Tactical Objectives -- Across the Board

He who fights and runs away
Lives to fight another day.  (Old maxim of unconventional warfare)

Recently I decided to re-read Anthony Herbert's book Soldier. He has a lot to say about tactics, and that has prodded me to think about a principle, a tactical approach, that I believe applies across the board to an individual or to groups.

In any violent (or potentially violent) encounter, the strategic objective is always to neutralize the threat. Many think of neutralization in terms of defeating an attacker. I hope you see that avoidance, evasion and escape will also neutralize a threat and deprive an enemy of realizing his own objectives.

Once you make violent contact with an enemy, however, the opportunity for avoidance and evasion has, by definition, passed. Further, if you focus on escape alone, you may incur more injury than if you simply stand and fight.

For an individual (or a small group) facing superior strength, numbers or firepower, I think the record shows the following course of action to provide the best means of survival:

1. Foul up your enemy's attack -- It's easier to mess up any operation than it is to execute one, so make Murphy's Law work for you.
2. Seize the initiative and take advantage of any and every opening
   a) to hurt or stun opponent just long enough . . .
   b) to take advantage of any avenue of escape that opens.

Of course such tactics work best if the enemy does not take you by surprise. For small groups, the OP/LP and the reconnaissance patrol provide the necessary intel. The tactical triad on patrol or the individual on the street must rely on alertness to short circuit the enemy's intended surprise attack.

Nightmare on Sesame Street: Elmo Assaulted

It's hard not to laugh about someone sucker punching a big, furry version of a Sesame Street character, but the guy inside the suit was real, and so was the flake who assaulted him. My own opinion is that as soon as "Elmo" left his work area, he should have removed his costume because it hampered visibility and movement.

He should have done this, not just for tactical advantage, but as a general safety measure to enhance alertness. Reduced visibility increases the danger of tripping, bumping into objects, etc.

Also, note that he says that after he removed his impediments, the attacker charged him, and he was able to divert the attacker's momentum into a stationary object. Headlong charges don't happen every day, but when they do, think, "Bullfight!" (Ole!)

Here's a news clip of the incident:

Developing Alertness/Awareness

I call it your DEW (Distant Early Warning) line. My barber calls it situational awareness. Gavin De Becker calls it The Gift of Fear. Jeff Cooper (Principles of Personal Defense) simply calls it alerness.

It's based on the God-given, inborn ability each of us has that warns us when something's not right. But you can enhance and develop that ability once you teach yourself to listen to it.

Developing situational awareness is what David Morris's free lesson in urban survival is all about. Of course I disagree with what he says about luck at the beginning of the lesson -- I believe in and affirm God's overriding providence in all things. Nevertheless, the author's advice on thinking like a mugger in order to develop awareness is good.

It's similar to the advice Marc MacYoung gives in his video Safe in the Street (A DVD I highly recommend).

Anyway, read the PDF for what you can gain from it.Note:  I don't know anything about the rest of David Morris's course, so this is not necessarily a recommendation.)

Security on the Road

A while back, RPC sent me the link to this ABC News story. It reveals that defensive driving has to do with more than avoiding the mistakes of careless or preoccupied drivers.

Criminals Crash, Victims Pay

(Sorry, couldn't find a version without a commercial)

A Late-Night Encounter

"Have you ever been so tired that you feel disconnected from what you're doing? Like you're watching a movie?" The voice on the phone belonged to my barber, so I knew I was about to hear a true-life story (the best kind).

My barber had picked up his wife at the airport, and on the drive home, his 17-hour day started to catch up with him. His body was on autopilot, and he was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel.

So, he stopped at the Sheetz station in S______, PA to get some caffeine for the last 40-minutes of the trip home. He got out of the vehicle in what I call "zombie mode", leaving his wife peacefully asleep in the passenger seat and his handgun on the floor under the driver's seat. (He has a concealed carry permit.)

On the periphery of his awareness, my barber noticed a strikingly attractive, scantily clad young woman heading into the store. As he entered, he made eye contact with the clerk behind the counter, nodded mechanically and headed down the aisle toward the cooler that housed the iced tea.

