‘Threads’ will scare the bejeezus out of you. Aired on the BBC in 1984, it is far more bleak than America’s ‘The Day After’. We see none of the military perspective, but rather experience nuclear war through the eyes of its victims. I never saw it as a kid but have watched it several times as an adult as I am fascinated by all things Cold War.
Threads from Peski TV on Vimeo.
As a member of the military, maintaining a high level of fitness is an obvious (should be anyhow), requirement. Of course the actual level will be determined by your MOS requirements, as rear echelon personnel aren’t going to be required (or given the time), to maintain the fitness levels of Special Forces folks, nor should they be. In the same respect Wild Land Fire Fighters and Search and Rescue teams must have a higher degree of physical readiness than your average fireman. Having said all that, what about everyone else? The overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. don’t have a physical requirement (like a PFT) to maintain as a condition of employment. So most will have their own standard to go by and this varies widely from absolutely nothing, to people who participate in triathlons, adventure races and other recreational sports that are extremely fit (and work very hard to get and stay there), regardless of age or gender.
Most of the people I know, are just happy to try and keep their weight down and do a little exercise/sports here and there for their health or recreation. I have a few friends that are serious weekend athletes, but not many. I think the attitude about fitness is more: I don’t really need much, I don’t have time for much, or frankly don’t think about it much. As a career Marine and now someone who trains others in fitness, my life has been much more focused than the average person on this subject, as it’s always been part of my job. So most people would say, that’s good for you, but I don’t need it.
However I will contend that maintaining a high level of fitness will add many collateral benefits to your life, even if you have no employment or sports related need. The most obvious are the overall health benefits that rigorous exercise provides. BTW, I’m not talking about weekend softball or walking around the block here, but a several hours a week no joke program. It makes it much easier to maintain a healthy bodyweight. It simulates your immune system, making you less susceptible to sickness and disease. Your internal organs operate more efficiently, giving you more energy and mental acuity. People who exercise at a high level also experience less stress and have an overall better attitude about their lives. All of these are well known benefits of maintaining real fitness and in fact, there are many more, too many to list here.
There is another big benefit that I experience all the time that isn’t as well known, but may be one of the greatest benefits, if not the greatest. That being the opportunity for shared experience with friends and family. I’ll give you a recent example. Last month I got some leave and went north to spend some time with my parents in Upstate NY. It’s been a long tradition in my family to spend as much of our summer in the woods as possible, camping, hiking, fishing, etc. With my two boys and their cousins growing up, the past ten years or so this has stepped up a few notches to some serious hikes and rock climbing treks. Due everyone’s busy schedule this years event was to be made up of myself, my nephew and youngest son. My nephew is presently enrolled the ROTC program at UVA and my youngest son is a competitive sport climber. Both are in outstanding overall physical condition in their early 20’s.
This past month they came up with a proposed plan that we backpack into the Adirondacks and make a one day “test of manhood” hike. The plan was to hike four of the highest mtns in NY State (to include the highest: Mt Marcy), in one big loop. Up and down four steep and rocky mtns in one day. Of course I agreed and we planned it all out and did it a week later. It was a ball buster that took about 13 hours, covering almost 20 miles and over 10,000 ft of vertical climbing; a good part of it was hand over hand scrambling. We pulled out at 0330, to be on Mt. Marcy at sunrise and got back to camp about 1700. It was tough and if I said I wasn’t tired at the finish, I’d be lying. The boys were tired for sure also, however it was fun as hell. Afterward we sat around drinking Maple Flavored rum and warm soda in the dark; tired, scraped up, sunburnt, bug bit and laughing about the times we busted our asses on the slippery rocks and the nut shrinking ice cold stream we swam in during the way. These shared experiences are something you cannot buy, and you could never do if you aren’t in good shape.
My brother in law (3 years younger than me) is very overweight and out of shape. A good man, but he never saw the benefit of trying to keep himself in shape. When we returned from the trip I watched him listen to his son’s story of our trip. I could tell from the look on his face he wished he could have been with us, but he also knew he couldn’t have made a mile of that hike. The bottom line is that he missed out on a wonderful opportunity to spend some “Man Time” with his son. Made me sad to see this, especially when I know with some effort over time, he could have gone with us. Of all the PT I’ve ever done in my life and trust me when I tell you it’s been a lot. Maintaining my fitness for nothing else than to not miss out on times like those, is far beyond the time and effort I’ve put in for it. In the end compared to your health, it may not be the best benefit, but it is certainly is the best reward. Back to Africa for most of Sept to train some people. I’m sure to have something to share with you from my trip. Till then:
“Be Safe Always, be Good when you can.”
Semper Fi
MGunz
Hey Folks, we’ve all heard it or said it: Train like you Fight. A lot of times, folks think that means wearing full kit in order to train to better shoot your gun. I disagree with the party line that you have to wear full battle rattle to train to shoot better.
