You know, here's a crazy idea...

[Diz]

I'm thinking that for our purposes, a training course of instruction should include 50% tactical training, and 50% gardening/food production. Yeah I know, sounds crazy, but think about it for a moment. These are probably the two most critical tasks you may have to perform. One without the other may be useless. By combining them you are brining both interested parties to the table, and hopefully cross-pollenating both communities.

Think about a weekend class, where you learn gardening during the day, and patrolling at night. Yeah it might take longer to cover everything, but at least do some survey-style classes, to cover the basics, and add more detail as you go along.

In fact, when it comes down to it, having a "club" type format, where everyone gets together on a regular basis, for "drills" and what-not would actually be superior to the 2-day class format. That way you could do continuous training instead of 48-hour info-dumps, where you are left to your own devises to practice and develop what you've learned.

Just thinking out loud here. For those without an established group, having this kind of 50-50 format would probably be an ideal mix of training. Might even be easier to get the wife and/or kids involved in it.

Goofy or not?

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Sept 8, 2014 9:21:59 GMT -5 Diz said:

...

Think about a weekend class, where you learn gardening during the day, and patrolling at night....

Goofy or not?

And med training at lunch?

Not goofy at all.

[panzer0170]

Goofy as fuck.


Doesn't make it wrong!

[USMC0331]

I like the "club" aspect of it. Combat / Prepper club.

It's kinda like combining a gunstore and quilt / coffee shop together so the Mrs will give you time to enjoy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[eddiewouldclearhot]

2nd for basic med training somewhere in there.

[Diz]

Yeah the med training definitely needs to be included in the COI.

But a short list:

Wpns manipulation
Individual movement
Team movement
Retreat security/static defense
Security Patrols
Combat/Ambush Patrols
Recon Patrols
Land Nav
Wpns tng
H2H tng
Med tng
Com tng
Demo
yadi yah


Don't really know the first thing about food production but something like:

Land clearing/prep (tilling, hoeing, etc.)

Planting techniques/ different crops, varieties, etc.

Watering plan

Fertilizers

Weeding

Disease/insects

Animals/other critters (fencing, defensive measures)

Harvesting

Storage/canning/prep for use

Recovering seeds for next years crops

And of course, overall security measures (wpns carry SOP, guard teams, etc.)

Meh.

As you can see, much to be covered, much to be learned. Unfortunately, most folks aren't really going to be motivated to do this shit until their stomachs are growling. Although there are some switched-on folks who are already doing this shit.

Another alternative would be concurrent training, where people would pick their track, and then cross-train with the other stuff later. This might include more spouses, and kiddos in the mix. There will be the pipe hitters, who will do most of the hard-core security stuff, and then there's the grandfolks n kids, who will be basically doing the food production side. Of course there's cross-over, where the old and young can help out with perimeter security, and the studs can help with food production and other chores as well.

It would be interesting to study what the original settlers did in your area (both white and "red skinned").

[panzer0170]

Anyone of 'fighting age', or indeed fighting PHYSIQUE should be fucking digging. If you're hard enough to fight, you NEED to dig. To many folk, and this is a USA specific thing, focus on firearms.

In the rest of the world; DIG! Plant, grow, harvest, feed, survive.

80% focus should be growing your own. 20% should be fighting.

IF you fight, and you fight well enough not to be killed, it's going to last 2-3 days out of 365, out of a year. If you live somewhere where you spend even 10% of your time fighting.... Move. Sure, it's an upheaval. It's hard work. It's the unknown. But if you are spending OVER A MONTH a year fighting (Or, from a training perspective[!] more than 10% of your time/budget) You need to NOT BE THERE. 10% of your time fighting basically makes 1/10 days of your life days you are FIGHTING to live. Not days you're struggling because you've not made enough food. Not struggling because the harvest is weak, or the winter is early.

Average government recommendations for a health adult in the UK is 2500KCal. For a soldier, in a combat role? 4500KCal.

Ever many who fights takes up the resources of 2 men.

Fighting is a last resort. If you are fighting, you are essentially pissing resources down the drain, because it's a last ditch effort.

Any fighting that is not PURE survival is stupid.


DIG FOR VICTORY.


Some might disagree, but you'll not change my viewpoint.

A quote, to reinforce my thoughts, and point out a few inadequacies of the warrior mindset (Which I have, ish. I know I need to round myself, and AFAIC, I'm GOOD ENOUGH in a fight, there are more important things to learn...)

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

-Robert A. Heinlein

[Diz]

Ah, you start quoting Heinlein and you know I'll have to agree.

Shovel work. There it is.

Funny story. Me and Missus went to Ireland for our 25th. Out for a walk one day. Four guys doing "shovel work", repairing a sidewalk. We acknowledge each other, then I say: "You know in the States, 3 guys would be standing around and only one guy working". Reply: "Right. Those guys standing around? Last week- Gone". He says without even breaking stride. Cracked me up.

Callus up those hands, boys and girls.

[panzer0170]

Diz; Pretty sure I'm a sadist. I love digging, and I was dissapointed when we were splitting logs this summer gone when it was a petrol driven log splitter and not an axe! (Though to be fair, it was pretty damned awesome, and a lot easier!)

[norinco]

"Dig for victory."

I love this.

[Diz]

We had a log-splitting party the last time I was down at "the property". Luckily I was the switch man on the hydraulic wedge!

[panzer0170]

Sept 10, 2014 19:51:05 GMT -5 norinco said:

"Dig for victory."

I love this.

Ah, yes. Your country never rationed (and, by extension, I bet your grandma never used to clout you for not eating everything up, because food is scarce... even though it's not because it's the 90's now grandma...) food during the war. We had some rather excellent posters:

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Wait, am I the only one that remembers "War Gardens" here in America. I didn't live during the WWII era, but I remember my grandfather always called his garden his "war garden". We had similar posters floating around the States.

Attachments:

[eddiewouldclearhot]

Canning would also be a valuable skill to learn.

So much info, not enough time.

[Dedicatedpro]

That is the progression of our D.I.R.E. series. For those of you who haven't made it to the D1 and D2 courses, we will be running another series starting at the end of October into November culminating with a D.I.R.E 3 in either early December or late January.

www.dedicated-professionals.com/FIGHTING_AND_SURVIVAL_TACTICS.html#Emergency_Prep_Planning