Suddenly, as out of nowhere, the attractive young woman he had seen outside appeared in front of him ("As close as when you lean in to kiss your wife," he said). In the same moment, the awareness of someone behind him exploded into his consciousness.

Adrenaline dump!!

His first thought was that they were about to pick his pocket. His left hand went down to cover his wallet as his right simultaneously went for his SOG knife.

The girl in front of him said she needed him to pose with her for a picture for a scavenger hunt. Not knowing who was behind him, he pushed past her, turned and said, "What does that make me -- a scavenger?"

He saw that the person behind him was another young woman, about four feet tall. The first one said, "Well, forget it, then" and left with her companion. He doesn't know if they even saw the knife in his hand.

My barber was left with a feeling of foreboding, knowing that his wife was asleep in the car along with his primary weapon, so he went back out and got in the car. His wife awoke and immediately sensed his apprehension, asking, "What's wrong?"

He saw the women in another car, watching them. They proceeded home without further incident.

Lessons to glean from this encounter:

1. Stuff happens when you least expect, and often when you're least prepared (i.e., if you're armed, don't leave your firearm in the car, no matter how tired you are or how safe you feel on "home turf");
2. When you cultivate proper mindset & training, survival habits kick in along with the adrenaline;
3. When an attractive, totally strange woman approaches you, whatever she wants, you're not it, no matter what your poor, crushed ego so desperately wants you to believe(my barber has no ego, as he has many times told me, so he did not go for the bait);
4. When an attractive, totally strange woman approaches you, providence will more likely come down on your side if you keep your mind (and your eyes -- Job 31:1) in the right place.

P.S. My barber says he knows that the instinct to cover his wallet in a potentially lethal situation was a bad move. I mentioned that, thankfully, every encounter we survive provides experience for the next. Also, he says that even if their request was totally legitimate (which he doubts, still feeling that they wanted to lure him to a secondary location), he would not want a photo of him & some more-than-half-undressed female floating around. Good call.

P.P.S. (Not, P.S.S., please!) Do you have further observations, evaluations or lessons? Please post them in the comments section.

It Ain''t Over Til It's Over

The following comes from Michael Gaddy's "We are the Enemy of the State".

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), The Missouri Militia Report and Virginia’s Homegrown Terrorism Report have unleashed an attack designed to demonize and dehumanize opponents of tyranny. The unclassified lists of those viewed as potential threats and terrorists includes opponents of abortion, groups opposed to illegal immigration, third-party political supporters, supporters of the Second Amendment, those stockpiling food, water, and ammunition, constitutionalists, veterans, critics of the United Nations and One World Government, and anyone fitting the "Right-Wing Extremist" profile.

Conspicuous in its absence in DHS’s report is any mention of Maoists, Marxists, Leninists, Stalinists, Trotskyites, or National Socialists as a terror threat. In short, our government exhibits no fear of socialism/fascism. It only fears those who would hold it accountable to the Constitution and rule of law.

What we know from the Department of Homeland Security and its Fusion Centers, now located in at least 25 states, concerning whom the state views as its enemies, is alarming indeed. What should be of even greater concern is what we don’t know that is contained in the classified section of their reports to LE agencies around the country. Information is classified to keep information from the enemy; why is the American public not allowed to see who else this government considers to be its enemy and how it intends to deal with the problem?

It is time to pay attention. We have been named as the state’s enemy. There undoubtedly is a plan in the works to deal with us.

I recommend you read the whole article.

One important lesson we can take away from this is that when tyrants rescind their public list of "potential terrorists", the threat to our freedom does not automatically go away. They still hate & fear us, and exposure merely drives their machinations underground.

Safety: The Mandate of a Gun Culture

In my last post, I mentioned the American and Pakistani gun cultures. To me, the video clip illustrates an indispensable lesson -- a sine qua non of a gun culture.

In the video, the reporter is taken to a "shooting area" which happened to be on a roof in the middle of the village. He seemed to think it odd, yet he shot in a safe direction, toward the side of a nearby hill.

