Widgets for warriors

Trexpo, the Tactical Response Expo being held last week outside Wasington, had everything your expeditionary force, first responders or black budget spy agency might need, says a Washington Post story published Friday.  How about these high-tech wowers?  A liquid that, when sprayed on your body allows you to withstand temperatures of up to 2000 degrees. Body armor designed to protect soldiiers from IEDs. An audio recorder half the size of a cigarette lighter. ...

The exhibit hall is crawling with cops, spooks and troops. They came this week to scout for gear and learn the latest in crime-fighting and counterterror techniques at seminars with titles such as "Tactical Folding Knife" and "Attack Recognition for Motorcade Operations." Things wrapped up yesterday with some hands-on action at the National Rifle Association's shooting range.

... [A] mix of testosterone, zeal and courage emanates from the hundreds of brawny law enforcement and military types who mill about at Trexpo, some dressed in SWAT black, many sporting the off-duty uniform of cargo pants and tight polos, the better to accentuate one's biceps. They pause under displays that bristle with weaponry ("HK Handguns for Homeland Security"), assault garb, gas masks, rescue gear, night-vision and surveillance gadgetry.

"It's a lot of really cool stuff. It's amazing what they can do with technology," says Army Capt. Dan Glanz, pausing by a high-definition simulated shooting range. Wearing khaki fatigues and desert boots, he is approached by strangers who awkwardly shake his left hand.

Glanz, 33, a Special Operations Civil Affairs reservist from Orange, lost his other hand and a portion of his right arm in Kandahar in June. His forehead and upper lip are scarred as well. "I was on a routine mission and there was a suicide bomber."