We recently heard that a rumor is floating around that we charge for the articles we publish. This is absolute rubbish. We neither solicit or accept payment for articles. Additionally, we do not require that manufacturers provide us with product for free or even at a discount in order for us to publish an article. We know some sites do this, but this is not the case for us.
Having said that, we do have sponsors and we highly encourage you to support them.
Marine Corps veteran William Hansen, first started with S.O.TECH as a sewing machine operator for the Green Vets LA program. Bill not only motivated his teammates but eventually stood in front of CEO’s and program coordinators in a sharp suit handing printouts of his marketing plan that he had recently created. He offered a great proposal, but everyone in the room felt excited for a bigger reason – Bill’s leadership.
The Green Vets project started out with six patients and a desire to help those who served and sacrificed for their community. Bill having been both inspired by the program, and having motivated his teammates, set his sights on spreading the word in the community by marketing the green initiative. Stricken with pancreatic cancer, Bill withdrew from the initiative so he could focus his strength on defeating his illness. Guided by his vision, the crew of veterans proceeded and is now making thousands of reusable bags. Like any military squad, the Green Vets team has supported Bill in the hospital.
Bill received the news from his hospital bed about the success Heal the Bay had been having in getting local municipalities to ban plastic bags. He heard about the bags he had envisioned now being offered by Heal the Bay to its most important donors. A conversation Bill and I had in his hospital room during his cancer treatments speaks volumes about his ongoing courage and strength. At a moment when most people would lament their fate and complain about their struggles
with pain, Bill set forth his plan to beat the illness. He would get back to Green Vets LA, and re-start his marketing plan with the Santa Monica Bag Ban and Heal the Bay’s campaign.
Bill is survived by his wife Carla, his son Cody, and his step children Jamal, Yasmin, and Ayja.
-Jim Cragg
S.O.Tech
The California legislature strikes yet again in their quest to ban firearms. This time though, rather than go after real guns, the assault is against airsoft. That’s right, airsoft guns. California Senate Bill 798 demands that all airsoft guns must be made in clear or high visibility colors. Kind of defeats the purpose of playing Army don’t you think? Even England hasn’t gone this far…yet. SSD supports gun rights and we look at airsoft as another facet of the firearms industry. Make your voice heard and let them know in Sacramento how you feel about Bill 798. After all, this is a dangerous precedent. If they’ll do this to simulated weapons, what’s to stop similar legislation against actual firearms or knives?
Each April 25th some of our closest allies; Australia and New Zealand, commemorate the service and sacrifice of their service members. The day begins with a dawn service and there are several other events throughout the day including parades.
It’s bigger than Veteran’s Day here with more participation. It’s what Veteran’s Day was probably like after the War to End All Wars and ANZAC does have it’s roots in the memory of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops who served the empire in World War One. While April 25th might seem an odd date, it is actually the anniversary of the first major battle fought by ANZAC forces; the battle of Gallipoli in what is now Turkey.
Please join us in honoring not only their fallen, but also the fact that they are on our team. So take a moment and have an ANZAC biscuit on us.
Thank you Australia and New Zealand for everything you do in the Coalition.
One week ago Fayetteville, North Carolina was hit by an F3 tornado that left one fatality. Fortunately, our friends at Grey Group were unscathed and set about immediately to documenting the effects of the storm as well as securing their perimeter. Early on, Matt the potty mouth drops a coupe of expletives so watch your volume around civilians.
I am saddened by the destruction. I have spent more of my adult life in Fayetteville than any other one place so I guess you could say I am from there as much as I am from anywhere else. It’s rough to see places you know torn asunder by mother nature. On the other hand, it’s good to see friends surviving and putting things back together. I’ve known some of the Grey Group crew since before there was a Grey Group and they were on the horn letting folks know they were ok as soon as the “all clear” was sounded. I gotta tell you, that was a big relief. Thanks to Grey Group from producing this record of the storm.
Ok, so you can’t spend 24 hours a day with us, but we have come up with several ways for you to keep in touch during your every waking moment.
TacticalFanboy.com
Last Fall we realized that as our readership grew, so did their interests begin to vary and in response, our editorial content began to shift somewhat as well. Ever conscious of our core readership, consisting of Industry, Government, and Military, we became a bit concerned that we had lost some of our focus. And in that notion, the idea for Tactical Fanboy was born. Officially launched during SHOT Show, you can think of it as sort of an alter ego. Over the past few months TF’s fan base has grown and grown. In fact, some of our most popular stories have been from TF.
Now, we can have our cake and eat it too and so can you. SSD at work and TF at home. SSD has moved back to its roots concentrating on hardcore Government and Industry news while TF has picked up the more recreational and entertainment sides of this community, with a little bit of humor and risque content thrown in for good measure. While this may mean no more worries about running across content on SSD that may be questionable at work, don’t just write TF off as some milsim wannabe site. The name might be lighthearted but the content will always be on point. But don’t worry, you’ll see us share content and collaborate regularly.
www.TacticalFanBoy.com
News
We put the “new” in news. If it’s worth knowing you are going to read it here first. And if you do happen to see it somewhere else first, we will tell you to go see it there, unless we have the rest of the story. Which, all too often seems to be the case. We will always endeavor to give you the best and most up-to-date coverage of the tactical industry, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. No one else provides this level of coverage.
Comments
Our readers kept asking to be able to comment on our stories and finally, we listened. You can now comment on our articles. We were a bit standoffish at first and maybe one or two commentors seem to forget that this is primarily a tactical gear site but overall we are very pleased to see how well behaved everyone is. Additionally, it is nice to see some of the added value our readers have offered.
