Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life

What Is a Warrior?

You know me, right? Good ol' Gunfighter… your pal who tells that odd funny story, loves to talk about his family, good time guy who is more passionate about progressive politics than he is about Rugby.

I've blabbed to pretty much all who will listen, about my thoughts on just about everything… but today, I'm going to tell you about my core beliefs. You probably already know much of what makes me tick, but I am going to give you the whole enchilada today.

I'm a Warrior.  Battle is not only my trade, it is my profession.  I am trained to it. I am indoctrinated in it. It is why I draw breath every day.

Do you know what that means? I'll tell you what it doesn't mean… it doesn't mean that I spend my days looking for a fight. It doesn't mean that I welcome or relish violence. It doesn't mean that I am an unthinking berserker that would just as soon shoot you as talk to you. No. Not at all. I'd like to talk… and probably will ramble on a bit… but I am writing this without a script, and am unlikely to edit it. Buckle up. I'd like to talk about my own personal warrior ethos.

In my world, everyone feels safer when a warrior is around, because a warrior is honor-bound to help those that might not be able to help themselves so much. In my view, a warrior opposes injustice, whether it is physical or moral injustice, a warrior doesn't stand silent. In my view, a warrior avoids conflict, but having entered a conflict, is unswerving in achieving his goal. A warrior is kind. A warrior is tender. A warrior is God's man above all things. A warrior seeks guidance and wisdom from those around him, and will share those things with others when asked of him. A warrior is aware of his own mortality. A warrior is the friend and guardian of all children, not just his own. A warrior is unselfish. A warrior is victorious over pain, discomfort, and the elements. A warrior respects nature. A warrior despises corruption. A warrior is well-read. A warrior can never be accused of being lazy or not hard-working.

Like most warriors, I have my own role models who have shaped the warrior that I have become. Some of those models were military men. Men who fought with honor, skill and intrepidity like Audie Murphy, Salah ad-Din; "Mad" Anthony Wayne, Nathaniel Greene, George Washington, John Ripley, and the Entire 54^th Massachusetts volunteer Infantry regiment; Miyamoto Musashi; and Jean De La Valette.

Some of those warriors were fictitious, Brave Horatious, The Captain of The Gate; Lazarus Long; Richard Sharpe; Stephen Maturin; and Jack Aubrey; John Dean; William "Wild Bill" Fogarty; and Captain Ted Lenahan.

Not all of my role models were warriors or soldiers. Some of those models were scholars, people who taught me the importance of knowledge and of history, and of the joy of learning for learning's sake:  My wife, Susan; Mrs Ruth Deusinger (she was my high-school history teacher, and she was the BEST); John Murphy; Thomas Tsirikos; Ron Martino; and Joseph Caliguire.

Still other role models were members of my family: My mother's mother, a tireless servant of God, and nurturer of a troubled boy who became, to all reports, a decent man, despite the odds; my mother's father, a professional linguist and educator, from whom I inherited the gift of languages.

Many of my role models were men and women of faith: Martin Luther; Saints Cyril & Methodius; Saint Martin of Tours; Saint Martin DePorres; Martin Luther King; Saint Paul The Apostle; and of course, Jesus of Nazareth whom we call The Christ.

I strive, and fail, daily, to emulate what is good in all of these people, and others, believing that if I can, I will be the warrior that I am called to be: The defender of truth, justice, children, women, knowledge, and of the faith.

As one of those role models once said: "Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me, Amen."

Stream of Conciousness?

I listened to Led Zeppelin and The Who on the way into the office this morning... at volumes suited to making the ears bleed. Don't hate me because I like it loud.

I drove past a guy changing a flat tire while I was driving through that Springfield Interchange... I kept driving. Does the fact that I always stop to help a woman with a flat tire make me a sexist?

Adam Lambert has more talent now, than Kris Allen will ever have in his life... even if he lives to be 723 years old. He was robbed.

I used to be a Republican, but couldn't stand the stink inside of the party after the 1994 take-over by the crackpot wing... which is still in charge. I wish them confusion in the wilderness.

I have little time or patience for people who think that killing Al Qaeda leaders/operatives is a bad thing. What else do you do with a rabid dog? You can't reason with it, so you have to kill it... and just because these particular rabid dogs walk upright on two legs, doesn't mean they have to be treated humanely.

I'm listening to the theme from "Rocky" as I type this.

My new tattoo is healing nicely, and I have to tell you that IT. FREAKIN'. ROCKS. Believe it!

"If you carry a gun, you always have to be thinking about who it is ok to kill" Yes, that's true, but not necessarily wrong.

