PREPARE Magazine - Survival Skills

Encouraging, Empowering and Enriching Your Journey

Survival Skills Span Wilderness and Urban Settings For Survival in the City:

S.T.O.P!

How Will You Deal With Others’ Panic?

Ways to Escape the Concrete Jungle!

Gift Giving Ideas for the Non-Preppers in Your Life!

November 2015

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Letter from the Managing Editor We are very thankful that you are taking some time out of your day to rejuvenate yourself with some uplifting words to help you keep up with your preparedness part of life. Just because the festivities may overtake our lives at this time, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little respite and continue to sew into your mental database of self-sufficiency! So grab a cup of something comforting and sharpen your mind!

The tangible skills of survival and preparedness are never far from our thoughts. So we certainly want reminding of these even in our ‘down time’. And no matter where you live, Survival Skills Span Wilderness and Urban Settings so keeping your skill set sharp is key. Also you may wish to (or need to) Escape the Concrete Jungle. But maybe staying put in the city or urban area is needed. In that case, For Survival in the City: S.T.O.P! the colder months of winter allow for great research and planning time. This time of year also allows for observation of current events and the forming personal plans and opinions of how they will affect us. Perhaps like one of our newest authors, you are forming an opinion about the newest military tech and how it affects Doctrine, Strategy & Tactics We realize that the last two months of the calendar year are jam-packed with life and laughter, giving and going but also for some people, stress reaches its peak this time of year. We all have felt Seasonal Stress at some time or another. That is why we are focusing several articles on things that may seem more ‘relational’ in this November 2015 Digital Issue of PREPARE. Having control over one’s own mental state is one key to helping avoid and relieve stress. There is no more stressful of a situation than an emergency. So learning about "Zanshin" and how it applies to preparedness may be very helpful.

Now let’s look at stressors outside one’s own mind-set.

We all have friends, family and loved ones that just don’t ‘get it’ like we do. This can cause stress at this time of year but it doesn’t have to. Considering ahead of time How You Will Deal With Others’ Panic can help you to ready yourself and perhaps help them ahead of time as well. Then there is the potential that, even though someone might have just now seen the light, They Ask to Join You … Now What?

This is also the time of year most people are trying to figure out if gifts should be practical or lavish. And how do you help someone prepare, yet don’t offend them if they don’t want to? One author shares a few Gift Giving Ideas for the Non-Preppers in Your Life in hopes of helping you make the most of your intentions and gifts!

Just like in the Devotion: Freak out or Seek Out it is our hope that you and those you love will be able to find calm in the midst of life’s storms. Whether it’s the tumultuous time of the Christmas and Hanukkah Holidays or the season of uncertainty that may affect our society as a whole or a more personal seasonal stormy sea. We want to encourage you that there can joy in the journey and a silver lining around each cloud.

With Warm Wishes for the Days Ahead!

Donna L. Miller Managing Editor of PREPARE Magazine

Table of Contents ❖Letter from the Managing Editor ❖Escape the Concrete Jungle! ❖Gift Giving Ideas for Non-Preppers PREPARE Magazine

❖DTS – Doctrine, Strategy, Tactics

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❖How Will You Deal With Others’ Panic ❖Survival Skills Span Wilderness and Urban ❖For Survival in the City: S.T.O.P ❖Zanshin ❖If They Ask to Join You … Now What? ❖Freak out or Seek Out (*Devotional)

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Escape the Concrete Jungle!

By James Walton http://www.IamLibertyShow.com The sky was bruised as the sun chased away any remaining blue sky.

I continued to marvel at the heavens, which was probably to my detriment. A brilliant fluffing of cotton candy gauze hung up against the backdrop of a wounded sky. The whole scene from tall oaks shedding acorns to the whispering chills in the air spoke of Autumn.

In the brush to my left a plump turkey shot with impressive speed from the border of the brambles. It dissolved into tall grasses as quickly as I had seen it. I could hear his buddies in a stretch of woods to my right. Even they died down after we crossed paths. I was outfitted for deer hunting on this giant property but I had everything I needed to take a turkey that day.

I live within city limits but thanks to public land that is managed by the Virginia department of game and fish I'm hunting in 45 minutes. I am new

to hunting and consistently unsuccessful but without these hundreds of acres so close to me I tend to think hunting wouldn't even be an option for me. This property is called a Wildlife Management Area or WMA. It's open to the public most of the time and the fun doesn't just end after hunting season.

In the U.S., WMAs exist in the following states: Alabama Arkansas Florida[1] Georgia Louisiana[2] Maryland Minnesota[3] Montana[4] New Jersey[5]

New Mexico[6] Nevada[7] New York Oregon[8] South Carolina Tennessee[9] Texas[10] Virginia [11] This amounts to hundreds of thousands of acres of land to take advantage of. Of course hunting is the most popular use of these lands but in my experience I have run into horseback riders and even wild mushroom hunters. For the city folk who are land locked in cement these WMAs offer something unmatched in the local area. Chances are if you are in or close to one of the states listed above there is anywhere from 80 to hundreds or even thousands of acres available to you.

So what do you do with all this land?

HUNT

HIKE

On the last episode of I AM Liberty I made the case that hunting is the greatest force multiplier available to the preparedness minded individual. There is no single activity that allows you to access so many skills and scenarios in a real life setting.

One of the best forms of prepper fitness is to throw that go bag on your back and explore terrain. Get on one of these giant pieces of land and get moving. HIKE as far as you can. This will help you develop a great baseline for what you are capable of, if you ever have to bug out.

When a real disaster strikes, you don't want to be attempting to travel 10 miles a day if you are really only capable of 5.

CAMP When it comes to family preparedness activities camping is the most powerful. There is no better disguise for breaking out all your skills/tools and teaching them to the kids and the wife or husband. The problem with many campsites is that you are limited in your ability to make fire. CHECK LOCAL REGULATIONS but here in Virginia most WMAs allow you to build a fire at your campsite. This is a great layer of reality.

At any one moment you are practicing gun/weapon safety while toting a pack, while tracking an animal, while observing the world around you and at any moment you could be tossed a serious curve ball. If you have the desire use these WMAs the way so many people do: to HUNT!

BUGOUT In the emails that come my way from my weekly podcast there are many recurring topics. One of the biggest concerns comes from that person who is living in a city and has nowhere to go if a legitimate evacuation occurs. If you are forced to make that decision that you are safer if you leave your home than if you stay, where do you go?

