Great Lakes Survivalist and Preppers Haven

Book review: Contact!: A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival Contact!: A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival

2012-10-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

. http://astore.amazon.com/survivalistsh-20/detail/1478106697

I just finished reading this book "Contact, a tactical manual for post collapse society" as a combat arms veteran I would like to recommend it to you for your library, The purpose of this manual is to provide information to enhance security, tactical skills and the survival skills of law abiding citizens who are faced with civil disorder, lawlessness and the anarchy that will be present in a post collapse world.

It is a distillation of military and security training, principles, and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) adapted to the threat and environment anticipated in this type of scenario in order to provide knowledge needed to train to survive in a world turned upside down.

It is no longer just survival of the fittest but survival of those prepared.

The manual will take you from self-defense as an individual, team and family, both pre and post collapse, and move on to tactics, techniques, procedures and training that can be used by tactical teams that you may need to form in order to survive. In a serious post-event scenario, one of total collapse with several months or years before recovery, families, groups and communities may be forced to create such tactical defense forces to protect personnel, loved ones and resources against marauders.

There is something in this manual for both the tactical newbie and the military veteran.

. http://astore.amazon.com/survivalistsh-20/detail/1478106697

Re-Post of a Special Forces Manual on building hidden supply caches

2012-10-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

Re-Post of a Special forces manual on building supply caches

In any kind of operations supply and resupply are going to be extremely important this article will give you key tips in setting up supply cache for your groups resupply.

CACHING
Caching is the process of hiding equipment or materials in a secure storage place with the view to future recovery for operational use. The ultimate success of caching may well depend upon attention to detail, that is, professional competence that may seem of minor importance to the untrained eye. Security factors, such as cover for the caching party, sterility of the items cached, and removal of even the slightest trace of the caching operations are vital. Highly important, too, are the technical factors that govern the preservation of the items in usable condition and the recording of data essential for recovery. Successful caching entails careful adherence to the basic principles of clandestine operations, as well as familiarity with the technicalities of caching.

Caching Considerations
Caching considerations that are vital to the success of the caching operation may be done in a variety of operational situations. For example, cached supplies can meet the emergency needs of personnel who may be barred from their normal supply sources by sudden developments or who may need travel documents and extra funds for quick escape. Caching can help solve the supply problems of long-term operations conducted far from a secure base.
Caching also can provide for anticipated needs of wartime operations in areas likely to be overrun by the enemy forces.

PLANNING FOR A CACHING OPERATION
Caching involves selecting items to be cached, procuring those items, and selecting a cache site. Selection of the items to be cached requires a close estimate of what will be needed by particular units for particular operations. Procurement of the items usually presents no special problems. In fact, the relative ease of procurement before an emergency arises is one of the prime considerations in favour of caching. When selecting a cache site, planners should always ensure that the site is accessible not only for emplacement, but also for recovery. When planning a caching operation, the planner must consider seven basic factors.

Purpose and Contents of the Cache
Planners must determine the purpose and contents of each cache because theses basic factors influence the location of the cache, as well as the method of hiding. For instance, small barter items can be cached at any accessible and secure site because they can be concealed easily on the person once recovered. However, it would be difficult to conceal rifles for a Guerrilla Band once recovered. Therefore, this site must be in an isolated area where the band can establish at least temporary control. Certain items, such as medical stock, have limited shelf life and require rotation periodically or special storage considerations, necessitating easy access to service these items. Sometimes it is impossible to locate a cache in the most convenient place for an intended user. Planners must compromise between logistical objectives and actual possibilities when selecting a cache site. Security is always the overriding consideration.

Anticipated Enemy Action
In planning the caching operation, planners must consider the capabilities of any intelligence or security services not participating in the operation. They should also consider the potential hazards the enemy and its witting or unwitting accomplices present. If caching is done for wartime operational purposes, its ultimate success will depend largely on whether the planners anticipate the various obstacles to recovery, which the enemy and its accomplices will create if the enemy occupies the area. What are the possibilities that the enemy will pre-empt an ideal site for one reason or another and deny access to it? A vacant field surrounded by brush may seem ideal for a particular cache because it is near several highways. But such a location may also invite the enemy to locate an ordnance depot where the cache is buried.