The fact that the village was not littered with bodies indicates an important fact. Although almost everyone was armed and many shots were fired through the day, those who handled the guns were practicing muzzle awareness.

I'm reminded of Theresa, my second daughter. When she was younger, she would not let anyone point a toy gun (or even a finger used as a play gun) at her, nor would she point one at any except imaginary bad guys. The lesson is that if you should not practice unsafe methods, even in play.

Maybe toy guns are a bad idea -- not because they're violent, but because they encourage sloppy gun handling attitudes.

Since it's always good to review the basics, I am including in this post Jeff Cooper's rules of gun safety in his own words:

We hoped by this time that the standard rules of safe gunhandling would have become universal throughout the world. They have been arrived at by careful consideration over the years, and they do not need modification or addition. We trust that all the family have them by heart in all languages, but for those who came in late here they are again:

1. All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. (For those who insist that this particular gun is unloaded, see Rule 1.)
3. Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target. This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for about 60 percent of inadvertent discharges.
4. Identify your target, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.

Those will do. We need all four and we do not need five. It should not be necessary to belabor this issue, but life is not perfect.

Analyze Colorado Springs Shooting

Here is one of those tactical analysis situations, again. It is based on a shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

First, go to the link & read the article. Then tell me whether or not the shooting was justified. Careful, though. Read & analyze thoroughly.

If there is insufficient information for you to make a judgment, then give me hypotheticals: "If it went down [this way], then it was a justifiable shooting." Give reasons (that hopefully correspond to Biblical principles) for your conclusions.

Here's the link:

Colorado Springs Shooting

I will probably post a follow-up on Monday. Thanks to my barber for sending me the link to this article.

Heightened Sense of Security

I'm away at another show. I drove all day Wednesday, and yesterday spent all day at the Louisville (pronounced loo-uh-vl) Expo Center. Will do so today & tomorrow, as well.

I've noticed that I tend to have a heightened sense of security when I'm away from home, like this. I'm always thinking about where my stuff is, what's safe in the motel room, where to leave things, and what to carry with me.

This evening as my brother and I had dinner at a restaurant, I thought about how tired I was and how vulnerable that made me. I get like this whenever I'm away from home. But tactical thinking should not be a function of distance from one's abode.

How about you? Do you let the familiarity of your surroundings lull you into a sense of false security? Do you feel most safe when you are actually least protected?

Perhaps it would be a good idea to take a critical look at your habitual routines and rate your actual security as if you were far away from home.

Confrontational Types

I read an article by Bob Pierce about confrontational types -- the different types of people you may encounter in a potentially violent confrontation -- that I thought you might find helpful. It's not so much that he said anything you or I don't already know, but he put it together into a comprehensive picture.

I will give these four types my own descriptive names: 1) the true orc, 2) the raging bull, 3) the big deal, and 4) the bantam rooster. (I might also add a fifth, psychopath.) Over the years, I've run into these types, and I'm sure many of you readers have, as well. The bad news is that they can all be dangerous, but the good news is that if you can recognize the type, you are more likely to be able to derail the potential violence.

The true orc is a predator, plain and simple. He targets easy prey. If you notice him stalking you, you can often dissuade him by looking straight at him to let him know you've made him.

The other types may take direct eye contact as a challenge, but the true orc is not looking for a challenge. He wants to ambush his prey. The earlier you let this predator know you're on to him, the less it will take to persuade him to look for an easier mark.

If the situation reaches the testing phase, you must go into the non-challenging defensive posture and draw the appropriate verbal line. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!" This informs him that you are not about to step into his net.

A woman who challenges an orc in this fashion at this stage has a 50% chance of altogether avoiding physical assault.

Continued in "Confrontational Types, 2"

Avoid, Evade, Escape, 2

Continued from "Avoid, Evade, Escape"

As an individual, evading and escaping potential violence is easier than when you are protecting someone. Let's say you're by yourself and you see four or five orc-types converging on you. You simply leave -- run, if you have to.

Not so easy if you're with a wife, mother or sister. Sometimes she/they will want a detailed explanation of why you're saying, "Let's go. Now!" Or maybe, as in the case of young children, they just can't run very fast.

