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Preparedness Notes for Saturday — March 15, 2025

On March 15, 1916, General Pershing and 15,000 troops of the “Punitive Expedition, US Army” began chasing Pancho Villa [1] into Mexico.

Today is also the birthday of General and President Andrew Jackson, in 1767. He was the seventh President of the United States (1829-1837.)

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest [2]. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC [3]  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon [4]. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy [5]Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course [6] (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” [7] variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources [8] (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) [9] is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses [10]. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course [11].
  5. HSM Ammunition [12] in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training [13], that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord [14] (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com [15] (a $287 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com [16].
  4. Two sets of [17]The Civil Defense Manual, [18] (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company [19], toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters [20] (a $305 value),
  2. 3Vgear.com [21] is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag [22], a Posse EDC Sling Pack [23], and a Velox II Tactical Backpack [24]. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC [25] that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company [19], toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail [26] us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics [27]. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.