From the monthly archives:

August 2010

URBAN SURVIVAL: Improvised Weapons – The DVD Shank

by James G · 31 comments

in Urban Survival

Jersey Shore season 1 DVD – Great for seeing how far society has fallen or shanking fools

NOTE: The following article is for educational and Entertainment purposes, do not attempt to follow any of the below information.

As someone who is constantly passing through countries for work and play where you can’t own weapons – figuring out how to make a lethal weapon MacGyver style is a must-have skill (especially in countries where anti-American attitudes or street crime is a threat).

Also – knowing a few improvised weapon tricks isn’t just something that is handy for when I am traveling internationally. When I am back in the U.S. hanging out with my buddies in “anti-firearm/knife/pepper-spray/harsh language” Washington D.C. I keep a few common objects on me that I can use as a ditch weapon.

But out of all the different types of improvised weapons the DVD or CD is my favorite Every Day Carry in restrictive 1st World places like D.C. – all you have to do is snap it in half and wrap a handkerchief or piece of paper around it and you have one nasty knife that will slice and dice better than a Ginsu.

Another advantage the broken DVD has is it’s easy to explain if a cop or someone asked me: “Why do you have a broken DVD in your pocket wrapped-up in a handkerchief?” My answer would be: “I accidentally broke it, so I wrapped it in a handkerchief so it wouldn’t get any more scratched up on the way home – hopefully I can ship it to one of those data recovery companies in the back of PC magazine”

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SEARCH AND RESCUE: SAR Rookie Trap – 3 Easy Ways To Get Yourself a Bad Reputation

by Alex S · 11 comments

in Search and Rescue

IF YOU DO ANY OF THESE, I HOPE SOMEONE HAS THE DECENCY TO BRAIN YOU WITH A 4 CELL

You can read part 1 of this series here: SEARCH AND RESCUE: SAR Rookie Trap – The Gear Monkey on Your Back

When someone first joins a search & rescue team, they have a period of a few months where the rest of the team will decide whether they are squared away or not and whether they will be an asset to the team.

This time of establishing either a positive or negative reputation is important as it is extremely hard to “un-stick” a bad reputation once you have tarred yourself with one.

Carrying on from the previous SAR Rookie Trap article, here I am going to run down 3 of the easiest ways to attach a bad reputation to yourself in the beginning and the easy ways you can avoid them. If you want to be thought of as a reliable professional, just say “no” to the following…

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H2H FIGHTING: The “Brick to the Head” and Other Stuff You Didn’t Learn at the Dojo

by James G · 34 comments

in H2H Fighting

Heads up beoch!

I got an email from a buddy of mine that I have known since way-way back in the day, about a fight he got in my old stomping grounds back in D.C. I met this dude at a martial arts class (that our parents were making us take) when I was like 13 and somehow over the years we have managed to keep in touch, one of my Old School boys.

Anyway, he was telling me about this fight he jumped into when one of his buddies was getting his ass stomped like a mo-fo by a steroided up douchebag outside of an Applebee’s. The reason behind the fight was a long-ass boring story that’s not even remotely interesting at all, let’s just say his buddy had been having problems with this guy for years – over a girl of course.

The fight started off pretty mundane, just two idiots trading fists in a parking lot over some broad. And besides his friend getting his ass handed to him, it was just a normal fight until the big dude kept pounding his buddy way after the fight should have been over.

So he started yelling at the big guy “ok dude, he has had enough, just walk away man, you won” – gorilla boy wasn’t even paying attention to him so he kept beating his buddy’s near unconscious body into the pavement.

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TACTICAL GEAR: Wiley-X SG-1 V-Cut Tactical Goggles – Field Tested

by James G · 24 comments

in Field Tested,Tactical Gear

 

Wiley-X SG-1 V-Cut Tactical Goggles

NOTE: I have no idea why they call these “Goggles” when they are really just Sunglasses

I started wearing the Wiley-X SG-1 V-Cut Tactical Goggles in Iraq about 5 years ago after destroying about 15 pairs of sunglasses. I managed to toast my old sunglasses in every imaginable way possible – sitting on and crushing, dropping and breaking, placing in my front pocket and sitting down, stepping on, getting drunk and dropping them through a hole in the floor in one of Saddam’s old palaces are only a few examples of the ways I have mangled sunglasses.

So after having a pair of Ray-Bans fly off while I was standing in the back of a Bongo truck I went to the IZ PX and picked up a pair of Wiley-X SG-1 V-Cut Tactical Goggles. The only reason I picked that particular brand and model of “sports/tactical” sunglasses was because I didn’t want to go the Oakley route because I am not really keen on the NASCAR fan look like my brother Bubba G. seems to like.