The other great thing about WMAs is that you won't have a family of four on either side of you. What you could have though is a family of bears nearby or a mountain lion looking your way. Come prepared for that. I don't just mean with a rifle. Know how to safely store your food and keep the family safe.

Again with ample camping opportunities these plots of land could be that perfect bugout location for someone stuck in the concrete jungle. Most allow you to camp up to 21 days and in an emergency no one's gonna be checking on you. If you are familiar with the land this could be a great opportunity. So get familiar.

LEARN

BE SAFE, LOCAL REGULATIONS

When you talk about bush craft, woodsman skills and other ages old endeavors that push us further towards self-reliance these lands are perfect. If you are in a crowded urban area you will find it hard to find the right time or space to practice things like making a bowdrill or improvising some weaponry. You will also get some crazy looks if you pull out your flint and steel at a local park.

Whether you recognize them or not you have passed a WMA sign in your travels. They are gems hidden reasonably close to all of us. If you choose to begin to explore them be sure to read up on the rules and regulations of each site. Know when hunting season has kicked off and the best times to visit. Sundays are great as most public lands still don't allow hunting on Sunday.

Head to these lands with a checklist of skills to practice and a field guide of local wild edibles to ID and taste.

You will be secluded and have the freedom to do whatever you want. For a person without access to secluded woods this is invaluable. If nothing else I would recommend this use as it can really help you develop quickly.

I have only been hunting for about 1 1/2 years now though I have been on public lands my whole life. I hope you take advantage of them just as I have. Good luck to ya!

Get Your Non-Prepper Friends & Family Onboard with These 6 Gift Ideas!

By Amy Barker

1

We all have that friend or family member who gives you that funny look when we talk about prepping, or pokes a bit of fun at the idea. Many times their negative attitude toward the idea of prepping may be influenced by over the top TV shows or news stories. Here are some ideas for gifts that introduce the idea of preparing for emergencies (or preparing for life!) that won't make them roll their eyes.

An auto emergency kit.

We've all had the misfortune of being broken down at some point or another. How much worse is it to open up that trunk and realize you have no jack? Or are missing your jumper cables? Add rain or snow and a long wait in the cold for AAA, and you have, at best, an uncomfortable experience and at worst, a minor emergency. How about creating a small bin of auto emergency supplies for your reluctant preppers? A warm blanket, emergency flare, flashlight, some easy snacks, a can of tire sealant for flats, and any other auto supplies you can think of. This doesn't have to be a huge kit, and will pretty much live in the trunk of the car, but what a difference it makes when you need it. I am a huge fan of rechargeable jump starters as well, especially for my family who tend to leave lights on.

A Camping Kit.

2

For the people who love the outdoors, how about a neat little kit to bring camping? You can buy pre-made ones that are packed in a Nalgene bottle, and they're pretty nifty. They usually contain things like small flashlights, glow sticks, Mylar blankets, and so on. With a little creativity and thought, it is fairly easy to make your own personalized ones. These are great because many people think, "Oh, camping supplies!" and you won't get the pushback about them being survival tools.

3

A Food Dehydrator or Pressure Canner.

Sometimes a preparedness journey starts with a small step. If you have a friend r family member who likes making jellies and jams, why not encourage that selfsufficiency? It also opens up a dialogue about food storage, call it a gentle introduction to the concept of food storage.

A Lights Out Kit

6

I live in an area where we lose power fairly often due to winter storms. I've found that the people most reluctant to talk about prepping have no issue with a small shoebox size kit of flashlights, extra batteries, candles, matches and the like. Throw a pack of cards and other things for entertainment in there, and you have a quick and easy gift.

4

A Short Term Food Storage Kit OK, this one you may get an eye roll on. But it is worth a try. Put together a three-day supply of food and water, in a nice bucket. It's easy to put together, easy to customize for their diets, and all the recipient has to do is set it aside and not worry about it. When they lost power for a few days or have a huge snow storm and are stuck at home with no way to get to the store, they'll find it! And use it and most importantly, be thankful for it.

5

Humorous Books While perhaps the US Army Survival Manual will get a groan, how about one of the more humorous survival books? The Worst Case Scenario books are entertaining, thought provoking, and a funny way to introduce the concept of survival ideas. And come on, who doesn't want to know how to wrestle an alligator?

These are just a few ideas for gifts for the non-preppers in your life. I'm sure you can think of more in the same lines. You don't have to go buy someone a full bugout bag or year's supply of food to get them moving on the path to preparedness!

DTS: Doctrine, Strategy, Tactics and the modernization of a tech capable military

By Spencer Bolejack, www.lotswild.com

This will be short. It's a notice of sorts, my own commentary and opinion (of which there is no shortage!) on the continuing so-called ‘modernization' of the US Military and potential pitfalls of war planners. As usual, I can't help but find myself asking: "Is it truly poor strategic consideration or are there wolves in the hen house?"

At question is the application of a concept I use to teach all of my survival, martial arts, and even music and other classes - DST. Doctrine Strategy Tactics defines training per end use goals so we can be efficient with assets such as time and other resources.

For example, you wouldn't teach classical piano to someone preparing for a jazz ensemble unless you had extra time. You wouldn't teach MMA cage fighting to a female wanting a one-day self-defense survival course of lethal techniques. Likewise, you wouldn't learn lethal techniques and train weapons combat for a peace officer charged with civilian restraint until foundations were covered. And so the question of how the US Military evolves and is built is related to the end use scenario.

The United States military decided over a decade ago that the fundamental doctrine of warfighting would be relatively small engagements requiring high precision

munitions near civilian populations. "Policing" of sorts would constitute much of the soldiers duty, and small, lightweight teams of elite personnel would be capable of bearing much of the mission load. Manpower needs could be met through a combination of guard and reserve units, contractors, and full-time service men and women. From the beginning of this development which I observed in the 90's, I have had concern. We are all so easily taken in by movies with daring elite soldiers, our video games revolve around "Spec Ops" and kids grow up wanting to be Navy Seals. There is nothing wrong with these incredible soldiers but the fact is they do not win wars. Not against a conventional enemy anyway.

