Army Field Manuals

The link below takes you to a great source of manuals to use to train your group, or to increase your own knowledge. Print them off and keep them in your "Prepper Library" for when they will be needed. This is an invaluable source of tons of information, please take the time to read the most relevant of these, and spread the knowledge to your buddies/group.

Army Field Manuals

I know there is so much to learn and not enough time to learn it all, but please take some time and read/print/study these manuals. We will need the skills in these manuals soon enough guys!

Here is another thing I just thought of, it is the FEMA site for a ton of online trainings that they offer. Yes, I know... should we be going to "THEM" for training? I say, hey use what you can, and if it is available then take advantage of it.

FEMA Emergency Management Institute

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Gear for the American Patriot: The Tactical Patriot Store
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Tactical Fitness

Okay guys and gals, to be effective at providing for, and protecting or families, communities, and nation we need to be at a certain level of fitness. I know this is a tough thing to do with everything we already do in our daily lives, but come on, is it important to be physically capable of taking care of your family during a "bad" situation.

With that said, I challenge you to step up your game, ensuring that you can be part of the solution during a SHTF situation. Without the ability to carry your gear across miles of wooded/mountainous terrain you will be very limited to where and how far you can go. This puts you and yours at risk.

I recommend that everyone work out at least 30 min a day 4 days a week, then work up to more. You should get to the point where you can carry all your gear (Battle Belt, Plate Carrier/Chest Rig, and Ruck/Pack) for at least 5 miles.

Being from a military background I know that you do not need a bunch of fancy equipment or a gym to workout. The following are exercises I recommend doing on a weekly basis.

Running/Jogging
TABing (Tactical Advance to Battle) this is where you put on a pack weighing at least 30 lbs (less if you have to)and sort of shuffle run, not a full out run, but not a walk either.
Walking with gear on
Pushups (Shoulder width, Wide and Narrow)
Pull ups (Shoulder width, Wide and Narrow, forward grip and reverse grip)
Dips (Body width, and Wide)
Lunges
Lunge walk
Flutter Kicks
Leg Lifts
Crunches
Plank
Plank walk
Low Crawl
Scissor Kicks
Sun Gods (arms out to side, in front, and above head, small circles, large circles, forward and reverse)
Squats
8 count Body Builders (standing drop to ground 1 do a pushup down 2 up 3 jump your legs out to the side 4 jump your legs back 5, pushup down 6 up 7, stand 8 and repeat)
Rope climb
Walk up and down stairs
Curls with some kind of weight

I will add more information about this topic. Please add a comment at the bottom of this post if you have any input on this topic.

Bottom line is people, that we need to prepare our bodies as well as our souls, and store food, water, firearms, ammunition, medical equipment, seeds, etc... to be able to get through the up and coming difficult times.

Do you want to give yourself a better chance of survival? If you do WORK OUT!!!

Level One Skills for the Militiaman

Theses skills/tasks are designed for a militia unit that wishes to be a step above the average weekend warrior unit that does not really take training seriously.

This is a list of tasks that I feel members of a militia unit should be able to complete if they want to be an effective fighting force, not just a bunch of targets.


Core Training Tasks for a Militia Unit

Skill Level One:

This is the basic level of training required. All members must be able to accomplish these tasks and demonstrate proficiency in the skills listed in order to be considered an active member of the unit.

• Command and Organization

• Mission Statement

• Foundational Beliefs

• Chain of command

• Explain and follow rules of engagement (ROE)

• Mobilization and alert procedures

• Alert levels

• Automatic deployment criteria

Physical fitness standards

• Two mile forced march in full battle kit with weapon (without rucksack) in 30 minutes or less

• 20 pushups, 20 sit-ups

Basic weapon skills

• Demonstrate safe weapon handling skills

• Score at least “sharpshooter” on the US Army rifle qualification

• Place 8 out of 10 shots into a paper plate at 25 feet with sidearm

• Perform immediate action to correct weapon malfunctions/ failure to fire

• Field strip individual weapons and perform basic maintenance and cleaning

Individual movement techniques

• Know your pace count at 100 meters

• Low crawl/ high crawl

• Move as a member of a fireteam

• Three to 5 second rush

Team movement techniques

• Ranger file

• Team wedge

• Team diamond

• Bound by fireteam (fire and maneuver)

• Cross a linier danger area

• Scrolls to the road

• Heart method

The member should be able to perform these Individual tasks:

• Camouflage yourself and your individual equipment (properly)

• Basic field communications

• Team hand signals

• Operate and perform basic maintenance on personal radio

• Basic radio procedures

• Issue a SALUTE report

Tactical security

• Conduct a security halt

• Select or build a hasty firing position

• Fill out a range card

• Challenge/ password

• Perform guard/ sentry duty

• Perform visual surveillance as a member of a team

First aid

• Evaluate a casualty

• Stop life threatening hemorrhage

• Apply an Israeli battle dressing

• Convert a battle dressing to a pressure dressing

• Use a hemostatic product (celox/ quickclot)

• Apply a combat action tourniquet

• Open and maintain an airway

• Head thrust

• Jaw thrust

• Insert an oral airway

• Perform rescue breathing

• Apply a dressing to an open chest wound

• Apply a dressing to an open abdominal, head, or eye wound

• Prevent and treat for shock

• Splint a fracture

• Immobilize a spinal injury

• Transport a casualty

• Prevent and treat hot and cold weather injuries

• Locate and purify drinking water

• Perform field sanitation and preventative medicine

• Possess an approved IFAK/ ventilator kit

Land navigation

• Read a topographical map

• Find your azimuth with a lensatic compass

• Plot a 6 digit grid position without the aid of a GPS device (UTM, 1000 Meter Grid)

• Navigate dismounted from one spot to another using a map, a compass, and a grid protractor

Mountaineering skills if your unit is located in a mountainous area, or will perform the functions of an Alpine Infantry Unit.

• Tie a Swiss seat and a expedient chest harness

• Tie a Prusik knot

• Tie a square knot

• Tie a double fisherman’s knot

• Tie a figure 8 on a coil knot 

• Also members of an alpine unit or that live in the mountains would need mountaineering equipment, and would also have modified physical standards that would include a march/hike with full kit with a decent altitude accent.