Every once in a while, you get some advice that is completely contrary to what you expect yet is 100% accurate and timely. I got some of this advice from the battalion Sergeant Major when we were returning home from my first deployment to Iraq. In his address to the battalion as we were getting … Continue reading Realistic Expectations – A Post Deployment Brief
Do you have too many "spares" in your pack? I think everyone has heard the phrase, "one is none, and two are one". It is heavily quoted in the prepper communities, as well as various aspects of the military, law enforcement, bushcraft, and camping worlds. It is advice passed around when people are packing up … Continue reading “One is None, Two are One” is Dumb
This is also credited as an old African Proverb. Who said it wasn't wrong though. There is an old quote that I would rather have an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep. If I had to describe my experience in military, it would have the … Continue reading Don’t Underestimate Crazy with Organized Leadership
CH-46 at sun rise. Once upon a second Iraq deployment I was flying CASEVAC, casualty evacuation. It was a quite the experience. One day we picked up an insurgent from the Shock Trauma Platoon in Ramadi to haul him to a higher level trauma center. He was pretty messed up and had quite a few … Continue reading Terrorist in a Helicopter
Would you believe some things you see in a movie wouldn't be rooted in reality? As a "kid", fighting in a war for the first time maybe I should have known better. I'll admit though there were a few things that surprised me because it was different than the movies portrayed them and I didn't … Continue reading I’m Here to Help
Why train when you can sleep? During our deployment to Iraq in 2004 out company, about 150 guys, was located on a FOB (Forward Operating Base). Which just a tiny base with a small number of people. The small size is significant due to fact that we were so few that the locals were able … Continue reading Doing Things Well
Yesterday my wife read two articles about people waiting way too long to make an attempt at keeping their children safe. The first case involved a parent and child sitting in a car in the parking lot. Someone walked up to the parked car and after a short exchange of words this creatin tried several … Continue reading Keep Your Family Safe
Depending on who you follow on the internet and YouTube there is a great deal of varied opinion on how important the ability to start a fire is, especially with any tool past a cigarette lighter. There seems to be two main camps that have become popular: 1) The Bushcrafter - someone that has fifteen … Continue reading Is Bushcraft Fire Starting a Waste of Time?
Any modern incarnation of the Home Guard is going to be unsupported or, at best, minimally supported. After all, their main purpose is to provide support and assistance, not to be assisted. As this is just a concept, there is no one who could be planning to provide support to them. Today, we are going … Continue reading What Does Unsupported Mean?
Something not normally discussed else where, but I thought it may be interesting for those unfamiliar with the day to day life in a combat unit. Normally, the guidance given in training for time prior to mission departure centers around precombat checklists: you will find things like gear checks, knowledge of the plan, comms, objectives, … Continue reading Precombat Rituals
Outpost 95 