Activities of the local Population
Probably more dangerous than deliberate enemy action are all of the chance circumstances that may result in the discovery of the cache. Normal activity, such as construction of a new building, may uncover the cache site or impede access to it. Bad luck cannot be anticipated, but it can probably be avoided by careful and imaginative observation of the prospective cache site and of the people who live near the site. If the cache is intended for wartime use, the planners must project how the residents will react to the pressures of war and conquest. For example, one of the more likely reactions is that many residents may resort to caching to avoid having their personal funds and valuables seized by the enemy. If caching becomes popular, any likely cache site will receive more than normal attention.

Intended Actions by Allied Forces
Using one cache site for several clandestine operations involves a risk of mutual compromise. Therefore, some planners should rule out otherwise suitable caching sites if they have been selected for other clandestine purposes, such as drops or safe houses. A site should not be located where it may be destroyed or rendered inaccessible by bombing or other allied military action, should the area be occupied by the enemy. For example, installations likely to be objects of special protective efforts by the occupying enemy are certain to be inaccessible to the ordinary citizen. Therefore, if the cache is intended for wartime use, the caching party should avoid areas such as those near key bridges, railroad intersections, power plants, and munitions factories.

Packaging and Transportation Assets
Planners should assess the security needs and all of the potential obstacles and hazards that a prospective cache site can present. They should also consider whether the operational assets that could be used for packaging and transporting the package to the site. Best results are obtained when the packaging is done by experts at a packaging center. The first question, therefore, is to decide whether the package can be transported from the headquarters or the field packaging centre to the cache site securely and soon enough to meet the operational schedules. If not, the packaging must be done locally, perhaps in a safe house located within a few miles of the cache site. If such an arrangement is necessary, the choice of cache sites may be restricted by limited safe house possibilities.

Personal Assets
All who participate directly in emplacement will know where the cache is located. Therefore, only the fewest possible and the most reliable persons should be used. Planners must consider the distance from the person’s residence to the prospective cache site and what action cover is required for the trip. Sometimes transportations and cover difficulties require the cache site to be within a limited distance of the person’s residence. The above considerations also apply to the recovery personnel.

Caching Methods
Which cache method to use depends on the situation. It is therefore unsound to lay down any general rules, with one exception. Planners should always think in terms of suitability, for example, the method most suitable for each cache, considering its specific purpose; the actual situation in the particular locality; and the changes that may occur if the enemy gains control.

Concealment.
Concealment requires the use of permanent man-made or natural features to hide or disguises the cache. It has several advantages. Both employment and recovery usually and be done with minimum time and labour, and cached items concealed inside a building or dry cave are protected from the elements. Thus, they require less elaborate packaging. Also, in some cases, a concealed cache can be readily inspected from time to time to ensure that it is still usable. However, there is always the chance of accidental discovery in addition to all the hazards of wartime that may result in discovery or destruction or a concealed cache or denial of access to the site. The concealment method, therefore, is most suitable in cases where an exceptionally secure site is available or where a need for quick access to the cache justifies a calculated sacrifice in security. Concealment may range from securing small gold coins under a tile in the floor to walling up artillery in caves.

Burial.
Adequate burial sites can be found almost anywhere. Once in place, a properly buried cache is generally the best way of achieving lasting security. In contrast to concealment, however, burial in the ground is a laborious and time-consuming method of caching.
The disadvantages of burial are that
· Burial almost always requires a high-quality container or special wrapping to protect the Cache from moisture, chemicals and bacteria in the soil.
· Emplacement or recovery of a buried cache usually takes so long that the operation must be done after dark unless the site is exceptionally secluded.
· It is especially difficult to identify and locate a buried cache.

