I would love to tell you I am expert on Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Warfare... but I am not. What I am is a grunt (infantry man) who got do some training with the NBC guys or as we also called them "No Body Cares" well at least your skin is burning or melting off or you are dying of radiation poisoning. So here is what I learned hanging with the NBC crew...
1. Radiation from a power plant is more dangerous then a bomb, why because the material in a power plant is intended to last for a longer time and so yes can poison an area for hundreds of years with radiation.
2. Radiation from a Nuclear Bomb is faster deteriorating due to the sudden release of energy as compared to the slow degradation of say a Nuclear Power Plant's control Rod. This means that you can wait out a disaster from a nuclear weapon but not from a nuclear power plant.
3. You need iodine. Iodine is used to treat cuts and such but liquid iodine can be taken by a 2 table spoon dose with a liter or quart of clean water. Iodine Water Filtration Tablets can be used with a 1-quart of water in a standard GI issued canteen. And of course their is Iodine Solution you can buy online for radiation poisoning. The latter is your best bet.
A gas mask is also good to have...
Now I will explain the construction of the bomb shelter.
What you will need is cinder blocks, mortar, concrete, 4x4 Wooden posts, ply wood sheets and 5 Steel external doors without peep holes.
So you need to start, the basic out outline needs to laid with cinder block producing the initial "box" that will acts as a foundation. I suggest building this on your basement , barn or with some other similar structure but if you are building it outside, you need to dig a hole about 6 to 7 feet deep. Then lay your blocks & Position your doors.
You need a twelve foot by eight food living area. This can accommodate four people quite well. Ideally you might only need to be here for two weeks to a month. So keep in mind the space is going to be limited and well you need to maximize the room you have. This means bunk beds, storing supplies under beds or stacked into boxes.
So you need for 4 adults (assuming teenage children as adults) 4 gallons of water for 2 weeks (14 days) equals 56 gallons of water. Add some board games, playing cards etc. You will also need gas masks, hazmat suits and other items. Once you have about four feet of wall built you need to add 1 and 1/2 inch pipe as an air vent, this vent needs to be built with an "S" curve as shown and allows for a flow catch to catch heavier partials of debris in the air open end on the outside should face down, this prevents falling partials of debris from entering the air flow pipe as well. The hole cut into the wall is patched with mortar and concrete poured into the cinder blocks to strengthen the walls.
This provides some protection. After the walls have reached the desired height a roof can be fashion with the plywood sheets about 1/2 to 1 inch thing. Concrete is then mixed and spread over the plywood in layers of 2 to three inches at a time. They may need to be reinforced with 4x4 support columns to bear the weight until the concrete dries & you need 24 to 28 inches of concrete over head to provide protection.
A Faraday cage should be used to protect any electronics key electronics should include but not be limited to an emergency radio, a handheld CB radio, any night vision devices and any power inverters and charge controllers for solar kits. Needless to say food should be rationed, as well as water. Major targets for a nuclear war will be are military bases, especially naval bases where nuclear submarines are based carrying Inter Centennial Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), large industrial centers, large population centers and any major airports. So you want to be away from them as best you can.
Once the bombs go off, hopefully you have gotten some warning and can get you and your loved one's into the Bomb Shelter, DO NOT got out of the Shelter in the first 48 hours. Remember the 7/10 rule radioactive fall out breaks down at a rate of ten every factor of seven increase in time. Meaning that after seven minutes a unit of radiation breaks down to 1/10th, after seven hours breaks down to 1/100th, after seven days breaks down to 1/1000th and so on exponentially.
So 2 weeks is a safe minimum; so you need to stock up on food and can get instructions on how to build your own Hazmat Suit from Poorman's Guide to Prepping & you can find free resources on Nuclear Protection here. Building such a shelter in one's basement or an old cave or mine, only adds Nuclear defense protection & adds concealment of prepper OPSEC.
Now allow me to explain the need for so many doors. The doors provide for an airlock system to reduce contamination to the shelter chamber. Leaving the shelter one would move to the first airlock, which doubles as washroom. Once here one enters the suit room, closing the airlock door and puts their hazmat suit (whether commercial or home made) as specified by its proper design. One exits the suit room, entering the scrub room and then the outer airlock, closing each door behind one's self. One then scavenges for supplies and does whatever one wishes to do outside...
Upon returning one uses warm soapy water and washes off beginning with one's hands up to the elbows, then one's head and down to the feet. Once one does this preliminary washing down, one enters the Airlock and locks the door behind one's self. If there is a lot of debris being blown around one can avoid this step until inside the Airlock. One moves to the scrub room using a new clean bucket of warm soapy water to wash off again as before using a scrub brush this time. Once in the suit room, one exits the Hazmat suit and enters the internal airlock. Here one washes off their skin and hair directly and consumes potassium iodine to prevent any radiation sickness.
I must stress this, one should not exit the Bomb Shelter before the first 48 to 72 hours and remain their a possibility of 14 to 30 days. So with all this talking of nuclear war from Russia and China, now is the time for people to start thinking of dealing with that threat and perhaps even pulling our resources to get things done.
Ok now I wrote the Anti-Terrorist Handbook, available here at Shadow Warrior Publishing. You've no doubt noticed my Interview with High Ranking Member of the Militia Movement and the recommendation to work with the militia to learn basic military skills and get "tactical" Paramilitary Training for low cost, no cost other then supplying your own gear which you have to do at most tactical schools anyway...
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.
Concept about 8 minutes into the video, but has some cool field craft information for you guys...
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.
Now this is an example of a basic LBE, its a pistol belt is supported by the suspenders and carries everything. Two, triple 30-Round Magazine Pouches. Two 1-Quart Canteens, one canteen cup, that you also use for cooking and boiling water in a canteen pouch that has room for a small bottle of Iodine Water Purification Tablets. And a Butt Pack, which should contain 3 extra 30-Round Magazines, A Poncho, Poncho Liner, fire kit, First Aid gear and some food rations. I'd add tying and taping an "L" shaped flashlight with red lens to the suspender, a compass and big ass knife to the pistol belt. A drop holster if you have the handgun. Remember this LBE is going to be under your trench coat.
Or you can do the Capain Blackeagle BLE build... This build means one is carrying 2 canteens, the butt pack and a total of 360 rounds in 12 Magazines (390 if you include the 30 rounds in your rifle magazine).
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.
We covered what you need to prepare for in part but not what might trigger said breakdowns to occur. If you didn't read part one, I'd suggest going back and reading it. Just to save time and recap there are only 5 events to prepare for (1) a breakdown in social order, (2) a breakdown in communication, (3) a breakdown in transportation, (4) a breakdown in energy and/or fuel infrastructure and (5) a breakdown in the availability of basic resources. What can cause one breakdown can cause others. No power means gas pumps don't work and causes a fuel shortage. A fuel shortage can keep coal from getting to power plants, causing a electricity distribution shortage. No power communication like TV, internet and even simple 2 way radios goes out. Its all interconnected and as it all breaks down the most basic resource we all take for advantage; food and water, doesn't get to us. When the machine of society breaks down, people fall back to their most basic nature. They become opportunistic and savage & as I have already stated I believe the criminals in our society will organize in the chaos far quicker then many preppers.
