SOFREP.com posted an article titled “Civilian Operator” that resonates strongly with Frontier Partisans. The frame is a little “cute,” but the points raised are ones that I’ve tried to make in my work, in particular in my Warriors of the Wildlands.
I believe strongly in civilians developing and maintaining martial skills. That is, after all, the Frontier Partisans heritage.
A key aspect of the men I profile is that they were warriors, but not soldiers. Simon Kenton formed his own, unsanctioned Ranger band. Jack Hays’ and Ben McCulloch’s Texas Rangers were volunteers, even in the Mexican War (and U.S. Army General Zachary Taylor despised their indiscipline and murderous tendencies and would never have considered them soldiers). Al Sieber of Apache Wars fame was a professional scout — but always as a civilian contractor. Frederick Russell Burnham may have been “the greatest scout America ever produced,” but his day job was prospecting. Frederick Courteney Selous and P.J. Pretorius both held rank in the British Army during World War I, but they were really professional hunters bringing their skills to bear in a military setting.
Thus… “partisans.”
In my view ALL men and women should develop the capacity for self-defense; emergency preparedness; resilience and a “warrior mindset.” For one thing, it’s just a good, vibrant way to live. On the purely practical side, there are times when you can’t simply call a cop to save your ass and you need to have skills and capabilities to fall back upon.
Outsourcing the role of protector to a tiny, professionally trained and organized segment of the population erodes resilience. I believe that the concept of the Nation in Arms remains relevant in the 21st Century, and if it was seriously enacted that it would strengthen the social fabric. What does this mean in everyday life?
For me it’s this: I practice martial arts, from unarmed self-defense to firearms. I prepare for potential emergencies. I strive to maintain an alert, on-my-toes state of mind. I strive to maintain a high level of physical fitness.
The SOFREP piece offers a good basic overview of the approach:
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Maintain a heightened state of awareness and look for details. When it comes to self-defense, this is even more critical. Most bad situations can be avoided by simply observing your surroundings, and taking note of anything that’s out of place or simply suspicious.
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Practice de-escalation and avoidance. Avoiding a confrontation is always preferable to engaging a threat. As a civilian, because of our tight rules of engagement, we can’t act simply on a hunch, and by the time things escalate to the point of calling for action, the danger is much higher. By being aware of your situation, and actively seeking to avoid confrontation or de-escalating the confrontation if you can’t avoid it, chances are things will resolve themselves.
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Maintain a warrior mindset. If you can’t avoid a bad location, and you can’t talk your way out of the fight, you’re going to have to act. Mentally preparing yourself for the eventuality, and deciding mentally on your tactics and training with those will ultimately help you decide the outcome of the fight. Remember, in most cases, an aggressor who is actively seeking to do you harm has already decided on his course of action and his limits. By predetermining your own limits and course of action, you are free to simply act on your battle plan, paying attention to cover, concealment, accuracy, and other things that matter. Worrying about the consequences and outcome is best left until after doing what you need to do to save your life.
Relentless training isn’t just for the military or the police, and it’s not just about going to the range and putting a few rounds in paper. Everything from your own mindset to load out to logistical support needs to be checked and rechecked, because indeed if the time comes that you as a civilian must engage a threat, the critical nature of your kit and support system is every bit as serious as for a soldier, marine, or police officer who goes into battle.
All of this is, of course, a work in progress. And it’s a hell of a lot of fun, too. I actively enjoy every aspect of building my skills, capabilities and my possibles.
I am very fortunate to have been able to train with people who have a wide and deep background of skill and experience to share. I don’t make any pretension that the study and work I put in on this stuff makes me an “operator.” I like to do “badass” stuff when I can, but I’m not a badass. That ain’t the point; it’s not about ego. (And, please, let’s just shoot the whole “alpha male” thing in the head. If you’re spending ANY time obsessing about your “alpha” status or lack thereof… you’re not an alpha male. And, really, nobody gives a shit).
Like the Steve Earle song says, “I’m just a regular guy…” but I’m striving to be one my family and friends can count on when they need me. That’s all, and it’s enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-neu7htAhc
Matthew says
(And, please, let’s just shoot the whole “alpha male” thing in the head. If you’re spending ANY time obsessing about your “alpha” status or lack thereof… you’re not an alpha male. And, really, nobody gives a shit)—
We’ve all encountered someone who worries constantly about the “alpha” status, at least on the internet. I don’t think these people see themselves as others see them. Other’s rarely see them as alphas.
JimC says
Boy don’t they…
Matthew says
They tend to be extroverts who are insecure and have bad people skills. A lot of people don’t realize extroverts can have those problems. These types of people feel an almost obsessive need to feel some kind of role.
