What is your D Day? A few days ago it was the 74th anniversary of D Day, the invasion to liberate Europe. This was the biggest seaborne invasion in history. This was the beginning of the end of World War II. This invasion was planned in 1943 to be carried out in 1944. So much planning, secrecy, mis-information given to the enemy, went into this that many things could have gone wrong but did not. What about you D Day? What are you planning for?
There was a popular show on the National Geographic Society’s cable channel called “Doomsday Preppers.” This show coined the phrase “doomsday prepper” because the producers had no idea what being prepared is. All they wanted was entertainment. And entertain they did. I watched every episode. I was caught up in the preparedness. Some of the people they spot lighted looked like idiots and some were just normal people preparing. The way to know what a joke this show is, is from the preppers themselves. For instance, Christopher Nyerges. On the show they said Chris is,
"…prepping for a killer earthquake that could completely flatten the city of L.A." Every real prepper knows that’s not all Chris does. He is a true expert in primitive living. Most of what he does is because he’s made his skills his life. He has a lifestyle that fits his “prepping” skills. None of the people, well maybe most of the people, are not nuts who are prepping for a zombie apocalypse. They are just regular people who feel they should prepare in certain areas. If you live in California you may feel you need to prepare for earthquakes. If you live on the Mississippi river you may want to prepare for a flood. This preparation is reasonable and even encouraged by government agencies. Who knows? There is also the training aide that I’ve used many times. I call it the Titanic chamber theory.
The Titanic was perceived to be “unsinkable”. It was 25 stories high, 900 feet long, and weighed 46,000 tons. It had 16 chambers to keep it afloat. It could stay afloat if 4 chambers were breeched. As the Titanic hit the iceberg the Captain was trying to miss it. But by doing so, 5 chambers were breeched. Nearly 300 feet of the hull was punctured. It was that 5th chamber that did in the Titanic.
In preparedness there is a 5th chamber, something that you feel you can’t live without. That is what you need to take extra care to prepare for. One of my 5th chambers (sometimes you may have more than 1) is a shower every day. So I have provided for that in my preparation. I have solar showers, extra water storage, and a two years supply of soap. I’ve also built an outdoor shower to accommodate a summer shower. You have to decide what you can’t live without. Is it chocolate? Small chocolate bars can be canned in canning jars and kept for several years. Whatever you decide you would not have in an emergency or extreme situation, you should prepare for. Planning is key to your D Day. The invasion of Normandy was planned to extract Germany from Europe. It was successful but it had a large cost.
You must plan on not only your preparations but your safety. Last Memorial I reflected on a battle I was involved in that was intense at times, but one that we were well prepared for. We did lose a few brothers, but considering being outnumbered, we were ready to defeat the enemy. We had been attacked by surprise but because of plans in place and practiced, when the surprise came it was much less of a problem. For you it may be a robbery, or maybe a home invasion. Being surprised does not mean you will lose. It only means that the timing is a surprise.
On occasion I work late. I find myself needing gas or stopping at a convenience store at an early hour of the morning. This happened the other night. As I walked into the convenience store I looked through the window to assess what was going on inside the store. I couldn’t see the clerk because of the signs in the window. As I got closer to the door I had an uneasy feeling. I stopped and quickly returned to my vehicle and decided on a different store. The second store was well lit, I could see the clerk clearly and even the other customers in the store. As I walked into the store I did not have the same uneasy feeling as before and completed my purpose for stopping. I’m not here to debate my instincts, or even divine intervention on my part. I’m only referring to this experience because there are many people who walk into a store or even a bank in the middle of a robbery. Had they used a little situational awareness, or even listened to their gut feeling, they could have avoided putting themselves in danger. I don’t live in a big city, or a high crime area. Stores don’t get robbed very often where I live. But many people live in a large metropolitan area that may not have high crime all the time, but at 2 in the morning the chances for crime may increase. Being aware of your surroundings is very important. Most people walk through a parking lot with their nose in a cell phone not paying much attention to what is going on around them. They make themselves prime targets. Unless you are Chuck Norris or you are an experienced concealed weapon license holder you may need to pay better attention. To be honest with you, Chuck Norris or an experienced CW holder would not be oblivious to their surroundings. We must train ourselves to be more like them. How many stories have you read where someone was robbed “in broad daylight”? It happens if the victim lets it happen. Most criminals are not hardened. They commit crimes of opportunity. Who would they rather stick up, the person engrossed in their cell phone in a deserted parking garage? Or instead would they think twice about approaching an alert person in a busy part of the mall parking lot? Do you put across someone ready for anything and confident in their posture and stride or someone so timid that a car alarm would scare the daylights out of them? The way we look to others may determine whether we look like “an easy mark” or not. Also, avoiding drawing a weapon is always at the top of my list. Like the “strange feeling” convenience store, I try to avoid places or people that may be a problem for me. But if thrust into a situation I try to have a plan in place. Something like, “If he does this, I’ll do that.” Most of us won’t be a victim of crime, but the more careful we are, the better our chances of never being a statistic. Thinking it will never happen to us is a recipe for disaster.
I was trained to be careful of the decoy, the distraction. One time I was with my family and we witnessed a car wreck almost right in front of us. As the officer was getting reports from other family members who watched the accident he came to me. I had no idea what happened. I was right next to everyone else but when I heard the loud noise I looked behind me. By the time I looked at the accident it had already happened. I was not a witness. I seem to do that a lot especially in parking lots. A car alarm goes off and I’m looking everywhere but the direction of the alarm. Someday that may not be a good thing because I’ll need to see something coming! But when I hear a loud noise I instantly think it’s a distraction and I want to see what is really coming. You should develop something like this but probably a more happy medium.
Your D Day could be anytime. Preparedness is important in many aspects of our lives. But very important in our security plan.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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