I know this is preaching from the pulpit. I just couldn't resist to add my thought the thread. I've only been a member for a few days, but I can assure you this is one of the best sites on the web. So thanks Clyde! Actually, I bumped into by accident because of one of the threads that was posted and it directed me to this website. Yes, I one of your so called prep people. I was in the Boys Scouts, when I was not following my father around the world, I lived a pretty good life which allowed me to head to my father's family home in upstate New York, where I camped, fished and mountain climbed most the big mountains in the Adirondacks. When my father retired from the military (just know my dad was a Vietnam Vet and a career Army Soldier, we didn't have him around much, again protecting our freedoms we enjoy). So being the oldest, my brother and I did things like all boys, we worked on farms, we delivered newspapers, helped neighbors, shoveled snow; all the while learning that self reliance is just part of our daily lives. Now I must admit, my kids, they are a bit spoiled, but that is the generation that they live, but they have watched their father and they get it. They know most of what I've taught them and used most of it. My daughter is a med student at Tech. My son is heading off to be an Engineer at one of the nine major universities that have offered him scholarships and he is only 16, guess where he learned self reliance...oh yeah and not to brag, but he has a sick sense of humor because he wants to be number 2 in his class of 480 students, simply so he can upstage the Valedictorian with his dry sense of humor and because as he say's "You salute the Salutatorian". So if you haven't figured it now, its C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.
As, I said I am new, but because my past jobs required me to make a quick assessment of people, I can't say enough about the people of this site. Most of these folks that you see on this site are well respected people in their community, we all live normal lives each day. Quite comically, we don't represent those folks who you see on National Geo or whatever else shows up on mainstream T.V. The old axiom is built on trust and communication, which is why we all post and share ideas. We don't always agree, but we are all learning because we are not all experts in the field. My friend Jim in East Texas, who spent a few moments of his day just chatting with me, is a person I call a friend, never met him, but maybe one day, when I am not busy, I'll jump in my SUV and bring some coffee, just to help him with his yard...lol, okay Jim, you read this, maybe I'll just bring coffee. Jim made me reminisce my teenager years when I use to haul hay, fork out cow manure, and mend fences, not to say, I miss it, but it bring back some thoughts of how difficult the work was, but rewarding. Not to say, my normal day to day work is not rewarding, but I don't own a farm and over the years, I have forgotten animal husbandry and if I have a question about something like that, I can assure you, if I look around the site, someone has posted something. If not Jim or someone will chime in and help me out. I like that, I like that a lot!
Notice Naughtywombat, I've not mentioned my background at all, so let me not scare you, here is realism. Hurricane Katrina, some people made it out, some didn't. I should know I worked for the Red Cross back then and I was heading directly into the Hurricane. So what about those that didn't make it out. Those that didn't were terrified, despite what your heard about looting, killings...all crap, spread by media...because that is what makes commercial T.V....the people who were looting, well some were bad, but the most of them were simply hungry because the Walmart closed, they were not prepared, they were scared because first responders were responding to saving lives and not in the recovery mode (where food is delivered). As such, people gathered together to protect themselves, that is nature, you can draw that back to the caveman days. As for all the gloom and doom, well you're like my wife, she has the same view, but you know, what she hasn't starved, she hasn't been without water (to the point your throat is raw from thirst), but she has one thing going for her, a husband who does. Ever come on a apartment complex, your not sure who lives there, well I had 10 volunteers from around the country, they believed in the mission and because I did my surgical and gunshot wound training in New Orleans in the early 80's was very familiar with the area. But here I and my 10 volunteers come to this apartment complex, we knocked on the door expecting only a few residence; wrong, their were about 50 families still living in the complex, they had not had food in days, so we left an entire U-Haul truck worth of food and water for them. One lady came up to my volunteer and started crying, saying thank you and that god delivered us to her. Guess what my friend in California still writes me and tells me that was the best day of his life. In my military career, I can't tell you the times, I've seen misery brought upon by man and nature. Somalia, Bosnia, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Rawanda, Nigeria, Congo, Iraq, yeah those were ugly and if you've not worn boots on the ground, you have no clue as to what some of my brother and sisters have been through and are still living through. Yes and some like my friend, will never, because he paid the ultimate sacrifice. So I've seen what humans can do to each other, some take it for granted, others like these people, we just prepare. I am not a ultra-Christian, my daughter is, but even she agrees the bible talks about preparing. But I do respect my friends, who do prepare and follow their beliefs, its the American way. Also, if you've read one of my posts, you will notice that I wrote about the pandemic kit, this is an area of expertise, I can assure you that smallpox, Ebola, SARS, even an evil strain of Flu can wreck our very fragile world. Notice I didn't talk about anything about what happened after September 11th that cost the lives of innocent people and law enforcement still is trying to hunt those responsible for the event. So I don't fear it, I just keep learning as much as I can, prepare and deal with it when it comes.
So why, do I prep, I don't want to be that old lady or the people in the apartment, also remember those kids I mentioned, well I look at them as not only the kids I love unconditionally and with it, I want them to survive and they WILL, but they have to have a place to fall back to and their dad has prepared them well to coexist with the other members of our group. On day, it is my hope, our team will have more people who are like minded, the same as the good people on this site.
So if you've read some of these threads....we all like to eat and drink. Oh yeah...I graduated from the best survival school and spent months in the desert (not once, but twice) with soldier, sailors, marines and airman, so that you can post today. I'm a dues paying member of the VFW and Legion, not because I hang out at my local post because I've never stepped in once since I retired from the military, but because my father (who was my hero and a real combat vet...had five purple hearts, silver star with valor and bronze star) raised me to be proud of our values and he raised me to support those organization that I believed helped me. I was raised with these simple words "Duty, Honor and Country". My duty is now to prepare, my honor is to my family and my friends, and Country...well that is simple, if need be I will uphold the Constitution as it was written by our Founding Fathers.
Sleep well NaughtyWombat, its your constitutional right to have an opinion, but don't mock us, unless your one of those guys who goes from website to website just to agitate.