J.F. Bell says
I think the would-be Alpha Male in this context usually emerges as the self-proclaimed ‘Sheepdog’…which is another thing that needs to die a quick and unremarked death.
JimC says
Agree.
J.F. Bell says
Situational awareness is a dying art.
Which is problematic, because situational awareness is also a neat trick that can keep the individual out of 99% of the dire situations that may befall them in the wilderness we call civilization.
In my admittedly non-scientific experience, women seem somewhat more prone to this than men. Part of it has to do with stature, I expect – a man who’s even half awake and paying attention is less likely to get jumped because (again, non-scientific) a man in this part of the country is more likely to:
a) be able to defend himself unarmed or
b) carry a weapon with which he is at least somewhat proficient
Then again, most guys I know are pretty good at spotting situations or locales that could conceivably turn hostile. And pretty much all of them own at least one defensive pistol and practice on a decently regular basis. They aren’t old-time gunfighters or Delta operators, but they make the basic preparations for Bad Things Happening.
This doesn’t seem to translate to women. The proliferation of the smart phone has a lot to do with it, I think, but so does the expectation that (again, in this part of the country) a woman in trouble can generally count of the help of men. Which can be a point of frustration when it must be pointed out that you should park near the lights when you make a 2AM run to Wal-Mart, or that there are some parts of town best not visited after dark, or that the particular character of a room is – if not hostile – decidedly unfriendly, and perhaps it’s time to return to earth and put the electronics down and the ears up.
Too many (men and women both) carry a pistol or a taser or pepper spray like it’s some kind of magic wand that makes problems disappear. They don’t practice, which is bad enough, have no experience in physical confrontation, and – ironically – usually have either an unwarranted high regard for their own abilities or a complete inability to recognize that sometimes Bad Things don’t happen to other people. And they exacerbate the problem by blundering into situations that to from Bad to Ugly to Fight-or-Die.
In fairness, something like a violent flash mob is something against there really is no known defense, but most small situations seem to boil over rather than blow up – there’s a logical progression. Sometimes it makes something, sometimes not, but by and large there’s often a point when a potential victim can escape without spilling or shedding blood.
Then again, in a split between people learning to think critically and Earth getting wiped out by a comet, my money’s on the comet.
JimC says
Excellent points on all levels. I have made quite a point with my daughter about not getting buried in your phone out in public, etc. And I have no time for the idea that telling women that certain places at certain times in certain clothing creates an enhanced risk profile is “victim blaming” or “slut shaming.” Men SHOULD always treat women with respect no matter what time it is, how much liquor has flowed and how the woman is dressed. And SHOULD is entirely irrelevant when the wrong circumstances turn nasty.
J.F. Bell says
The sharp end of equality.
If a man climbs into a lion pit at the zoo with a steak around his neck, he’s an idiot and it’s a natural inevitability that one of the cats is going to try and eat him. Few tears – if any – will be shed at what amounts to suicide. Even if the only reason he was there in the first place was to try and get some good pictures.
It’s the same equation if a woman goes drinking on the bad side of town. Double if she goes alone and triple if she doesn’t recognize her own limits.
Neither deserves what happens, incidentally. But here in the real world actions have consequences. Sometimes those are fatal, sometimes not. Of course the difference in reception will be staggering – one gets a chuckle and thirty seconds on the news, the other gets a Take Back the Night rally, a push for new legislation, and a flock of angry hens shouting at any man who’ll listen…who are, probably, the sort of men least likely to assault a drunk woman in a dark alley.
But people don’t like to be told they’re responsible for their own welfare. Mostly, those are the same ones who don’t see the need for people to have those evil assault-type rifles or carry a handgun or possess more than ten rounds of ammunition. Getting through to one is difficult – perhaps impossible – until they have a close call or worse.
Some people can learn through doing, the rare few can learn through reading and secondhand experience…and the rest just have to whiz on the electric fence themselves, I guess.
Or my favorite, and the way I’ve tried to explain it before….you probably won’t need a gun, a parachute, or a fire extinguisher today. You may not need them tomorrow. God willing, you’ll never need one.
But if you do…you’re going to need one bad, and in that case nothing else will suffice.
Matthew says
People seem to think freedom means freedom from consequences. It’s the other way around more freedom means more possibly negative consequences.
JimC says
X-ring.
Matthew says
I should point out that while more freedom means more possible negative consequences. A lack of freedom is invariably negative in itself.
Which is the reason self-control or just plain common sense is necessary.
Matthew says
Speaking about the whole warrior vs. soldier thing there’s a whole page about it on TV tropes…
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SoldierVsWarrior
At first glance, history would side with the soldier as a superior. There’s some truth to this: organized tactics are more important than individual prowess. That said it gets more complicated than that when you go into the details.