No less than 16 tornadoes ripped through the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex on April 3, 2012 damaging hundreds of homes and throwing tractor trailers hundreds of feet into the air like they were toys. While dozens were injured, no fatalities have been reported. I feel extremely fortunate that neither our home or business were affected by the twisters, but having them within just a few miles of both has made me change my thinking of just how prepared I really am.
Whether you live in an area of the country that’s susceptible to tornadoes or not (most are), I hope that the lessons I’ll share in this article will be able to help you solidify your preparedness plans. Let’s face it, no area of the country is immune to natural disasters and while the likelihood of them impacting you personally is low, take a tip from the motto of the Boy Scouts of America and always be prepared.
I have friends that were affected by the tornadoes, but thankfully no more than external damage to their homes in the worst cases. Throughout this article I’ll share a few stories of what they experienced as a way to hammer home a few important lessons to take on board. [Read More…]
We’ve mentioned the venerable Mr. Murphy here on a few occasions and today we’d like to provide with the bible of Murphy’s Laws of Combat Operations. While the origin of Murphy’s Law is contested to this day, the version we tend to side with is mentioned on the Murphy’s Law Wikipedia entry:
Arthur Bloch, in the first volume (1977) of his Murphy’s Law, and Other Reasons Why Things Go WRONG series, prints a letter that he received from George E. Nichols, a quality assurance manager with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Nichols recalled an event that occurred in 1949 at Edwards Air Force Base, Muroc, California that, according to him, is the origination of Murphy’s law, and first publicly recounted by USAF Col. John Paul Stapp. An excerpt from the letter reads:
The Law’s namesake was Capt. Ed Murphy, a development engineer from Wright Field Aircraft Lab. Frustration with a strap transducer which was malfunctioning due to an error in wiring the strain gage bridges caused him to remark – “If there is any way to do it wrong, he will” – referring to the technician who had wired the bridges at the Lab. I assigned Murphy’s Law to the statement and the associated variations.
Murphy’s always along for the ride no matter if you’re conducting combat operations or living your daily life. If you’re not familiar with him and his antics, you’ve probably just never known he was with you all along. Here’s the list of 113 of Mr. Murphy’s Laws of Combat Operations. [Read More…]
Editor-in-Chief’s note: This post was written by Schaefer and originally ran on The Art of Manliness.
“The essential thing “in heaven and earth” is…that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.” – Friedrich Nietzche, Beyond Good and Evil
In 1989, Wyoming-native Mark Jenkins set out with three Americans and four Russians to become the first to bicycle all the way across Siberia, starting at the Pacific port town of Vladivostok and ending 7,500 miles later in Leningrad. Battling mud, wind, injuries, and sub-zero temperatures, the 5-month journey took them through hundreds of villages, an 800-mile swamp, the Ural mountains, and a culture permanently hardened by the savage taskmaster of communism.
The trip planted the team in the Guinness Book of World Records, but what made it remarkable was not that it was long, but that it was hard – brutally, numbingly, painfully… hard. [Read More…]
Not only is Panteao Productions putting out some incredible instructional DVDs, but they’re producing them at an unbelievable rate! It almost seems like there’s a new one coming out each week with a different well known industry instructor.
What’s also unique about what Panteao brings to the table with their instructional DVDs, is that you can sign up for a monthly membership at $17.95 or a full year for $150 and stream anything and everything online without having to commit to purchasing each DVD.
Despite us having a few of Panteao’s DVDs here at the shop, I’m seriously considering signing up for the annual online subscription. When you take into account all the training you’re getting for $150, it sure makes it worth it compared to traveling to a class. Watching a DVD or online instruction is never going to replace hands-on training, but I know I’ve learned quite a few things from the DVDs I’ve watched. [Read More…]
I would argue yes, the order does matter. Something that’s been ingrained in me since my days in BUD/s is the order in which I dress.
As I was getting dressed this morning, putting my pants on first, I thought I’d write about why we were taught back in the day to dress in a certain order. [Read More…]
One of the hardest things about the GORUCK Ascent for us has been figuring out how exactly to describe it. It was so much more than simply getting the opportunity to climb multiple 14,000 foot peaks and even more than a field test for the GORUCK GR2 pack.
Hand the GORUCK GR2 to an avid backpacker or mountaineer and they’ll most likely begin pointing out what makes their pack better. It’s lighter, it has a waist belt, it’s colorful… you get the idea. But we assure you, the GR2 was in no way a simple bag. It’s not only capable of summiting 14′ers, but getting you to and from every campsite and trail head in between.
Throughout this article you’ll be reading both of our (Bryan’s and Mike’s) experiences during the Ascent and our journey along the way.
The GORUCK Ascent wasn’t just an event that forged friendships, took us out of comfort zone and forced us to overcome adversity daily, but introduced us to parts of ourselves that we never knew existed. While the Ascent wasn’t billed as a GORUCK Challenge, what we came away with is truly what a “challenge” is all about. Personal growth. [Read More…]
Operational Security and speaking to the media on Spec Ops matters: Now there’s a high wire act I really can’t recommend.
I’ve been asked to appear on numerous news programs and television specials now pertaining to our Special Operations units and their accomplishments, especially the recent successes of our Navy SEALs. In most cases, due to a lifetime of secrecy and an appreciation for it, I flatly decline. I have, however, accepted on the few rare occasions when I felt there was something positive to contribute, or even to intervene and “stop the bleeding” as it pertains to our Operational Security (OPSEC).
My motivation for speaking out has most often come from seeing high-ranking military officers spilling highly-sensitive information as though it were no concern at all, which sends the media into a feeding frenzy for operational details. In these situations, I feel it’s important that SOMEBODY get on there who will ride the OPSEC brakes a bit and steer the press away from our operational specifics. So, in my case I spoke out when I thought it would help. Did it work? In one case, apparently it did work to some degree. Friends of mine noticed other news contributors quoting my recommendations in the press over the following few days. [Read More…]
Being killed by your own firearm is not the way any of us wants to go. Unfortunately, many law enforcement officers have been disarmed and subsequently killed with their own gun. Some citizens have also met this unfortunate end. There are three things that can help prevent being disarmed by an assailant: awareness, retention holsters and weapon retention training.
While this article will focus on the carrying of handguns, excellent retention techniques exist for the long gun as well. In many ways, retention of a shotgun or rifle is easier than that of a handgun. [Read More…]
Two Louisiana police officers were called murderers after they killed a young, unarmed man one night by repeatedly shooting him in the back. The officers claimed the man was armed, but no gun was ever found.
In the aftermath, the police chief was fired, the officers were dragged through the legal system and the community lost faith in the police force.
What went wrong? [Read More…]
Earlier this year we noticed a more pronounced female audience for all things tactical. As we’ve looked deeper into what’s out there for ITS gals, we’ve been pleasantly surprised. Not only are more women becoming hunting and outdoor sporting enthusiasts, but more women are interested in protecting themselves with a firearm.
As I’ve been looking for content to contribute to ITS I’ve found that one of the recurring questions in my mind is “what can I do to become better prepared for handling myself in a defensive situation?” More specifically, “could I help protect my family if we were the victims of a home invasion, or could I assist with stopping a criminal if I witnessed a crime being committed?” My answer so far is simply “I don’t know…” [Read More…]
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