Submersion.
Submersion sites that are suitable for secure concealment of a submerged cache are few and far between. Also, the container of a submerged cache must meet such high standards for waterproofing and resistance to external pressure that the use of field expedients is seldom workable. To ensure that a submerged cache remains dry and in place, planners must determine not only the depth of the water, but the type of bottom, the currents, and other facts that are relatively difficult for nonspecialists to obtain. Emplacement, likewise requires a high degree of skill. At least two persons are needed for both emplacement and requires additional equipment. In view of the difficulties – especially the difficulty of recovery – the submersion method is suitable only on rare occasions. The most noteworthy usage is the relatively rare maritime re-supply operation where it is impossible to deliver supplies directly to a reception committee. Caching supplies offshore by submersion is often preferable to sending a landing party ashore to bury a cache.

SELECTION OF THE SITE
The most careful estimates of future operational conditions cannot ensure that a will cache will be accessible when it is needed. However, criteria for a site selection can be met when three questions are answered.

Criteria for Site Selection
Can the site be located by simple instructions that are unmistakably clear to someone who has never visited the location? A site may be ideal in every respect, but if it has no distinct, permanent landmarks within a readily measurable distance it must be ruled out. Are there at least two secure routes to and from the site? Both primary and alternate routes should provide natural concealment so that the emplacement party and the recovery party can visit the site without being seen by anyone normally in the vicinity. An alienate escape route offers hope of avoiding detection and recovered at the chosen site in all seasons? Snow and frozen ground create special problems. Snow on the ground is a hazard because it is impossible to erase a trail in the snow. Planners must consider whether seasonal changes in the foliage will leave the site and the dangerously exposed.

The Map Survey
Finding a cache site is often difficult. Usually, a thorough systematic survey of the general area designated for the cache is required. The survey is best done with as large-scale map of the area as is available. By scrutinizing the map, the planners can determine whether a particular sector must be ruled out because of its nearness to factories, homes, busy thoroughfares, or probable military targets in wartime. A good military-type map will show the positive features in the topography; proximity to adequate roads or trails, natural concealment (for example: surrounding woods or groves), and adequate drainage. A map also will show the natural and man-made features in the landscape. It will provide the indispensable reference points for locating a cache site: confluences of streams, dams and waterfalls, road junctures and distance markers, villages, bridges, churches, and cemeteries.

The Personal Reconnaissance
A map survey normally should show the location of several promising sites within the general area designated for the cache. To select and pinpoint the best site, however, a wellqualified observer must examine each site firsthand. If possible, whoever examines the site should carry adequate maps, a compass, a drawing pad or board for making sketch maps or tracings, and a metallic measuring line. (A wire knotted at regular intervals is adequate for measuring. Twine or cloth measuring tapes should not be used because stretching or shrinking will make them inaccurate if they get wet.) The observer should also carry a probe rod for probing prospective burial sites, if the rod can be carried securely. Since the observer seldom completes a field survey without being noticed by local residents, his action cover is of great importance. His cover must offer a natural explanation for his exploratory activity in the area. Ordinarily, this means that an observer who is not a known resident of the area can pose as a tourist or a newcomer with some reason for visiting the area. However, his action cover must be developed over an extended period before he undertakes the actual reconnaissance. If the observer is a known resident of the area, he cannot suddenly take up hunting, fishing, or wildlife photography without arousing interest and perhaps suspicion. But he must build up a reputation for being a devotee of his sport or hobby.

Reference Points
When the observer finds a suitable cache site, he prepares simple and unmistakable instructions for locating the reference points. These instructions must identify the general area (the names of general recognizable places, from the country down to the nearest village) and an immediate reference point. Any durable landmark that is identified by its title or simple description can be immediate reference point (for example, the only Roman Catholic church in a certain village or the only bridge on a named road between two villages ). The instructions must also include a final reference point (FRP), which must meet four requirements:
(1) It must be identifiable, including at least one feature that can be used as a precise reference point.
(2) It must be an object that will remain fixed as long as the cache may be used.
(3) It must be near enough to the cache to pinpoint the exact location of the cache by precise linear measurements from the FRP to the cache
(4) It should be related to the immediate reference point by a simple route description, which proceeds from the immediate reference point to the FRP

