two spare mags. Somewhat of a "cowboy" in our ranks, it is unlikely that he would ever be hired by the NY State Police, we all wondered just what kind of trouble he expected to run into in a state park in the summer.