For tactical shooters I would strongly recommend shooting ‘slick with no kit’ and learn what they can truly do with their guns, what their full capabilities are, how fast can they really put bullets on targets, maneuver through a challenging course of fire, get into positions, etc. Once that base line of what’s possible is established then put your duty gear on and see if you can still do the same stuff.
If you can’t, why?
If it’s because your body armor is too restrictive, there are plenty of ways to keep the defensive capabilities of your body armor AND be mobile and able to mount your gun to shoot well, and give yourself and your team mates some valuable OFFENSIVE capabilities. This concept applies to all the gear you carry to duty; if it hinders your optimal performance I would fix it or get rid of it and stay as light as possible.
Here’s a proven concept that we all as tactical shooters can use to ‘Train to Win’. Every organized sports team in the country (especially the ones that win) use a similar concept to train. Football teams don’t go full speed in pads everyday in practice. That would be the conventional shooter’s wisdom of “train like you fight”. What they do instead is break down individual skill sets and train them to perfection. Then they’ll put on the pads and put all those things together and scrimmage. They take note of what went well and what didn’t go well, and then they take off the pads and train again. When it comes game time they are prepared to WIN.
That’s my ramble for now, maybe I’ll put together a video explaining it some more.
Thanks y’all!
-Frank Proctor
Frank Proctor has served over 18 years in the military, the last 11 of those in US Army Special Forces. During his multiple combat tours in Afghanistan & Iraq he had the privilege to serve with and learn from many seasoned veteran Special Forces Operators so their combined years of knowledge and experience has helped him to become a better operator & instructor. While serving as an instructor at the Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course he was drawn to competitive shooting. He has since earned the USPSA Grand Master ranking in the Limited Division and Master ranking in the IDPA Stock Service Pistol division. He learned a great deal from shooting in competition and this has helped him to become to become a better tactical shooter. Frank is one of the few individuals able to bring the experiences of U.S. Army Special Forces, Competitive Shooting, and Veteran Instructor to every class.
All this experience combines to make Frank Proctor a well-rounded shooter and instructor capable of helping you to achieve your goal of becoming a better shooter.
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Bravo Company USA. Bravo Company is home of the Gunfighters, and each week they bring us a different trainer to offer some words of wisdom.
Urban COMB is a variant of a camouflage pattern offered by Arktis which combines elements of various existing patterns. Arktis USA is their American distributor who sells via eBay. They are currently offering a Smock, lightweight Trousers and Short Brim Boonie printed on IR treated fabric.
stores.ebay.com/ArktisUSA?_dmd=2&_nkw=COMB
The carrier is mad with Tweave Durastretch, a durable four-way stretch fabric that is non-restrictive. Each carrier uses matching colored hook and loop Velcro®, including TAN 499 for use with MultiCam.
– Tweave Durastretch 520E outer material.
– 3D spacer mesh 3mm padding inner material.
– 35oz. DuPont Hypalon shoulder-straps.
– 35oz. DuPont Hypalon cummerbund.
– Cummerbund is fully MOLLE compatible and adjustable via Velcro®. One size fits all.
– ITW QASM (Quick Attach Surface Mount) buckles included – SwiftClip™ compatible.
– Large loop Velcro® surface front for use with magazine placards, chest rigs etc.
– Reinforced plate pocket stitching.
Quality guaranteed. Made in Canada.
Custom sizing available. Please specify before making purchase.
www.perrozdesigns.com/shop/equipment/tweave-plate-carrier
SAVANNAH, GA-August 10, 2016- Blue Force Gear®, a growing design and manufacturing company in the firearms accessories industry, announces that it has been granted its second US patent for the Helium Whisper® load carrier system and associated manufacturing methods. US patent 9,295,319 embodies the ability for a load carrier system to include a unitary piece of material.
The patent covers two embodiments of the load carriage system. One of which pertains to the unitary piece of material, and the other being the benefits through manufacturing methods of Helium Whisper®.
Helium Whisper® revolutionizes the MOLLE attachment system by combining a single piece back panel with ULTRAcomp®, an extremely durable, lightweight high-performance proprietary laminate. By reducing the number of parts involved in MOLLE attachment, the single-piece design decreases potential errors and weak points, provides easier production and offers a lighter alternative to any other pouch system.
“Blue Force Gear continues to innovate as the leader in the production of lightweight gear,” says CEO Ashley Burnsed. “For more than two decades the primary health threat to troops has been common joint, muscle and bone injuries including back pain. The average load carried by a Rifleman can be in excess of 127 pounds. Blue Force Gear celebrates every ounce of weight reduction because ounces equal pounds, and our pouches built with the Helium Whisper® system can reduce weight by up to 60 percent, making our service members lighter, faster and quite possibly healthier.”
This patent solidifies Helium Whisper® as a true innovation in lightweight attachment systems. In addition to Blue Force Gear’s products, the Helium Whisper® attachment system is in wide use by manufacturers such as SAFARILAND Group, Velocity Systems, Platatac and Strategen who license the technology from Blue Force Gear directly.
Duraflex Ghost Eye Hooks from National Molding are made right here in the USA and available in 3/4″ and 1″.