Since the route description should be reduced to the minimum essential, the ideal solution for locating the cache is to combine the immediate reference point and the FRP into one landmark readily identifiable, but sufficiently secluded. The following objects, when available, are sometimes ideal reference points: small, unfrequented bridges, and dams, boundary markers, kilometre markers and culverts along unfrequented roads, a geodetic survey marker, battle monuments, and wayside shrines. When such reference points are not available at an otherwise suitable cache site, natural or man-made objects may serve as FRP’s: distinct rocks, posts for power or telephone lines, intersections in stone fences or hedgerows, and gravestones in isolated cemeteries.

Pinpointing Techniques
Recovery instructions must identify the exact location of the cache. These instructions must describe the point where the cache is placed in terms that relate in to the FRP. When the concealment method is used, the cache ordinarily is placed inside the FRP, so it is pinpointed by a precise description of the FRP. A submerged cache usually is pinpointed by describing exactly how the moorings are attached to the FRP. With a buried cache, any of the following
techniques may be used. Placing the cache directly beside the FRP. The simplest method is to place the cache directly beside the FRP. Then pinpointing is reduced to specifying the precise reference point of the FRP. Sighting the cache by projection, this method may be used if the FRP has one flat side long enough to permit precise sighting by projecting a line along the side of the object. The burial party places the cache a measured distance along the sighted line. This method may also be used if two precise FRP’s are available, by projecting a line sighed between the two objects. In either case, the instructions for finding the cache must state the approximate direction of the cache from the FRP. Since small errors in sighting are magnified as the sighted line is extended, the cache should be placed as close to the FRP as other factors permit. Ordinarily this method becomes unreliable if the sighted line is extended beyond 50 meters. Placing the cache at the intersection of measured lines. If two FRP’s are available within several paces, the cache can be one line projected from each of the FRP’s. If this method is used, state the approximate direction of the cache from each FRP. To ensure accuracy, neither of the projected lines (from the FRP’s to the point of emplacement) should be more than twice as long as the base line (between the two FRP’s). If this proportion is maintained, the only limitation upon the length of the projected lines is the length of the measuring line that the recovery party is expected to carry. The recovery party should carry two measuring lines when this method is used.

Sighting the cache by compass azimuth.
If the above methods of sighting are not feasible, one measured line may be projected by taking a compass azimuth from the FRP to the point where the cache is placed. To avoid confusion, use an azimuth to a cardinal point of the compass (north, east, south, or west). Since compass sightings are likely to be inaccurate, a cache that is pinpointed by this method should not be placed more than 10 meters from the FRP

Measuring Distances
The observer should express all measured distances in a linear system that the recovery party is sure to understand – ordinarily the standard system for the country where the cache is located. He should use whole numbers (6 meters, not 6.3 or 6.5, etc.) to keep his instructions as brief and as simple as possible. To get an exact location for the cache in whole numbers, take sightings and measurements first. If the surface of the ground between the points to be measured is uneven, the linear distance should be measured on a direct line from point to point, rather than by following the contour of the ground. This method requires a measuring line long enough to reach the full distance from point to point and enough to be pulled taut without breaking.

Marking Techniques
The emplacement operation can be simplified and critical time saved if the point where the cache is to be buried is marked during the reconnaissance. If a night burial is planned, the point of emplacement may have to be marked during a daylight reconnaissance. This method should be used whenever operational conditions permit. The marker must be an object that is easily recognizable but that is meaningless to an unwitting observer. For example, a small rock or a branch with its butt placed at the point selected for the emplacement may be used. During a personal reconnaissance, the observer must not only pinpoint the cache site, but also gather all the incidental information required for planning the emplacement operation. It is especially important to determine the best route to the site and at least one alternate route, the security hazards along these routes, and any information that can be used to overcome the hazards. Since this information is also essential to the recovery operation, it must be compiled after emplacement and included in the final cache report. Therefore, the observer should be thoroughly familiar with the Twelve-Point Cache Report before he starts a personal reconnaissance. This report is a checklist for the observer to record as much information as possible. Points 6 through 11 are particularly important. The personal reconnaissance also provides an excellent opportunity for a preliminary estimate of the time required for getting to the site.