I still have the origami Jesus that one of my Sunday school students made for me two years ago. He is pinned to the wall of my cubicle, right next to my Jerusalem cross (from Jerusalem, no less)
I have shooters everyday this week, but I just put in a leave request for Friday. I'm playin' hooky. Well, not really, I have a Doctor's appointment, but it will feel like a hooky day when I don't get out of bed at 0415.

Not all warriors are soldiers. Most soldiers aren't warriors.

When blogging becomes a chore, instead of a joy, you ought to quit doing it.... unless someone is giving you money for it.

Time to pull out the ammo for today.

A Memorial Day Reminder

Today is Memorial Day in the United States.  Today is a day that we commemorate, above all others, the sacrificed lives of our dead Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines.

For a great many people, today is a day off from work, and a day spent with the activities associated with the beginning of summer... and that's fine, just don't forget that hundreds of thousands of American fighting men (and women) have died in the service of their country, fighting on behalf of their government.  Their government, which is by, of, and for the people (that means US).

As we honor our war dead, let us remember that we, by electing smart, well-informed, and sane leaders, are directly responsible for sending these brave souls into battle.

Let us remember that, before we make decisions that may cost the lives of these brave men and women.  Let us remember that their lives aren't to be thrown away, or spent in a cavalier manner.  Let us remember that their dedication to our country shouldn't be misused for unscrupulous political reasons.

We owe those things to the memory of those we have lost, and especially to those we have yet to lose.

Gunfighter Sez...

Item: If the killer is still killing, you have to kill the killer.

Item: Speed, surprise, and violence of action are the keys to success against a determined, armed opponent.

Item: Luther's Small Catechism is a good thing.

Item: A gunfight is no time to decide that you can't kill... Innocent people may be relying on you to kill someone in order to save *their* lives.

Item: Telling your kids that their faith matters doesn't do much good if you never give them your example.

Item: I may have completed my design for my next tattoo.

Item: Blogging via my *Peek* while soccer girl skates is big fun!

Item: I am going to start taking Mandarin next semester.

No prisoners!

The Hamas/Israel Conflict

You know something? Despite what I think about my broad foreign-policy experience, there is no one in the world who is looking for my advice in diplomatic matters. Now, that could be for a number of reasons, the first and foremost would probably be that I have no experience in foreign relations… I have never been trained as a diplomat, you see, so I suppose that you could (if you were an uncharitable soul) say that my opinions don’t really mean much in this arena. Having said that, whether it is true or not, I still have some things to say about the things that I see happening in the world. In this case, I am talking about the current Israel-Hamas conflict.

You see, I don’t need to be a diplomat, or a General, or a Senator, or an academic to get right down to the elements of what’s going on there. Why not, you ask? Because it isn’t very complicated… that’s why not.

From where I sit, this little fracas (well, it’s little if you ain’t under fire) is a lot like two kids who live on the same street. One of the kids is bigger, stronger, and more capable than the other kid, who is scrappy, full of fight, and determined to be out of the other kid’s shadow. This little kid demands respect, even though nobody likes him. No one likes him because he is the local criminal, thug, hooligan and all-around pain in the ass. This doesn’t mean that the bigger kid is a saint… far from it, but at the end of the day, the bigger kid usually leaves people alone unless they threaten him.

Well, eventually, the smaller kid decides that he needs to get the attention of the big kid. He seems to have forgotten that the last time he made a real pest of himself; he took a good smacking…. So what does this kid go and do? He takes a sharp, pointy stick, and starts jabbing the big kid (I told you, this kid wasn’t very bright). The little kid figures that the big kid will just take it, since the last time the big kid got a lot of grief for smacking the little kid around.

He was wrong.

In this instance, most of the people on the block, except for the real idiots, figured that the little kid really earned his beating this time, and while they weren’t happy that the little kid was getting his a$$ kicked, they figured he had it coming, and kept silent.

The moral of this story is that smaller countries shouldn’t pick on their bigger, stronger neighbors, unless you want to bring a beating (or airstrikes) down on your own heads.

I'll tell you what, mate,: If someone was threatening me or my family with death, I wouldn't allow that person to live long enough to make the threat twice. You had better hurry up and believe that I mean it, too.

If I were in charge of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) in this little fracas, there wouldn’t be two bricks standing in formation in Gaza. Nor would there be anyone capable of carrying an AK-47 left standing.

It’s time for this crap to end.

Training For Battle

Recently I had a conversation with a fellow blogger, the subject of which was firearms.  In our discussion, we talked about how much training she had and things of that sort.  Eventually, she asked me for some advice on training, which I am only too happy to give.  I am posting it to my blog in hopes that someone else will read it and find it useful.

