The Tactical Life

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2209

Just dropping in while I have a spare minute to appreciate @idaho and the other contributors to this thread. I am 2/3s through my military training but manage to still read through this thread on a semi regular basis. Honestly I am appreciating the different points of view that still roughly aligns with what I am being taught.

Please maintain, as I’m sure I am not the only person who reads and is unable to contribute often but gains a great deal of info, insight and 2nd hand experience just by reading what you guys share.

Thank you and best wishes for the future.

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2210

Some definition of terms is in order here I think.

A fight ender is anything that ends a fight. It could be a light slap or even harsh language.

The only reliable fight-ender is to render your opponent(s) unable to harm you. Assuming we’re talking about bare hands only, the two reliable ways to end a fight are to escape the attacker or render the attacker unconscious via head trauma or choke.

Get away or sleep them, no threat, no exceptions.

Everything else may or may not stop their ability to inflict harm. Broken arm? The other still works and so do legs and head-buts. Even a broken leg may not be a fight ender. Or an eye pluck, should you manage one.

When you’re talking about people who are mentally ill and/or intoxicated, you can’t count on someone stopping unless you actually stop them. This can also be true for sober and sane people.

Of course, not everyone has the training or ability to sleep someone or get away safely. If that’s the case, fight however you can.

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2211

Good to hear from you, brother, and congratulations on the work, not long to go. Just stop in and let know how you are doing, and especially your graduation and first assignment. Be safe, watch your 6.

2212

Thought for the day: When the bad guys have a plan,a good guy usually dies.

maimi

I would wager a tall stein of fine IPA that every current and former LEO here has read about, studied in the academy, or attended a seminar on the 1986 FBI Miami shootout. It was a pivotal, deadly event in US law enforcement that became the revolution to better tactics and weapons. It was a brutal failure that forced the Bureau and the rest of local, state, and federal law enforcement to examine their severe lack of training, tactics, and weapon choices. It doesn’t matter whether it is law enforcement or military, good men have to die to effect change in administrations with stagnant leadership

One of my tenants of survival: When the bad guys have a plan, a good guy will usually die.

Listed below is a link to an excellent article reviewing the shootout. Take a few moments and study the report, don’t make the same mistakes.

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2213

Thought for the day: Worth reading from TLR.

Life or death situations are tricky — particularly because you very rarely know you’re going to be in one until you’re already right in the thick of it. In those moments, split second decisions can mean the difference between life or death, but most people aren’t mentally prepared to make those sorts of decisions because of a simple mental crutch we big-brained monkeys tend to cling to called normalcy bias.

What is normalcy bias?

Put simply, normalcy bias is our natural inclination to assume the best about a threatening situation because the breadth of your experience tells you that things will turn out fine. Leading a predominately safe life (as most of us do here in the United States) establishes a mental norm within our minds, leading many to underestimate the severity of a situation or the likelihood of a negative outcome. Normalcy bias doesn’t manifest in a slow rejection of the situation at hand, but as a delay in your processing of what’s going on around you. In the moment, with a threat approaching, many hush away their gut instincts, dismissing their concerns as paranoia: after all, what are the chances that the threatening looking character ten feet back and closing is actually a bad guy? What is the likelihood that the bag that kid left in the street is actually a bomb? That car can’t really be trying to run over pedestrians… can it?

That momentary unwillingness to accept the likelihood that your life is in danger is often the last thing that goes through a victim’s mind just before the worst happens — “I never thought this would happen to me.”

Combatting normalcy bias is one of the few tactical skill sets you can practice by yourself, inside your head, with no gear or equipment. The secret isn’t to live in a constant state of paranoia, but rather to legitimate practice maintaining an objective mindset when assessing the threats around you. If you have a bad feeling about a situation, don’t dismiss it as nonsense, engage with it. If you notice something out of the ordinary, chastise yourself for not keeping your distance, rather than for allowing your concerns to get the best of you.

It’s not a coincidence that many veterans learn to shy away from crowds and choose seats that allow them to keep an eye on the crowd: it’s not because they expect something bad to happen, it’s because they’ve seen bad things happen, and accept that they can. For many who have lived their entire lives within the relative safety and comfort of the American way of life, it can be harder to embrace this mindset. After all, if a you’ve never seen a gunman open fire on a crowd, it can be difficult to assume that’s what’s about to happen right before your eyes, even as the killing begins. That split second of hesitation keeps you, and those with you, in the line of fire, prevents you from responding with appropriate force when possible, and, chances are, may cost you your life.