The Alternate Site
As a general rule, planners should select an alternate site in case unforeseen difficulties prevent use of the best site. Unless the primary site is in a completely deserted area, there is always some danger that the emplacement party will find it occupied as they approach, or that the party will be observed as they near the site. The alternate site should be far enough away to be screened from view from the primary site, but near enough so that the party can reach it without making a second trip.

The Concealment Site
A site that looks ideal for concealment may be revealed to the enemy for that very reason. Such a site may be equally attractive to a native of an occupied country to hide his valuables. The only real key to the ideal concealment site is careful casing of the area combined with great familiarity with local residents and their customs. The following is a list of likely concealment sites:

· Natural caves and caverns, and abandoned mines and quarries.
· Walls (hidden behind loose bricks or stones or hidden a plastered surface).
· Abandoned buildings.
· Infrequently used structures (stadiums and other recreational facilities, and railroad facilities on spur lines).
· Memorial edifices (mausoleums, crypts, monuments).
· Public buildings (museums, churches, libraries).
· Ruins of historical interest.
· Culverts.
· Sewers.
· Cable conduits.

The concealment site must be equally accessible to the person emplacing and the person recovering. However, visits by both persons to certain interior sites may be incompatible with the cover. For instance, a site in a house owned by a relative of the emplacer may be unsuitable because there is no adequate excuse for the recovery person to enter the house if he has no connection with the owner. The site must remain accessible as long as the cache is needed. If access to a building depends upon a personal relationship with the owner, the death of the owner or the sale of the property might render it inaccessible. Persons involved in the operation should not be compromised if the cache is discovered on the site. Even if a cache is completely sterile, as every cache should be, the mere fact that it has been placed in a particular site may compromise certain persons. If the cache were discovered by the police, they might suspect the emplacer because it was found in his relative’s house. The site must not be located where potentially hostile persons frequently visit. For instance, a site in a museum is not secure if police guards or curious visitors frequently enter the museum.
To preserve the cache material, the emplacer must ensure the site is physically secure for the preservation of the cached material. For example, most buildings involve a risk that the cache may be destroyed or damaged by fire, especially in wartime. The emplacer should consider all risks and weigh them against the advantages of an interior site. A custodian may serve to ease access to a building or to guard a cache. However, the use of such a person is inadvisable, as a custodian poses an additional security risk. He may use the contents of the cache for personal profit or reveal its location.

The Burial Site
In selecting a burial site, consider the following factors along with the basic considerations of suitability and accessibility:
Drainage
This includes the elevation of the site and the type of soil. The importance of good drainage makes a site on high ground preferable unless other factors rule it out. Moisture is one of the greatest natural threats to the contents of a cache. Swamp muck is the most difficult soil to work in. If the site is near a stream or river, ensure that the cache is well above the allyear- high-water mark so that it will not be uncovered if the soil is washed away.
Ground Cover
The types of vegetation at the site will influence the choice. Roots of deciduous tress make digging very difficult. Coniferous trees have less extensive root systems. Also, the presence of coniferous trees usually means that the site is well drained. Does the vegetation show paths or other indications that the site is frequented too much for secure caching? Can the ground cover be easily restored to its normal appearance when burial is completed? Tall grass reveals that it has been trampled, while an overlay of leaves and humus can be replaced easily and will effectively conceal a freshly refilled hole.
Natural Concealment
The vegetation or the surrounding terrain should offer natural concealment for the burial and recovery parties working at the site. Planners should carefully consider seasonal variations in the foliage.

Types of Soil
Sandy loam is ideal because it is easy to dig and drains well. Clay soil should be avoided because it becomes quite sticky in wet weather and in dry weather it may become so hard that it is almost impossible to dig.