As the US diminished its air force to under 25% of what it was only 30 years ago and planners invested in a new model of warfighting designed to combat terrorism, I have warned consistently that the real enemy is still actual armies. Bearded guys in Toyota trucks with an RPG may strike "terror" into people, but the fact is terrorism at large is more useful for engineering the population and shaping domestic policy than actually defeating nation states with advanced military capability. We have grown

accustomed to ‘kind war', the type where we expect certain behavior from soldiers and governments and think our opinion is strong enough to protect civilians and infrastructure. All out war is not something my generation is familiar with in any way. And all out war is exactly what the US Military should have the responsibility of defending against. High technology is vulnerable in many ways from hacking and EMP destruction to operator error and system failure. It is an efficient investment for global contenders to find weaknesses in existing systems rather than develop their own high-tech attack systems. If technology and special operations are the icing, conventional forces are the cake. The world is not subjugated and unified to the point where military doctrine and strategy can safely convert to tech-based special operations and offer security against massive conventional forces.

The parade of US vehicles that drove through East Europe, intended to warn Russia and strengthen allies, was comical to me and only surfaced on my radar because I was there in person when it began.

Below is an excerpt from Army Colonel Doulas Macgregor: "For those villagers eagerly snapping pictures on the side of a road in the Czech Republic in late September, the appearance of the line of U.S. "Stryker" armored fighting vehicles must have seemed more like a parade than a largescale military operation. The movement of some 500-plus soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment from Vilsack in Bavaria to a Hungarian military base was intended to strengthen U.S. ties with the Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian militaries and put Russia's Vladimir Putin on notice.

But not everyone is convinced. "This Stryker parade won't fool anyone in Moscow," says retired Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor. "The Russians don't do many things well, but they have been subverting, destabilizing, invading and conquering their neighbors since Peter the Great. And what's our response: a small unit of light armored trucks."

Viewed by many of his colleagues as one of the most innovative Army officers of his generation, Macgregor, a West Point graduate with a Ph.D. in international relations ("he can be pretty gruff," a fellow West Point graduate says, "but he's brilliant"), led the 2nd Cav's "Cougar Squadron" in the bestknown battle of Operation Desert Storm in February 1991. In 23 minutes, Macgregor's force destroyed an entire Iraqi Armored Brigade (including nearly 70 Iraqi armored vehicles), while suffering a single American casualty. Speaking at a military "lessons learned" conference one year later, Air Force General Jack Welsh described the Battle of 73 Easting (named for a map coordinate) as "a stunning, overwhelming victory."

In the wake of the battle, however, Macgregor calculated that if his unit had fought a highly trained and better armed enemy, like the Russians, the outcome would have been different. In early September, he circulated a PowerPoint presentation showing that in a head-to-head confrontation pitting the equivalent of a U.S. armored division against a likely Russian adversary, the U.S. division would be defeated.

"Defeated isn't the right word," Macgregor told me last week.

"The right word is annihilated." The 21-slide presentation features four battle scenarios, all of them against a Russian adversary in the Baltics — what one currently serving war

planner on the Joint Chiefs staff calls "the most likely warfighting scenario we will face outside of the Middle East."

Macgregor isn't doubting our men and women or their resolve. He is critiquing the fundamental organization of the US Army which has evolved against terrorist threats in recent decades and slowly, steadily, reduced preparedness for a more traditional war with trained regular armies. At the same time, our infrastructure has become more reliant on fragile technology and the population less resilient, aware, and capable of weathering periods of conflict and scarcity. At the end of the day, the result goes back to an old concept I once argued in a college class - equality equals violence. That is, between dogs leading a pack, between kids on a playground, between nations - dominance creates peace.

The moment a hostile Bravo pack member senses he can take the Alpha position, a fight ensues. If the contestants are unequal the fight is quick. If the contestants are truly matched then the conflict is highly destructive and engulfs the area. In modern military terms, this means nuclear weapons.

As always, after writing a sobering report on unpalatable realities which modern philosophy would spurn as obsolete and less evolved, I only hope the possible outcomes are for the highest good. I hope the idealism of the modern mind can bear fruit and we can avert disaster through communication, clever leadership, and foreign policy. I can't help but feel that like the wolfpack, humans haven't changed that much.

How Will You Deal With Others’ Panic?

By LeAnn Edmondson, Homestead Dreamer A disaster has occurred. It does not matter if it is local, state, national, or global: it’s a disaster that affects you, your family, and those around you. Being a prepper, you have a plan on how to meet the threats of no running water, a break in the supply chain, and even looters. You top off your water tanks while there is still pressure in the lines, double check a few other preps to make sure things are in order, and prepare to hunker down.

Then the neighbor knocks frantically at your door. They are panicked, irrational, and scared out of their mind.

Whether or not they know about your preps, they may have noticed that you aren’t out with the rest of the neighborhood to discuss what to do next. When you begin talking to them, they notice that you are not panicking. You come across concerned but also confident and composed. It is a taste of normal to them and, being in their panicked state, they may end up flocking to you because you seem to have things figured out and are not ‘worried.’

The flip side is they become suspicious and start thinking maybe you aren’t as desperate or worried as everyone else is and wonder if you are hiding supplies. Supplies they need and want. Then they start talking to other neighbors.

Do you know what you would do in either situation? So many preppers think that if they simply hunker inside and don’t bring any attention to themselves that they will be fine but the rest of the people around you will be panicked and frantic. They will notice their surroundings more than they usually do, based largely on our survival instincts.

Leadership Role In chaos (and life in general), people seek out things that will improve their situation, especially once the initial danger is over. They may see you are calm, confident, and not struggling or wandering around in a zombie-like state. Like a moth to the flame, many of your neighbors

will be drawn to you. You are a beacon of the ‘normal’ that they crave. They may come asking for food, water, fuel, or any other number of things that they may need.

They may offer to help work for what they need, or offer to pay. Are you prepared for how you will handle this?

Have you considered what will happen when these people start to get complacent or comfortable? When people are no longer worried about their next meal, they no longer worry about the big things and instead think of things like fairness, entitlement, etc. It can turn ugly quickly. It can also turn ugly when they have exhausted your supplies or you start to turn people away because now your own family doesn’t have enough.

It is better to talk things out and allow yourself to feel fear and panic when things are calm and safe than it is to have knee-jerk reactions in the thick of a disaster.