Twitter
We have found Twitter to be one of the best means to reach out to our readers and our list of followers continues to grow. In addition to alerts of new stories we also release information through Twitter that might be of interest to our readers or is related to our core content but originates elsewhere.
twitter.com/soldiersystems
Facebook
We launched our Facebook page awhile back and recently started taking advantage of it. Tactical Fanboy has also got his up and running so check him out as well. Make sure you like us and tell your friends about us as well. We recently conducted a test of live Facebook/Twitter coverage of a recent PEO Soldier media roundtable. Overall, it was very well received.
Wibiya
We have added the Wibiya toolbar to our website after learning about it from our friends at Shellback Tactical. Once installed, it is configurable from their website so we can update links to our social media without having to mess around with our site’s code. Additionally, it allows the reader access to social media features without leaving SSD. Please let us know what you think and if it has been causing any performance issues for you.
www.wibiya.com
iPhone
Our iPhone app has been extremely popular and delivers the latest updates directly to your iPhone each time you open it. If it seems to have died on you, delete it and reinstall. We want to do an Android app but we are not happy with the company we had chosen. Any suggestions?
iTunes
M4Carbine.net
M4Carbine.net has been most gracious in offering us a dedicated sub-forum to interact with our readers. Not only is it a great place to discuss our articles and current issues in the Soldier Systems industry but M4Carbine.net gives access to the best group of Subject Matter Experts we have run across. No over-inflated CVs, no BS, just good information. Military, Law Enforcement, or a fan of the Black Rifle? You should be a member of M4Carbine.net.
M4Carbine.net
Youtube
We post videos for our articles on our Youtube channel. Additionally, we make use of content posted by others. Always be on the look out for more content.
www.youtube.com
Kindle
Subscriptions to SSD’s content are available for the Kindle via Amazon. Don’t forget there is a Kindle reader for iPhone and iPad.
Scribd.com/solsys
Contests
We have been running some cool contests this year thanks to our sponsors. Our recent kit design contest was the first time we have seen industry reach out to partner with a user to develop new products. We also ran a camouflage design contest that brought 29 unique patterns vying for a $500 prize from one of our sponsors.
Contest.SoldierSystems.net
Trade Shows
In the near-term look for us at ADS Warrior Expo West and SOFIC.
On-line Gaming
If you have an Xbox Live account, you can friend request ‘Tactical Fanboy’.
The Future
Here at SSD we continuously look at ways to increase interaction with our readers. For example, some of our writers have begun to develop specialized content for other sites. In fact, you may have seen the article on HIGH GEAR on ADS Inc’s web site. If you look hard enough, you will also see some of our stuff in print. Additionally, we have also posted guest content from the Mad Duo and others. Look for some SSD logo items becoming available VERY soon through well known vendors. We don’t run this site to sell you anything but people keep asking us for it so we’ll let them do what they do best and we’ll stick with the news.
One final word. None of this would be possible without the support of our sponsors. We have affiliated ourselves with reputable companies who provide solid products and services and we would not hesitate to recommend any of them. At SSD we look at our sponsorship program as a two-way street. We are endorsing them as much as they are us and we urge you to support them. They offer some great products. Use them and let them know you saw them on SSD.
One of the first things I learned in the Army was to constantly improve my fighting position, so if you have any additional ideas on ways SSD can do more for you, please feel free to share them with us.
According to a recent article in “British Army Review” the Taliban are referring to British Squaddies as “Donkeys” and saying that they “waddle” around the battlefield due to the heavy loads they have to carry. The article, entitled “Donkeys Led by Lions” is an obvious play on words. During WW I the British Army was said to be made up of “Lions Led by Donkeys”. The author who chose to write anonymously, further contends that, while Tommies are being referred to by the enemy as Donkeys, the headquarters are like so many “fat, lazy” lions saying, “Lions, contrary to Victorian opinion, aren’t brave or noble; they are fat, lazy creatures that lie around all day licking themselves.” He goes on, “They get others to do the dirty work and they have a penchant for infanticide. We are not saying our commanders are fat, lazy child killers, far from it, but it has reached a point where their headquarters are.”
He writes of a “bloated over complex system that sucks the life out of operations” and that “decision and action get lost in Chinese whispers and Chinese parliaments that turn most of operational staff ‘work’ into operational staff waste”. Sounds like the cries for help from a small unit leader drowning in a sea of militocracy. He’s right. In the western way of running armies, those deemed the best, lead units in combat and the marginal become staffs.
As for the issue of mobility v. protection. Make no mistake, everyone in the Coalition is up against the same enemy and terrain as the United States. Afghanistan is a Soldier-centric environment with other systems acting in supporting roles. We, as well as our allies, have taken great pains to protect our troops but this has come at a cost of mobility and agility. Over the last year, the British military has further modernized their personal equipment providing enhanced camouflage as well as new armor systems that has netted a 10 kg weight savings. On the US side PEO Soldier is keenly aware of the situation and each enhancement in capability is looked at from the perspective a SWAP (Size Weight and Power) analysis once reserved for aircraft and vehicles. Work is being done to not only lower the weight but also to add no additional weight as new capabilities are fielded. Additionally, here in the US, programs such as SPD 9 are looking at ways to better handle the weight of armor systems.
As for bloated commands? I got nothing for you. It might be a lousy war, but it’s the only one we’ve got.
The nameless author does leave us with one excellent observation, “If we don’t work out now how we are going to lose that weight we will do the old trick of starting the next war by repeating the mistakes of this one.”
Don’t forget to enter the Rip Shears giveaway below. No skill is needed to win one of the three pairs. Just make sure you enter with a valid email address. The sweepstakes closes tomorrow at 1200 GMT.