Snowfall and Freezing
If the cache must be buried or recovered in winter, data on the normal snowfall, the depth to which the ground freezes in winter, and the usual dates of freezing and thawing will influence the choice of the site. Frozen ground impedes digging and requires additional time for burial and recovery. Snow on the ground is especially hazardous for the burial operation. It is practically impossible to restore the snow over the burial site to its normal appearance unless there is more snowfall or a brisk wind. Also, it is very difficult to ensure that no traces of the operation are left after the snow has melted.
Rocks and Other Subsurface Obstructions
Large obstructions that might prevent use of a particular site can be located to some extent before digging by probing with a rod or stake at the exact spot selected for the cache.
The Submersion Site
To be suitable for a submerged cache, a body of water must have certain characteristics. The presence of these characteristics can be determined only by a thorough survey of the site. Their importance will be understood after familiarization with the technicalities of submersion as discussed in Section 3, Emplacement. Submersion usually requires a boat, first for reconnoitring, then for emplacement. Thus, the accessibility problems involved in submersion usually narrow down to the availability of a boat and the action cover for using it. If there is no fishing or pleasure boating at the site the cover for this peculiar type boating may be a real problem. In tropical areas the course of streams or rivers is frequently changed by seasonal rainfall and can cause many problems. Keep this fact in mind when choosing the site and when selecting reference points.
Recovery
Since the method for recovering a cache is generally similar to that for emplacing (Section 3) a cache, it need not be described in full. However, several important considerations should be stressed in training for a recovery operation.

Practical Exercises
Anyone who is expected to serve as a recovery person should have the experience of actually recovering dummy caches, if field exercises can be arranged securely. It is especially desirable for the recovery person to be able to master the pinpointing techniques. Mastery is best attained by practice in selecting points of emplacement and in drafting, as well as in following instructions.

Equipment
Although the equipment used in recovery is generally the same as that used in emplacement, it is important to include any additional items that may be required in recovery in the cache report. A probe rod may not be essential for emplacement, but it is necessary to have some object roughly the same size as the cache container to fill the cavity left in the ground by removal of a buried cache. Some sort of container of wrapping material may be needed to conceal the recovered cache while it is being carried from the cache site to a safe house. Recovery of a submerged cache may require grappling lines and hooks, especially if it is heavy.

    * Sketch of the site

If possible, the observer should provide the recovery person with sketches of the cache site and the route to the cache site. If the recovery person must rely exclusively on verbal instructions, as in the case when communications are limited to radio telephone (RT) messages, he should draw a sketch of the site before starting on the recovery operation. He should use all the data in the verbal instructions to make the sketch as realistic as possible. Drawing a sketch will help to clarify any misunderstanding of the instructions. Also, a sketch can be followed more easily than verbal instructions. It may also be helpful for the recovery person to draw a sketch of the route from the immediate reference point to the site. But he should not carry this sketch on him because if he were apprehended the sketch might direct the enemy to the cache.

    * Preliminary Reconnaissance

Checking the instructions for locating the cache may be advisable, especially when the recovery operation must be performed under stringent enemy controls or when there is no extra time for searching. Careful analysis of the best available map can minimize reconnoitering activity in the vicinity of the cache and thus reduce the danger of arousing suspicion. If recovery must be done at night, the recovery person should find the cache by daylight and place an unnoticeable marker directly over it.

    * Probe Rod

The recovery person can avoid digging at the wrong spot by using a probe rod before starting to dig. He should push and turn the probe rod into the ground by hand, so that it will not puncture the cache’s container. Never pound the probe rod with a hammer.

    * Procedure for Digging and Refilling the Hole

The recovery procedure is the same as for the burial, except for two points. First, never use a pick for digging the hole because it might puncture the container and damage the cached items. Second, it may be necessary to fill the hole with other objects in addition to soil after the cache is removed. Sometimes it is possible to fill the hole with rocks, sticks, or other readily available objects at the site. If no such objects are found during the preliminary reconnaissance, the recovery person should carry to the site an object roughly the same size
as the cache container.

