I have friend. We'll call him G. G was and is a Green Beret. He is Army Airborne Special Forces. He is “retired” now and living in Central America. He still teaches often down there. He has taught many different countries armies. George told me this story.
When he was on his first tour in Viet Nam he went on many patrols. His first patrol taught him something he never forgot and probably saved his life many times over through his tours and through his career. He was on patrol in the jungle in a team of 6 men. He was third in the column as they skirted a well used Viet Cong (VC) trail near the Cambodian border. They inserted at “last light” and were moving when night fell quickly in the double canopy jungle. As his team set up their NDP (Night defensive position) he settled in for the few hours they would be stopped. It got cold quickly in the jungle and George wrapped his poncho liner tightly around him to keep out the chill. He also did something very dangerous, he removed his boots. His feet were tired so he slipped off his jungle boots to rest his feet. No sooner than he removed his boots there was a noise in the distance. About 25 VC were moving noisily down the trail. What G and the team did not realize in the dark that the trail took a sharp turn to the left which split the team on each side of the trail. This put G only about 8 feet from the trail. As the noisy VC walked down the trail it was obvious they were unaware of the US Army Green Berets in such close proximity to the very trail they were on. They were talking loudly, had their rifles slung over their shoulders and were smoking, some walking two abreast. As they passed G he could have reached out and grabbed any one of them as they passed. Suddenly a couple of them stopped right in front of G! He was paralyzed because he was wrapped so tight in his poncho liner he couldn’t have reached his rifle not 2 feet away. And he had no boots on! The VC unslung their rifles and peered into the darkness right at G. He held his breath. They saw nothing and continued on. G was told by his Sergeant a moment later, “You sure are lucky!” He vowed to never be caught off guard again in his life.
This is the way we are as Americans. We have lived in safety for so long that we walk around with our eyes 4 feet high and 10 feet ahead, oblivious of what is going on around us. This must stop if we don’t want to be a victim. Whether you are in combat, in a city, or just the parking lot of Wal-mart, you should be aware of your surroundings. This is something you have to actually practice and make a habit in your life. You wouldn’t dream of getting in a car and backing up without looking around to see what is there would you? But as soon as some people get out of that car their noses go into a phone or just are so caught up in getting into the store they miss what is coming.
Know your surroundings. It’s not paranoia, its awareness. When you are in a restaurant sit in a way where you can see what is going on and near an exit. Watch people. When you go into a convenience store look through the glass to see what is going on. If it looks wrong or feels wrong, leave. Use awareness and common sense. Above all, follow the Spirit.
The late Jeff Cooper’s “Color Code” has been embraced and taught by competent instructors for many years. Cooper broke down alertness levels into four colors of escalating degrees of preparation for the use of deadly force. This color code system is a mental process, not a physical one, and should be utilized whether or not you are armed — though being armed is always preferred. Being alert may help you to avoid a deadly threat in the first place, which is always the preferred outcome.
White
In condition White, you are relaxed and unaware of what is going on around you. Ideally, a police officer is only in white when asleep, but realistically we often drop our guard when we are at home or in some other environment we assume to be safe, like church. It is better to be more alert even when you are in your “lair.” You simply cannot be in white.
If you are attacked in condition white, you may very well die — unless you are lucky. I prefer to not depend on luck.
Yellow
In condition yellow, you remain relaxed, but are aware of who and what is around you. This merely means that you are paying attention to the sights and sounds that surround you whether you are at home or moving in society. Condition yellow DOES NOT equate with paranoia or any other irrational fear of persons or places. Instead, you simply have moved your alertness to a level of attention that will prevent you from being totally surprised by the actions of another person.
While walking through an area you will loosely keep track of anyone behind you. When choosing a seat in a restaurant, you will position yourself to see the entrance or to minimize the number of people who might be behind you.
You don’t need to insist on securing the “gunfighter seat” which will put your back to a dead corner and your face to the entrance, because you are not anticipating a threat, you are merely conducting an inventory of your surroundings and the other people around you. You will also be running a cursory “what if” mental visualization of where a threat could appear and what your reaction(s) should be.
If you are attacked in condition yellow, it should not come as a total surprise. Your response to a threat should have been pre-planned to some extent, allowing you to simply run an existing plan rather than having to make one up quickly while under fire. A competent person MUST be in condition yellow always.
Orange
In condition orange, you have identified something of interest that may or may not prove to be a threat. Until you determine the true nature of whatever has piqued your interest, your “radar” is narrowed to concentrate on the possible threat and will remain so focused until you are satisfied no threat exists.
These people are not currently a threat, or you would move swiftly and smoothly to the next higher color. Instead, these individuals simply could be a threat, so you shift from condition yellow (relaxed but alert) to condition orange (specific alert).
You may make this harmless shift many times a day as you go about your normal routine. If someone or something looks out of place, you change from a 360 degree general awareness to a more focused concentration in a specific direction. At the same time, you can’t drop your general awareness, because a bad guy in front of you may be a distraction for another behind.