Target for Survivors You choose to keep to yourself, maybe exchanging a word with a neighbor here and there about how tough it is. You may tell a few well-placed lies to give the impression you and yours are surviving off rice and keeping warm with the woodstove in your home. You are hunkered down and hope no one really pays attention, playing the role of ‘Gray Man’. You may even head outside once or twice to give the impression that

you are also desperate, hungry, and out looking for supplies like everyone else. Eventually though, people will cross your path with ill intent.

It could be a rock through the window in the middle of the night. It could be a group of people coming up to your door and demanding to be let inside, demanding you share what you have and stop being ‘greedy.’ It could be the military under martial law come to take what they consider ‘excess supplies’ to be redistributed to the masses who didn’t prepare. All of these scenarios are terrifying to even consider but imagine how much more intense it would be during the encounter.

What Can You Do to Prepare?

Since every disaster is different, and the variables so many, there really is no ‘one size fits all’ answer here.

That does not mean you can’t be prepared, at least mentally, for how you will handle the situation.

Roleplaying – Playing the part of a panicked person and trying to convince others to let you in or help you is a good way to prepare not only those in your group on how to best handle it, it will give insight into what that person may feel, think, and do. Understanding what they might be going through will further help you handle the situation in the best way. Also, consider looking at it from a criminal point of view. Try to break into your home and then take steps to make it more difficult to gain access. Criminals tend to use the path of least resistance so they can get in and out fast. Make it harder for them!

Discussion and Brainstorming – It is better to talk things out and allow yourself to feel fear and panic when things are calm and safe than it is to have knee-jerk reactions in the thick of a disaster. When people are panicking, their minds aren’t thinking about safety, common sense, or in logical terms. They are fleeing and reacting on the fly. Talking about all of these possibilities and then deciding how the people in your group will react to them is a valuable step in keeping control and avoiding being caught up in the chaos. Let your fears take hold! Imagine the worst-case scenario and let it play out. Better to do it now while you are safe instead of trying to get control over your emotions when critical thinking can mean the difference between life and death.

Doing Nothing is the Worst Choice I do not claim to be an expert on survival or urban disaster, however, there are certain behaviors that most humans will display in a crisis - whether that it large or

small scale. Thinking about how you will deal with people being drawn to you as a leader or taking what they think you have; whether you have it or not. Part of the biggest reason preppers fail is lack of planning. Sure, having that bucket of freeze dried food for a month is great; it will come in handy and should you need it, you will be thankful.

Unless you think and make a plan on how you will, at least initially, respond to the most likely scenarios in your area, you are putting yourself and your family at a disadvantage. Being able to survive is so much more than having enough oats and rice put up. It is my opinion that the ability to think clearly and react without panicking is what will make the difference between being a survivor or a victim. There are no clean-cut answers for this and there likely never will be.

The only thing you can control is what you will do and how you will react.

Survival Skills Span Wilderness and Urban Emergencies

By Ken Youngquist, Survivaltek It seems that when we hear the word "survival" our minds automatically think "wilderness". The majority of reality survival shows these days are produced in remote wilderness locations using limited or primitive tools. A sparse few programs deal with surviving natural and man-made disasters that have a significant impact on populated urban environments. It's safe to say that survival priorities in either environment remain the same; i.e. the need for shelter, water, fire, and food with the added concern for safety from man or beast.

The main difference between the two environments is the resources that are available, but that's where knowledge, skill, and adaptability comes into play.

For a reality check on your preparedness for a debilitating urban natural disaster you might consider spending a weekend without using your home's utilities and conveniences. That would reveal the areas

of your dependency, your lacks, and what you should prepare for in the event of infrastructure failure.

My focus on survival has typically been short term, centered around the goals of staying alive, finding help, or how to get found, usually from being lost or stranded. An urban survival strategy prepares for a longer term emergency where there may be a shortage or interrupted flow of resources such as groceries, sundries, power, and fuel. Residents here have the ability to store provisions ahead of time for such an event.

Not long ago I published an e-book called "Fifty ways to make survival tools from trash and household items". In it I have compiled select articles that explain the usefulness of discarded items that could be found in an urban environment, many of which could be found in your home. Of course it's best to obtain the proper tools

for the tasks that may be needed, such as wrenches for turning off gas or water lines, saws for clearing fallen trees, utensils for cooking outdoor, filters for potable water, and more.

Having tools is important, but knowing how to use them is paramount. Be sure that you take time to use your tools and practice honing your skills. This contributes to safety, efficiency, and confidence. By combining your skills with adequate provisions, you can not only survive in an emergency situation but thrive.

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Survival in the City

By David Browne, http://www.preparedness-now.com City survival is a complicated question, in that there are many types of problems that have its own characteristic that one must consider. Let us just be somewhat generic then in our discussion of some sort of natural disaster that you are going to be without electricity. Many of us are experts in wilderness survival and primitive survival skills and these skills can be every bit as important to know for city survival too, but our discussion is planned around not having any help from police, firemen, or city preparedness people; we are on our own. OK. Your mental preparedness response is the same in the wilderness or any type of emergency(;) use your head and plan before something happens is ideal and then have the family respond to drills once in a while to work out the kinks.

I teach scouts merit badges on survival and in their books that I use is the word, S.T.O.P. It is a good idea to stop and think when an emergency happens. If you have planned, then it is not so much Stop as it is Response.

Stop:

Yes, stop and consider, what just happened.

What dangers are present? Where is my family? Is anyone hurt? Am I safe? Initiate your emergency plan.

First is water(;) fill up bath tubs with water and any other containers for water. Turn off gas and electric to your home for now. Don’t want a fire to destroy your place or the neighborhood. Turn on solar/crank radio to hear what might be going on. These are for Starters.

Think;

Gather your family around you. (If you are

separated by work or school then read my book or previous article.) Discuss what has happened and what dangers you are in and make everyone safe mentally and physically. Go over your plan and initiate it. Give everyone a job to do and keep them busy.

Observe;

Go out on your block and assess the

damages there and help your neighbors by telling them to get water, save their food, etc. See if anyone needs medical help and do the best you can.

Plan; Work your plan.

Look after your food and water.

Have you made my evaporative refrigerator? If you have, then let the freezer and fridge stay cool and try not to open them. When food starts to get warm remove them to the evaporative fridge. Use your check list and run down the items you have listed to do in your plan.