And don't think, "I'll just tell her to get away while I hold them off." Almost universally, womenfolk choose to stay with their men rather than escape to safety without them.

Efficient and effective personal security measures have to be discussed and even drilled. Your family should have an idea of what you are doing and why you are asking them to do it. Don't bank on the idea that you're the protector, and so they should have implicit trust in all you do & say -- maybe they should, but life doesn't work that way.

Larger groups, like your church congregation present a larger problem. If the violent predator targets them, you will not likely be able to lead the whole group into an evasion or escape. The ideal -- though unlikely -- tactic would be to see the orcs coming and to intercept them.

This means you will have to "escape" the situation by neutralizing the threat -- with extreme prejudice, as they say. In an emergency, people will often respond to the first person to step up and take charge. On the other hand, there are those who will challenge your authority and try to take over, themselves.

But when the bullets are flying, and you yell, "Everyone on the floor," so you can get a clear shot at the intruder(s), there will probably be few who will want to debate the issue. This kind of situation, however, puts you right at the center of the bullseye.

It's extremely dangerous, and if you have not or cannot work it out beforehand with your church authorities, you at least need a clear sense of what you will do. You should, as a matter of habit, be running scenarios in your head.

The bottom line is this: when you are protecting others, you cannot always depend on their cooperation. This means you need to prepare to stand between them and danger. And be prepared to stand alone.

For further discussion on the topic, CLICK HERE

Sheepdog Strategies, 7

Continued from "Sheepdog Strategies, 6"

Here's an interesting comment from WARSKYLMOOT, the discussion forum over at www.warskyl.com:

It's strange: my mother seems to think I'm in terrible danger if I'm alone, or whatever. She's against me walking anywhere at night (even when I worked at night). Just things like that.

Now, I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be all macho, but I'm 19, 6'4", and 200 pounds. I'm not the easiest target. Sure, there are always dangers, but if I were a criminal, I think I'd pick someone else. Surely, I am in no more danger than anyone else. And, one thing I always like to point out: women are by their very nature in more danger than men, because a whole class of criminals attacks women, and not men, for sexual reasons.

So, what's frustrating is that my mother and sister seem to think they're safe alone. Yeah, there are two of them, when I'm just one if I'm alone, but still, I try so hard to get this across to them, and it simply isn't working.

What advice will help this conscientious young man who obviously cares for and is concerned about his mother and his sister?

I think we've pretty much established that men and women tend to think differently about personal security issues. Men think of safety in terms of fighting off aggressors. This comes out in the young man's comment

Women, on the other hand, think of safety in terms of freedom from aggression. Could it be that this difference in attitudes is the reason the mother worries about her son? Let me give a true story as an extreme example.

Over 30 years ago, I asked a mother where her husband and grown son were. She told me they had gone -- I don't remember where. She followed up with the comment, "I always worry when those two go somewhere together, that they're going to get into trouble."

I replied, "You mean Patience and Prudence? Get in trouble? Nah!" I meant it as a joke, because neither of them was patient or prudent. The father was a WWII vet and strong as an ox. The son had spent a few years in the Marine Corps, and he'd had some martial arts training.

They both knew how to "take care of themselves" and when they were together, they did not back up for anyone. No doubt, they thought this made them "safe". The wife/mother saw it from a different perspective.

She thought their overconfidence (or downright challenging) attitude would invite rather than repel violence. I'm wondering . . . does the writer of the comment above have a mother who senses some of the I-can-take-care-of-myself attitude in him? And maybe she interprets it as a liability rather than as an asset.

He assumes the role of the competent, confident male who can handle trouble, thinking this should comfort his womenfolk. They see his mindset as dangerous and are troubled by it. What to do?

For what it's worth, here's my advice:

First, I would recommend that you immediately cease all talk about self defense with the womenfolk (& save it for another phase in this campaign). Second, I would recommend that you immediately start reading everything you can get your hands on about awareness/avoidance (a/a) of violence, with the intention of becoming an expert. (One article or even one book does not qualify you as an expert.)

