Guns Save Lives

Terror & Triumph: How a SENTRY is Born

Published

3 years ago

August 26, 2021

A Tale of Navy SEALS, Bouncing Betties, and BLACKHAWKS…Strap Yourself In.

How do you become a SENTRY? SENTRY Tactical CEO Mike Noell’s journey began as a Navy SEAL during the first Gulf War in 1991. His SEAL unit was teamed up with Marines on a mission of deep reconnaissance, and to provide the Kurdish people with humanitarian relief at the southern border of Turkey during the no-fly initiative established by the U.S. Wearing loaded packs weighing over 100 lbs., he and his team were inserted via helicopters 60 kilometers into Northern Iraq. As fate would have it, the strap on Mike’s backpack broke and took him down with the fallout.

A Bouncing Betty mine greeted him, just inches from where he fell. What could have been a catastrophe to him and his team, became Mike’s “come to Jesus” moment. He vowed that if he got out of there alive, he would create gear that would never fail a warfighter. This would be the birth of BLACKHAWK!, which would eventually give rise to SENTRY.

For many in the military, and specifically the special operations groups, the BLACKHAWK! brand was the epitome tactical gear brand in the world for over a decade and was synonymous with superior mission-designed products. In April of 2010, the company was purchased by a conglomerate, and Noell took a step back. But Navy SEALS don’t ever really retire, do they?

SENTRY Founder Mike Noell

Of course not. Retirement was not an option. SENTRY Products Group is the latest entrepreneurial passion of Mike and his team of former BLACKHAWK! executives to showcase and bring a variety of products to the market for law enforcement, military, security, and outdoor communities.

His years as a Navy SEAL had provided Mike with some of the critical skills he would take into the business world, such as to never quit, that failure is not an option, and to not try, but do. Combined with his father’s experience as a problem solver and entrepreneur, Mike’s initial endeavor into the cut and sew business for his military pals was not easy.

“We started in a garage. All the gear that our guys were using was old and out of date with all the new electronics that they started to carry in the field. They needed new pouches and load-bearing systems. It was a time of transitioning out of the Vietnam era and into today where our special operators and specifically the Navy SEALS needed to accomplish their missions better and faster, and gear was critical to their success.”

The way it works in the world of firearms is that civilian innovation feeds the military, and vice-versa. The gear that Noell trusts with his life has been torture-tested and engineered until it’s good enough for SEALS … and that means it’s perfect for your everyday carry rig. Naturally, we simply couldn’t tell you this story without letting you know that, right now, you can win a SENTRY EDC bundle worth $740 with our …

This giveaway centers two guns: Taurus’ GX4, perfected for everyday urban carry; and the Magnum Research BFR chambered in .500 JRH for when you’re out in the backcountry. Of course, we’re supplying 2,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition from 2A Warehouse, holsters and a gift certificate from CrossBreed, a Legion Targets Target Stand bundle, a Laserman laser training system, Ed Brown magazines, a blade from WeKnife Company, a Sentry EDC bundle, ear protection from AXIL, and a SIG SAUER reflex sight courtesy of the XDMAN.