In any wilderness survival you are interested in your safety, water, shelter and food and don’t forget your meds. These are the headings you will need in your city plan. Before an earthquake or any emergency, including an economical melt down of the economy, make a plan using these simple survival headings.

Safety Questions: is the house safe to live in, is the community safe to stay in your home? What can you do to make it safe? Do you have extra items in your storage to repair your home, i.e. windows, plywood, nails? Do

you have heat? Did you buy a wood stove and all the stove pipe that you can? Have in mind a place to put the wood stove, making sure it fits that space. Do you have some kind of lighting? These are a few questions on safety.

Water: you should have at least 4- 55 gal drums of water stored and a LifeStraw. Can you catch rain run off with a larger tank, under your roof cutter? Do you have a map with springs and well locations? Have you built my well bucket? (It’s in my book) Take care of your food. Make sure you can save the fridge and freezer food. For all your meat, cut it into strips and dry it into jerky. Place as much as you can into my evaporator fridge.

And organize your meds. Be sure everyone has them and organized. Stress is going to be a major problem in any emergency situation. You must manage it and everyone is different as to how they deal with it. What I have learned with kids is to keep them busy and have lots of happy food for them. Have birthday cakes on hand and all the rest. Keep them busy playing board games or what every. Try not to let them see the destruction or any deaths.

If you have a place of safety that is outside the city, great.

You must decide when it will be best to travel to that place. This will be tricky and hazardous anyway you look at it. Leaving for parts unknown is going to be worse. Oh, I hope you have made some forward thinking before something happens. Being stuck in the city is not going to be a fun place to be. Just look at what happened to those in New Orleans.

What happened there? Study what happened there and how people reacted to this disaster. The Army came in to take their guns. Looters destroyed more property than the storm. The East Coast had lost electric and had just as bad a problem but people there were a bit more civilized in how they cooped. People will lose their minds in this situation and as we heard a man killed his sister for a drink of water. Any emergency that will last for a few days or weeks is going to be ugly.

Analyze your city’s stress level if you can. How do you think they will react to a sever emergency? Is your job so important that you refuse to leave for a city that is not so volatile?

One way or the other our electrical grid is in real danger from a terrorist attack, Solar Flare or an EMP delivered

by Russia or Iran. Vladimir Putin has the capability to launch from northern Russia and shoot it over the North Pole an EMP detonated 20 miles in the atmosphere over Central America would destroy our electrical grid forever. It might be Iran that does this too, as a recent launch of an SLV by Iran has sparked renewed concern of an attack. An EMP would send our lives back in time a hundred years. People just can’t survive such a change; we are not prepared to become self-sufficient.

We have some real threats to our way of life and an EMP seems more likely than a Solar flare or some natural disaster. As the G2 Bulletin reported last week, Ronald Burgess, director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, revealed that Iran successfully launched a multi-stage SLV, the Simorgh. The device ultimately could be equipped with a nuclear bomb, which the U.S. intelligence community assesses Iran is developing with our help.

Officials also report Iran has been testing detonation of its nuclear-capable missiles by remote control while still

in high-altitude flight. The development makes a potential EMP attack on the U.S. more probable.

What will happen to our cities if we lose our electrical grid, “Within a year of that attack, nine out of 10 Americans would be dead, because we can’t support a population of the present size in urban centers and the like without electricity,” said Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy. “And that is exactly what I believe the Iranians are working towards.”

I have read from FEMA the same statistic that 95% of all Americans would die the first year without electricity.

Our whole economy is based on electricity, everything will stop. Think about it. Everything is run by electricity.

One of the real dangers to a city survival situation is the mobs or smaller groups looking for food and water.

There is not going to be any law but the law of a good heart. Those who don’t have any morals will do anything for water and food. The longer it goes the more people will lose any degree of decency and will kill you for water or food to feed their families. Hard reality.

How to survive in your cities is to make a plan and purchase items to become self-sufficient. Start now in becoming Self-sufficient; that is the real answer to city survival, become self-sufficient.

Zanshin: Retaining awareness during martial application and confrontation

By Donald Alley, www.martialtacticaltrainingofmichigan.com In many potentially violent encounters, a person can be faced with multiple assailants. This is especially true in urban and suburban settings, and highly likely in a scenario that has normal law enforcement taxed and largely unavailable.

In such settings, situational awareness will be absolutely essential in survival, as well as training in a protective style that does not preclude multiple attacker scenarios.

Zanshin is the Japanese word for “remaining mind”, “lingering mind”, and “continuing mind” (approximately), and is emphasized in many martial practices in one form or another. The importance of Zanshin is tremendous in personal protection practice and is still exercised in quality training. In traditional physical training, the Zanshin was used to force the trainee to remain focused. For firearms and more modern training, it allows for retaining situational awareness during and after a situation.

In more ‘art’ styles of martial practice, such as Aikido, the person doing the technique remains in his final body pose while his training partner is thrown. The idea is much like when a golfer hits the ball, he continues through with the swing until the full swing rotation is complete. It helps ensure maximum energy is imparted on the ball and continuing awareness towards the results of the shot.

Similarly, by going through the action of a throw or other application, the practitioner does not stop just near the decisive movement (the ball and club impact), but beyond it. This ensures maximum energy imparted into the opponent.

In more personal protection intent training, the Zanshin means remaining focused on the attacker to help be sure he is neutralized. If the attacker is assumed to be neutralized and the protector drops his guard and starts to call 911 (or other post-altercation activities), the attacker has an opening to renew his attacks on an unaware protector. Zanshin, in this case, allows the mind to stay focused on the situation for just a bit longer. It does not preclude regaining peripheral vision or awareness of surroundings.

In any reality based scenario training, the mental requirements of going through the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act) have some effects. The observation and orientation cause the mind to focus on a specific threat as their brain processes that specific information. This can often manifest as tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision) and auditory exclusion (hearing general ‘noise’ rather than specific noise sources) as the brain forces these senses to provide it with survival intent information. The mind focuses on this data to the exclusion of peripheral data.

Zanshin, ultimately is about retaining full awareness, including situational awareness. Note that “retaining” is the operative word. Whether in a physical encounter, training scenario, or firearm related training/fighting, the retention of awareness for the entirety of the situation is ideal. Now that the ideal is established, it must be understood that without proper training and without proper mindset, this ideal Zanshin will not be realized.