So lets examine what can cause those breakdowns and examine how that effects survival preparedness.
(1) a breakdown in social order:
Loss of trust in local government, once people no longer trust their local government or federal government on a national level can cause people to turn to crime outright.
Terrorism, the specific targeting of civilians is called terrorism. Any mass attack on civilians is likely to cause certain members of society to take their self-defense into their own hands. This in turn causes others to feel threatened and old hostilities flare up leading to skirmishes and violence.
Civil Unrest, we can just chalk this up to large scale crime like the riots and looting taking place in the US currently Baltimore, Ferguson, etc. in the name of justice. A large violent outbreak is by design a breakdown in social order and can lead to more such social chaos.
Natural or Manmade Crisis effecting one or more of the other crisis elements, people who are starving will take food they cannot purchase or that is refused them. Take away other critical resources and elements of our functioning society and people are likely do whatever it takes to get by.
War, Rebellion or Invasion, not so much a single terrorist act but a protracted bout of fighting between two or more side such as what is happening in the Ukraine at this present moment.
Institution of Martial Law, the government dissolving and maintaining its order via the institution of military powers, martial law quite simply means military rule. This can lead to rebellion, terrorism and civil unrest causing a breakdown on social order.
Economic Collapse, the de-valuation of currency, seizure of private assets, inflation, stagflation and other economic chaos that makes currency worthless in its value can be lead to riots, looting, rising crime, and other social chaos as people attempt to acquire basic necessities they can no longer buy with currency.
A breakdown in social order is the primary crisis element as it is the most extensive and destructive. Hurricane Katrina did not last as long a the social chaos that made matters worse after the storm ended. In some cases, letting neighbors know you are have preparations is ill advised. I certainly let my neighbors know I have US Army infantry training, weapons or a HAM set up during martial law or an invasion. I would want to help organize the neighborhood during civil unrest or a natural disaster by highlighting my military training and ability to organize, weapons to help defend my community or a radio set up that permits me to gather information. Operational security doesn't mean clandestine preparedness, it means limiting available information where pertinent.
You can address preparedness from the FEMA recommended stand point and withhold information on one's personal preparedness beyond standard of a FEMA Basic Disaster Supplies Kit 3 days of stored food (page 35/Slide 23). Either way, you as an individual must prepare by getting self-defense or martial arts training and getting training to use a firearm. Most importantly you must own a firearm or at least a bat ball bat, a big ass knife & bow and arrows but guns are best. Stock plenty of ammo and practice at least once every 3 months or more.
(2) a breakdown in communication:
Disruption of Power, remove electricity and most communication systems; cell phones, internet, landlines, and radio communications are dependent on electrical power to function.
Natural or Manmade Disaster, a natural disaster can knock out lines of communication. Since most currency is nothing more then electronic signal in a computer network and not tangible cash, gold or silver disruption of the communication system(s) could effect other areas like finances and transportation. A disaster could effect not only effect communication lines directly, utility lines and transportation lines keeping the utility and communication lines from being quickly repaired.
EMP & Solar Flare, an electromagnetic pulse often associated with a nuclear weapon and a solar flare could disrupt power lines but are capable of burning out any computerized electronic device.
Cyber-Terrorism & Hackers, a direct attack on communication lines from cyber terrorists and hacker can disable communication and compromise sensitive information.
Terrorism or Military Action, the US military attacks enemy communication lines to isolate enemy soldiers. Terrorists can and have repeated this operation by disabling power and communication lines in some attacks.
System Overload, during the Boston Marathon terrorist attack people were calling 911 and trying to reach family to check on their welfare. This overloaded the communication system & caused an unintended communications breakdown.
(3) a breakdown in transportation:
Natural or Manmade Disaster Cutting Utility and Communication Lines, everyone thinks of road ways but communication disruptions can disable air travel and shipping as well. Plus of course travel along waterways and through our nations ports.
EMP & Solar Flare, an electromagnetic disturbance can effect communications (yes) but what about other systems like GPS, engines and voltage regulation systems that can disable cars, boats, ships & aircraft.
Traffic Disruption, not just limited to ground traffic and roads ways, I am also thinking of air traffic and sea traffic that can be effected by sabotage and terrorism.
Civil Unrest, Terrorism & Crime, protests in California over "racial violence" stopped traffic on the interstate this disrupted (only momentarily) shipping and infrastructure keeping "just in time" deliver of goods, including food and medicine, to be late and prevented people from getting to their jobs.
System Overload, yes too many people on the road, river, leaving the docks and trying to file flight planes to leave in private planes or simple overbooking of flights in mass could conjest and cause a transportation breakdown. This is confounded with traffic accidents, vehicular malfunction and human nature tat will lead to conflicts.
There is another element to a breakdown in communication that emergency services may or will be disrupted or non-existent. What happens if you can't travel from your location and an ambulance can't get to you while a loved one needs medical attention? What happens when you can't leave and the police can't come to save you from a criminal? In those cases, a disruption in transportation can cause a breakdown in social order. Hence why I suggest gun ownership.
(4) a breakdown in energy and/or fuel infrastructure:
Natural or Manmade Disaster Cutting Transport Line, cutting transport lines (yes this was mention under transportation breakdown) but if you can't get oil to international ports, fuel to airports and gas stations or coal to power plants, electricity isn't s readily available. No electricity and fuel doesn't get pumped or communication to ensure delivery doesn't occur. Its an interconnected system; energy and fuel.
EMP & Solar Flare, again all those computer regulated and controlled system can be damaged or disabled with an electromagnetic pulse.
Traffic Disruption, a simple traffic disruption can cause delays and disrupt services without the need of a disaster to cause them.
Civil Unrest & Crime, as we've seen in a civil unrest scenario parts of a city can be isolated by the unrest and property damaged. Criminals have disrupted power to disable alarms in part of the city, arson can effect an area especially where gas lines are involved and so on.
Terrorism or Military Action, the military forces of the world have had a long standing tactical tradition of cutting off supply lines, that includes electricity and fuel lines to effect communication and travel.
With a breakdown in energy (including fuel infrastructure) comes loss of a lot of technology we take for granted. Without a power grid your cell phone might have a battery but no juice is getting to the cell towers, traffic lights won't work beyond their limited battery life and fuel pumps won't work either so if you need gas for you generator.
(5) a breakdown in the availability of basic resources:
Lack of Utilities, how long will food last if you can't keep it cool? How long will social order last when you get the most basic necessity, water? You can buy all nonperishable foods like canned goods, ramon, pasta and so on but I love a good steak & a fresh salad.