    * Sterilization of the Site

As with emplacement, the recovery operation must be preformed in such a way that no traces of the operation are left. Although sterilization is not as important for recovery as for emplacement, it should be done as thoroughly as time permits. Evidence that a cache has been recovered might alert the enemy to clandestine activity in the area and provoke countermeasures.
Section 2.

Packaging
Packaging usually involves packing the items to be cached, as well as the additional processing in protecting these items from adverse storage conditions. Proper packaging is important because inadequate packaging very likely will render the items unusable. Since special equipment and skilled technicians are needed for best results, packaging should be done at headquarters or a field packaging centre whenever possible. However, to familiarize operational personnel with the fundamentals of packaging, so that they can improvise field expedients for emergency use, thus section discusses determining factors, steps in
packaging, wrapping materials, and criteria for the container.

    * Determining factors.

The first rule of packaging is that all processing is tailored to fit the specific requirements of each cache. The method of packaging, as well as the size, shape, and weight of the package is determined by the items to be cached, by the method of caching, and, especially, by the way the cache is recovered and used. For instance, if circumstances require one man to recover the cache by himself, the container should be no larger than a small suitcase, and the total
weight of container and contents no more than 30 pounds. Of course, these limits must be exceeded with some equipment, but the need for larger packages should be weighed against the difficulties and risks in handling them. Even if more than one person is available for recovery, the material should be divided whenev er possible into separate packages of a size and weight readily portable by one man. Another very important factor in packaging concerns adverse storage conditions. Any or all of the following conditions may be present: moisture, external pressure, freezing temperatures, and the bacteria and corrosive chemicals found in some soil and water. Animal life may present a hazard; insects and rodents may attack the package. If the cache is concealed in a exterior site, larger animals also may threaten it. Whether the packaging is adequate usually depends upon how carefully the conditions at the site were analysed in designing the cache. Thus, the method of caching (burial, concealment, or submersion) should be determined before the packaging is done. It is equally important to consider how long the cache is to be used. Since one seldom when a cache will be needed, a sound rule is to design the packaging to withstand adverse storage conditions for at least as long as the normal shelf life of the contents to be cached.

STEPS IN PACKAGING
The exact procedure for packaging depends upon the specific requirements for the cache and upon the packaging equipment available. There are Nine Steps that are almost always necessary in packaging.

    * Inspecting

The items to be cached must be inspected immediately before packaging to ensure they are complete, in serviceable condition, and free of all corrosive or contaminative substances.

    * Cleaning

All corrodible items must be cleaned thoroughly immediately before the final preservative coating is applied. All foreign matter, including any preservative applied before the item was shipped to the field, should be removed completely. Throughout the packaging operation, all contents of the cache should be handled with rubber or freshly cleaned cotton cloves. Special handling is important because even minute particles of human sweat will corrode metallic equipment. Also, any fingerprints on the contents of the cache may enable the enemy to identify those who did the packaging.

    * Drying

When cleaning is completed, every trace of moisture must be removed from all corrodible items. Methods of drying include: wiping with a highly absorbent cloth, heating or applying desiccant. Usually heating is best, unless the item can be damaged by heat. To dry by heating, the item to be cached should be placed in an oven for at least 3 hours at a temperature of about 110′F. An oven can be improvised from a large metal can or drum. In humid climates, it is especially important to dry the oven thoroughly before using it by preheating it to at least 212′F. Then, insert the equipment to be cached as soon as the over cools down to about 110′F. If a desiccant is used, it should not touch any metallic surface. Silica gel is a satisfactory desiccant, and it is commonly available.

    * Coating with a Preservative

Apply a light coat of oil to weapons, tools, and other items with unpainted metallic surfaces. A coat of paint may suffice for other metal items.

    * Wrapping

When drying and coating are completed, wrap the items to be cached in a suitable material (see paragraph below on Wrapping Materials.) The wrapping should be as nearly waterproof as possible. Each item should be wrapped separately, so that one perforation in the wrapping will not expose all items in the cache. The wrapping should fit tightly to each item to eliminate air pockets, and all folds should be sealed with a waterproof substance.