Actively combating normalcy bias in your everyday life can mitigate the effects of our inclination to assume things are fine — demand a level of attentiveness in yourself until it becomes second nature. Trust your gut and act before something bad happens. It may be inconvenient to get the hell out of the mall when you spot someone looking nervous and fumbling with what could be a weapon inside their backpack… but inconvenienced beats dead any day. When armed, being aware of a possible threat and mentally preparing to draw your weapon if necessary can mean drawing and using the weapon quicker than you would if taken by surprise.

Don’t approach possible threats in a constant state of paranoia, but rather approach daily life like you might when merging on a congested highway: stay alert and be prepared to react.

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2214

Thanks for that; it speaks directly to me. I’ve never been in LE or military, and I worried about this very phenomenon (I just didn’t know it had a name). I want to thank you and others for this thread. Even though I don’t contribute, I check it often and have taken many tips from it. For instance, I now have a tourniquet in my EDC bag.

Boring, but pertinent story: I was going in to the post office yesterday morning and a guy peddled up on a bike and was entering just behind me. I noticed that he had a sweatshirt on with the hood up. It’s June in south Mississippi, and this dude was just peddling a bike, and he has a hoodie on?!?! I probably wouldn’t have noticed before this thread. Even if I did notice, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to seem rude by checking him out. But due to the influence of this thread you bet your ass I kept my eye on him. Nothing happened, but at least I noticed.

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2215

No, thank you for checking in and you should contribute any time you want to. I am glad the thread has offered you a few tips, but, believe me, no one knows everything. That was a good read on the bike guy, funny, last week I was in extreme south Georgia going through some training and the humidity was thick enough to cut with a knife. It I saw someone wearing a hoodie in that shit, they were either crazy or wearing a S-vest:))).

BTW: One of the regulars there, told me the mosquitoes were big enough to stand flat footed and fu#k a turkey. He was right. I expect southern Mississippi has about the same weather or worse. Don’t be a stranger, brother.

2216

Thought for the day: Situational awareness covers many areas, travel smart with your electronics.

The latest news coming from air travel security experts involves convenient USB charging stations spread around airports. While your first thought may be that you never use the USB charging station because a crowd of people always beats you to it, there’s a legitimate security risk associated with using them: “juice jacking.”

Truthfully, this type of hack has been around for years. It’s just not something known by most of the general public. Basically, an attacker can subtly modify the port to house malware that will penetrate your phone once you connect it to a port with a USB cable. The malware will affect your phone performance—more importantly, it can steal texts, emails, photos, and other data you don’t want to give out to strangers.

This doesn’t happen only at airports. Syncing your phone to a rental car’s USB port provides all sorts of access to your data. Hotel lobbies and coffee shops might set up charging stations for customers’ convenience, but think of all the people passing through, and how these places are easy pickings for data mining.

An IBM executive put it this way in a recent Forbes article: “Plugging into a public USB port is kind of like finding a toothbrush on the side of the road and deciding to stick it in your mouth.”

The most obvious way to avert this threat is to not use USB charging stations. This isn’t always an option for those who need access to their phone or tablet during long layovers. The safest way to charge your devices is to use your own portable charger—a wise investment, considering how inexpensive they are. They also don’t take up much room in your carry-on bag.

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2217

*Thought for the day:

A risk is a chance you take; if it fails, you can recover. A gamble is a chance taken; if it fails, recovery is impossible.

Erwin Rommel

2218

I am NOT very tech savvy since around the WinXP days, and never have been with Mobile OS stuff or wireless.
This causes a question for me - if my phone can be hacked by plugging into a USB charger, could it not be hacked by placing it on an inductive charger plate???

Had to ask. Someone here probably knows.
Thx!

2219

Attended a CPR/AED certification last weekend. Never realized how critical AEDs really were, so I was looking into getting one for the car.

“Shelf life” on a battery is several years, but they’re still around $1000+ for a new unit, quite a bit less for “refurbished” (cough-cough-used-cough-cough).

Anybody have an AED as part of their medical, either in home or in vehicle?

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2220

I wouldn’t call myself an authority or say it’s impossible, but I don’t see that being a risk. A USB can be different because it transmits data in addition to charging the phone.

2221

Just at work, which brings up two related points.

Joining the first responder/safety team at the various jobs I’ve worked has been a great source of free periodic training over the years. CPR, first aid, defib, Fire safety all kinds of stuff like that.

Second, if you have leftover flex spending money you could probably use it for a defibrillator and cut a bit off the price by using pre-tax income to buy it.

