How tough are you really?

I will be the first to tell you I am no Rambo or Cammando wannbe. Far rom it. I was in the US Air Force from 68 to 72. Then an inactive member of the USAF reserves for 2 more.
I spent 2 1/2 years out of 4 in Asia. I then spent nearly 12 years in the Air National Guard,afterwards. From there I jumped ship so speak ( no puns intended) and enlisted in the Coast Guard for 6 more years.

I have 4 honorable discharges. Plus a multitude of chest ribbons,
unit citations and ended up as an E-6, with an E-7 promo waiting to happen.

I feel it was all for nothing....I hated every single moment of it. Nobody can ever say that I didn't support my counry,Presidents, or Flag. I did. It left me embittered. Disillusioned. Why? too much back stabbing, game playing, lying, power hunger nitwits, and no clearly defined goals. Lots of bluster and talk and orders. Thats it! No warm fuzzies.

My point here is;if you want to join the military and play soldier, then by all means do so in the branch of your choice. You will however, never be a Rambo or Cammando super stud. The real spooks of the service are nothing like Hollywood make believers. Most of become cops or security agents later.

The word hero is thrown around way too loosely these days.
I never was, never will be, and don't wanna be a hero of any kind.
I just want to be left alone, and survive as best as I can without a lot of hassles, and unwelcomed attention.

I was raised a city kid! I played in the woods along a river
as a kid, making camps, hiking , hunting small game, fishing, canoeing, swiming, snorkeling, diving for small things of interest. That was play.

In the real life, living out in the elements in a tent, eating rations, or MRE's, bathing in crappy field showers, using crude outdoor facilies, fighting mosquitoes, tending blistered feet,rashes,sickness, diarrhea, head lice,fighting off boredom by writing letters, playing cards or checkers, horse shoes, or cleaning out the tent after a rain, and delousing the sleeping bags, and personal effects, standing in lines outside in 100+ degree heat waiting to get in the chow hall on a regular base, was hell. Listening to stange noises in the night is no picnic either. If you aren't familar with outdoor night creature noises, you will not sleep very well. It was all a wake up call. I ain't no Rambo!

Have you ever been out in the middle of the woods in the pitch black of night, without a flashlight? It is spooky!
Just try to make your way around in the dark without a light source! All you do is get slapped and scratched in the face by branches and twigs, and stumble and fall over every little thing.

Ever been out in the middle of a dessert in the pitch blackness of night? Even spookier? Watch out for creepy crawlies.

Bugging out, and living in elements, to me is crazy. I would rather take my chances and hunker down at home, rather than face the rigors of the great out of doors again. I don't like to be in dirty sweaty stinky clothes. I like to bathe in good clean hot water, in a clean shower stall,not, in syphoned out swamy river water that is fed into a holding tank, chemically treated, and then pumped to a group of make shift shower heads.
I like fresh, warmed up, or grilled/fried food. I like a nice cold glass of pure clean fresh water on ice. I like a glass of wine in the evening. I enjoy my books, and magazines. I like to watch TV, listen to my stereo and play my old LP's.

I like electric lights, and air conditioning. I like a homes forced air heating. A crackling fire in the fire place on a winters night is nice. Not the stink of a gasoline fired space heater. Especially when 5 gal. only lasts about 4-6 hours, and in the middle of a cold freezing January night, you have to get up and go get another 5 gal. can from half way across the base camp.

Oh, lets not forget those on going course studies and tests you have to constantly prepare for either. You finish one. past the test,and here comes another one...you got 12-16 weeks to learn it on top of your daily job and details. What a load of hooey!

I do not like cleaning a rifle for the hell of it, just for something else to do. But, you have too, because your told to. I have been there.

No, you see, home IS where the heart is. I want to stay home.

So I prepare as best as I can, to defend it, take care of it, live in it. It is all I got, it is mine, and I want to keep it.

I guess I'd rather be killed defending my home and property, rather than be taken out in a woods somewhere by a long distance snipers shot. I would rather die in my home, rather than be attacked by a grizzly bear while sleeping.