First, I'd like to address the title of this post.  I gave it the title "Training For Battle" because that is the essence of what we are talking about here, friends.  Carrying a gun for protection means that you  may need to use that weapon in a fight.  A fight for your very life.  There is no more serious contest that that.  The prize for victory in a gunfight is to be able to continue to draw breath. 

The loser gets to take a dirt-nap. 

So... in light of the things that I mentioned above, let's talk about training.  I suppose the first question that has to be answered is "what do I want to do with a gun?" 

Remember, guns are tools.  They are tools made for a specific purpose, and that purpose is to kill.  If we are talking about handguns, I will amend that last statement to say that guns are made to kill people.  If you are in that particular group of self-delusional people that sometimes say that guns are a deterrent, that guns are about protection, that guns are made to "stop threats", I will ask you to disabuse yourself of such self-indulgent nonsense.

My friends, using a gun is about killing.  If you can't wrap your head around that, get rid of your guns, invest in a good alarm system, and buy a dog that barks.  Seriously, if you don't think that you can kill.  You ought not have a gun.

That said, we ought to be right up front about the nonsense that some people espouse about shooting to "wound or disable".  I call it nonsense because that is what it is.  Why?  because bullets cause horrible wounds, thats why!  You see, killing a person is more humane that wounding, or perhaps maiming them.  Yeah, I know... it's a little ghoulish, but it's true.

So, once you have decided that owning a handgun might be something that you ought to do, and you have made your peace with potentially killing someone, lets look at the next question that you have to answer for yourself, to wit:  "What kind of gun do I need/want?"

There are no small number of firearms manufacturers in the United States and elsewhere that will be happy to sell you the priciest gun around, and while some or most of those guns will be really nice... you probably don't need to spend a large sum of money to purchase a fighting pistol.  While shopping, take the following things into account:  "Do I plan to regularly carry this gun concealed?"  If the answer to that question is "yes", then you need to consider size.  Size also matters when you look down at your hands... if you have small hands, you'll need a smaller gun.

If you plan to carry concealed, you are going to have to think about the sort of clothes you wear. 

Another consideration is bullet caliber.  As Americans, we tend to believe that bigger is always better... well, as Sportin' Life said in Porgy & Bess, "It ain't necessarily so"  Personally, I am a fan of big bullets.  big bullets make big holes in people.  They cause greater wound cavitation and they do a better job of destroying tissue and breaking bones.  Having said that, you really don't need a .44 magnum do do enough damage to put down an assailant.  The thing here is that, generally speaking, bigger bullets means more recoil.  My advice in this arena is to try different guns in different calibers... see what works best for you

Moving on, we have to ask:  "Do I have the self discipline to enter into a life of regular training and practice?"

You see, marksmanship is a perishable skill.  If you don't practice, whatever skills you may have acquired will atrophy.  So, you are going to need to get some high-quality training... and by high-quality, I don't mean some Nimrod who hangs around at your local range, who will tell all and sundry what he knows about pistol craft from his time as a Navy Seal/Ninja.  There are lots of good trainers all over the country folks, so do your homework. 

Once trained, you need to practice regularly.  You need to practice shooting from the drivers seat of a car; while seated at a desk; while holding a child or a child's hand; while running; while ducking; while seeking cover; while flat on your belly; while flat on your back.  You'll need to learn to shoot and move.... and so much more.  You'll have to practice those skills once you have acquired them.  Once you have practiced a particular skill to the point where it is ingrained, you STILL HAVE TO PRACTICE.   Get used to it... this is your life now.  It's sort of monastic isn't it? Well, there you go.

So, we are going to make intelligent choices about why/if we need a gun, we will make wise choices with regard to what type of gun/what caliber we are going to purchase.  We are going to make good training decisions, and promise to devote ourselves to a life time of training & practice.

All set, right?

Not so much.

Guess what we forgot?

THE LAW!

Hey kids... before you do any of the stuff I listed above, you need to go out and learn the laws concerning firearms and their use in your individual states, county, towns and cities.  Even acting in your own self defense, you still need to know what the law says.

Lastly.  Let's talk about safety.  I don't know of any more tragic stories than those of people who have done stupid things with guns.  So please, be mindful of a few basic things:

Treat all guns as if they are loaded.

Guns and alcohol don't mix.  Ever.

Never point a gun at anything that you are not willing to kill or destroy.

Keep your finger off of the trigger until you have identified your target.

There are more safety rules, but these are a good start.  Learn them.  Know them.  Live them

If you have any further questions, feel free to give me a buzz.

