# Why You Should Think Like A Green Beret Instead Of A Doomsday Prepper



## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

My Son brought the following to my attention:

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/why-...en-beret-instead-of-a-doomsday-prepper_022013

Why You Should Think Like A Green Beret Instead Of A Doomsday Prepper

There is a disaster coming and you have a decision to make: Is it better to live like a rat in a hole (a bunker) or to network with your neighbors and organize your local area of operation? Sure, it's a loaded question but it brings up an interesting point: That even the lone wolf can't survive long by himself. We are social pack animals by nature and the stronger we make our local "pack" the better our chances of survival.

I'd rather have a local neighborhood of 400 organized, motivated individuals defending an area and watching each other's back than to go it alone in a ten foot corrugated pipe buried in the middle of nowhere. And if we agree on this point, then it makes perfect sense to look at the Green Berets for inspiration.

The Green Berets are the U.S. Special Forces elite commandos who get dropped behind enemy lines and are tasked with organizing the local or indigenous population toward a specific goal. They are smart, motivated and trained in tactics that make them extreme force multipliers. This should be your goal as a prepper, because surviving alone is too big of a job. The days of "Liver Eatin'" Johnson, where a mountain man could live in the back country for years at a time, wasn't even a high survivability endeavor back in the 1800′s. The odds that one man or even a small family can, "face it alone" are very slim. Sure, you might get lucky and pull it off, but personally I prefer to play the odds. And if we look at history, the odds on survival as part of a community are much greater than going it alone- which is why communities formed in the first place.

In a disaster scenario where there is No Rule Of Law (sidenote: See NutNFancy's excellent Youtube video on WROL: Without Rule Of Law) there will be a power vacuum. People will be scared and afraid and this is where we as preppers need to be ready to step up and provide leadership. People will only huddle in their homes for so long and if an organizational structure isn't set up quickly to utilize your neighborhood's strengths and resources, then you may lose them forever.

First Things First

One of the first things that a Green Beret unit will do when deployed to an area is to set up an operational base in friendly territory that serves as both an operational and administrative focal point. The operational base is used for:

Planning and Direction of Operations
Communications Support
Intelligence Support
Logistical Support
Briefing and Staging
Infiltration
Liason and Coordination
Training
Administration
Can you imagine setting up an operational base similar to what the Green Berets use by organizing your neighbors- perhaps at a local elementary school- and how it could be an asset in helping your community get through a Without Rule Of Law scenario?

Let's compare two scenarios contrasting how modeling the Green Berets would work out much better for you and your family than modeling the typical character as portrayed on the Doomsday Preppers TV show:

A Tale Of Two Preppers

Timmy The Tool: Timmy has modeled his prepper plans in a similar manner to what he's seen on the TV shows, including a buried corrugated pipe bunker that he's stocked with two years worth of food for himself, his wife and his two kids, Timmy Jr. (9) and Susie (4).

Timmy lives in a non-descript suburban neighborhood in Bacon, Georgia. He doesn't socialize or interact with any of his neighbors and the one's who have made an effort to get to know him report that he is somewhat anti-social and odd.

When the balloon goes up, Timmy packs his wife and kids into his Chevy Suburban and gets on the road toward their buried bunker in the middle of nowhere. The trip is uneventful and Timmy hides his Suburban under a camouflage net and then ushers his family into the bunker.

Everything seems to be going swell the first night. But after seven days of living underground in a 10 foot by 40 foot bunker the kids won't stop fighting and Timmy's wife Helen is starting to show signs of emotional strain from being cooped up for so long without outside social interaction.

By Week 2 the radio stops working and Timmy can't find where he put the backup radio. He's now got a short temper and blames his wife, who's close to the end of her fuse and can't stop crying. Timmy's daughter, on the other hand, has stopped communicating and their son spends most of his time escaping into books and has developed a strange cough. His wife is now begging Timmy to let them return to their home in the 'burbs. But Timmy knows they must stay in the bunker in order to survive. It's the only way at this point.