I'd start with The Gift of Fear -- don't let the title scare you ;-) -- and follow it with Tiptoeing to Tranquility. The VHS video Safe in the Street mentioned by James 3v1 in his comment on "Sheepdog Strategies, 6" is a must-see for awareness/avoidance training.

As soon as you begin your study of a/a, you need to start practicing what you have learned. You must practice each security tactic daily for at least two weeks for it to become a habit. After these become ingrained, you're ready to begin a soft sell of personal security to mom & sis.

You must begin to model personal security behavior to your mother and sister. You know your mother worries when you go out alone, so you begin by telling her about the safer route you are taking, where you plan to park, and/or how you have planned the path of the walk to your destination. You may even preface your first such announcement with an apologetic, "I recently realized that I've been taking some unnecessary risks when I go out, so I'd like your opinion on where & how I plan to go this evening."

Let the ladies know that you're not doing this out of some paranoid fear, but that planning for safety just makes good sense to you, like looking both ways before you cross the street. Then when you're out with them, you can make a/a suggestions like, "I think we should park here. We'll have to walk a little farther, but there are lights here, and it's not so deserted."

Just be careful not to pontificate. Keep each comment in the form of a suggestion. And leave the books you've read lying around. They may get curious about the change in you, and pick one up to investigate.

Continued in "Sheepdog Strategies, 8"

Sucker Punch, 6 (From Reaction to Action)

Continued from "Sucker Punch, 5 (Defense Against)"

In summary so far, defense against the sucker puncher requires:

1. Perception of surroundings and acknowledgment of reality (vs. denial);
2. Non-challenging defensive posture;
3. Line in the dirt;
4. Startle response launches combat wedge technique.

Everything up to this point is designed to protect you from the initial assault. But if you do not follow up the combat wedge technique, you have only postponed an inevitable beating. If your wedge is powerful enough to drive that assailant back or throw him off balance, you may be able to get away.

If not, you must strike with palm-heel, edge of hand, knees, elbows and feet until you open an opportunity to escape. My book, 12 US Military Combat Techniques That Could Save Your Life explains and illustrates a dozen of the most simple and effective blows, in the best tradition of WWII combatives. In any case, the combat wedge is generally going to be your opening move, not the closing.

Once more I give you a link to a video clip by Tony Blauer. In it, he demonstrates that the combat wedge is simply a Bridge to the Next Move. (You may find some of his language offensive.)

That about wraps it up for the sucker punch. If you would like to review from the beginning, go to "Sucker Punch (Overhand Right)" and follow the links through this series of posts.

Tactical Lesson at Wal-Mart

A shopper at America's #1 discount retailer almost got more than he bargained for when he narrowly averted the mugging of him & his little daughter in the Wal-Mart parking lot. In God's providence, alertness along with tactical thinking & acting (and a Model 1911 .45) saved the day. He tells about it in his blog entry at this link.

CAUTION: Some offensive language appears in the post. Also, there may be some practices I do not endorse, such as shopping for leisure items on the Lord's Day. Other than that, the story has training value.

Do you see any signs of adrenaline stress in the story? How about yourself? Did you experience some of the signs of an adrenaline rush as you read it? (See Controlling Adrenaline Stress: Mental Imaging, 4.) Can you apply the principles found in these posts to this story?

Controlling Adrenaline Stress Through Breath Control
Controlling Adrenaline Stress Through Breath Control, 2

Controlling Adrenaline Stress: The Battle Cry
Controlling Adrenaline Stress: The Battle Cry, 2

Would a battle cry be wise or helpful in this situation? Analyze. Think tactically. Put yourself there. Learn from his experience by making it yours, as well.

Thanks to TC (aeriescape) for sending me the link.

The Gift of Fear

Today I want to recommend that you read The Gift of Fear, a book by Gavin DeBecker. A couple of days ago, I mentioned that we have a Distant Early Warning (DEW) system that is inborn, and which automatically warns us of potential harm. DeBecker's book is the definitive work on this topic.