Economic Collapse, food & clothing are basic resources we all need. In an economic collapse scenario you won't be able to buy a coat to keep you somewhat warm or food to eat because you money will have less value and de-value even faster. This is why gold and silver are important investments but so are acquiring barter value items while your money has value.
Natural & Manmade Disaster, whether it is a wildfire, flood, a tornado or nuclear blast and radioactive fallout it is possible your garden could be lost. Its possible your home, preparations and local shopping centers could be destroyed. Imagine is all you have to eat is the food in your home, how much do you have? What happens if the water coming out your sink is toxic or not running at all?
Civil Unrest & Crime, civil unrest like we've seen recently where stores were burned, plus criminal activity of a less grandstanding nature. Looting after a crisis or disaster such as in the fictional account of World War Z with the store scene might leave local shelves bare causing people to rob one another for basics like food, medicine and clothing. This it can't happen, it did in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.
Traffic Disruption, of course disrupt shipping and supplies don't make retail outlets. No retail outlets you can just order from Amazon, except they can't deliver either.
Communication Breakdowns, likewise remove communication no one know where to ship supplies and deliver basic resources.
Desperate people do desperate things, fear dominates most people's thoughts the world is threatening and more so to someone who panics. Values and good reputations mean nothing when people are hungry, and desperate. There logic de-evolves to primal and savage thinking. Leaving a person to face a life threatening event (even if only to them), will be considered no different then killing them yourself.
Stuff I didn't cover...
Nuclear war, the Yellowstone Super Volcano, Zombies, Space Aliens and other shit are massive "End of Days" events. I know I briefly brought up nuclear weapons but a nuclear war is a no win option meant to ensure mutual destruction. You need a bunker, hydroponics bay, staffed with security and medical staff and an exercise room & 20 years of stock piled food and ammo. Even then you're still gonna die, the mountains, caves and coal mines of West Virginia might shield me from the blast, stuffing my survival laptop, radios and inverters in an old microwave may protect them from the EMP (might not), I still get to live in a toxic Mad Max world. I might be better off smoking a dooby and dinking a cold one at ground zero for all I know.
Minus radiation, toxins, the T-virus, undead and aliens wanting to anal probe me, I think much of elements over lap. My best safety measure is self-sufficiency and careful planning. You take precautions for fallout, Falling Skies and being the Lost of Us which means everything I just covered plus, gas masks, hazmat suits and a means of growing food and raising animals (including feeding them) indoors. Even in those highly improbable scenarios the basic breakdown structures will be largely the same.
Now that we've covered what to prepare for and what can cause such breakdowns you need to apply the Strategic Planning Process...
Strategic Planning Process:
I will briefly outline the strategic planning process, and provide a sample using this process. You of course will have to adapt it to your needs and develop your own plan. We start with our end goal, use reverse planning. In other words, we decide on an end result and establish a time table, then figure out what we need to do to reach that point. Those things we need to do become long term goals and then work back figuring out what needs to happen to make those possible and so on. In some cases we may need to break goals down into steps or phases.
Each objective has a specific tactic to achieve it's end. So each goal has a list of acceptable tactics to meet that goal. Like chess, we may achieve our ends through circumstances we did not plan for but adapt our strategy to account for that success. One must plan for success and for failure in each stge of the planning process.
Overall Mission Objective: To Survive a Crisis that will alter my way of life for the next 20 to 30 years... Plan for a 30+ year effect. Achieve self-sufficiency in all 5 areas of critical survival elements. Tactics Used:
Order: Establish a community information network, a community support & defense network & an established emergency protocol for crisis events.
Resources: Develop a long-term food storage, long-term medical storage, develop alternate sources of food acquisition & develop alternate medical care acquisition.
Communication: Develop long-term community relationships, develop alternate means of spreading local news, develop alternate means of local communication & develop alternate means of long range communication.
Long Term Mission Objectives: Develop means of/foundation for "life long" survival after a crisis event. Plan for 15 to 20 year term investment. Tactics Used:
Order: Use pre-crisis support groups, not for profit organizations and association with community leaders to develop network and crisis protocols.
Transportation: Take up hiking, backpacking, BMX riding to learn alternate routes off known roadways, develop alternate fuel stockpiles: Bio-Diesel, Alco-line, etc.
Resources: Develop stockpile of food of purchased and self-prepared/self-raised food stuffs. Take a medical first-aid class and research alternative medicine, stockpile and raise medical herbs and stockpile purchased medical supplies.
Energy/Fuel: Develop and stockpile alternative fuels (yes, I already mentioned this), develop off-grid power supplies, solar, wind and hydro-electric.
Communication: Develop a community relationship, become associated with community leaders, local organizations & become associated with the CB and HAM local communities.
Mid Term Mission Objectives: Develop a specific series of plans for major life altering crisis events within 5 to 15 Years. Tactics Used:
Order: Find a small group of trusted friends who are also preppers to get together for training & teamwork development. Each team member should have a primary and a secondary role, with free cross training in other roles so that everyone can do someone else's job if need be.
Transportation: Acquire a BOV (Bug-out Vehicle) that is secondary to your POV (Personally Owned Vehicle) as an emergency vehicle to be used for evacuation. This BOV can be an ATV, Motorcycle, Boat, RV or other vehicle that allows flexibility in your ability to remove yourself from a threat and safely leave an area. Store at least 10 gallons of gasoline per vehicle & do not let tanks fall beneath 1/2 so that you can use your vehicle in an emergency.
Resources: Store X amount of purchased foods & grow Y amount of food at home with Z amount of grown food stored in canning jars.
Energy/Fuel: Invest in an alternate source of power for off grid emergency use, solar, wind, water or a generator. With additional fuel storage for the generator if you use one.
Communication: Establish a "call tree" for trusted friends & alternate communication methods such as Citizen Band (CB) radios in home and vehicles.
The difference between mid-term and short-term objectives is the difference between individual and community preparedness. One's priorities change from generalized to specific individual needs.
Short Term Mission Objectives: Develop and acquire a specific preparedness plan customized to local geography, local social/cultural acceptance & work with others to develop community support for preparedness within 1 to 5 Years. Here considerations like Order are replaced with Security and other changes. Tactics Used:
Security: Off grid alarm systems, acquire advanced tactical firearms training and barriers for defense.
Shelter: Begin to acquire own home and/or arrange safe locations with friends and family away from home in case of emergency evacuation (bugging-out).
Food/Water: Acquire and stock pile additional food supplies and water, that is rotated "first in, first out" & a water collection system, as well as begin a garden and produce your own food stuffs.
Transportation: Maintain good working order of POV and store at least 10 gallons of gasoline & do not let tanks fall beneath 1/2 so that you can use your vehicle in an emergency. Build a car kit with blankets, extra fluids for the car (oil, transmission, anti-freeze & so on), water & food, road flares.