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2222

@idaho

Not sure if anyone here is a fan of Paul Harell’s videos, but for he seems* to have a thoughtful analysis of Miami-Dade. Albeit at 34mins it’s a youtube cinematic experience but he’s pretty no-nonsense. (*for my non-LEO interest/knowledge)

Also I miss seeing new posts from Robert A - his discussions with yourself and others were always interesting and informative, and occasionally I’ll still link someone the Bad Ideas thread.

2223

Good job, most people don’t have a clue on how to use one. I don’t own a personal one,( I should, but, have never let the money go) but, we carry one in our vehicle.

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2224

Thank you for the post. I am not familiar with his work, but, will check him out. "Bad Ideas " was great thread, back when we had the regulars. A lot of good discussions on that thread. Don’t be a stranger, brother.

2225

Thought for the day: A lot of truth in a little sentence:

Here’s to the ones who will. Here’s to the ones who won’t. But fuck the ones who say they will and later decide they won’t

2226

Thought for the day (2): Wildfire Season

PNG

I spent last summer in Kandahar and whenever I could watch the news on AFN, it was dominated by the huge wildfires in California and other western states. I remember seeing scenes of total neighborhoods razed to the ground. I don’t know how many died, but, having been exposed to one wildfire in my life taught me the value of planning ahead.

First thing you need to understand: Doesn’t matter whether you are an Olympic caliber athlete or a member of a Tier -1 team, you are not going to outrun a raging wildfire, especially if the winds are whipping around at 60MPH. Going from there a few suggestions:

Listen to the local LEO’s and Fire Departments, if they tell you to de-ass an area, leave, don’t hesitate thinking you are some special snowflake and the fire will go around you. A lot of people failed to heed that warning last year and died. Punches and kicks, bullets and bombs, will do you no good.

Keep the maintenance up on your vehicle, this is your life boat and for fucks sake, keep a least a half of tank at all times. Imagine trying to evacuate your family and you are out of gas. (Not only are you a total moron, you just killed your family, asshole)

If you live in one of the danger states, take an inventory now of what you will need to leave with:
weapons, ammo, knife, axe, small chainsaw, maps, I.D, passport, cash, prescriptions, three days water and food supply, one set of extra clothes. Keep a go bag in your vehicle and one packed in the house.

Cell service will be limited if the towers go down, so invest in a current map of your local area, keep it in the vehicle and most important, if possible, find alternate escape routes and drive them now. Don’t wait until the flames have blocked off the main road to find another route.

Decide now what you cannot live without. It may be a picture of your mother you lost at the age of five or a Colt Single-Action .45 from Custer’s last stand. Just decide now, because during a wildfire is no time to hesitate. If you are lucky to have friends or family members you can trust, and they live in a safer area, think about dividing your valuables between them. All of you losing your homes in multiple areas is a low risk probability.

If you have pets, don’t wait until your roof is on fire to find them, have a plan and be prepared for panic. A guy I know who lives in Montana keeps a sedative to inject into his dog, just so he can manage him in an evacuation. Heat and dense smoke are not a pet’s idea of a good time.

If you have elderly parents, special needs children, or, some family member recovering from injury or surgery, start planning how to transport them now. A spouse, 2.5 children, a large dog and your go bags doesn’t leave much vehicle space.

Everyone knows at least one total dumb ass friend or family member. Mention this to them now, so, after they become a crispy critter, you won’t feel so guilty.

Some other information:

Experts warn that the 2019 wildfire season in the U.S. could be a bad one. A report issued by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) earlier this month paints a bleak picture of what firefighters are likely to face this season. According to the report, significant fire activity is expected to begin around the end of July or early August.

The area in the most danger remains the West Coast, which has been devastated by powerful and deadly wildfires for the past several years

As of June 9, there were 15 active wildfires considered to be large incidents. They are burning in Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. The U.S. Forest Service keeps an updated map of working fires on its website.

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2227

Thought for the day: This threads underlining theme is situational awareness and ways to improve your ability to survive. No one knows everything and we all need inservice training. Since Sunday’s are generally an off day in the US, take 13 minutes of your time today and see if you find anything worthwhile here:

2228

To any of my brothers who may use VA medical facilities…

I was at one last week and the mother f’ers had a mistake in my medical record that shocked me, and must now be corrected. Thank God I discovered their mistake, but damn!

They had in my record that I had a stroke when I’ve never had any such thing. Even had in there that I went to a University Hospital for it when i never went to to that University Hospital for anything.

I’ve no clue how they could manufacture such shit and dump it into my file, but they did. Amazing incompetence.

Don’t know if anyone here uses VA healthcare system for anything, but thought it might be a possibility, so there’s your warning. Hell, maybe you know someone who does, so warn them. People be crazy.

Stay Strong & Ready Brothers!