Two more weeks into the Crunch and Timmy's wife has had enough. The boy is virulently sick and the antibiotics that Timmy had stored don't seem to be helping. Their daughter has stopped eating and Timmy's wife finally gives him an ultimatum: She's taking the kids and returning to their home in the suburbs with or without him. Timmy weighs his options and decides that he can't let her and the kids venture back to their house unprotected so he grudgingly packs their Chevy Suburban for the drive home. Or what's left of their home. Looters have destroyed their neighborhood and most of the houses have burned to the ground because nobody organized the neighborhood into a defensive force that could have prevented the looting. Unfortunately, Timmy and his family will never make it home to see the wreckage because the highways are either closed or have been converted into ambush "kill zones" by marauding gangs before the military can restore order.

Meanwhile&#8230;

Ralph The Realist has adopted a different approach based on what he learned in the military as a Green Beret. Instead of withdrawing from his community he has taken proactive steps to deal with a "No Rule Of Law" scenario. Ralph is good friends with both the president of the neighborhood HOA and the principal of the nearby elementary school. Along with his wife and a couple of other friends of a similar mindset they have formed a prepper group and had begun taking action before the Crunch. Including storing ten 55-gallon drums of rice, wheat, beans and pasta in an unused storage shed at the local elementary school.

When news of rioting and societal breakdown begins to reach maximum velocity, Ralph and his group each begin to reach out to other friends and neighbors who - to no one's surprise - are now very concerned about the current state of affairs, too. Many are open to taking action but nobody has a plan&#8230; except for Ralph and his group.

After the power grid goes down, Ralph's prepper buddy, the president of the HOA, calls a neighborhood meeting and they discover that many of their neighbors have excellent skills that will help them survive the Crunch: One is a trauma nurse. Another is a welder. The guy down the street is a doctor and an avid hunter and there are several retired cops who live one block over.

Ralph asks for volunteers to form a neighborhood watch and almost everybody volunteers. They makes plans to barricade access to the neighborhood using old cars and RVs and set up a defensive perimeter. With roughly 150 families in their neighborhood there are more than enough adults with firearms experience to stand watch in shifts.

When Ralph's son develops a strange cough, his wife takes her rifle and walks to the doctor's house, a block over. She does not have to worry about leaving her house unattended since the "neighborhood watch on steriods" (hat tip: Rawles) is keeping the riff-raff out. The doctor correctly diagnoses her son's cough and prescribes the right antibiotic. She then leaves her daughter to play with the doctor's daughter for a few hours. The little one is coping with the Crunch as if it was a free day home from school: Fun!

After a week, Ralph's son is feeling much better. His wife is happy and she has formed a gardening club with some of the other women on her block.

Three weeks later, Ralph receives word that things are still pretty crazy outside of their neighborhood. They've had a couple of gun fights when looters tried to gain access to their neighborhood but nobody was hurt. Word quickly spreads among the undesirables to leave Ralph's neighborhood alone.

Everyone is coping reasonably well when a expedition group from another neighborhood proposes a trade of fish antibiotics (which can be used by humans) for some extra ammunition. The doctor advises Ralph that it would be a good trade, and since Ralph's neighbor has a reloading press in his garage, they're in no fear of running low on ammunition.

After another month, the military is finally able to get things under control and rule of law is restored.

A tale of two preppers: One a complete failure for adopting an ill-thought Lone Wolf strategy and the other successful after organizing his local neighborhood to withstand the perils of a Without Rule Of Law scenario.

About the Author: Sobert Gummer is the author of Sobert Gummer's Survival Prepping For Hard Times web site. He has lived and traveled to some of the most dangerous cities in the world and has recently returned from living in South America where he fought off a home invasion with nothing more than a machete, married an Indian woman and had his head held over a fire by a Costa Rican witch doctor. He's now back in the United States and prepping earnestly for an uncertain future while praying for the best. His latest book, Dogs For Preppers is now available at Amazon.com for your Kindle or Kindle app.


