Category: Survival Mindset

America’s Public Schools are Government Indoctrination Centers

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The following article might strike some of our readers as a bit of a rant. So if you dislike reading rants, then please just skip reading this article. It Started With a Letter The impetus for this article was a fairly cogent well-intentioned letter from a SurvivalBlog reader: Dear Editor: I am concerned about some of the information linked on your blog. I’m a Christian, an avid prepper, and a daily reader of your blog. I support your effort to make readers aware of the world around us, and the changes that we feel are to come. I do have …


Guest Post: So Why Would You Do Tactical Training?, by David

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“So why do you do this tactical training stuff?” This is a question I get asked from time to time.  Sadly, the answer does not lend itself to a sentence or two.  Let me lay out my premises and then some conclusions. (This article comes from David, who is a multi-class MVT alumni. He is the organizer of the Idaho Classes in 2016 and 2017. And MVT says, “We have already scheduled Idaho May 2018.”) Assumed Role In our family, I am literally the last man standing of my generation.  Since I am no longer immersed in pursuing “the rat …


Planning For Success During And After The SHTF- Part 2, by Old Bobbert

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Yesterday, we looked at the rules of planning for success during and after the SHTF and began examining the component of a good plan and the changes that might be required after SHTF. We already covered the areas of finances and food and began looking at the topic of medical. We will continue on to examine the area of medical and other topics today. Medical (continued) Pre-incident acquisition of emergency and bartering medications and water purification tablets is very important. It is legal, and simple, to use any of the Internet search engines to determine and evaluate various pharmaceutical distribution …


Planning For Success During And After The SHTF- Part 1, by Old Bobbert

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Success requires a plan, and that is true if you want to have success during and after the SHTF. You can have a great deal of knowledge and ideas but not have organized and applied any of this. Remember, only applied knowledge is power, and this is especially true of financial power. Plan For Reality As It Exists Today Success without an action plan is dumb luck in action. So, get your plan well documented! Your plan should be, must be, based on your specific reality– reality as it exists today and never based on some pipe dream. You can’t …


Horizontal Relationships: The Key to True Independence- Part 2, by J.E.

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We are continuing to look at my thesis: True independence is achieved by cultivating horizontal dependencies and avoiding vertical dependencies. We have done so through a hypothetical family’s situation– the Johnson’s– and analyzed their most basic needs, as Maslow would say. We’ve looked at the Johnson’s food, water, and shelter scenario. Security Speaking of Maslow, let’s look at another critical need– security. If the Johnsons are anything like the average American Suburban dweller, they probably have a shotgun somewhere in a closet. It was probably Mr. Johnson’s dad’s or grandad’s, and it brought down many a fowl in its day. …


Horizontal Relationships: The Key to True Independence- Part 1, by J.E.

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Within our relationships, as preppers, let’s look at the concept of true independence. It applies to us in our preparedness pursuits and in life in general. While we, of course, avoid many dependencies, what may surprise you is that it requires we cultivate certain dependencies. Fourth of July or Independence Day? Here’s a question: Do you wish your friends and family a “Happy 4th of July” or a “Happy Independence Day?” For me, I always make a point of calling this holiday “Independence Day”. I want to remember and remind others that all the fireworks; red, white, and blue; and …


Gear System: Philosophy, Set Up, Use, Fitness & Mindset- Part 2, by Max

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Today, we are concluding this article, which is a follow-up to the recent “The Practical Application of Tactical Gear, Load, and Weight Considerations”. Part 1 disclosed the basics of the gear system and began detailing them. We are continuing with the details, and then covering the practical use of our gear and the importance of physical conditioning. THE DETAIL (continued) Chest Rig / Plate Carrier: You must avoid the temptation to “go large” with this item. With the available huge admin pouches and the like, this is particularly something you want to avoid below your armpits or right on the …


Guest Article: Gear System- Philosophy, Set Up, Use, Fitness & Mindset- Part 1, by Max

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This article is a follow-up to the recent “The Practical Application of Tactical Gear, Load, and Weight Considerations”. Questions I get many questions about gear setup. It is also a perennial topic on the MVT Forum, and of course across the Internet. It’s an important subject. Many people ask me specific questions about my gear setup and make/brand of equipment items. And so here I will attempt to give some guidance, but not in terms of specific brands of gear. This is what I am trying to do when I set up my equipment. It is also important to note that …


Passing on Family Prepping and Gardening Experience, by J.L.