Zanshin builds in continuing awareness on the attacker as well as a situational awareness. During the attack, the protector must be aware of himself, his attacker, his attacker’s partners (multiple attackers), his own partners (multiple protectors), his own protective weapons, all of the attacker’s weapons, and scenario factors such as dark, rain, ice, obstacles (cover and concealment), corners, innocent bystanders, spaces available to move into, etc.

This type of training is rarely available in a dojo setting.

Dojos are great for learning the fundamentals of each movement, but reality based training must include all the

In all cases, Zanshin provides buffer time between performing the training application and resetting to perform it again. Without this buffer time in place, the act of resetting the training application can become part of the training. There is an unconfirmed story floating around about a police officer that practiced disarming a firearm from an attacker so much that he got exceptionally proficient at it. He would have a training partner draw a training pistol on him. The officers would disarm it, hand it back to his training partner, and do it again and again.

Eventually, he was faced with the encounter while on patrol, disarmed a real bad guy, and proceeded to hand the firearm back to the bad guy after the disarm. He had allowed the reset to become a part of the application.

In physical training involving escapes, it behooves the trainee to take a few steps into the escaping portion of the training to ensure the ‘running away’ portion will be put in place. Doing the escape application then simply turning back to the attacker to reset and do it again helps ensure this will be performed when really needed, and will bring unwanted trouble. Likewise, when an attacker is down on the ground after a training application, the protector staying mentally connected will ensure that Zanshin is retained and not mentally turn off (reset) after an actual violent altercation.

above factors to be effective. Ergo, training must move out of the dojo at some point.

In firearm training it is quite similar. In fact, there should be no training distinctions between physical and firearm training except the considerations necessary to make a safe training environment (proper training gear). Extra parameters are necessary in a firearms related training/ scenario because in addition to all the awareness requirements above, the shooter must have an awareness of what is downrange of the target as well.

Firearm altercations can occur at greater ranges, an attacker at range takes up a smaller portion of our visual area and that smaller area gets focused on even further.

The mind has a tendency to tunnel vision more acutely than a physical force ranged encounter because of this. At the end of a shooting sequence, shooting trainees are instructed to scan and assess. This is the act of looking around, 360 degrees as well as up and down, to ensure to further threats are apparent. This happens before the firearm is re-holstered. The act of scanning and assessing helps to ensure there are no more threats and it also forces the brain to start re-accepting information from the eyes and ears that were excluded during the threat.

Zanshin is a multifaceted aspect of our training, and there are multiple considerations when practicing it. Remember to maintain full awareness of every training/altercation factor that is in effect, the implications of those factors, and during training to ensure that Zanshin is incorporated into the proper training mindset.

If They Ask to Join You ‌ Now What?

By "BEAR from Boone"

"The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty." Proverbs 27:12 If you have been prudently prepping for any amount of time, you have heard these types of comments from friends, neighbors and family members: "If anything bad ever happens then I am coming over to your place."

People will sometimes say that a bit sarcastically (like you are a tinfoil hat wearing loon), or as a half honest intention on their part if things do go bad. Those comments are usually casual and often they are just a verbal reaction when someone sees your preps or supplies (my supply of cream corn brought that comment from a realtor friend of mine).

I think we as preppers either ignore those comments, or we say something like "you could always stock up on some stuff for your own family." That usually is the end of it.

But what happens when you get the serious and direct question from a friend or neighbor or family member and they ask: "Will you take me in if the SHTF?" This can be asked of you whether you are planning to "bug-in" or "bug-out." But the person is specifically asking you to include them in your plans.

This question recently was asked of me. I should note that I am not out there interviewing people and trying to put together a survival group with different skills to band together when things get really bad, so I am not looking for people to join me in a group. In fact, I had never thought of adding more people to what I am planning. I had established a bug out location for me and my family in case things go bad. My family was my group.

In my case, this question of whether I would include a person in my preparation plans came from a good friend that I have known for 20 years. Let us call him Joe. Joe and I have had many conversations about the direction of the country and the world, and various scenarios about being prepared‌ about situations that people might prepare for, what bad things could happen, and where to go and when to go if and when that bad "something" happens.

As preppers, and as part of our "mission" if you will, many of us try to quietly alert our friends, neighbors and/or family members to some of the potential problems that could be out there, and to encourage some prepping, including skills and education. Many think that the better prepared our family, friends, and neighbors are, then the better for all of us.

As we know, preparing can take on many forms. The idea of "prepping" covers a broad spectrum, and there are many different types of preparedness along that continuum.

Do you remember just a couple of years ago when Hurricane Sandy hit NY and NJ? Do you recall that just 2 days after the storm people were crying out on the news that they were "starving?" They said that they were out of food in just 2 days. REALLY? I was shocked. Those folks did not exactly follow the Boy Scout motto of "Be Prepared". That is the first level or basic type of planning and prepping‌ to be able to stay in your own house or apartment during an emergency

for several days or a week without needing outside supplies. That is basic prepping as I see it, and that is at one end of the preparedness continuum or spectrum.

money. This is what I chose to do for me and my family.

This is my "insurance" for my family in case something happens.

The other end of the prepping spectrum is the survival people who have the ability and skills to go off and live in the woods with a knife and a rifle and a fishing pole and are totally self-sufficient for food and shelter and heat‌ think of the cable tv shows "Mountain Men" and "Fat Guys in the Woods." God bless them, but I do not see me ever getting to that skill level and to that end of the spectrum.

Now, my friend, Joe is aware of a lot of this work and some of what I have done. He has seen the bug out place.

He knows some of the classes I have taken and some of the supplies I have put back (again, I shared this information with him hoping to encourage Joe to do something for himself). We have discussed lots of possible "something bad happened" situations over the years. I thought I had been successful in raising Joe's awareness about possible problems and his personal need to prepare.

In fact, I had been very successful in making Joe aware, and Joe recently told me that he thinks the bad "day is getting closer." So I guess that thought made Joe decide to act. But Joe decided that his solution was not to stock up at his own place or to learn skills. Instead, Joe came up with a different solution: Joe asked me the very serious question of whether I will allow him to join my family at the bug out location if that becomes necessary.

Most of us as preppers probably fall somewhere in between being prepared for a week and being a total "in the wilderness" survivalist.

