Hm. I’ll bet the sound, to someone who has heard it in combat in an adjoining room, produces the same effect that a Mossberg Pump Action Shotgun has on a perp in a darkened house when a round is racked.
Embassy duty in Paris? Probably a perk for combat veterans, I hope, if that is their thing.
I’ll bet those Marines were watching the POS, because you never turn your back on a snake. I’ll just bet they were suspicious, and when the guy walked over to the can, one or both probably sauntered by and “cocked an ear”.
Prayers for the injured Devil Dog.
If they were Marine Security Guards they had a good bit more training than your standard Marine. I worked with a guy who had been one... exceptionally talented.