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Continuous Learning I officially became a prepper during the Y2K experience, but upon reflection I have been prepping most of my life. I have always been fascinated with how things work. Learning became a lifelong occupation. I sometimes wish that I could focus on one discipline and become an expert. But looking back at the age of 61, I suspect that I’ve always had a little ADD (attention deficit disorder). Because of that, over my life, I have been involved in most phases of construction. I’ve been a welder, an instrument technician, a tree worker, an environmental analyst, and a …


Letter Re: USMC Mountain Survival Course

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Hugh, I read the [multi-part] article and had to tell you I thought it was pretty good. I talked to a few of the guys up there, and it does indeed look like the course is going to be canceled. It went through some cool changes after E.T.’s course and the ones to follow. It’s too bad. It was good education. I was really impressed with how much he remembered. I sent it to the other guys who were there at the time too. Hope all is well for him now. He’s got some good stuff going. – Jerry


USMC Mountain Survival Course- Part 5, by E.T.

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Casualty Exercise A few hours later, after dawn, we began our death march back to the USMC Mountain Survival Course base. To add excitement to our return, the instructors gave us several “casualties” that had to be carried out. We cut poles and ran them through our buttoned blouse sleeves to make stretchers. We soon realized that even with the casualty holding on, they would need to be tied onto the litter. As we carried it over rocks and up and down inclines, they would slide around and fall out. We almost made them into a real casualty several times. …


Letter Re: Excessive OPSEC

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JWR, A good friend of mine recently died unexpectedly from a massive heart attack and had excessive OPSEC. Let’s just say he was prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse but not prepared to die. He kept much of his information to himself, including the combinations to his gun safes, hidden keys, and buried caches among other things. This has created huge problems for his surviving family members. Since none of us are immune from death, proper planning should include passing on critical information in a secure manner. – JEH


USMC Mountain Survival Course- Part 4, by E.T.

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Phase 3 – Group Survival (continued) Relocation and Warmth We had been in the field on our USMC Mountain Survival Course for four days in Phase 1 and five days for Phase 2. Phase 3 was just beginning. We had taken in roughly 1500 calories over nine days. After everyone had arrived from our isolation locations, the group went for a hump. We moved about five klicks up and down a couple of mountains and posed at the top in some snow for a couple group pictures. Then we humped back down into a large, mostly barren valley, which had …


USMC Mountain Survival Course- Part 3, by E.T.

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Second Phase – Individual Survival in the USMC Mountain Survival Course (continued) I was on the third day of my individual isolation survival of the USMC Mountain Survival course. By mid-afternoon I had improved my fuel (wood) situation, improved my shelter and signaling for rescue, and boiled enough water to fill my plastic bladder and two Nalgene bottles. So I went scrounging for food. Food for Day Three I was five yards from a small running stream that provided just enough running water to scoop some out with a metal cup. Another 50 yards downhill from my shelter, the stream …


USMC Mountain Survival Course- Part 2, by E.T.

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Rabbits On the evening of the first night of being in the instructional phase of our USMC Mountain Survival Course, we were handed a pet shop rabbit. The Marine Corps had bought a batch of larger farm raised rabbits, only to find out they carried the nasty Tularemia (rabbit fever). They discovered the disease after looking at the first rabbit’s liver, which was spotted white/yellow and/or swollen. They weren’t willing to accept the risk of disease transmission. So, they searched all the nearby pet shops and bought up all the pet bunnies they could find. Those bunnies were small and …