Fred Pickler is an American actor, author, former deputy sheriff and
photographer, instructor in police chemical munitions in US, Australia
and New Zealand, counter-terrorist munitions instructor, whose
photographs have appeared in Life Magazine. He is possibly best
remembered as Detective Tom Gordon/Yellow Man in David Lynch’s
controversial film Blue Velvet, in which Pickler almost walked out of
during its premiere. He was also deputy with the New Hanover County
Sheriff’s Department for eight years , and as chief evidence
technician at the death scene of Robert Harrill, in which Pickler
would eventually co-write The Reluctant Hermit of Fort Fisher about
Harrill's life, and was elected president of the Fort Fisher Hermit
Society, formed in Harrill's honor.Pickler was born in Pinehurst,
North Carolina before moving to Wilmington at sixteen. From 1960 to
1962, he toured with the U.S. Army as an infantryman during the
building of the Berlin Wall, and worked in intelligence collection in
East Germany for a year. After a short break in service, he
re-enlisted in December 1962, where he schooled in Massachusetts with
the former Army Security Agency and made a short tour in Korea. He
received a second honorable discharge after being reassigned to Fort
Huachuca for two years and there served on the post's rifle team for
two years. Upon honorable discharge, his rank was Specialist Five
(E-5)P. His military awards include a good conduct medal (2nd Award),
Army of Occupation medal (Berlin), Armed Forces Expeditionary medal,
Korea Service medal, Expert Infantry badge, Expert Qualification
badges in rifle (M-1 & M-14), carbine (M-1), pistol (1911), first
class gunner-recoilless rifle, second class gunner-mortar, and
graduate of the Seventh Army NCO Academy March 1962 and the US Army
Security Agency Electronic Countermeasures Search and Analysis course
in 1963.He became a notable photographer when hired for Wilmington’s
Star-News, while also working as a stringer for United Press
International. Pickler eventually became a staff photographer at the
Sun Sentinel in Pompano Beach, Florida for a few months before
returning to Wilmington to be a freelance photographer.In the author
biography for The Reluctant Hermit of Fort Fisher, Pickler mentions
having had numerous occupations, including driving trucks for the
local zoo and an oil truck for a station at Carolina Beach, running a
bar, employment with the New Hanover County Sheriff's Department from
1971 through 1979, initially working undercover in narcotics and civil
intelligence collection during some tumultuous times of racial nature.
His drug investigations resulted in penetrating two major heroin
distribution gangs, the arrest and felony convictions of more than 35
hard drug dealers, and the arrest of members of a group called Rights
of White People for building single and multiple shot pipe guns. He
rose to rank of detective sergeant, then was an auxiliary police
officer with the Carolina Beach Police Department for five years. He
also taught riot control procedures and was a law enforcement firearms
instructor in the Southeastern parts of North Carolina through Cape
Fear Technical College, Samson Tech, Wake Tech, Fayetteville,
Greensboro, High Point, and as an instructor at the Smith & Wesson
Academy in chemical munitions, later years specializing in a police
chemical munitions instructor course, then as district sales manager
with Smith & Wesson Law Enforcement Division from 1979â€"1986, then
joining Aircraft Armaments Corporation for four years, again traveling
to numerous locations in the US (including Hawaii) and Australia again
instructing in law enforcement chemical instructor courses, employed
with Applied Laser Systems selling weapons mounted lasers in US and
Europe, selling so much product they could not meet the demand,
departed after 1 year becoming the US agent for NICO Pyrotechnik
selling anti-terrorist munitions, and conducting training sessions and
chemical munitions seminars at locations in the US recently[when?]
retiring after 25 years with NICO Pyrotechnik and Rheinmetall WM as
their US agent to the Special Operations community. His sales activity
took a company selling products in the US at less than $20,000
annually to multi-million dollar contracts with police, federal
agencies and the Special Operations Community. He is still active in
gun shows in Fayetteville, Raleigh and Charlotte and
preparing-assembling individual survival kits for two elite military
agencies.