His early life experiences led him to make the prevention of violence his life work, and The Gift of Fear tells that tale. His anecdotal illustrations are so compelling that, if you're an empathetic person, you might weep at more than one point in the book, as I did. Emotion aside, Gavin DeBecker has an impressive resume. For example, he has developed threat assessments used by the CIA, the US Supreme Court police and the US Marshals Service.

The Christian Maritalist trains himself not just to engage violent people. He should become an expert at recognizing, avoiding and preventing violence. Think of The Gift of Fear as your textbook for the course"Dealing with Violence 101. "Here are some things you will learn from the book:

• Random, unpredictable violence isn't random, and it's usually predictable;
• Why & how that nagging, undefinable sense that something is wrong can be your best guide in avoiding violence;
• How to evaluate the dangers posed by strangers;
• How to deal with someone who won't let go;
  
• Why a restraining order often precipitates the violence it's intended to prevent;
• How to help your loved ones be safer;
• How to tell whether the employee you fire may react violently
  

Just running through those points impressed me with the fact that I need to read The Gift of Fear again. I originally found the book in my public library, and you may do the same. I found it valuable enough to want a copy of my own. If you want to buy it from amazon, click on one of the links for a paperback copy, or this link if you prefer an audiobook.

One caveat: The Gift of Fear is not written from a Christian perspective. It explains intuitive warnings in terms of evolution rather than of God's design. A Christian should read this (or any) book critically and from a Biblical perspective. Also, the vivid descriptions of violent events may be upsetting to some. Even after all the warnings, I recommend The Gift of Fear. After reading the book, my daughter Theresa responded to an unusual situation in a way that may have saved her and her children. Perhaps I'll share that story another time.

Alertness Mindset

Today's post is about the alertness mindset. But first, I want to give credit to my source.

A couple of years ago, I downloaded a neat little free e-book from Rob LaPointe called Automatic Self Defense. He gave free redistribution rights, which was smart, because the booklet promoted his self defense course. I never purchased the course, so I can't vouch for it in any way. However, since the e-book is no longer available, and I'm quoting from it, I thought it only fair that I include a link to his product.

God has put within each of us a Distant Early Warning (DEW) system. It scans our environment like RADAR all the time -- even when (strange as it may sound) we aren't aware of it. Thus, the assignment for many of us is not how to develop alertness, but to learn to heed the warnings from our inner DEW system. Automatic Self Defense calls it, "Rule #1." Here it is:

What is the #1 thing that gets us in trouble every time, whether it be in business or
personal relationships, or on the street?

Not doing what we know is right.

Rule #1 is trust your instincts. If you follow this rule, the other 4 will probably be unnecessary. So, if it's such a simple rule, why don't people follow it? Usually because of social conditioning, that is, no one wants to be rude. We're approached in a place, at a time, in a certain way, by a person who makes us immediately uncomfortable, yet we don't simply walk away. Why not?

Ask someone who's been the victim of a crime and they'll likely tell you they were ill at ease from the start - even before it was clear what was going on. They'll tell you something didn't feel right. Maybe it was the person, the setting, the time of day, all of that. They just didn't like the vibe.

And they still went along with it. And they got in trouble.

Ask them why they didn't just turn around and leave and they'll almost always say it was because they didn't want to be rude or appear to overreact. They should have paid better attention - and respect - to that gut feeling, because predators don't wear signs around their necks. Also, if you ever are the victim of a crime, Justice Department statistics suggest there's a high likelihood you're dealing with a recidivist. That means he's experienced, hardened, and has done jail time. The last thing you want to do is give a person like that control of the situation by "being polite." He knows you're trying to be polite. He's counting on it so he can manipulate you.

Most of us deal with many people in the course of a day, but somehow manage not to make any of them fearful or anxious. If someone else makes you feel that way there's an excellent chance it's not you . . . it's them.

So trust your instincts.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. (Romans 12:18) You are not at peace with a violent predator if you allow him to make prey of you. Your best fight will always be the one that you avoid, and you will avoid it by developing an alertness mindset. So, listen to the DEW God designed into your consciousness.