In my case, I have spent the last 6 years or so seriously preparing. First I located and bought a decent bug out location at least an hour from any interstate. Then I worked hard to figure out what I needed to have on hand and equipped the place with various foods, tools, and supplies.

My personal plan is to have enough food and supplies to allow me and my family, a total group of eight adults (including my parents), plus three dogs, to shelter there for something like eight to ten months if we need to (think pandemic). Like most of us, I continue to improve my preps and have a goal of one year of preparedness that I work towards.

We have the supplies to plant and harvest vegetables to stretch out our stored food. In addition to stockpiling, I have been learning skills and educating myself (Red Cross CPR and first aid, classes about open fire dutch oven cooking, wild edibles, and so on). This all takes a lot of planning, decisions, effort, and allocations of time, and

That is a potentially life altering question for me and my family if things get bad. That question required lots of thought and analysis. And that serious question from a good friend deserved a serious and reasoned answer.

Here are some facts about Joe that I had to consider: Joe is a single guy in his late 60's in good health and not on any medications. He has very little family of his own, in that Joe has no kids, no living parents, has one living sister and one brother-in-law living in rural New York state, and he has nephews and nieces living in Nebraska.

So the family members that he does have are not close by.

Joe has no pets. He is "spiritual" but not religious, in that he believes that man-made church structure "unnecessarily interferes with mankind's relationship with God." Joe has told me in many discussions over the past few years that he could not bring himself to shoot someone to protect himself or others (I contrast that with my tough 76-year-old mother who says that she hates guns, but who I firmly believe would empty the shotgun at invaders if she thought intruders were coming in to harm her family or grandchildren.)

Joe is on social security and lives off of some other investments, so he lives a pretty comfortable life. His background is in publishing so he does not bring any

obvious prepper type skills. In fact, he eats out every meal and cannot boil water‌ so he doesn't even have cooking skills.

My folks and kids know Joe. Joe has joined us at social functions over the years, like birthday parties. Joe does not smoke or do drugs and has no alcohol problem (neither does anyone in my family).

So that is Joe's story and information. That is the information that I had to weigh when I made my decision of what to do with Joe and my family so that I could answer his question about joining us if things get bad.

Before I give you my thoughts and how I analyzed the question and came to my answer of whether or not Joe can join my family if we need to bug out, I want to state that I do not think that there is am absolute right or wrong answer. In fact in most prepper issues, I think that there are a number of possible answers that are all imperfect. To me, that means that the "right answer" is the answer that is right and best for each individual person (and isn't that the same with most things in life?).

I give him dinner and a few food items and send him on his way? Or would I take him in.

Although Joe lacks skills and there are some different outlooks on some things, in general, Joe is compatible with my family and its values. So the honest answer is that if something bad happened and Joe showed up at the door, I would invite Joe in to join us SO LONG AS HE WAS BY HIMSELF. I would make that conscious decision knowing that if Joe just showed up in bad times and wanted to join us, taking him in would add one more mouth to feed in an emergency. That would mean less food and supplies for my family. But I still would not turn away Joe. That is the decision that I would make if things were bad and Joe came asking to join us.

If the answer to Joe's question about having him join us is "Yes" then should there be any conditions or restrictions?

So yes, since I would let Joe come in if he showed up unannounced during a bad situation, I will say "yes" to his question now and agree now to plan with him now to let him join us in the future.

I decided my "agreement" to have Joe join us would include the explicit understanding that: (a) you come only by yourself with no "tag-a-longs" with you, and if you show up with anyone else you are not coming in, and (b) you do not tell others of our agreement or about our location, and (c) you have to follow the rules of the house (which means this is no democracy) as those rules have been planned for a long time, and (d) you do not get to go there unless me or my family is also there (you don't get a key for instance).

Does Joe need to make a contribution? And if so, what and when?

Now here is my analysis of the question and how I answered it: If Joe (fill in the blank for your own situation) showed up on my doorstep after the SHTF, would I take him in?

This is the first important question I had to address. If there is a "situation" and I was at our bug out location with my family, and Joe showed up, what would I do?

Would I tell him to hit the road and slam the door? Would

As I previously said, I have been working on this BOL for a long time. I have much invested in planning, thought, efforts, money and time. As most of you can appreciate, planning for scenarios for eight adults and three dogs takes A LOT of thought and effort. Now we are adding another adult to that existing plan with Joe. So yes, Joe needs to add to our supplies and larder. This is the one big benefit of agreeing now to take him in if something bad happens in the future (instead of him just showing up when the SHTF).

Joe has to buy and deliver to me some stuff now for me to add to the stockpile. He cannot buy stuff and keep it and

bring it when the SHTF, as that probably would result in him either: (a) never buying the stuff (we all procrastinate), or (b) buying it and intending to bring it with him, but then maybe showing up in a panic empty handed even though he did buy the supplies.

My requirements for "stuff" were: (a)A sleeping bag, (b) a cot or blowup mattress, (c) blankets and linens (these three sleeping items reinforce the fact that the beds and bedrooms are already taken and assigned, and that he will be in the living room), and (d) food for storage.

Since storage space is now at a premium (you know that once you start preparing the question of where to put the stuff becomes more and more difficult) I am putting together a list of freeze dried and long term food stuffs for him to get that we can use to supplement and bolster what we have now, along with the websites or stores where he can buy them. I don't need rice and beans—we have lots of that. But what I could use more of are the expensive buckets of freeze dried foods (proteins) that are compact and store for a very long time.

I am estimating that this will end up costing him about $1000 for the food While that may sound like a lot of money, I think that the fact that Joe is getting the shelter and protection at no cost to him should free up his money for the requested food. And I made it clear that what he is buying is not his food. This is food that he contributes now and it is mine. It goes into the stockpile. He will share in the food if the need arises. He also will need to make future periodic purchases of some supplies (not determined as to amount) to help us continue to improve our preparedness, just as I always continue to improve our supply situation.

Agreement: After I gave Joe my thoughts on what he would need to do if he wanted to be included, he readily agreed. He was quite happy with the decision‌ I would say relieved. Joe knows that he has a place to end up if things get bad.

I told Joe to look at these purchases as an insurance policy that he pays up front. With these insurance costs taken care of, I told him that we will take him in and consider him in the "family" category. To me, there is no higher designation I can give a person than considering him "family," and I wanted to let Joe know that I would be treating him the same, and expecting the same from him as everyone else.