Communications: Set up a CB Radio in one's POV and at home, establish a presence on citizen band radio & use internet to continue research improve your knowledge base.
Immediate Term Mission Objectives: Develop a basic preparedness plan and acquire basic equipment within 6 months to 1 year. Tactics Used:
Security: Get basic firearms training, take a self-defense combatives course & knife training.
Shelter: Create a bug-out support kit (in addition to the bug-out bag), items to buy for support kit: Axe, Shovel, Saw, Tarp, Pry Bar, Solar Kit, Batter & Inverter System. Add 5 changes of cloths, anti-bacterial soap, military cot(s), large first-aid kit, lanterns, cooking burner and fuel. Create Secondary Support Kit: With only food and water. These kits can be used in the house or loaded into your POV for emergency evacuation.
Food/Water: Buy more canned food/non-perishable food items. Cycle out of Bug-Out support kits every month "first in-first out" cycles.
Transportation: Maintain preventative maintenance of one's POV and if possible acquire a POV with 4-wheel or All Wheel drive capability.
Communications: Acquire a wind up emergency radio & walkie talkie handheld radios.
Skill Development: Survival skills, First Aid Skills & basic vehicle maintenance.
Initial Term Mission Objectives: Develop a means of basic survival preparedness & initial planning can begin from Zero-Minute (right now, literally this second) to 6 months. Tactics Used:
Security: Acquire a firearm & hunting style knife for self-defense usage. Research a good self-defense based martial art or combatives system. First Aid Kit, Have a Bug-Out bag for each person in your household; cheap premade bug-out bag are good for children.
Shelter: Acquire a Good Tent or learn to use a tarp for shelter. Minimum 2 methods of starting a fire. This goes in the bug-out bag.
Food/Water: Buy a Water Filtration Straw, a minimum 2 qt water storage container, mess kit, & store 3 to 5 days of food.
Transportation: Rather then bug-out on foot, I suggest a good BMX bicycle with off road capability as a back up for one's POV, in case it needs to be abandoned. Otherwise buy a good pair of hiking books or running shoes.
Communications: Buy a flare gun, road flares, glow sticks or a handheld emergency radio to get information.
Skill Development: Develop good Physical Fitness; to help prevent injury and illness, take up hiking, back packing and camping; to get used to the outdoors and, learn to fish and hunt; for basic outdoor living skills.
Note: A minor investment of $70 you can acquire a Wise Foods 5 Day Survival Backpack, but you have to add the Water Filter Straw (an additional $20), a small tarp, trail tent or Emergency Survival Tube tent, Emergency Radio, Flares or Glow Sticks and, a personal firearm. Allowing one to meet many of the Initial Objectives. There is also freely available information on self-defense that one can research and practice from online sources. That can give the beginning prepper something more then reliance on a weapon they may not always have at hand, these free sources of information are nothing without hard work and self-training and even then will not make you a martial arts master. Basic Self-Defense Moves from Lifehacker
You are not fighting a war, you are trying to stay alive. You may find that your bug out bag makes you are target for unprepared bullies & criminals. After Katrina people were being killed in the streets for supplies in garbage bags and in the ultimate end you will do what you have to survive. Work with what you have, a buddy to train with can make the basic techniques demonstrated in the videos above more effective then just watching them alone.
I know there are holes in the plan I set out, they are there because I tried to keep things generalized. My goal wasn't to give you a plan but you give you the framework to develop your own plan. Some of you (most of you) may not (will not) need to plan for 20+ year of a crisis. Not all preppers are doomsday preppers expecting the end of the world as we know it. Surely having more then a bug-out bag is important for those who look at the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and hurricane Sandy. Use what works and disregard what doesn't.
Everyone wants to be Tactical or Tacti-Cool but no one wants to be Strategic. What does it mean to be strategic anyway? Strategy is plan to reach a specific long term goal, by meeting various other goals. Most people think of strategy in the terms of warfare or strategy games but, strategy also plays an important role in starting & running a business as well. So lets treat this much like a game of chess, you begin by prioritizing options based on odds of success (odds and options) and you plan out your moves in accordance.
Lets start you plan with one question... What are you preparing for?
The answer isn't important, because it doesn't matter. You may think "What the is he talking about?" when you read that but lets keep things simple. Our society and infrastructure is based on key elements and if anything that breaks down those key elements creates a crisis event, otherwise known as the proverbial "Shit hitting the fan." Those key elements are;
1) Transportation
2) Energy/Fuel
3) Communication/information
4) Rule of Law/Societal Order
5) Basic Resource Availability
Knock down one and you might knock down all of them. In the past we travelled by horse back and cooked with wood, using oil to light our homes. Transportation advancements like the intercontinental rail road and wire telegraphs allowed people to travel safer and information to be transferred at a faster rate. Advancements in cars, computers, aircraft and in other areas have exploded everything but one key element Rule of Law/Societal Order. Societal Order is maintained under those other four elements. A breakdown in order can also occur when it appears the rule of law is invalidated by the appearance of corruption. The purpose of the Rule of Law is not ideological but purely function, to create order where in a society functions.
Yeah the image sucks but it serves its purpose...
Order can collapse on itself through corruption and when it does it can knock out the other elements. Transportation isn't just about people moving about but the movement of resources, without the basic resources other elements collapse as order breaks down. Energy (this incudes fuel) is required to transport resources and people to maintain social order and the rule of law. Communication is a key element to keeping transportation, energy & resources following through a society and social order functioning. It doesn't matter if an EMP, a nuclear war, hurricane, earthquake or economic collapse breaks down one or more of these elements, as prepper you need to prepare to lack one or all of these elements.
So lets get to basic planning... How do we prepare for breakdown in Social Order and a lack of transportation, energy, available resources and communication? One word by becoming self-sufficient and using alternative means to do so. Lets get something straight most preppers are urban and sub-urban types, people in rural communities often lack having these things so readily available. So rural people have more then 1 way to light, heat their homes, cook, travel, acquire food, fuel and medical treatment, communication with their family and friends and so on. Once you have a general understanding of how to make up for a lack of supply and support in one of these areas, the reason(s) for the deficiency can be addressed.
So what are alternative means of maintaining Social Order?
Uniform Social Code based on belief structures (i.e. religion, culture, etc.)
Local Community Organizations (Neighborhood or Town Committees, Militias, Volunteer Organizations)
An Armed Community: Simple logic if people can defend themselves criminals will pass them over for easier targets, why else do gunmen shoot up schools and churches (gun free zones) but never attack a police station or hunting club?
Sense of Community as a Social Environment: There was a time when people got out and met their neighbors, today TV and internet make it easier to be entertained in our homes. Internet allows us to communicate with people across he world with similar views and interests to our own, so we talk to our neighbors less and know less of our community or the people within. Now Preppers fear the hordes of "zombies" coming for their supplies and keep it all a Secret under the idea of OpSec.
