I'm sitting here in my shorts, eating organic cereal covered in raw milk, typing to a community I love and admire in so many ways. I look back, and knowing myself well, I can tell you with certainty I would not have seen myself here five years ago...
I don't do resolutions, I have enough resolve and my goals are still the same. I do like plans though. I like having a plan, working through a plan, and planning. So, this year we're going to have a plan. We're going to have goals, and we're going to achieve goals.
One a month. Every month. We're going to train. I have a core group of guys who are always down to get muddy and bloody. You know exactly who you are. This year, we're putting a plan together on the 17th of this month. We will have clearly defined goals, we will have bench marks and we will achieve them. Why? Because we're all sick of wasting our time at the range, in the gym and online. Just like you.
Training goals:
One a month. Every month. We're going to train. I have a core group of guys who are always down to get muddy and bloody. You know exactly who you are. This year, we're putting a plan together on the 17th of this month. We will have clearly defined goals, we will have bench marks and we will achieve them. Why? Because we're all sick of wasting our time at the range, in the gym and online. Just like you.
Training goals:
- PT. Move your ass. I was doing good, now I'm not. I miss it. For the first time in my life, I miss lifting heavy stuff. I'm going to clean out the garage and build a power rack. No more fat kid. Why? Because I'll need to be able to compress a man's chest cavity with my boot, in full kit. And who knows. Maybe I wont ever need to kit up and ruck five miles with 80 degree inclines in the pouring rain, but at least I'll know I can if the need arises. I'll also be around for my kids. I'm not obese, but I could be. It just takes one spoon full at a time. I want my back an knees to heal themselves. The only way to do that is to build up a solid base for them to be supported by. Squats, dead lifts, kettle bells, and negatives here I come.
- 20 Level Tasks and skills. We, the Rationalists, will be the ones looked to. The people who "saw it coming." When our family, neighbors, and community look to us. We better know what the hell we're doing. We don't need another patrol class. We can work on walking through the woods on our own time. We need a class in how to prepare scared civilians to move through the woods to an objective and setup a patrol base. We need a class in logistical asset acquisition and what to do with it once it's been gotten. We need 20 skill level and above. That's our focus for training.
- 10 Level Tasks and Skills. Without the basics we're nothing. We need to continue to keep them up without getting bogged down in them. Four classes. Four training sessions. The rest is on your own time. We absolutely need to keep our basics up or we're going to loose our edge. This is directed at the Veterans. If you're an all civilian group, please find a Ranger's handbook, preferably something before 2010, and go through it. Pickout the tasks and skills and make a list, develop these skills. They're simple and easy. Do you need to know your General Orders, probably not. But how to use your poncho as a shelter is a good skill to have. I can attest to that.
- Readiness. We need to be ready to go in an instant. This is primarily for massive impacts. X flares, Cataclysmic Tsunami's, Earthquakes, and Kaiju attacks. For us that looks an awful lot like having a simple evacuation plan and resources to cover it. In the event of civil disturbance, you should already have a trunk kit or something like it. A go bag if you will. Think of it as your Superman outfit. You may need a phone booth, but after that, no one's going to be mistaking you for Clark Kent. Having our gear ready also makes training that much easier. It's easier to grab it and go than it is to assemble it at the last minute. I am guilty of this as well.
- Communicate. This ranks right up toward the top. Our core group does a good job of staying in touch. Some of us better than others, and for you I am grateful. We need to keep it up. We will work toward the digital communications level soon. Frost over at CSG has some awesome projects, and I am very happy to say I am signed up for one of each.
- Discipline. We can't get complacent. I am one of the worst among us about canceling range and training trips. It's easy to get complacent and skip a training. But we can't. It's once a friggin month. Seriously.
- Outside training. We will be inviting guests to teach us. The typical fee is $200 per head, per day. We need to make a pool and everyone pitch in. We see where we are at the end of the year for next year. We can also use this to help each other in times of need.