ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- On Feb. 20, 2012, Capt. Michael Trost and his unit were on a combat patrol in Southeast Afghanistan, assisting the Afghani police and providing a security detail for civil affairs.
He had just raised his hand when shots were fired.
"The first shot was fired at me and came about a foot from my face, hitting my hand," said Trost. "It knocked off my first finger and thumb.
Trost was shot multiple times before he could be evacuated, all the while unable to return fire because he couldn't bring his rifle into firing position with his left hand and his pistol had a large hole in it.
Following the fire fight, the individual firing on the soldiers was apprehended and Trost was taken for medical care.
Four months later, while continuing to recuperate, his fellow soldiers brought his damaged pistol to him, so he could see it.
Upon viewing the damage done to the weapon, Trost realized he was lucky to have lived through the event.
"It was a miracle I didn't get more damage from the machine gun," he said.
He asked to keep the 9mm Beretta pistol as a memory of the events of that day and how close he came to death.
But, even when one wants to purchase a non-serviceable weapon from the military, there is a process.
Trost was able to prove his sentimental attachment to the pistol and, after the request forms and supporting documents worked their way through the system, he received it Oct. 4.
In the meantime, the weapon had to make a stop at Anniston Army Depot.
Once the Army determined the weapon was unserviceable and could be sold for sentimental reasons to Trost, they had to ensure there was no way the weapon could be repaired and made usable again.
For that, they turned to their small arms experts.
ANAD was contacted and asked if the small arms repairers were capable of performing a cosmetic demilitarization on a 9mm pistol.
According to Courtney Hammett, a maintenance management specialist for the depot, a cosmetic demilitarization is a process where the moveable parts of a weapon are welded in place and the weapon is made to be unable to fire, while the outward appearance of the weapon, in this case the large bullet hole in its grip, remains intact.
Hammett said the installation had never performed such work on a 9mm, although they had performed similar work on 1911 pistols.
"We did no refinishing to the weapon whatsoever. He wanted it as much in its current shape as possible," said Hammett.
ANAD employees removed the firing pin and spring, then welded the barrel and hammer to the slide before welding a metal slug into the barrel.
Hammett credited the fact the gun has the same outward appearance as when it arrived on the installation to the welders who worked on it.
"We have some extremely good welders here," he said.
Trost plans to mount the weapon on the wall of his home in Tennessee.
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