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

Unfortunately I'm "Timmy the Tool" I rarely talk to the neighbor(s) I would and need to get to know them better. My kids are half way across the country and have no intensions of moving to Maine. They would probably try to come here only after SHTF but the chances of them making towards the more populated East is slim to none even if they left the day after. I thought about finding some prepper folks here closer by and put together a better plan. I have 56 acres of good raw property as my second BOL. Getting others to add to or use this property can lead to big problems as stated in other threads, along with trust ect. ect. So this is my major weakness that I'm not sure on how to proceed with. Just getting to know the neighbors is probably the best start at this point.


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

IMO Sobert Gummer should stick to writing pre-teen fantasy fiction. He is just another Jonny come lately prepper that is sharing what he knows and from his blog writing, that is not a great deal. Being a traveler does not make one a prepper or survivalist. Having lived in different countries with different cultures and not being able to tolerate it or get along with the locals speaks volumes to me. 
His writing appears to be black and white with no room for gray, when in fact, most everything in life is gray, except death. Death is pretty black and white.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

JustCliff said:


> ...His writing appears to be black and white with no room for gray, when in fact, most everything in life is gray....


He did get me thinking.

If you are in a subdivision then why not start a Neighborhood watch program?

Then if/when SHTF you already have an organization in place that can be readily transitioned to a Neighborhood Protection program. :2thumb:


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Both stories are just that, stories. The second one is, in my opinion, fantasy. He just left out the rainbows and unicorns.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

A lot of the concepts in the second story have a lot of merit, especially in a moderate emergency where help will be on it's way. Trying to keep a neighborhood or subdivision within an urban area "secure" is a job that even militaries try to avoid. For the earlier stages it can work, but in a truly shtf situation Ralph and friends are going to be a target for not only countless individuals but any sort of organized groups. 

Having an entire community within the "group" makes it much more strategically possible in the long term but there WILL be bad apples and dissenters in the group, how would they be dealt with? It would have to get messy, this would not be a voluntary group, for it to be successful it would likely have to turn into a mini authoritarian state. Not the place I want to end up.

BUT emulating a "doomsday prepper", are you frikkin kidding me?!
Who on this forum in their right mind is emulating the strategy of the typical person on that show (most of us value opsec for one thing).

Timmy and Ralph should both re-think their strategies, they could learn a few things from people on this forum


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## AdmiralD7S (Dec 6, 2012)

Also, maybe he could present his ideas/opinions without blatant bias? "Tim the Tool" and "Ralph the Realist"...saw that for the arrogance it is.

I could make up more stories for him. "Ulfred the Unbeatable" who pillages from both loners and communities alike. "Chris the Carefree" who never prepped a day in his life, but where S never HTF.

All of these characters have something in common...no one knows which ones will actually happen.


Sent from my iPhone usi


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

TheLazyL said:


> He did get me thinking.
> 
> If you are in a subdivision then why not start a Neighborhood watch program?
> 
> Then if/when SHTF you already have an organization in place that can be readily transitioned to a Neighborhood Protection program. :2thumb:


 Sounds good in theory. However unless you live in perfection valley ( tremors series) it's going to be 1,000% different having jim and tom down the street driving around watching for little tommy TPing Mr. Wilsons house and organizing a bunch of clueless sheep into even a first week in basic training soldier level of training. Many of those I'd say 90%+ are the same ones that would/ will be at your door with their hands out within a week if they find out you have supplies OR WORSE. Much less standing firm at the first sign of trouble from anything more than a angry hamster.

Now organization of some kind of MAG or something is a great idea. But I lean more along the lines of a family group, ( My side of the family all has tactical and weapons training. I've seen to that) or a select group of friends or neighbors.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

101airborne said:


> Sounds good in theory...


Think about it a bit more.

You are the head of the Neighborhood Watch. Your long term goal is OPSEC and SHTF neighborhood protection. But you don't tell the members what your goal is.

You'd have the opportunity to observe how the other members react to different situations.

Wean out the flunk out of LEO, flunked out nightwatchman, flunked out of volunteer fire department, know it all types. Build up a core group.