Food poisoning from the lack of hygene is awful, I Know, I had it. Spent six weeks in a military hospital on IV's trying to shake off the effects. I lost 10 lbs just form the constant Hersey Squirts!

It is up to the individual, and the choice they make. Bug Out or stay. Unless an atomic bomb is screaming down on my city for sure, I will choose to stay home. And even then, your only to get about a 10 minute warning anyway. How far can you get in 10 minutes?

Roughing it and camping out in a nuclear winter does not sound fun too me!

Go or stay? It is a tough call. I just know, I ain't Rambo, and I hate the elements, so the choice is easy for me!

What does this post have to do with anything? I mean aside from stating the fact your going to stay home if something happens because you don't think you have what it takes.

I'm not trying to be rude or insensitive, just trying to figure out what this post has to do with.


If your asking the opinion of everyone or how the others will handle bugging out, that has already been addressed many times. I'm sure your comment will raise a few eyebrows and prompt many replies.

I don't think anyone on this forum feels they are a Rambo or a Hero, everyone does what they need to do to provide for themselves and family, weather sheltering in place or surviving elsewhere.


Myself I'll shelter in place as long as possible then leave if the need arises and do whats needed to protect me and mine and won't complain about it. I know I have what it takes to survive.

Huh???

At no time here in this forum have I heard or seen anything to indicate anyone thinks they are or wants to be a Rambo. There are some egos and proud people here who have no problems stating their opinions but they keep things interesting (whether you agree with them or not). We have all seen situations where people had to bug out, and some of us were in those bug outs. We all agree that hunkering down is the best way to go, but if we are going to truly be prepared bug out scenarios have to be planned for as much if not more because if you prepare for hunkering down only then if it comes time to leave in an emergency then your screwed. If on the other hand you plan well for a bug out your planning will work for staying on place just as well. Then we come to some special needs people like me. I work away from home a minimum of ten months out of the year. I don’t like the idea of paying to stay in a motel room with no electricity or water. I tried that just after Katrina and didn't like it. If I am home I will hunker down and do what needs to be done, but if I am on the road I can, will, and have bugged out and will be happy about it. To answer your question of how tough am I. Am I tough enough to live in the field for an extended time and fight the mosquitoes and all the other bad things you mentioned? I am tough enough to do what ever I have to defend and help all those who depend on me, I am not Rambo but if it takes that for my family to survive I will be what or who I need to be.

Geesh, ya missed the whole point...

I am simply stating, that before you take off for the open hills and woods, you better know yourself inside and out and what you can handle. It sounds easy and maybe like a lot of fun living out in the elements. Unless you are mentally and physically ready
to take what mother nature dishes out,you may not like it very well. She'll test your mettle something fierce.

I played acted it out as kid..and in reality it was a horse of another color entirely.

I am 60 now, and I know I can't handle it again. If I hated as a 20 something kid, I sure as heck would hate it even more now.

Unto thy self be true! Ya ever hear that one before?

I saw 6'5" tall, 200 lb. men cry like babies because they cracked up and fell to pieces in the end. They were all BS and tough talk, and "I'm gonna kick butt and take names later", then six months in, nothing but mush.

Living in the elements was no picnic for the Native American Indians either. Their idea of hell was winter...

I learned much 30 years ago reading all the books and magazines out at that time, and catering to the "survivalist types".
Soldier of Fortune magazine had regular articles about what it was like bivouacing in all types of settings. Every one of them had their serious draw backs.

It was a great and informative rag, until the federal government stepped on them for running Mercenary ads.

The old Spotlight newpaper too was another publication that caused a big stink on capital hill. It exposed many crooked things going on and who was behind what. It got shut down after many long protracted legal fights.

Mercenary magazine was another short lived,but, informative
read.

Thus, from my own experiences, guys I've known, and from what I've read... I express my own opinion, and you slap me!

Maybe I placed my spot in the wrong forum,if I did, sorry bout that!

It has always amazed me what people think they read and it isn't the fact at all.