Guard Dogs & Simple Non-Electronic Alarms: I have an interesting story about my "guard cat" (another time perhaps) but my neighbor's dog bars when anyone comes near his house at night. This means the same dog barks when anyone comes near my house at night. This kind of community alarm deters night time burglary. So do neighbors looking out for each other, a uniform social code...
So what do we need to do to help maintain social order? Become involved in local groups and clubs, churches and so on to develop a simple uniform social code. We can become involved in a local community organization to help organize people in a crisis to organize the community. We can be armed, I suggest everyone own at least one, rifle, shotgun and pistol. We can get to know and associate with our neighbors in and outside of local organizations develop both a report and a reputation within our local community. All of this can be used to help maintain social order if the Rule of Law breaks down.
Totals: $586.99 to $1,075.99
Totals using Rossi .410/22LR Combo Gun: $350 to $388
Firearms serve 2 primary uses, acquiring food and self-defense.
Bows and Crossbows can of course be used as well.
You don't need to dump $1,000 on one AR15 style rifle.
What are alternative means of Transportation?
Animals: horses, mules and ponies we all know but I have a cousin who used to ride a bull. We all have forgotten the Ox Cart in the US.
Motorcycles, Mopeds and ATVs: Just because a car or truck can't get through doesn't mean a smaller, less computerized vehicles can't be used. Roads might be impassable but what about hiking and off road trails. This includes electric cars and motorcycles.
Boats & Rafts: If waterways are available or you have access to a coast you can make use water travel, in the case of roads being cut off after a crisis event.
Bicycles, Tricycles and Peddle Cars: EMP Proof and doesn't need gasoline, you can pack more on them then just yourself.
Walking & Hiking: Finally you can walk out or hiking out and well that means you need to practice backpacking and get used to act of walking out.
In China, they carry a great deal on their tricycles, so yes you can get your preps out on one of these.
This image comes from http://politicsandpreppers.com/ presented here as an example of what most preppers think they can load on a bike.
What about alternative means of Energy and Fuel?
Gas Generators: Gas generators need fuel but can make a great short term power source in or after a crisis event. The issue is fuel for the power.
Solar, Water & Wind Generators: Solar doesn't require fuel nor do wind or hydro-electric generators but require batteries and converters to run electronic devices. Basic devices without a lot of circuitry like light bulbs, heating filaments & such can be used even with an EMP.
Manual Operated Generators: Bicycle and hand crank generators can be bought or made and require you to manually rotate a magnet over a copper or other metal coil to generate electricity. A converter is needed to convert the direct current into alternating current for most electronics but charging a battery for lighting is another easy enough.
Cooking & Heating Fuels: Using cooking & heating fuels to include coal, wood and oil is an important buffer. Many people do not realize the same grease that comes from cooking meat can be saved and used as a cooking or heating oil.
Candles & Lamps: Using and making candles and lamps, as well as fuel for such is a skill one should develop to help with cooking, lighting and heating without normal services due to a crisis event.
Here is an example of a home made Bicycle Generator from YouTube:
What about alternative means of Communication?
CB, Walkie-Talkie & HAM Radios: Without cell phones or a power grid to power cell towers and land lines, citizen band radios and handhelds as well as HAM radio may be an available alternative. Many Preppers consider this already.
Message Delivery/Curriers: Before the US Postal Service many people depended on couriers, hired to deliver messages and merchants travelling between settlements to deliver messages. Some people included messages sent by family who travelled to other towns. In a post crisis world, which might only last weeks or months, you could send a letter with someone travelling to check on their family headed in a direction.
Alarm Bells & Community Message Boards: Another old pioneer and pre-TV & radio means of communication was using church bells to signal an emergency and a community message board (where online message boards get their name) that allowed anyone to post a public notice. In the inner city, graffiti acts as a kind of public message board to those who know how to read it.
Community Meetings: Just getting together within your community and talking, passing along information via verbal discussion. One should be cautious of rumors & misinformation but that is true in all communication with other people.
LAN Networks: Even if the internet is down, a wi-fi system can support a local area network between computers. Provided one has power, one can send messages to another person computer provided they are networked together and as I have been told over greater distances uses a CB or HAM radio.
Smoke Signals & Flares: Signal fires and smoke have been used to send messages over a great distance. In a post crisis event, burning an old tire and using a blanket to create breaks in the smoke (yes, like "indian smoke signals") can be used to send Morse Code. It can also be used to signal people within area, in a flooded area or stranded in a blizzard, that black smoke from an old tire can signal your location. We all know flares are used to signal people a sea but its been used in The Walking Dead.
Morse Code, International Maritime Flag Signal & Semaphore: Used with lights, bangs on a object like a gong or with hand flags and road flares, these signaling codes are used send messages over a great distance.
Morse Code:
International Maritime Flag Signal:
Semaphore:
Admittedly, I don't know any of these either, haven't used Morse Code since I was kid but, I'm learning them as part of survival preparations.
What about alternative means of Basic Resources?
Farming: Farming growing crops and raising live stock admittedly is something many people consider. In many third-world nations, their middle class rely on low consumption animals like goats for meat, milk and making cheese or yogurt and gardening to buffer their food stuffs. These can be used by Americans without a lot of land at their disposal for cows. Most Americans are aware of rabbit starvation (where the lean meat of rabbit lack essential fatty acids and consumption actually burns more calories then it provides) which makes squirrel a better animal to farm for meat then rabbits.
Gardening: Growing crops is fine but lacking those essential fatty acids and oils, you can lose calories. However, you can get pretty good carbohydrates (a source of calories) out of potatoes, sweet potatoes, basic vitamins out of green beans and protein from pinto or dried beans. An herb garden can also add flavor and plants that are useful as medical herbs.
Hunting & Fishing: Hunting and fishing are always something someone suggests. Trapping of course falls in the hunting category since you have to find a location where your target animal is likely to travel to set a trap. However, how long until other with a similar idea deplete natural resources in the area? One can hunt and drive animals to an enclosed area to "farm" them such as Boar, Deer, Squirrels and catch fish from rivers and creeks to stock a pond. Table scraps can be used to feed the fish, depending on breed as well as natural plants and algae, some of which you can eat yourself.
Trade & Barter: Trade and bartering for supplies is also possible but just remember that ounce of gold that trades of over $2,000 you are carrying now could only be worth 3 potatoes & jar of pickles to someone who has food and little interest in gold. Barter requires skills and/or items to trade in exchange for other items or skills. Here things like tobacco, alcohol, bio-diesel, charging batteries, first aid and medical herbs, cooking spices, gun powder, archery equipment, ammo, guns, bicycles and several others explained in a Poorman's Guide to Prepping all have value and depending on a person's needs can more value then money.
Canning, Curing & Storing: Storing food is a common act of Preparation, but few people know how to can food themselves. Canning food can be used to store food from your garden and curing a means of storing meat.