The next steps could be training on radio communications. Grandma wants to help but can't walk without a cane. She can man the base station in her house on weekends, help keep those out patrolling alert.

Firearms training for members and anyone in the neighborhood that would be interested.

Don't throw this all on the neighborhood watch group all at once. Gently and slowly.

You know. If we had another hurricane/earthquake/ice storm (whatever is normal for your area of the country) it would sure come in handy if...

Perhaps the retire mechanic would check the privately owned neighborhood generators once a month.

Telephone repairman would devise a plan to solar/battery power the telephones in the subdivision during a hurricane/earthquake/ice storm (whatever is normal for your area of the country).

Then when a SHTF event occurs you could quickly shift the Neighborhood Watch group into a Neighborhood sustaining group.

Your foresight has allowed the neighborhood some time to gather facts to decide if it's best to stay or bugout.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

organizing the neighborhood is a cute idea, but clubs and groups are mostly the same 5% do the work, 80 ride along, 15% complain that the 5% aren't doing it right, they don't have a solution, they just know it is wrong. 

Any other questions?????


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## northstarprepper (Mar 19, 2013)

I noticed the talk about "neighbourhood watch" program's and wanted to share a little story from this past summer. The streets in out subdivision were being resurfaced and storm sewers replaced by our city and their contractors. Two city workers came and removed our "neighborhood watch" sign from our yard as my wife was pulling into our driveway. 

She asked them why they were removing the sign and when they would reinstall it. They replied that neighbourhood watch signs were no longer allowed under some program our city participates in with DHS. Now my wife is quite the pit bull when aroused and twenty minutes later the sign was laying by our front door. The city workers wanted no part of an angry lady. My wife then called the city and was indeed told that the neighbourhood watch program had been suspended in our suburb. Well, after giving them an earful, she told them that we would continue to have a neighbourhood watch on our street whether they liked it or not.

I later found out the Feds want everyone relying on the government and not each other, so past programs such as neighborhood watch need to be eliminated. There may be some opt in deal for a city, county, or state, but I do know that our police department no longer recognizes the neighborhood watches. They used to be at every one of our meetings. Hell, they even told us if we shot an intruder and he fell outside to just drag him back inside our house and they would not say a thing. Times they are a changing.


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## Gians (Nov 8, 2012)

We have a neighborhood group but I've steered clear of it so far. What I have done is walk a lot and meet neighbors in a wide area. I tend to forget names so after I meet someone I write their name, address and other interesting info down. I know who knows how to do what, what temperaments are like, who has family, who might need help, who has water in their pool, who has fruit trees and a garden besides me. Have never brought up prepping but know who likes to do for themselves, who can be trusted and who might need a wary eye kept on them. We're really too old to bug out so have tried to think ahead about how best to protect our neighborhood and home.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Wow... I'd turn the local neighbours against him just because of his arrogance and have him thrown out of his own group. 

You'd be surprised how much damage some rumours, gossip, and shills in the crowd can do to a "self appointed" leader's reputation.


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## suasponte2 (Jan 24, 2012)

TheLazyL said:


> He did get me thinking.
> 
> If you are in a subdivision then why not start a Neighborhood watch program?
> 
> Then if/when SHTF you already have an organization in place that can be readily transitioned to a Neighborhood Protection program. :2thumb:


The problem with acting as an A-Team is that every man on the team work and train together. Unless you are doing full blown training rehearsals, it does not work that easy.

1. You would full cooperation from everyone.
2. An A-Team get supplies in to help out the locals...
3. You will not have the discipline in the neighborhood to take in the tasks required if them. You need to establish trust first. I've never lived in a neighborhood where everyone likes each other. Then you are asking those folks to help those they do not like or get along with.
4. You need a secured area first to do anything. First rule of a team is to establish security, without that you cannot do anything.
5. How do you if the folks will run at the first sign of trouble...see #1and #4.
6. What is being asked by the first post is called FID or foreign internal defense. 
7. Everyone will have to know a secondary job. Most of society today do not like to take orders from the alpha in the pack...add to that, there is always someone that will feel their manhood is being taken away from them and will resist just to make the leader look bad. 
8. A neighborhood would need a complete security perimeter. How and what are the plans? How long does it take to put up? In the meantime, you will need patrols to safeguard the perimeter and a communications plan already in place.