GF

PS:  If you were planning to ask me what the best gun manufacturer is, I will tell you that the best gun top buy is a very personal thing, as the gun must suit YOU, the shooter.  Having said that, I will tell you that for my money, the best combat handguns, right oout of the box, are made by Glock.

Warrior

"For every one hundred men you send us,
Ten should not even be here.
Eighty are nothing but targets.
Nine of them are real fighters;
We are lucky to have them, they the battle make.
Ah, but the one. One of them is a warrior.
And he will bring the others back."

Heraclitus



These days, the term "warrior" is bandied about with ease. Too bad so few really know what it means.

Insurgency

Look, can there really be any doubt about what nation is the most militarily powerful on earth?

It isn't the Russians, it isn't the Chinese, it isn't any possible combination of European or African nations, and it isn't close to being any nation in South America.

The most powerful military force on earth belongs to The United States of America, and anyone that doesn't believe that, is delusional.

OK. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let's get to a few other facts.

Fact: Many Americans want The United States to achieve a military victory in Iraq.

Fact: Any conceivable combination of Iraqi militias/foreign fighters/insurgent groups couldn't hope to defeat an American infantry unit in combat... it just. isn't. possible.

Fact: American soldiers, and their officers are aware of their abilities to fight and win against just about anyone they come in contact with. This knowledge leads to confidence.

Fact: Confidence, poorly placed, can lead to rash military decision making.

Fact: The American armed forces are much smaller than they were during the second world war.

Fact: The American armed forces are not large enough to sustain large-scale combat operations indefinitely.

Fact: History can be a more terrible foe than an enemy army.

Fact: The evidence of history tells us that a military victory against the Iraqi insurgency is exceptionally unlikely, regardless of the combat power arrayed against it.

Whats my point?

My point is this: Two very capable military men from my Commonwealth of Virginia wrote the books on both winning and losing in an insurgency centuries ago. Sure, many people believe that Vo Nguyen Giap, or Ernesto "Che" Guevara, or even Mao Zedong were the masters of insurgency, but it isn't really so.

No, these two Virginians were George Washington and Robert E. Lee.

You heard me.

You see, George Washington wasn't the most able battlefield commander, but he was a really smart guy. He used the ragtag army that he was able to cobble together to "defeat" one of the most powerful armies on earth.

How was he able to do this?

Well in his case, as it is in the case of all militarily weaker armies, the key to victory was simply not to lose. Now, you are probably saying to yourself, "Sure, GF. Don't lose. What army wins by "not losing"?

Well, by keeping his armies relatively intact, Washington was able to keep the British chasing him about the countryside. The British would occasionally force a battle, and when that happened, the American armies usually got beaten, badly, but Washington was always able to keep the army in the field as a viable force. With Washington not defeated, General Sir Henry Clinton and other commanders, such as Major General Lord Cornwallis, couldn't claim victory and were obliged to keep going after Washington,  taking casualties and incurring great expense.

Eventually, the British Parliament and the British people, got tired of war, and after the disastrous ending of the southern campaign, in which Cornwallis was obliged to surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, the American Revolution came to a political conclusion.

Please note, that even after Cornwallis lost the battle of Yorktown, the combined French and American forces were still too weak to dislodge the British armies. So please, dispel all of your notions of angry American farmers throwing the British out. It didn't happen like that.

Washington's strategy proved to be totally effective.

Now, let's look at what happened to that other capable Virginian, Robert E. Lee.

Robert E. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War... or "The War of Northern Aggression" for you unreconstructed rebels.

Lee's Army of Northern Virginia (which is the best part of the state, I might add) was probably the best army in the entire Confederate States Army, and was vital to the military viability of the so-called "Confederacy". The problem is that R.E. Lee, despite his ability as a battlefield commander, made two strategic blunders that doomed the Confederate rebellion. The first mistake was to invade the north the first time, leading to the bloody disaster at the Battle of Antietam. The second, and ultimately fatal mistake, was Lee's attempt to deliver a "knockout punch" the the Union, by invading the north a second time, leading to the even greater disaster at Gettysburg.

Despite the fact that Lee was able to escape the debacle at Gettysburg, his Army of Northern Virginia couldn't recover from it's losses, and the fate of the Confederacy was sealed.

These are two great examples of insurgent warfare... if you need more, you don't need to look too far... I give you the Chinese Communists, the Viet Minh/Cong, The Sendero Luminoso, or The Sandinists.

The United States armed forces don't have the time, and the American people don't have the inclination, to remain in Iraq forever.

Leave now or leave later, the results will be the same... except that more Americans will win up dying for little result that will benefit the people of the United States.