If you are attacked in condition orange, you should be expecting the attack. Further, you will hopefully be facing your attacker since you have already shifted your focus in his direction. If you are well trained, your subconscious mind will have been searching your hard drive for similar events or training sessions you have already experienced, or any pre-visualized “what if” situations you’ve cataloged as possible solutions should an attack take place.
Red
If the focus of your attention in condition orange does something you find threatening, you will shift to condition red.
Notice here that condition Red IS NOT the firing stroke, as some instructors have misconstrued from Cooper’s teachings. Instead, condition red simply changes the focus of your attention from a potential threat to a potential target. You will draw your weapon, or move still further to sight acquisition, only if the potential target’s actions dictate such a response. Once you’ve shifted to condition red, you cannot be surprised by your primary adversary and you are fully prepared to repel boarders should he push the incident that far. But, your intense concentration on a forward threat will lessen your ability to maintain some degree of 360-degree awareness for unknown threats that may come from other directions. Effective training under high-stress conditions will help you avoid the tunnel vision that some describe as “akin to looking through a toilet paper tube.”
If possible, in both conditions orange and red, move to a position that will give you a tactical advantage. Ideally, you want a wall or previously cleared area behind you and some sort of solid cover you can move behind should shooting break out. Having someone with you who thinks the same is always an advantage. But even with “backup”, too often everyone’s attention is focused on the primary target and 360 degree awareness is ignored.
If you are attacked in red, you should be fully prepared to defend yourself. Whether or not you have a gun in hand or on target will depend on the circumstances, but mentally, you are already ahead of the game.
K.I.S.S.
Some trainers try to improve on Cooper’s color code by adding more stages, like “black” for dealing with the aftermath of a shooting. One trainer uses “black” to describe someone totally immobilized with panic — a condition the color code is designed to prevent. I say, keep the system simple. Four colors seems to me to be about right, allowing enough variety for all problems without being too complicated.
Some insist you cannot go through life using this system without becoming a hair-trigger paranoid person who is dangerous to ones self and others. I believe well-adjusted people can run through the color code dozens of times every day and be no worse for wear. Most experienced police officers or soldiers who learn the color code realize they have been taking these steps on their own all along.
Like most great training ideas, this four-step process merely codifies what trained people over the years have learned to do on their own. By teaching others this life-saving system for situational awareness, we can start them out with the knowledge others have gained through a lifetime of survival on the streets.
The Black Box Concept
Some people try and make excuses for the violent people in our society using excuses as a reason why we should not "resist" them. They are more concerned about why they act like they do than the fact that they are evil violent people. They have their priorities all wrong and thus have a very hard time getting in the proper mindset to survive. The "black box" concept might help to set them right.
For those of you not in the engineering business, the famous black box works like this. You have a black box, with certain characteristics. Say, you throw a switch and it produces 1.5 Volts Direct Current. What's in the box? Maybe a battery. Maybe a fusion power generator. Maybe a hamster on a treadmill running a generator. It doesn't matter. Click the switch, get 1.5 V.
So, now you have someone trying to kill you. What's inside? The Devil incarnate? The product of a broken home? Someone who forgot to take their medication? Who cares! The important point being, that unless you switch them off, they will produce your death. They are evil and produce evil results.
When it comes to personal safety, that's what is important. Not why they are so.
Mental Tricks
There are a couple of mental tricks you can use in the early phases of your training to help you prepare for Condition Red. Remember that one of the three problems mentioned will be actually "doing it", it being lethal force when required. To help with this, each morning when you get up remind yourself that "I may have to use my defensive training today." This plants in your subconscious mind, which drives 90% of your life, that there is a reason we train the way we do - we may actually need them to save lives. When you pick up on that potential threat and escalate to Condition Orange, tell yourself "I may have to seriously injure him today!" Trust me, if you have internalized that a specific person is an actual threat to your life, but that you have the means to stop him if need be, it becomes easier to mentally deal with the situation.
Summary
Always remember that awareness and avoidance are the best self-defense strategies. Awareness of your environment, attacker rituals and your instinct comprise the majority of self-defense. Your first line of self-defense against a violent situation is to avoid it. Trust your instincts and do not hesitate. If you cannot avoid the situation, then mentally prepare, have a plan and execute with full conviction and purpose.
Ultimately, the more aware you are, the more you will prevent an attack. Practice using the Color Codes daily and integrate them into your training and daily living.
There’s one last thing I want to say on a personal level. When I was in the military we constantly practiced the “What if” game. I’m no longer “government property”, but I have spent my adult life practicing security. We play games on a military base all the time. We call them exercises. Working with fuel is potentially dangerous. All our work areas are called “Controlled Areas”. Not just anyone can enter these areas so we have to practice security all the time. I’m grateful for this because it has made me more security minded. My family probably thinks I’m a little paranoid. But in the near future we could find this country in a mess and being prepared may be essential. I want all of us to have the correct mind set. Please consider these things and create your own “training program”.
I continue to encourage your own training program. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or time consuming. Maybe just researching. Or finding a book and maybe reading a chapter a week. As long as it is something.
Semper Paratus
Burn