I could go on, but this is not meant to bust out an idea but rather to look at the size of the tasks involved and the logistics of what it would take. Just my two cents...

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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

A strength of this forum is the exposure to different ideas, processes, and relationships. While some of you may feel TheLazyL's post may not be pertinent to your lifestyle, the crux of the information was to get readers to think about the best way to protect their family, property, and (possibly) neighborhood/neighbors.

A lot of us are isolationists and, depending on a myriad of circumstances, that may work against some of us in the long run because we don't have the redundancy in manpower and the diversity of talent and experience some groups enjoy. As with any project or issue, the dynamics of a group determine the direction of possible solutions which may or may not be in an individual's best interest.

As some of you pointed out, solutions also are built around geographic footprints. What works for a subdivision might work for a small town; but, not for a medium sized city. What works for city wouldn't work for rural. 

I appreciate reading about different approaches to planning for events because it keeps the old noggin' thinking about "what if..." What may not work for today just might be the solution for tomorrow. One of these days our circumstances might change and information we glean from this board just might be a lifesaver.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

It's a pipe dream. There will be very few armed and organized neighborhoods after it hits the fan. Maybe about 3% of the population is prepared. Everyone else is clueless. 

Yes, me and my family can go it alone. You need at least two people because someone needs to be awake and armed at all times. We'll have that.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

BillS said:


> ..Maybe about 3% of the population is prepared. Everyone else is clueless. ...


All the clueless (sheeple) need is someone to tell them what to do.


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## suasponte2 (Jan 24, 2012)

Country Living said:


> A strength of this forum is the exposure to different ideas, processes, and relationships. While some of you may feel TheLazyL's post may not be pertinent to your lifestyle, the crux of the information was to get readers to think about the best way to protect their family, property, and (possibly) neighborhood/neighbors.
> 
> A lot of us are isolationists and, depending on a myriad of circumstances, that may work against some of us in the long run because we don't have the redundancy in manpower and the diversity of talent and experience some groups enjoy. As with any project or issue, the dynamics of a group determine the direction of possible solutions which may or may not be in an individual's best interest.
> 
> ...


I guess you did not read my last sentence...

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## northstarprepper (Mar 19, 2013)

I would agree that most areas would find it difficult to organize an effective defensive group. Most city/suburban people do not prepare as we all do. The most effective defensive positions will likely be rural areas where families will join together to set roadblocks at crossroads, bridges, and other points where potential threats could be contained. Defending an entire suburban neighbourhood from attack from multiple sides would be nearly impossible unless every family was heavily armed and trained. Even in our watch group, it is still just "call the police."

If you have a more rural setting for your group of homes with a defined perimeter you can defend, it could work...if you get everyone to pull their weight and to buy in 100%. Good luck with that. There are always a few people or families that never do their share. We have them even in our little group of about 12 families. Turnover is also a problem if a family moves. We have two homes now occupied by renters that we watch more for potential trouble than for them being burglarised, etc.


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## suasponte2 (Jan 24, 2012)

TheLazyL said:


> All the clueless (sheeple) need is someone to tell them what to do.


Try telling that to 40 Ranger students...one of my assignments was as a Ranger Instructor at 5th RTB.

And saying that folks just need to be guild is easier said than done. Even with direct guidance by us (instructors), those students could not work together even with holding their hands. And I was one of those students a long time ago.

It's a mindset...otherwise every soldier would be an SFer or 75th Ranger Regiment soldier. And they are not....why? Because not everyone is capable or willing to learn. It's one thing reading manual or playing weekend warrior. It's another thing to have the fortitude to drive on and capacity to learn.