We, no doubt, will hear testimony from Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus later today that will suggest the we are making "progress" in Iraq, and that "the surge" is working. In my heart, I believe Petraeus to be an honorable officer, as a commander, I think he is top-notch. He has faith in the ability of his soldiers, as he should. Having said that, I believe that I believe that he is still a soldier, and as such, bound to be loyal to his political maters.

So the surge is working... uh huh. I'm sure that it is... to a certain extent, but ultimately, I think it is throwing good money (and lives) after bad.

Personally, I can't see the wrecking of our armed forces in Iraq, chasing car bombers, when we face other external threats.

What I do

When I started this blog, last year, I said that I was going to talk about firearms, but not exclusively. In the intervening time, I have said relatively little about them. Today will be different.

I had a conversation, recently, with someone that regularly reads my blog, and she asked me: "just what is that you do?" So I told her. Perhaps this is a good time to tell the rest of you.

Most of you know that I am a tactical firearms instructor for a government agency. Some of you know what that means and some don't, so let me explain:

I teach people how to fight with guns.

I also teach new people HOW to shoot, but that is secondary... maybe even tertiary to the main thrust of my job.

There is a world of difference between teaching someone how to safely operate a firearm and teaching a regular, decent person how to kill someone with a handgun... up close and personal.

Initial firearms training involves the following subjects:

Nomenclature (the parts of the gun)
Assembly/disassembly
Maintenance (cleaning, servicing)
The cycle of operations
Safety
Marksmanship
Safety
Legitimate use of deadly force
Safety

These things are vitally important, don't get me wrong... but I usually get my hands on the people AFTER they already have this training.

What I do is take that basic training and take the operator forward and train them on what that gun is really for.

Unfortunately, many people in law enforcement are under the impression that their pistol is some sort of magic talisman that will ward off vampires or evil spirits. Too many officers and agents believe in their hearts that they will never have to use a gun in combat and are psychologically unprepared to do so. Too many of those people are dead now. I get rid of all such notions right away.

In my combat classes, I start with a lecture in the history of firearms, with an emphasis on fighting with handguns. I let the people know that gunfighting is the original American martial art. It is an art that is on an equal footing with the great Asian martial arts. It is a stylized system of personal combat. One which is easy to learn at the outset, but requires years of discipline to be really good at. I ask my combat shooters to regularly re-dedicate themselves to their own training, which they have to have the self-discipline to continue.

One of the most important aspects of training to fight with a gun starts in your own head, with the decision making process. The first thing that you need to do before you start training is to decide whether or not you can kill someone. This isn't an abstract question. You need to decide... right now, if you can or cannot kill. Never mind the statistics that say you will almost certainly never have to do it. Statistics never ran into an ex-convict that they put in jail five years ago, while they are in a restaurant. You have to know, and be OK with the idea that you might have to use this weapon, and the likely result is the sometimes gruesome death of another human being.

That decision being made, we move into subjects such as reactive shooting, elements of the draw, combat sighting, contact shots, drug and armor drills, shooting on the move, use of cover, shooting while down or disabled (wounded), shooting in reduced light (with & without a flashlight), post-shooting techniques, etc... but most important is how to effectively shoot someone.

It can be difficult to turn your average 24 year old into a meat eating predator, but it is rewarding when you come up with a finished product that has decided to really fight for his/her own life, and is capable and confident in his/her own ability to do so with successful results.

I ask myself every day, if I can kill or not. When that day comes that I answer "I'm not sure" I'll find something else to do.

Gunfighter's Rules Explained (Part one)

I have been thinking about this for a few days, and I have decided that I am going to break down some of the rules that I posted a few days ago, for those of you that don't habla "Gunspeak".

I will be doing this in small doses so you can digest this, here are the first two:

1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.

Simply, this means that it is better to have more guns and more people with guns on your side than your opponent(s). The notion that more isn't always better can apply to gunfights... but it usually doesn't.

2. Anyone worth shooting is worth shooting more than once. Ammo is cheap.

This is an absolute truth and is designed to make the gunfighter understand that putting one shot on your intended target is potentially life threatening for YOU. Terminal ballistics can be a tricky thing, and what you really want to do when you shoot someone is to cause multiple massive trauma to him/her. There are many documented cases of instances where a person was shot (without finality) by an officer and the wounded assailant stayed in the fight and ended up killing the officer. Most notably during the so-called "FBI shootout" in Florida twenty years ago.

The idea is to shoot your subject enough take him out of the fight. My rule is a minimum of three shots to the torso, delivered in rapid succession.