Now since the American Homeguard Anti-Terrorist Handbook has the name of TM 725-15 some idiots have taken to claiming I intended to pass it off as a real military manual. This is just Bull Shit... yes, I blatantly called it Bull Shit, not BS. Here is why, who has heard of the American Homeguard branch of the military. They aren't at the VA, they aren't in any Veterans Parades. The fact is, there is no American Homeguard... The name Homeguard comes from the old British World War II Civil Defense Pamphlets which advised British citizens form Homeguard units... So, the British term Homeguard was basically just a term for Militia. There is a pretty interesting story behind this... If you are Interested. Now the Militia, as a separate defensive force to protect the nation made up of civilian volunteers. Was put forward in the book How to Reform the Army by Tom Wintringham in 1939. This name was chosen by Ashida Kim, Dojo Press was my publisher at the time, since my idea for a title was simply The Anti-Terrorist Handbook and Ashida saw it as something written to target the Militia & Survivalist Community (which is was). The American Homeguard is whatever one wants it to be and they don't exactly have to call themselves that, use the term militia and form a militia. However, the book is written to provide basic skills, camouflage, hand-to-hand combatives, firearms training, individual and small teams tactics, herbal medicine, survival and first aid training.
If you are a "lone wolf" it covers basic concepts of how to move and work as a team. If you are a team, it covers how the manage one's group, organize it under a system paramilitary command structure. So if you find an Individual or a Smaller Group you bring something in the way of basic skills and a simple formation of team work. But, now comes the ten million dollar question... Why?
The Answer... Because I believe in Paramilitary Survivalism... Yes, I think a "Prepper" should be a Survivalist and focus on military or paramilitary skills and training and yes, I think that should include martial arts training. The old school Survivalist mentality of being paramilitary, guys who had weapons and gear stashed away for then the Soviets invaded in some Red Dawn scenario. Why? Because if you can handle Red Dawn you can handle Deliverance. Don't know about Wrong Turn though, be safer to just stay out of West Virginia. Or watch Appalachian Outlaws, yes we do have idiots who idiots who would make a bomb and throw it in someone's house or run around and play Doc Holiday with an AR15. So lets cover the basic kit for the Paramilitary Survivalist.
First off, lets start with the Trench Coat... Gotta have a trench coat cause its tacti-cool, right? No... But a trench is cool, you can use it as shelter, lean-tos and such. Ninja Video that shows something similar used with Kimonos. So any long coat that comes to about your knees is a good thing. An btw this is why Mountain Men were the long bear skin coats and cowboys wore Dusters.
Secondly it covers your kit, your gear. Wear as much of your kit as possible, this kits your hands free and why I suggest LBEs, LBVs and tactical vests for preppers and survivalists.
And you will need a rifle, I suggest an AR15 style rifle. Owning the rifle isn't enough, you also need training and practice. You get your training in one of three ways... Or use all three in conjunction.
1. You can Enlist...
2. You can Take a Class...
3. You can Train with the Militia or Similar group of people...
4. Buy books and Videos and try to do it yourself...
Now get this... you need to first have a weapon zeroed at 300 meters (yards will work but the Military thinks in meters, so will a foreign invader). This is all the "Bells & Whistles" you need. You need to zero the weapon and train to use the weapon, training is so much better then technology... Hense the image above of a stock AR15 style rifle without a "carrying handle" or sling... Believe me, all the lights and lasers are useless without training. The same point and fire drill you are depending on a laser sight to help you with, I learned to do without a laser sight. Meaning the laser would only enhance a skill I developed in the US Army as an Infantry Soldier through practice... In the hands of a civilian without my training, they are using a tool without the skill to properly apply it...
Lets put this in another way, what do you know about Jet Engines? I personally don't know a single thing, but I've worked on cars. I know how a ratchet works and know how to tighten and loosen bolts with it. Now do you trust me to bolt a part onto a jet engine, an engine you are going to be a passenger on?
Right... I wouldn't trust me to do it either. Because while my limited knowledge may be enough, it is not enough. Here is the big thing that people don't get, you have to have intelligence to be a grunt. You are not a monkey blindly following orders and carrying out drills, yes you get trained for that box in Basic Training and then you get told to be creative and think outside the box. The hell with it, throw away that box... Why do you need a laser on your rifle if you don't have the skill to put that red dot on target within the half-a-second you have to shoot the enemy before they shoot you? The answer is that laser is worthless... Add to that you need the experience to know where your laser is zeroed and where the round with strike below or above that zero. Why because if you don't know a round will strike 2 inches high (just an example number here it will be different between each shooter and platform) at 25 to 50 meters on a laser sight zeroed at 100 meters, if you don't have the experience to show you this and to compensate you might make some completely ~newbie~ mistake like assuming that the red dot on the bad guys head is were the round will strike and miss your shot.