Collecting & Filtering Water: Having a alternate means of collecting water, such as collecting rain water, well water and so on can provide off grid water you a) don't have to pay for (everyone needs water so that's a barter item, if you want to be an asshole) and b) it is sustainable, meaning you aren't dependent on someone else to provide like the utility company.
Assess Possible Threats to said Key Elements:
This will be covered in Part 2, once you realize you can subsist without depending on others to provide you those key elements and have prepared yourself to provide those elements on your own, you only need to look at possible case for those elements to de disrupted.
The internet is a great source of information but with it comes a great amount of disinformation or misunderstanding information, there by making it a source of disinformation as well. In this we find experts all giving the same tired and often misunderstood advice. Things like the 21 foot which in context are sound are taken out of context as a one stop solution for all Self-Defense scenarios involving a knife. I'll use the 21 foot rule as a example.
The 21 foot run was average range at which an "average person" could run from a dead stop before a police officer could draw his weapon and fire, approximately 1.5 seconds. It is often used as a reference involving concealed carry which is out of context and misleading to those who lack training and experience. Police officers open carry their weapons on their belts and so they actually spend less time drawing their weapons then someone carrying concealed. To shorten that time police officers reach for their weapons reducing their draw time to 1.0 to 0.8 seconds (estimated). So the 21 foot rule is not wrong only often cited in the wrong way... a concealed carry may take longer to draw and as one has to clear clothing, a shirt or coat away from the weapon. So does this mean that if someone is within 22 feet the officer or open carry civilian is some how safe?
No. Which is another misleading element to this being cited by "online experts" the 21 foot rule is a guide to remind officers to keep alert when close to suspects, 21 feet is just an arbitrary number based on the Tueller Drill which spawned the 21 foot rule. Which is simple common sense & highlights the human nature to complicated simple logic, at least in my opinion. Other elements to be considered is that a police officer is trained to use his weapon & the stress of dealing with an attack, which many civilians lack. Making the 21 foot rule irrelevant to many civilians in a self-defense context, as many knife attacks resemble a prison style attack which is a close range ambush style of attack meaning that even if the target where an officer the attack would come within 10 feet and without warning, that is an element of the Tueller Drill and 21 foot rule.
I'll let you decide for yourself on the relevance of the Tueller Drill to your self-defense needs. My opinion is that its overly complicated "research" to tell an officer anyone within 21ft is a potential threat. Considering that most assaults escalate from social conflicts and criminal assaults are surprise attacks within 10 feet of the victim and aggressor, the 21ft rule is pointless and misleading. If I consider you a threat, I won't let you within 50 feet of me and if I do its because I want you there.
Tactical Reloads is another fun claim behind internet expertise. Many times (especially on youtube) I see someone referring to a speed reload as a Tactical Reload. I'm not a fan of speed reloads, except with the AK47, because using the fresh to hit the release tab only makes sense. I don't see this too much but there is a difference between Tactical & Tacti-Cool Mall Ninja Bull Shit. Tactical is a prepared, preplanned response to a threat condition. Tacti-Cool is something that looks cool and is referred to as a tactical but doesn't serve a purpose, tactical always serves a purpose.
What is a tactical reload? A tactical reload is simply replacing a used but not empty magazine or for weapons with internal magazines replacing spent rounds by loading the fresh rounds, during a lull in combat. For example, a fire team engages and defeats an enemy in an ambush turned react to contact. While pulling security for an EPW (enemy prisoner of war) search for survivors and intelligence the security element inserts fresh magazines into their weapons. What is the purpose, remember tactical always has a purpose? The purpose is to have a fresh magazine and in case you have to reengage a threat unexpectedly. If armed with a shotgun, and one shoots an intruder their home, one would load a new shell after pulling the pump to eject the spent shell and pushing to load the next shell before searching the rest of one's home.
If you didn't understand a lot of what I mentioned in my example here is a quick explanation. A fire team is a four to five man military force made up of a team leader, riflemen, grenadier & automatic rifleman with a optional addition of a designated marksmen. With 2 fire teams making up a squad and 4 squads making up a platoon. React to contact is a simple flanking drill where the fire team suppresses the enemy and the rifleman and squad leader flank behind enemy cover to assault the enemy before the automatic rifleman and grenadier assault through. Though in most cases one fire team will suppress while the other fire team flanks.
The world is full of ideas and the internet is those same ideas, some good and some bad. When it comes to tactical & speed reloads something I learned in the Army comes into play. There is no such thing as a speed reload, just a fast reload. What is a fast reload? Reloading your weapon fast, as in very quickly. This is a matter of a) preparation (all magazines facing the same direction, remember I trained with an M4), b) preparation (being familiar with my weapon, knowing how it cycled and the feel for the controls without looking) & c) Preparation! (training with the weapon, to include stress shooting & correcting a malfunction without looking at the weapon, even tearing it down reassembling it without looking). Course that is a Soldiers level of training & given the choice, I'll take an AR15 style rifle over an AK47 only because I'm more familiar and better trained with that weapon's format. I also grip the magazine well so my support hand is with a finger movement of the magazine release and bolt lock.
Of course, most "tactical experts" sit around trying to find a new way to do the most basic actions, correcting problems that are solved by military men & women with a simple word Preparation. If you think I mean practice, consider that practice is an exercise in preparation. How many times do you practice marksmanship? A lot more then you practice simple reloading and correcting malfunctions, I'll bet. This doesn't even need to involve an AR15 or AK47 style rifle, all this comes down to is that you get out what you put in. Most preppers don't even consider the basic idea that they have to prepare their "tactical gear" beyond just having it. So much so, that many refer the being the "Gray Man" as a cop out for lack of preparation in training. Which brings us to another dumb shit, idea... "Being Gray/Grey."
In an essence the Gray Man is a very basic tactic called camouflage. Lets say we're all evacuating an area due to a hurricane. Its been bumper to bumper traffic for 8 hours and we've only cleared 20 miles. Now Image a family in a truck, stuff cover with a tarp on the back and two guys who were riding on the back of truck refilling their tanks with gas out of a gas can.
Now imagine, the same scenario, same family mom, dad, 2 kids and granddad in the cab but the two guys in the truck bed are armed with tactical vests and AK47s, wearing camouflage. One gets out and refills the tank while the other stands guard with an AK47 and a mean look.
Who do you think a mob of out of gas, panicked and angry people are going to demand gives up their gas? The two tactical-ninja-commando types can just as easily take off the Vests, and hide their weapons under some gear, dawning "Get-Er-Done" & "I hunt White Tail" T-shirts with John Deer Caps to look like any other Good O'l Boy in America to explain the BDU pants. Why because that's camouflage, camouflage isn't a color scheme it any action that lets you go unnoticed. Sometimes, you want to be noticed, sometimes you want to taken as a threat.