Luckily for me they turned out to be the toughest pair of sunglasses I have ever owned outside of dedicated safety glasses. Not that Wiley-X’s don’t have their bad points (they have a few), but they are great for the desert environment and they are kick-ass tough

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CIVILIAN CONTRACTORS: Don’t Be a Douchebag to TCN’s

by James G · 34 comments

in Civilian Contractors,Douchebag Contractors

So you think you are Superior compared to a TCN Contractor? Really?

TCN = Third Country National, anyone who is not an American or a National of whatever country the base is in. The largest numbers of TCN’s working on U.S. Military bases in the Middle East (some for as little as one hundred bucks a month) are Indians, Filipinos, Sri Lankans, Nepalese and Pakistani citizens who generally do labor and administrative jobs (Blue Collar Guys and Gals).

So, today I was at the KBR laundry pick-up grabbing my laundry when this “Fat Ass” Contractorous Douchebagnus walked in to pick up his laundry bag filled with XXXXX-Large 5.11’s. At the top of his lungs he yelled “I AM HERE FOR MY LAUNDRY!” (Like the guys working at the Laundry Pick-Up might have thought he was there for a pizza or something) and tossed his receipt on the counter.

That sort of annoyed me but the stupidness with this guy was just starting, when the Indian guy behind went to look for his bag in the mass of bags shoved in the wall he started yelling “NO, NO, TO THE LEFT, NO, ON THE BOTTOM, NO, MORE TO THE LEFT!”

After confusing and flustering the fuck out of the poor Indian dude Mr. fat-boy walked behind the counter yelling “I’LL JUST FUCKING GET IT MYSELF”, the Indian dude was like “sorry sir but you can’t come behind the counter” (the Indian guy was still being polite and calling him sir).

At this point I was starting to get pissed pissed:

- 1. Because I just wanted my fucking laundry
- 2. This Buffet-Rapist was making all Americans look like rude ass-holes

And right when I decided not to say anything and to just let this guy make a fool out of himself he grabs his bag and then goes and pushes the Indian guy out of his way.

I then snapped, I yelled “Get you fucking hands off that guy, what the fuck is wrong with you pal?” – He jumped back and started to say something to me when I said “don’t even act like you are in the right here, you don’t ever put your hands on someone – people get stabbed in a laundry room for pulling shit like that”

So as usual with most Tough Guys when they are challenged he backed off and started making excuses and whining like a little bitch about how he was just trying to help or something. Anyway – I won’t go into the details of what was said but it ended with me taking his laundry bag and tossing it out the door into the sand.

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URBAN SURVIVAL: Concealed Carrying a Large Fixed Blade Knife Daily

by James G · 26 comments

in Knives,Urban Survival

CRKT Hissatsu IWB Concealed

After working in Iraq for a couple of months and making the mistake of being competent and having a fairly polite personality as opposed to the shitty security contractor douchebagnus “I am a tough bearded guy” attitude I was placed on a tedious project (because I am “responsible” and know how to write) in an area where I would not be able to carry a firearm for a while.

This had nothing to do with the threat level; it had to do with some stupid political BS that I won’t get into here. Considering that would be on a base shared by Local Nationals with the constant threat of kidnapping I sure as shit was not going to walk around unarmed.

So I decided to go way old school and arm-up with a full sized fixed-blade knife as my primary weapon that I would conceal – with an Applegate-Fairbairn gerber Mini Covert clipped to my pocket as back-up. My original plan was to rig-up an ankle rig for my Short KA-BAR but on a PX run I saw the sexy looking CRKT Hissatsu hanging on a rack so I snatched one up.

Despite its rather long length it ended up being an excellent choice for concealing, mostly due to its Zytel Sheath that is unintentionally perfect for concealing. The Zytel Sheath has a removable Zytel belt clip that can be screwed on and off the sheath with a flat head screwdriver (I used my thumbnail) that can be attached to the holes and rails anywhere on the sheath.

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10 Minute Tactical Toolbox: 100 Push-Ups in 6 Weeks Program

by James G · 18 comments

in 10 Minute Tactical Toolbox

96, 97, 98, 99 and… 100

First off I want everyone to know that I had absolutely nothing to do with creating this kick-ass program, the creator is a brit (I think) that doesn’t mention his/her name on the website – but nonetheless they deserve all the credit for this.

As you already know, physical strength and general fitness is an extremely important tool in your Tactical Toolbox (you cant fight if you are sleepy). But if you are like me and work 18 hours a day then finding the time to change clothes, drive to the gym, knock out a workout and still have time to sleep, eat and shit can be impossible at times.

