News for Old Timers: Keith Idema Imprisoned (again)

[thei3ug]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,124941,00.html

that is, in afghanistan.

He was the proprieter of ICS, Idema Combat Systems, maker of paintball packs/vests and Tac vests.

He is a very controversial character in paintball, having pissed a lot of people off / leaving debts, ending up in in jail for four years in what turned out to be false imprisonment. from what I read, and the last I heard of him he was working for Geraldo as a bodyguard when good old Geraldo went to afghanistan to hunt Bin Laden.

Interesting little foray into our sport, and out of our sport, interesting claimed life... Love him or Hate him (and a lot of people in paintball do), he's lived in the hotspots of our time. As niteHawk put it:

::language:: but.... he has a very strong personal code, and he was/is one of the best at what he does... hell, he's been the personal protection for a lot of kings/princes/etc... over the last few years.
Think Steve Segal.. but y'know.. real.

Now he's in jail. in afghanistan. for some interesting charges.

Source thread:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=9013&messageid=1089253303

[Shives]

Love my ICS vest, never met the man...

I still use my ICS stock class vest. I've replaced the elastic straps, but other than that it has held up great. I figure it has got to be 10 years old. For anything that takes that kind of abuse, that is terrific. I may eventually have to have someone build me a new one.
I heard he was one of those guys who advertised in the back of SOF. If he was special forces, I'm sure he did good things for our country. How "real" his post service exploits were, I haven't a clue.
It might be a good thing he left the sport. Having that connection to SOF and some mercenary, may not be the image we need.

Shives

[AGD]

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy....

AGD

[SCpoloRicker]

this is all over mainstream media.

It's interesting reading about the large number of private contractors over in Iraq, as well as all the confusion regarding whom is whom. I think that a lot of the SOF wannabe's with some military experience are getting involved over there.

It's sad that we pay our professional soldiers, who are accountable, and professional, far less than these untrained private contractors.

Gonna get worse before it gets better... [I've been saying that a lot lately.]

Ricker

[Muzikman]

Well, first off, he is in Afghanistan, second, I would not say a former Green Baret is "untrained".

[50 cal]

At the Masters in Nashville in about '88 or '89 I watched our favorite moron Keith Idema chase the owner of some ICS knock off company around trying to bean him with a 18" Bushmaster pump barrel claiming he was making cheap copies of his gear. The guy was, but it showed what an absolute idiot Idema was.

I remember Idema giving away signed posters of himself at a "classified training facility" on Ft. Bragg NC. It was the old MOUT site. I laughed my rear off.

Keith Idema.....a legend in his own mind!

[Josh2Xtremes]

Wow...

Talk about your blasts from the past. Having worked and played in the Fayettenam/Fort Bragg area of North Carolina for some time he was a figure that was often talked about in local paintball circles. I'd have to agree with TK: "couldn't have happened to a nicer guy"
Josh
PS: Love him or hate him his gear ruled.

[Tyger]

I wondered what he was up to lately. Apparently, he's been a busy guy...

Suddenly, I'm happy I didn't take up on his offer to be the chief editor of Paintball Planet....

-Tyger