I had what it took for 19 years. I decided I had enough and it wasn't worth the sacrifice. The pay off was worthless.

Don't you ever think I can't cut it. I got the scars, suture marks, steel pins and wires inside of me that says otherwise.
I have taken hits that would kill others.
Until you walked in anothers shoes for a thousand miles, watch what you say about him. I ain't tough, just lucky and a lot of gut it out foritude.

I could care less if you BUG OUT or not, but,you had better know what your doing though if you go. Thats all.

If you look at all the stuff being sold out there, the hook is, that if you buy this or that product, your damn near invinceable. Buy this knife, carry this gun, wear this boot, carry this backpack,don this parka, use this food product, etc. You'll be unstopable and capture the flag. It doesn't work that way! That is Ramboism and capitalism at work.

We all want to survive and defend ourselves, our loved ones, and our property. And barring the advents of an all out holocaust senario, we all want to stay home.

Of course it is all about preparing to meet and beat whatever
comes our way. That is the purpose of this web site.

Sharing, supporting ideas and measures.

I think we all have all known at least one loud mouthed, bully boy type who thinks he can whip the world at large. Nobody can beat them at anything, and they let you know it too. It is these guys who will buy the biggest knife, the full auto weapon with a 50 round clip, the body armour, paint their face black, wearing a black head cover and step out of a Hummer spraying lead everywhere. They are out for glory and want to be a hero...
No such luck....they are fools.

Hero's are usually someone that is meek as mouse ordinarily,but,
during an unexpected extraordinary event, will step up and do what is right, without asking for a thank you.

Doing your job that your highly trained for, doesn't make you a hero. Just proficient at your job. Job proficency isn't being a hero. Although some think that it does.

War Dog is tired..out!

I think you did post this in the wrong forum as you suggest. It says right there on the home page 'this is not a survivalist site'. I've never seen these magazines you talk about mentioned. No one has ever said they were a mercenary. Hardly anyone mentions weapons. When they do it's purely for defence, not going on sone insane one man war. It's mainly for people who do go in the outdoors and know they can live there peacefully. How hard is it to camp afer all?
The views you are attacking are ones you won't find here.
simon

To quote OBG, "huh?"

I think most of us know ourselves pretty well. More than a few of us have had to choose between lousy choices, or had them forced on us. Others know too many people who were in those situations. I don't think any of us want to do anything stupid enough to qualify as heroic. Even those of us in fire, EMS and law enforcement have no real wish to be heros, that usually involves knocks on the door at bad times of the night.

Everyone who has been part of ETS for any length of time has a pretty solid perspective on the risks given to their location, and how to manage them. When they aren't sure how to manage a risk, have an after incident analysis, or want to share a new idea or item, they do so. Those here who choose to bug out as their primary course of action do so becuase they've analyzed their local dangers and determined that the most likely ones are sufficiently risky to make relocation desirable. Most of us have a set of conditions as to when to bug even if our current location is still somewhat viable, with a preplanned route and destination. But by and large, we are planning on hunkering down. Name a significant disaster within CONUS in the past 20 years, someone here was probably in the middle of it- we've taken the incidents apart, studied them, studied the actions of our members and other parties, seen what failed and what worked, and incorporated the results into our communal knowledge. And yes, many of us do try to use that information to help not only ourselves and our families, but our communities as a whole, as even the most cynical of us think that humanity is generally worth saving despite a certain number who aren't really contributing.

What you've done is post two threads, both rambling, one of poorly defined and possibly questionable objective, the other smelling somewhat of a manifesto. We've provided feedback on the former, and have asked for clarification on the later. You seem to be very aggressive with your posts, and then very defensive to our replies. We have several centuries of cumulative survival knowledge here and have tried to apply it to your posts, but you've made posts with a condescending tone. While I'd be lying if I said this was a huggy-feely fairyland (honestly, there are some here to make me crazy, we have a few former members I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I think about them and wood chippers, and some of my blowouts are near legendary), but even when we think someone is wrong, we usually look at it objectively and honestly.