So when I came across the 100 Push Ups program while surfing the non- dinosaur porn blogosphere I was blown away by its simplicity and minimal time requirements. Basically the program will bring you from barely being able to do a few push-ups to pressing out 100 straight in 6 measly weeks.

You are probably thinking the same thing I was when I first came across this; “hell, I can do 100 push-ups” – well after doing the initial test I didn’t even come close, and I am in pretty good shape. Now after completing the program I can knock-out 100 push-ups without even thinking about it (I am now doing the same program over again, but in full kit).

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DEPLOYED: Learn How to Wear a Shoulder Holster Properly or For Fucks Sake Stop Wearing it

by James G · 30 comments

in DEPLOYED

Even a powder blue everything wearing tool like Don Johnson knows how to properly wear a shoulder holster – what’s your excuse?

Every day I see an Officer or NCO walking around Iraq giving shoulder holsters a bad name by wearing them like a 12 year old going trick-o-treating. How you can screw up wearing something as simple as a shoulder holster be-founds me. I mean, all you do is put one arm through the big hole then repeat.

It’s bad enough that I have to stand in line at the chow hall with the barrel of your Beretta sticking out of the back end of your shoulder holster pointing directly at my face or chest. But it makes my eyes bleed every time I see an otherwise squared away looking soldier walking around wearing the suede shoulder holster + ACU combo.

For those of you who don’t know: In Iraq most Officers and NCO’s are issued a pistol instead of a rifle, probably so they won’t accidentally leave their M-4 propped against their desk next to the “T” body armor stand (with an inch of dust on their kit) when they make a PX run.

And inevitably every one of them will buy a cheap-ass locally made suede shoulder holster from the Hajji Bazaar. Besides looking completely ridiculous when worn over ACU’s – they can’t seem to figure out what the adjustable straps are for, so they just wear it at whatever length it was adjusted to when they bought it.

So how many wrong ways are there to wear a Shoulder Holster? About a dozen but here are my two favorites and the most commonly seen in Iraq:

Click Here to Keep Reading Learn How to Wear a Shoulder Holster Properly or For Fucks Sake Stop Wearing it >>>

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TACTICAL TRAINING: Maintain the Ability to Shoot With Iron Sights

by James G · 34 comments

in Civilian Contractors,Tactical Training

If you can’t remember the last time you saw this then its time to take the EOTECH off your rifle and hit the range

During some pre-deployment training I was going through for a gig some time ago I had to qualify at the range with a pistol and rifle along with a group of other guys.  None of the guys I was with were worried about not qualifying, they were all ex-‘this and that’s’ so doing a simple “loot and shoot” weapons qual was a ‘no biggie’ for them.

That is until we go to the range, and 30% of them flunked the rifle quals like a mo-fo, I am not talking about not qualifying by a few rounds – most of their targets looked like someone blasted it with a shotgun full of buckshot from the hip.

Even after retrying a couple of times less than half of them passed, the other half, took the “slow plane of shame” back home while waving bye-bye to a six-figure job. And the guys who passed on the first try didn’t do a hell of a lot better; about a quarter of them still had targets that looked like Helen Keller was shooting at it.

Like I said above, all of these guys were former military, law enforcement, contractors and a few greener guys with some solid weapons training under their belts.

So why did they do so miserably at the range?

Simple – Iron Sights

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EXPAT SURVIVAL: How to “Arm-Up” When Traveling in the 3rd World

by James G · 16 comments

in 3rd WORLD SURVIVAL,Expat Survival

When traveling in the 3rd world one of your only weapon options may be an edged weapon – hopefully it will work out better for you than it did for this guy

Disclaimer: The following article is for academic and entertainment uses only – do not follow the information below.

Over the past 10 years I have spent about 90% of my time outside of the U.S. ether for work, traveling to a gig or just exploring. Most of the countries I visit or pass through are relatively safe outside of random crime or getting hit by a taxi.

But many times I am traveling in countries that have a small minority who dislikes westerners – dislikes as in: “hates my guts and would love to kidnap and kill me over the internet” dislike. In most of these countries I am passing through on my way to a gig so I am only carrying what is allowed in a carry-on bag so flying with any type of “weapon” is not even an option.

Even when I am staying somewhere long enough where I can grab my checked luggage I don’t like to pack knives, impact weapons or anything resembling military or police equipment because it can draw unwanted attention when going through customs (I once spent 2 hours in Kuwait arguing with customs over a Ka-Bar in my checked luggage).

Not to mention I don’t want an expensive knife or flashlight “borrowed” from my bag (ask anyone who has flown through Amman about missing knives, lights and GPS’s).

So my only other option is to locally source “defensive tools” from whatever semi-legitimate store, souk or even the grocery store.

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