So before you put 8 poumds of tacti-cool toys on a 7 pound rifle, invest a few hundred dollars in bullets and training...
You can enlist, the military will pay you, train you and might even give you some experience that will enhance that training.
You can take a Class, I am seriously worried here and here is why... Tactical Instructors are usually former military or former police. I would not trust the police tactical training. Sorry but, yeah. Tactical Schools are like Martial Arts or Self-Defense Schools. They all sit around trying to develop a new drill, a new and better technique to use and so on. Sadly... There is only so many new methods you can invent and only so many of the Basics that really matter. Things that aren't tacti-cool like Penny Drills, "Tactical Reloads" (Loading a weapon after use, before the magazine is expended, so that you have a full magazine if you have to shoot again) and Reflex Firing (also called Point Shooting). Many times I've debated with friends, Johnny Hunter, about the need for things like a flashlight, laser and so. When simple drills and practice does so much better in building skills that don't run out of batteries or what have you. The problem is many tactical schools ran by former Law Enforcement make their money by making training fun and don't focus on the basics. Many former Military ran schools will make you pony up the extra cash to take a basic class just for their school to make sure you are on the same page as everyone else... Keep in mind also many times these schools will market themselves mainly to police and military and assume the student has that as a base for their training.
Buyer beware you are paying for the knowledge, experience and sometimes to insight and creativity of a person to be your instructor. Know who you are dealing with and ask questions and get solid answers... Sometimes schools are good and sometimes not, you need to figure out if the school is right for you. I've seen LEO based schools that had great urban warfare training but laughable woodland range training. It wasn't a bad school, just a school owner who lacked experience in an area due to how he was trained and were he lived. I don't expect a Arizona swim class to teach surfing...
Training with a Militia or Similar Group... This is something I touched on with my Interview with Coronel Hunt. There are militias who are militia only in the name. They are a Civilian Paramilitary force. They are not part of the Philosophy of the Militia Movement which is a return to constitutionality from our government. You have groups with Racist Motivations and you have those with political motivations and so on so forth... So you don't want to drawn up into a cult or some terrorist group or some FBI sting operation. These groups will not connect you to like minded individuals and get you basic combat training with a rifle, but camouflage, first-aid, radio communications and more.
Do it Yourself, buying books and videos... I don't really know what to tell you. I'm not sure I have to tell their are frauds and people who are generally good guys putting out information that's limited or making up the rest as they go along to sell you on their classes and such. So you can buy books and videos and try to train on your own.
Now to Ask and Answer the Bigger Question of why you need this set up and mindset of Prepping... I am not a prepper I am a survivalist, the survivalist movement I grew up in during the 90s was made up of Christians... Yes, Christians who didn't believe in the Rapture. They believed they would be forced to choose between taking the Mark of Beast, dying or fighting to defend their family and friends and still dying. So these Christians become known as Survivalists and many were veterans. The ideas of the Survivalists became popular among more liberal minded people and the term Prepper became the PC term and preppers became less Paramilitary. The Big Question is why is this style/type of Survival or Prepping Philosophy as good thing and why should one practice it?
The answer is simple, because when the time comes to defend yourself, you don't rise to occuasion you fall back on training... Look Terrorists are training to engage you with their bare hands, knives, handguns and rifles. Baltimore & Chicago has proven the police are tools of the politicians (sorry guys but its the truth) and respond at the whims of those in power. Sure we've seen cops in New York prove their power by refusing to be the Jack Booted Thugs of the Political Machine but, while those charged with serving and protecting are playing political power games and/or being used a pawns in that game where does this leave you and your family?
I am afraid the time to sit back and let others fight for you, defend you and protect you has ended. The time to "beat your plow shields in swords" is nearly here. If nothing else having the ability to defend yourself means the ability to defend those around you. I'm not saying go fight a war, I am saying be as prepared as you can do fight a war. Avoid danger if possible but you have to fight, win. Paramilitary training is being given to police because of the threat of gangs and such..? In a world without the support of the police could survive with Paramilitary Training of your own..?
The beauty of the trench coat and you can do basic tan as well, is that you can hide your kit and weapon under the coat. You can present a low profile and still be able to bring the pain if need be against a threat.
