I had a moment of sheer panic in 1984. I was in an enforcement operation on the Souther Border. We were a month of flying into every Port of Entry, every other day. Some airlines were very understanding and allowed us to carry aboard. Texas International required that the firearms were unloaded and locked in a suitcase and placed in the cargo hold. When we arrived in El Paso the team was involved in subduing a 350 lb. suspect who had a .357 revolver and an ounce of heroin. It required three people to disarm him and take him into custody when we discovered the pistol on him. When I got back to the motel I took off my holster and pistol and discovered that I had failed to reload after taking the pistol out of my luggage. My knees buckled. At that point I was 50 years old . I had carried in the Marine Corps, the Border Patrol and now in U.S. Customs but never made such a dangerous mistake.What it that has been said about getting older? I thought about all of that.