When I asked him why he didn't prep at his own place, he said that he thought about laying in his own supplies, but did not want to be alone in a bad situation. I think that makes sense from his perspective.

Not only did Joe agree to the "terms" that I offered to him‌.. he also volunteered to chip in on some bigger ticket items that I may need, like a generator. So I think that shows the right attitude from him, as well as an appreciation for what I have already accomplished.

Conclusion So Joe is now "in the family," and we will get some more supplies in exchange for him being able to join us. Since if things got bad we would have taken Joe in anyway, this agreement is a much better result for all. I had wondered to myself if I should have taken note of Joe's situation and offered him the chance to join us if things got bad. But then I realized that there was a benefit in the "education" that I provided to him over the years, and there is more benefit for all in Joe coming to the conclusion that this is the path he needed to take, and for him to make the effort to approach me instead of me kind of telling him what he should do.

So that is my story and the situation that I dealt with. I hope this gives you some of my thoughts and considerations. This same thing can happen to you or any of us. So what will YOU do when someone asks to join you and your family? Whatever you do, keep on preppin'!

"BEAR from Boone" is a practicing attorney who tries to follow the motto of the Boy Scouts- "Be Prepared."

FREAK OUT OR SEEK OUT

By Regina DeCaro, Iron Leaf Herbals and Iron Leaf Forge.

What is our approach when the time comes to make crucial decisions? In a crisis people around us will freak out or seek out. Freak out results from not being prepared either physically, mentally, or spiritually.

Rather than freaking out, they may seek out those who have knowledge and understanding of crisis circumstances. As a prepared person you may be the one sought out. You may have supplies of food, body care items, and medical emergency response equipment, all of which is great! But are you spiritually prepared for the fear and anxiety of others in a crisis? Have you fortified yourself with faith and the word of God? What if there is no printed Bible or internet access to God’s word? Do you have a base of scripture in your heart and in your mind to address the needs of others? You don’t need to quote scripture to perfection to share God’s love and comfort others in crisis. Do not be intimidated by the idea that others may turn to you for guidance. Prepare your heart and spirit to support those around you physically and spiritually. When studying psychology I encountered the term “good enough mothering”. In the event of a crisis you may need to do “good enough spiritual support”. No need for a PhD or theological degree if your heart is prepared to serve others and lead them to God. The Holy Spirit will guide in word and deed in a time of severe crisis, but being prepared spiritually will certainly help you and others. The food, clothing, weapons and even massive structures can be destroyed by man, but the word of God and deliverance by the Lord lasts forever.

In conclusion, in its basic form the full armor of God as described in Ephesians 6: 10-20 and the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6: 9-13 will equip you well. So open your Bible and begin your SPIRITUAL PREPARATION and be ready for those who freak out or seek out.

Our Contributors...

David Browne

Author of Are You Ready? , was assigned to guard duty in the Watts Riots, the Dominican Republic Riots and then in Udorn Thailand with the CIA Air America. His experiences have given him great insight on surviving riots and war. His family lived off the grid for over 10 years in Southern Utah Mountains. His intention is to take what God sent him to learn and pass it on for you to prepare for the new millennium.

Amy Barker

lives in the wilds of New Hampshire. As child of the 70’s, growing up on the coast of Maine, she was introduced to the concept of self-reliance at a young age. She holds a degree in Anthropology from the University of Southern Maine, and works full time for a land conservation organization in Massachusetts. In her free time she can be found hiking the mountains of New England, or more likely in the kitchen!

“BEAR from Boone”

is a practicing attorney who tries to follow the motto of the Boy Scouts-

“Be Prepared.”

Donald Alley

is a martial practitioner with 15 years of experience. He has practiced personal protection training methodologies with full use-of-force spectrum consideration. He is a black belt in classical Ju Jutsu, Assistant Instructor at the Martial Science Center, and an Emergency Preparedness Instructor and Program Coordinator at Martial Tactical Training of Michigan. Furthermore, he is an NRA Instructor for Basic Pistol and Personal Protection firearm training. His product line, Bu Tactical, includes items for protection, preparedness, and survival applications.

James Walton

is a young father and husband living in Virginia. He hosts "I AM Liberty, the podcast that is Rerooting America”. James brings a great sense of humor and a curious mind to the airwaves with great guests and topics. You can find his show at www.iamlibertyshow.com along with a weekly short story called Tom Locke: Surviving Today, poetry, and books. There is also a live broadcast with chat and call in every Friday at 9est on www.prepperbroadcasting.com

Ken Youngquist is the creator of Survivaltek, a website dedicated to teaching the ways and means to survive. Ken shares his experiences of performing both primitive and modern day skills. It is his desire to pass on the mantle of preparedness to others. He is also the author of the recently released e-book "Fifty ways to make survival tools from trash and household items". You can visit his website and learn more at: http:// survivaltek.com/

LeAnn Edmondson

lives in beautiful Southeast Alaska with her husband, dogs and cats. The ‘dream’ is to own land and live as self-sustainably as possible. You can follow her on Facebook & Pinterest, as well as on the main site, Homestead Dreamer. Help support her efforts and give her a like on Facebook!

Regina DeCaro

is Co-Owner and Operator of Iron Leaf Herbals and Iron Leaf Forge. She has extensive herbal training including Dominion Herbal College and over 30 years of practical experience in the use of herbals. Her background includes certifications as a Respiratory Therapist, Cardiographic Technologist, CPR Instructor, Advanced Health and Wellness Specialist, and Women’s Christian Lay Ministry. She is currently working with Campcraft Adventure School as a Homestead Medic and Cast Iron/Camp Cooking Instructor.

Spencer Bolejack

directs LOTSWild School / Martial Academy and Full Spectrum Tactical in Western North Carolina. Both are geared toward civilian education and training. Bolejack offers year-round classes for all ages in Canton and Black Mountain. For more information visit www.lotswild.com and www.fullspectrumtactical.org

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MILLERS Grain House

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WonderMill

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Preparation Food Storage

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WonderMill Jr. Deluxe

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Excalibur Dehydrator

FREE WHOLE GRAIN RECIPES • RADIO SHOW • PREPARATION BLOG (800) 824-4655 (828) 536-4988 www.millersgrainhouse.com/store

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