Try this...go house to house on your block and tell them to memorize the five paragraph operations order. Then go back in a week and ask them to just list the paragraphs
..see what you get.

By the time you need the folks to gather as one, it's too late.

Believe what you want, I'll stick to likeminded folks. People who understand leadership, perseverance, and discipline
It'd rather have five folks that understand those things than an entire neighborhood of incompetent people that can't stand watch for six hours or follow instructions.

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## suasponte2 (Jan 24, 2012)

northstarprepper said:


> I would agree that most areas would find it difficult to organize an effective defensive group. Most city/suburban people do not prepare as we all do. The most effective defensive positions will likely be rural areas where families will join together to set roadblocks at crossroads, bridges, and other points where potential threats could be contained. Defending an entire suburban neighbourhood from attack from multiple sides would be nearly impossible unless every family was heavily armed and trained. Even in our watch group, it is still just "call the police."
> 
> If you have a more rural setting for your group of homes with a defined perimeter you can defend, it could work...if you get everyone to pull their weight and to buy in 100%. Good luck with that. There are always a few people or families that never do their share. We have them even in our little group of about 12 families. Turnover is also a problem if a family moves. We have two homes now occupied by renters that we watch more for potential trouble than for them being burglarised, etc.


Right on the money! That is a realistic view taking common sense and applying it.

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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

suasponte2 said:


> Try telling that to 40 Ranger students...memorize the five paragraph operations order. Then go back in a week and ask them to just list the paragraphs..see what you get....


Trying to get square people to fit a round hole is not good Leadership.

5 minutes after you are introduced to me I'll forget you name. My wife will not only recall your name but how many children you have, their names, length of marriage and who you said you were related to.

I can read a manual and comprehend how to build, maintain or troubleshoot just about anything. Wife interest would wonder off after the first sentence.

A realistic neighborhood goal would not to be expect every resident to shoot the eye out of a gnat at 300 meters. But to match work assignments to their individual strengths.


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## suasponte2 (Jan 24, 2012)

TheLazyL said:


> Trying to get square people to fit a round hole is not good Leadership.
> 
> 5 minutes after you are introduced to me I'll forget you name. My wife will not only recall your name but how many children you have, their names, length of marriage and you who you said you were related to.
> 
> ...


True. But the trouble is a lot of folks don't like being told what to do. I see that attitude in our HOA meetings. But I bet if things go wrong they might unite. But there lays the problem...afterwards. by then you are overwhelmed.

But you are correct. I was trying to make the point that getting people to do things is always the hard part.

Then you have the conflict of leadership...you probably know that person who would resent someone taking charge. I still see it everyday. In the service you have discipline, by since the army has changed, that has gone out the window. It's still alive in certain units, but the rest of the army is falling apart.

I compare it to the army because it in itself is a community. In my observation from being enlisted to getting commissioned, we are falling apart at an unsustainable rate and that is the same with society today.

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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

TheLazyL said:


> A realistic neighborhood goal would not to be expect every resident to shoot the eye out of a gnat at 300 meters. But to _*match work assignments to their individual strengths*_.


..and one of the best ways to do this is by observing them while they perform varied tasks, allowing you to evaluate them. Getting the individual to apply their strengths can be accomplished by simply allowing them to see what they are capable of doing, then by showing them how valuable that skill is to the group. It gives them a sense of pride in knowing they can do something well, something that is a needed skill. It also gives them the sense of being needed...being an asset, and of being valuable as a member of the group. This can be a huge boost for their morale, overall. And to further their progression and continued growth, show them how to hone their skills, how to become diversified by expanding on what they already can do well. Example: a sniper who can easily be detected by intruders won't be a sniper for very long, correct? Show him/her how to be stealthy through using the topography, camo, slow movement, etc.