Look it is a very simple concept, people love to swim with dolphins but not so much with sharks. Why because sharks are a threat. Criminals prey on the weak, why because they can't/don't defend themselves. Camouflage is a matter of concealing you're presence so that you are seen but go unnoticed. In the woods tis might mean wearing BDUs or similar clothing, earth tones or using mud to break up the solid color of your clothing and hiding your skin tone. In a more urban environment or dealing with authorities it might mean concealing weapons & other gear or blending into a crowd. Terrain dictates tactics and that includes the tactic of camouflage. Camouflage is a tactic but not the only tactic, which makes the "gray man" questionable advice.
If you have no clue as to how misunderstood and misguided information on the internet is, you might be on web forums and scanning blogs for advice and insight. The thing is this, a lot of people just spout the "common themes" and don't consider impact, context or content. In the end its all Internet Expert bullshit, including this blog... why? Because I don't know you and I don't know your situation. I can spout some basic principle or one line themed advice. In fact, I will... learn METT-TC & OKOCA build a custom plan according to your own needs and get outside the box of the common theme, that's what everyone else will be doing.
Being tactical isn't carrying an "Assault Rifle" & wearing a "Tactical Vest." Being tactical is understanding your odds & options; Odds of Success and Failure and, the Options Available. Being tactical is planning, practicing and preparing. Being tactical is having a plan to overcome foreseen obstacles and reach strategic goals. Tactical is not about gear, guns or gimmicks, it is in how you think and how you deal with events. Tactical is a mindset... so be careful of the Internet Expert dumb shit.
Prepping is in some ways a joke; our grandparents, their parents and grandparents were prepared to face hardships and weren't called preppers or survivalists. As a kid the term survivalist was heavily associated with anti- big-government, Christian fundamentalism & paramilitary philosophies. As a kid I lived through a blizzard with literally 2 to 4 feet of snow in 1993 & the ise storm brought on by the 92 Nor'Easter before that. We were fortunate to have gas heating but we had kerosene heaters as a back up, to. We my mom a prepper?
No, my grandfather survived the great depression as kid and self-sufficiency wasn't a fad or popular hobby, it was survival. It was common sense, we had electric heaters, kerosene, a fire place & other means of heating my grandparent's house. My grandfather had a had a generator, a garden, chickens & no, he didn't own a farm. My grandfather just knew how to survive, he was a redneck, a hick, a hillbilly or whatever you want to call him. But, I promise you he survived being one of those homeless teens who took on any job, including dangerous jobs like coal mining, lumber & stoop work on farms like we attribute to the many illegal Mexican immigrants in the US. And he taught that planning, preparation and self-determination for survival to his kids (my mother, my aunts and uncles) which was passed down the family line to me, with some wisdom directly relayed to me from my grandfather himself. Most of this I never understood until I was older.
Prepping is a fad hobby based on fear and worry. All trying to sell you the latest and greatest in tactical widgets and what nots. Survivalism is a philosophy that is often paramilitary in nature, also built around selling you on gear or skills training. Poor people have been surviving for years and the survivalist movement had its roots in both doomsday Christians and cold war fears of nuclear war.
Poor people and people in general have been surviving with less resources and less gear forever, or at least as long as there have been people. This book outlines some basic skills & talks about low tech/low cost methods for survival including plans of Do-it-yourself bomb and blast shelters, do-it-yourself hazmat concepts. So whether you fear a nuclear war, economic collapse or being left behind at the second coming this book will help you survive without spending excessive amounts of cash on the latest high tech gear. Whether alone or as a group this book uses simple common sense methods and survival strategies, used by previous generations and today by poor men, in poor countries, without all the high tech gadgets social support networks of the US during bad times and disasters. What you'll Find Inside:
Basic Tactics for Reacting to Contact, Convoy Operations & similar,
Alternative Medicine using herbs found in the Wild & in Your Kitchen,
Basic Field Craft for Bugging Out,
Do It Yourself Hazmat Suit design, Decontamination kits & Blast/Bomb Shelters,
9 Stages of Preparation to Match Even the Wealthy in Safety & Security,
Caching & Barter Economics Explained in Detail,
And much more...
Consider this THE FIELD MANUAL for the low income to lower middle class prepper or survivalist!
This book was written for those who can't spend all the money on the latest most tacti-cool prepping gizmo. It is a basic foundation of low incoming living, i.e. being poor & some stuff I picked from other preppers and in the army. It breaks preparation down into nine overlapping stages built around feeding yourself and sheltering from extremes. Gardening and canning are addressed, as well as, Do-It-Yourself Hazmat materials. Barter economics allows the poorman to invest in catastrophe to stocking various items they can use as added supplies or to barter with others. Herb medicines have been addressed in detail, with pictures and a list of kitchen herbs one can purchase and store to enhance and augment one's own medical supplies.
I cover some basic tactical drills for small teams and organizing as a group with a less paramilitary mindset then what is discussed in TM 725-15 American Homeguard Anti-Terrorist Handbook. Some information overlaps like building a cache & understanding a Nuclear, Biological or Chemical Threat. Disaster strikes, that's a fact of life but you don't need to invest massive amounts of money or paramilitary tactical/tacti-cool toys to prepare for it.
Poorman's Tip 1: Black Pepper
Black Pepper from Wikipedia, Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a floweringvine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately 5 millimetres (0.20 in) in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed. Peppercorns, and the ground pepper derived from them, may be described simply as pepper, or more precisely as black pepper (cooked and dried unripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruit) and white pepper (ripe fruit seeds).
Black pepper is native to south India, and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. Currently Vietnam is the world's largest producer and exporter of pepper, producing 34% of the world's Piper nigrum crop as of 2008.
Dried ground pepper has been used since antiquity for both its flavour and as a traditional medicine. Black pepper is the world's most traded spice. It is one of the most common spices added to European cuisine and its descendants. The spiciness of black pepper is due to the chemical piperine, not to be confused with the capsaicin that gives fleshy peppers theirs. It is ubiquitous in the modern world as a seasoning, and is often paired with salt.
Crushed Black Pepper can be used to treat bleeding and speed healing in open wounds. Because it is native to tropical regions cannot be sustained in colder climates, where the temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. So it should be stocked up in northern states, desert states & can only be grown in hot, humid locals. This is a poorman's "thick clot" and doesn't need to scrubbed from a wound, however treatment for the wound may require one to scrub out dead tissue and other contaminants but, this is another matter of wound care.
Poorman's Tip 2: Water Purification Tablets
It is a little known fact that the commercial iodine water purification tablets are based of the iodine tablets used by the US military. Certain civilian water purification tablets copy the older military potassium iodine based anti-bacterial water purification tablets, that can be dissolved in 1 quart of water and offer some protection from radiation. For more detailed information on Potassium Iodine follow the link to the CDC site below; http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp
Poorman's Tip 3: Barter Basics
Everyone was curious about a former CIA agents mention of the "Bubba Effect" on Glenn Beck some years ago; 2009.
Glenn Beck also addressed the Bubba Effect last on the Blaze Network...