photographer, instructor in police chemical munitions in US, Australia
and New Zealand, counter-terrorist munitions instructor, whose
photographs have appeared in Life Magazine. He is possibly best
remembered as Detective Tom Gordon/Yellow Man in David Lynch’s
controversial film Blue Velvet, in which Pickler almost walked out of
during its premiere. He was also deputy with the New Hanover County
Sheriff’s Department for eight years , and as chief evidence
technician at the death scene of Robert Harrill, in which Pickler
would eventually co-write The Reluctant Hermit of Fort Fisher about
Harrill's life, and was elected president of the Fort Fisher Hermit
Society, formed in Harrill's honor.Pickler was born in Pinehurst,
North Carolina before moving to Wilmington at sixteen. From 1960 to
1962, he toured with the U.S. Army as an infantryman during the
building of the Berlin Wall, and worked in intelligence collection in
East Germany for a year. After a short break in service, he
re-enlisted in December 1962, where he schooled in Massachusetts with
the former Army Security Agency and made a short tour in Korea. He
received a second honorable discharge after being reassigned to Fort
Huachuca for two years and there served on the post's rifle team for
two years. Upon honorable discharge, his rank was Specialist Five
(E-5)P. His military awards include a good conduct medal (2nd Award),
Army of Occupation medal (Berlin), Armed Forces Expeditionary medal,
Korea Service medal, Expert Infantry badge, Expert Qualification
badges in rifle (M-1 & M-14), carbine (M-1), pistol (1911), first
class gunner-recoilless rifle, second class gunner-mortar, and
graduate of the Seventh Army NCO Academy March 1962 and the US Army
Security Agency Electronic Countermeasures Search and Analysis course
in 1963.He became a notable photographer when hired for Wilmington’s
Star-News, while also working as a stringer for United Press
International. Pickler eventually became a staff photographer at the
Sun Sentinel in Pompano Beach, Florida for a few months before
returning to Wilmington to be a freelance photographer.In the author
biography for The Reluctant Hermit of Fort Fisher, Pickler mentions
having had numerous occupations, including driving trucks for the
local zoo and an oil truck for a station at Carolina Beach, running a
bar, employment with the New Hanover County Sheriff's Department from
1971 through 1979, initially working undercover in narcotics and civil
intelligence collection during some tumultuous times of racial nature.
His drug investigations resulted in penetrating two major heroin
distribution gangs, the arrest and felony convictions of more than 35
hard drug dealers, and the arrest of members of a group called Rights
of White People for building single and multiple shot pipe guns. He
rose to rank of detective sergeant, then was an auxiliary police
officer with the Carolina Beach Police Department for five years. He
also taught riot control procedures and was a law enforcement firearms
instructor in the Southeastern parts of North Carolina through Cape
Fear Technical College, Samson Tech, Wake Tech, Fayetteville,
Greensboro, High Point, and as an instructor at the Smith & Wesson
Academy in chemical munitions, later years specializing in a police
chemical munitions instructor course, then as district sales manager
with Smith & Wesson Law Enforcement Division from 1979â€"1986, then
joining Aircraft Armaments Corporation for four years, again traveling
to numerous locations in the US (including Hawaii) and Australia again
instructing in law enforcement chemical instructor courses, employed
with Applied Laser Systems selling weapons mounted lasers in US and
Europe, selling so much product they could not meet the demand,
departed after 1 year becoming the US agent for NICO Pyrotechnik
selling anti-terrorist munitions, and conducting training sessions and
chemical munitions seminars at locations in the US recently[when?]
retiring after 25 years with NICO Pyrotechnik and Rheinmetall WM as
their US agent to the Special Operations community. His sales activity
took a company selling products in the US at less than $20,000
annually to multi-million dollar contracts with police, federal
agencies and the Special Operations Community. He is still active in
gun shows in Fayetteville, Raleigh and Charlotte and
preparing-assembling individual survival kits for two elite military
agencies.
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