None of us are planning on being the mythical "army of one", or going into banditry. None of us are eager for the end of civilization. None of us ever want our plans to be anything more than game of "what if", with our supplies a slightly nervous version of collecting stamps or souvenir spoons, and our practice runs for various techniques to be anything more than camping or the equivalent of sparing with a friend. So I'm going to ask you to take another deep breath, please. And let's try again- could you please explain what you are trying to say in this thread, but with less ramble? It isn't very clear, I think something is getting lost in your tone. I think I understand where you are going, but it might be getting lost.

Or was this just a venting, after bad experiences with other forums? That was one of the possible interpretations of this.



EDIT: Ye gods and minor deities. I'm turning into a diplomat! I think someone gets to collect on a pool somewhere. :P

I didn't realise this was the same chap who'd posted the bizarre 'preparing to hunker down' diatribe.
That was like a send up of survivalism it was so far out. And survivalists sound pretty bonkers to begin with.

I'm simply ignoring his posts from now on and hope he goes away.
simon

I think Wardog has a decent point, excuse me for not jumping on the exclusionist bandwagon. It is important to know your limitations, especially the ones that you think/feel may interfere with your ability to stay physically but probably more importantly, mentally "tough", as that is what we all need to see ourselves and each other through the difficult times.
Any word can have an "ism" attached to it. All "ism" refers to, at least in theory (important to remember), is thinking in terms of a common methodology, which is what all rational behavior eventually relies on, even survival, and like it or not, this is a survival forum.
But, on the other hand, I don't play favorites, so here goes:
Am I tough? Heck yes!!! HA HA HA !!!
I can run all the way up a 45 degree steep hill at full speed for one-half mile and then roll back down amongst the rocks and fallen branches without a scratch to get my hat and do it again without breaking a sweat in the sun on a summer afternoon at 30 degrees latitude sea-level!
I can hit a pumpkin-sized target at 50 yards "from the hip" with a handgun! I think.
I have stopped a gang-rape, a few murders, intervened in some would-be lethal accidental mishaps, and even jumped into an unoccupied down-hill run-away 16-wheeler (not mine) who's parking brakes had given out and was headed for a pregnant lady crossing the busy intersection at the bottom of the hill! Yes, that makes me a hero..., maybe even...an angel.
Keep going...keep going!
It took me less than 30 seconds to get my first hand-drill fire started on my first attempt! (Answer: "Solo.")
I don't care how many giant mosquitos are swarming! Forget the bug juice! I bite 'em back! Everytime! Well, I might be exaggerating a little here, but just a little.
I have 20/15 vision, peripheral vision, night vision, intuitive vision, creative vision, dream vision, premonitive vision, and ESP, and I'm not scared of the dark! As for all those things making noises "out there", they probably just want something to eat. If not, I can assimilate "them" to my will in no time at all!
I can hold my breath under water for darn near 5 minutes while drinking a half-gallon of cherry kool-aid AND fart simultaneously on command!
I'm not one to want to brag but since you brought it up, I thought somebody might, and anyways, the negativism (Oh look, there's one of those "ism" things!) got me going.
I don't think I can get uptight about a post. I'm superhuman. It's that simple. Not invulnerable, just superhuman. I need to take for granted the simple pleasures life has to offer, so I can appreciate the complex ones.
I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, especially when I find that I don't understand at first. I think it keeps my learning potential higher. Sometimes it sucks having a supra-genius IQ, as it compels one to at least attempt to make sense when everybody else doesn't seem to be in the mood for dry humor. Bwwwaaahahaha! And then the explaining... It's almost enough to make one think that the Bell Curve says ignorance is normal, but that is another story.
Sure, remind them of the rules when necessary, but to get upset about some awkward wording is even more awkward.
I try to understand that not everybody speaks to the exact same tune of everybody else, which is probably going to prove to be a "good" thing in the end.
I haven't seen my clone, have you?
No, I haven't.
Good.

This is sounding like a bragging post. I'm not going to do quotes here, its plain to see in black and white. Might as well let them get it out of their systems.