The Bubba Effect is a willing removal from mainstream culture and resources. This is best exemplified by removal from government programs, like public education (part of the reason home schoolers are seen as threat) or accepted economic transactions. Trading goods or services for other goods or services instead of the National Currency. Bartering was used in the US by Karl Hess to make it harder for the IRS to seize his wages and as a form of tax resistance. Hess explained this in an op-ed for The New York Times in 1975. The IRS as of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 requires such exchanges to be reported on a 1099-B form.
But how does one prove such an exchange? If I give you a compound bow, 7 arrows, & 2 chickens for your weed eater & 3 tomato plants who has documentation of said exchange. The Bubba Effect is when common people seek to exclude the government (city, county, state or federal) effecting their lives. This could be in the highly dramatic example outlined by Glenn Beck or in the quieter (but still illegal) means used by other grandfather (my father's father) of making moonshine & trading it things he needed or wanted during the latter years of depression.
Barter economics is often based on the value of the individuals involved, to a starving man 3 chickens, a rooster & 5lbs sack of beans might have more value then a ounce of gold at the present exchange rate of $1,200 per oz. (as of 3/25/2015). Out here in West Virginia we call this horse trading, many times people with "extra items" will trade them to others to trade them for things they needs.
Example of the Barter Economy
Bill: Has Extra Chickens but needs a new CB radio
Bob: Has Shotgun Ammo but wants some chocolate to give his wife
John: Has Chocolate but needs someone chock his fire wood cause he's too sick to get out of bed
Dave: Has a CB radio but needs some shotgun ammo
What happens:
Dave trades his old radio to Bill for the Chickens he doesn't need. Dave can't trade the chickens to Bob for shotgun ammo but finds out Bob wants chocolate for his wife for her birthday. Dave knows John has chocolate bars stashed away. John doesn't want the chickens but needs someone to chop some wood cause he is very sick so, Dave agrees to chop some wood for 12 Hersey bars & take 8 hours out his day to split logs for John. Dave trades 5 Hersey bars to Bob for 20 shotgun shells. At the end of Dave's day he has 3 chickens, 7 Hersey Bars & 20 Shotgun Shells.
The Key to Barter Economics is trust (why it is often limited to a small group of people) and communication.
Poorman's Tip 4: Dry Beans & Potatoes
A cheaper alternative to stocking cans of beans is to store dry beans. Dry Beans are essentially seeds, that are cooked and eaten as a soup. One can buy large amounts of dry beans, that can be cooked and eaten but can also be used as part of your resupply plan by planting the beans. The resulting bean plants of course produce more beans, which can be dried and stored.
The Poorman can buy a few bags to store as prep items and plant others to grow their own, which they can dry and store with a few being replanted to resupply & build one's preps without having to buy preps or as a booster to buying more preps.
Potatoes has roots that sprout from the potato called "eyes." The Eyes can be planted to grow into new potatoes or potatoes with eyes sprouting from then can be cut into sections and planted to grow into fresh potatoes. Eyes can be dried and stored in a cool dark place and will last 3 to 5 months, which is hopefully until early spring when they can be planted.
I'm not a perfect Christian, hell I'm not a very good one. I lie, cheat, dink, cuss and fight. I'm not charitable or kind and, I don't often forgive well or often. I'm a work in progress but, that's not to point. I certainly don't lack confidence in myself, often its the confidence to try and fail. Pride another vice of mine but I put my faith in myself and in God. I'm no preacher, priest, prophet or saint, but I don' have o be perfect. God doesn't ask that I be perfect he asks that I try... perhaps I'm so much a sinner many ill think I shouldn't talk about God and Christian faith. I, however, think I'm the perfect person to discuss God's grace. Jesus did not come to gather the saints but to teach sinners like me.
I have faith in myself & when that fails I have faith in God to carry me the rest of the way. John Hagee today said that "Storms prove whether a tree is alive with strong roots or dead with weak roots to be uprooted." He named all these passages from the bible where prophets where tested. I do no believe in the Rapture, I believe that we Christians will go through the Tribulation and be tested to be examples of God's word and will to a sinful world. This is a fundamental Christian teaching I was raised with and the core of the old Survivalist movement I grew up in and around. As the old survivalist movement was deeply rooted in Christian values before it became more open and term adapted by other groups, before the final change of becoming the more Politically Correct term of Prepper and Doomsday Prepper. The distrust of the government based in the old survivalist movement was based on the idea of a one world tyrannical government under the anti-Christ and a war on Christians.
Survivalist philosophy, is much like the Boy Scout philosophy "Hope for the best an Prepare for the Worst." When the survivalist movement and its cousin the militia movement became influenced by non-Christians and 'summer time Christians' the focus changed. Events like 9-11 and Katrina, have only brought in the newbies, were as the Stock Market Crash and Great Depression in the 1930s taught my grandparents to be preppers, only they didn't call it prepping or survivalism, it was called living. The 1960s saw the rise of the survivalist movement due to the threat of nuclear war and Cold War. This only increased through he media and books during the 70s and 80s. The movement took hit with Waco and Ruby Ridge but stayed in existence. However the Y2K scare, really brought in several non-Christians and other ideologies.
The Marxists and pseudo-revolutionaries of the liberal ideologies, who also stock food, medical supplies and weapons, have used the "survivalist" and "prepper" title to push their own agendas. Books like Che Guevara's Guerrilla Warfare, Mao's On Guerrilla Warfare & the Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla by Carlos Marighella have been circulated throughout the Prepper world as "tactical manuals".
Without that Christian philosophy (many Christians rejecting the Christ's warnings in Mathew chapters 24 & 25 because of the "rapture") the survivalist community has been divided. Regardless a storm is coming, the U.S. has experienced riots, localized social unrest in relation to the deaths of Eric Garner and many others by the police and the NYPD choosing to not do their jobs to teach the mayor a lesson for his "disrespect" o the badge. We are watching the system fracture and break at various points. What will happen during further economic distress?
Police are told survivalists, preppers and constitutionalists are a threat and the enemy. Yet, Marxists ideologies are pushing people to attack the failing system, to see the wealthy & educated as tyrants and the poor as a oppressed people. This is simply basic Marxist Revolutionary Theory, all the while directing the state against those of opposing ideas. The system will be stressed further as the economy shifts closer to the tipping point, tempers and desperation flare.
As a Christian Survivalist I don't just put faith in myself but in God. I look not to avoid the storm but, experience it. To be tested and strengthened by it. I pray for strong roots and a willing heart. I can look back on my life, see everything I've faced, what I've fought for and know I can stand the next test. If I'm wrong about the Rapture then I lose nothing but, if I'm right and don't prepare I've only myself to blame. Looking at the world and all that's happening around us, we can see the storm clouds on the horizon, we can see what is happening to our nation & the rest of the world. Your faith has to be strong not only in your preparations and your abilities but in something greater then yourself.
