Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.
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US Army declares ’42 is the new 35′ but millennials are outraged as enlistment age changed [1]. JWR’s Comments: For someone who is in a stable civilian career that allows time off for annual training, enlisting (or seeking a commission) in the National Guard or Army Reserve represents a way to secure “double dip” or even “triple dip” retirements — i.e. a corporate pension, Social Security, and a military retirement. By serving in a Reserve Component for 20 years, someone can get 50% of regular active duty retirement, starting between age 60 and 66 [2]. (Only a few General Officers, Medical Corps doctors, and a few technical experts filling exceptional assignments can continue to serve past age 62.) Many of my friends in my mid-1980s commissioning cohort who “did their 20” retired out of the IRR Control Group [3] roughly five years ago, as Majors or Colonels — at pay grades O-4 to O-6. A 50% retirement for a field grade officer is not shabby. But multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq made them sweat a lot, for that extra retirement money.
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This ‘Digital Camouflage’ Shirt Confuses AI-Powered Surveillance Cameras [4].
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Finland maps the defence environment in 2040 [5].
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USAF Stands Up Unit To Fly HH-60W Helicopters In Doomsday Evacuation Role In Nation’s Capitol [6]. (Kudos to Tim J. for the link.)
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The Panhandle Preparedness Expo [7] will be held September 26-27, 2026 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds in Sandpoint, Idaho. JWR’s Comment: This event is definitely worth the drive for anyone who lives in eastern Washington, north Idaho, or northwest Montana.
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In The NYT: Flee, Hide or Sit Tight? Russians Are on Edge Over Rumors of a Draft [8].
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I recently had a chance to view the recently-released Ridley Scott post-pandemic population crash/societal collapse movie The Dog Stars [9]. Despite a few thermal night vision absurdities, it was somewhat believable and it had decent acting. It was ostensibly set in Colorado but, oddly, it was primarily filmed in the Alps of northern Italy. The chalky-looking limestone Dolomite Mountains (Monti Pallidi — “Pale Mountains”) provided an unconvincing stand-in for the granitic Rockies. And despite the fact that they imported a huge number of American props and vehicles, there were far too many European props and sets — everything from a Unimog truck to Italian building fixtures, obvious Italian architecture, and most glaringly: small Euro-NATO steel gas cans. This whole mishmash gave me some distracting cognitive dissonance. But it was still an entertaining and thought-provoking film. – JWR
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An NIH/PubMed Open Forum Infectious Diseases article: Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Learning From COVID-19 to Build What Comes Next [10].
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Reader Tim J. mentioned a new Garand Thumb video: How To Survive a Nuclear Strike – First 72 Hours [11].
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A reminder on my upcoming gun shows: I will have four tables at two upcoming Idaho gun shows. I plan to have most of the Elk Creek Company [12] inventory with me:
- Coeur d’Alene, Idaho October 3-4, 2026 (Kootenai County Fairgrounds)
- Lewiston, Idaho, November 21-22 2026, (Nez Perce County Fairgrounds Pavilion)
Feel free to bring any of the books that I authored, to autograph. Thanks, – JWR
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ATF Hacked: Qilin Claims Breach, 885 Victims [13]. And here are some more details: The ATF Database Has Been Hacked! Here’s What We Know About It [14]. JWR’s Comments: The ATF has been barred by congress in each year’s budget bill from keeping centralized records. So, now we are told that their “non-existent” gun purchase records database got hacked. Clearly, these ATF boys have been telling lies about their digital records.
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Tom Christianson mentioned this news: This Is How Ukrainian Yak-52 Crews Hunt Russian Drones [15].
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I just cataloged a newly-arrived batch of stainless steel .45 Colt conversion cylinders [16] for Ruger Old Army percussion revolvers into inventory at Elk Creek Company. Please note that you cannot order one of these in the same order with a Ruger Old Army revolver. It must be in a separate order. Also, be sure to consult your state and local laws before ordering. That is your responsibility. – JWR
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Lastly: Winter is coming. Slow down and be careful out there [17].
Please Send Us Your Snippets!
Please send your snippet items for potential posting to JWR [18]. or AVL [18]. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact [19] form.