If you are one who can delegate authority, such as is done in the incident command system (emergency response), military and police, you form team leaders, as indicated by the event (security, operations, etc). These team leaders can assemble their team from the pool in your group and begin training exercises per the team's role/tasks. Who is best as a particular team's leader? Someone who is knowledgeable (being skilled in these tasks is an asset, but not a prerequisite) in what is expected of the team, and who has good basic leadership skills. Not much to it, right? The catch is this: finding those individuals who can step up to the plate and be a leader isn't always easy. Consider how a Drill Sargent finds his platoon leaders...through observation of how they handle themselves under pressure, and how they interact with others...if they try to help others to move forward to achieve a common goal, they are a potential candidate. BTW, if you don't meet this basic criteria, then you should consider that you may not have strong leadership skills.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

suasponte2 said:


> ...But the trouble is a lot of folks don't like being told what to do. ...


Agreed.

I come from a long line of "tell us what to do" and we get our dander up. But if we are asked then will bend over backwards to oblige.

That is the major difference between a military and a volunteer outfit.


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

LazyL..... in the context you describe, I agree. If you basically build a "core" group or MAG that is something that could work. It would take some time (months/years) to IMO build a group that you could depend on in a serious situation. The thing is how feisable (sp?) is something like this however? What do you do with those "wannabes" that you weed out? Now it might be well and good in somewhat "normal" times like now, but what about post SHTF or whatever? Chances are and murphy's law would be that those people would still be around or at least part of them post whatever. Do you kick them out of the area? They're going to remember what you/group/MAG did or are doing and put together or guess there's something being hidden from them and cause you problems that would distract you from your initial goals of protecting your AO from looters/ marauders/ invaders. 

Then again do you want to spread your resources thin(er) by trying to protect the neighborhood or just your own group? I agree if you could work out the logistics of something like this AND make it work it would be great. Worse case those who couldn't make the cut otherwise could do more "menial" tasks like maintaining community gardens, cooking, keeping the area cleaned up, gathering fuel/ wood for cooking/ heat and such in exchange for safety and security.


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

suasponte2 said:


> I could go on, but this is not meant to bust out an idea but rather to look at the size of the tasks involved and the logistics of what it would take. Just my two cents...


That's what I'm saying as well. Now LazyL has a good idea and one I wish was workable. It wouldn't in mine but maybe his. I just don't see say 2% at best of a neighborhood taking responsibility for the security and well being of the rest. I just seems logistically impossible.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Drones! Something most military didn't have to deal with. Watching us up in space too. 

Far as working together it will be considered a threat to our leaders. Militia or whatever. Once the have nots get low on food the have its will be in trouble.


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

I agree with the fundamental and basic premise of the OP.

Networking and making quality friends is more important than OPSEC


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

101airborne said:


> That's what I'm saying as well. Now LazyL has a good idea and one I wish was workable. It wouldn't in mine but maybe his...


I live out in the boonies, so it would not work for me. Thought it was an interesting concept for those for one reason or another decided to bug in at their subdivision.


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## suasponte2 (Jan 24, 2012)

TheLazyL said:


> I live out in the boonies, so it would not work for me. Thought it was an interesting concept for those for one reason or another decided to bug in at their subdivision.


You're lucky to live out in the boonies! I live in suburbia and the only thing I see are folks mowing their lawns or bbq'ing, that's it. Now, 25 miles up the road into Tennessee, my buddy has a place off the grid...water, shelter, and one way in. You cannot see it from the road and we go their to practice. He's building me a 100 yd range with cars, obstacles, and individual 25 yd ranges along the path.

So, for him to do that I instruct them on the weekends on drills for carbine, shotguns, and pistol. Not a bad tradeoff. But it is a lay up point on my way to western NC where we have a mountain home. Now at that location I've made connections with the locals for food, water, and communications. They understand how things are going...it's here in the outskirts of town where the folks just live their days without worries about things that may come.

When I talk about unworkable, I refer to my location and other past locations except for ft. Bragg and Benning. In those places, my friends are ready for what may happen. Plus, they're all gun nuts...which is somewhat expected with the guys stationed there.

I do agree that a smaller neighborhood would have a better chance of setting up a scenario like LazyL pointed out, but that was because the neighborhoods were filled with either Regiment or SF guys.

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