    * Packing

Several simple rules must be observed when packing items in the container. All moisture must be removed from the interior of the container by heating or applying desiccant. A long-lasting desiccant should be packed inside the container to absorb any residual moisture. If silica gel is used, the required amount can be calculated by using the ratio of 15 kilograms of silica gel to 1 cubic meter of storage space within the container. (This figure is based on two assumptions: the container is completely moisture proof and the contents areslightly moist when inserted.) Therefore, the ratio allows an ample margin for incomplete drying and can be reduced if the drying process is known to be highly effective. Air pockets should be eliminated as much as possible by tight packing. Thoroughly dried padding should be used liberally to fill air pockets and to protect the contents from shock. Clothing and other items, which will be useful to the recovery party, should be used for padding if possible. Items made of different metals should never touch, since continued contact may cause corrosion through electrolytic action.

    * Enclosing Instructions for Use of Cached Equipment

Written instructions and diagrams should be included if they facilitate assembly or use of the cached items. Instructions must be written in a language that recovery personnel can understand. The wording should be as simple as possible and unmistakably clear. Diagrams should be self-explanatory since the eventual user may not be able to comprehend written instructions because of language barriers.

    * Sealing & Testing Seals by Submersion

When packing is completed, the lid of the container must be sealed to make it watertight. Testing can be done by entirely submerging the container in water and watching for escaping air bubbles. Hot water should be used if possible because hot water will bring out leaks that would not be revealed by a cold water test.

WRAPPING MATERIALS
The most important requirement for wrapping material is that it be moisture proof. Also, it should be self-sealing or adhesive to a sealing material; it should be pliable enough to fit closely, with tight folds; and it should be tough enough to resist tearing and puncturing. Pliability and toughness may be combined by using two wrappings: an inner one that is thin and pliable and an outer one of heavier material. A tough outer wrapping is essential unless the container and the padding are adequate to prevent items from scraping together inside the cache. Five wrapping materials are recommended for field expedients because they often can be obtained locally and used effectively be unskilled personnel.

    * Aluminium Foil

For use as an inner wrapping, aluminium foil is the best of the widely available materials. It is moisture proof as long as it does not become perforated and provided the folds are adequately sealed. The drawbacks to its use for caching are that the thin foils perforate easily, while the heavy ones (over 2 mils thick) tend to admit moisture through the folds. The heavy-duty grade of aluminium foil generally sold for kitchen use is adequate when used with an outer wrapping. Scrim backed foil, which is heat-sealeable, is widely used commercially to package articles for shipment or storage. Portable heat-sealers that are easy to use are available commercially. Or, sealing can be done with a standard household iron.

    * Moisture-Resistant Papers

Several brands of commercial wrapping papers are resistant to water and grease. They do not provide lasting protection against moisture when used alone, but they are effective as an inner wrapping to prevent rubber, wax and similar substances from sticking to the items in the cache.

    * Rubber Repair Gum

This is a self-sealing compound generally used for repairing tires; it makes an excellent outer wrapping. Standard commercial brands come in several thicknesses; 2 mils is the most satisfactory for caching. A watertight seal is produced easily by placing two rubber surfaces together and applying pressure manually. The seal should be at least 1/2 inch wide. Since rubber repair gum has a tendency to adhere to items, an inner wrapping of nonadhesive material must be used with it, and the backing should be left on the rubber material to keep it from sticking to other items in the cache.

    * Grade C Barrier Material

This is a cloth impregnated with microcrystalline wax that is used extensively when packing for storage of for overseas shipment. Thus, it is generally available, and it has the additional advantage of being self-sealing. Although it is not as effective as rubber repair gum, it may be used as an outer wrapping over aluminium foil to prevent perforation of the foil. Used without an inner wrapping, three layers of grade C barrier material may keep the contents dry for as long as three months, but it is highly vulnerable to insects and rodents. Also, the wax wrapping has a low melting point and will adhere to many items, so it should not be used without an inner wrapping except in emergencies.

    * Wax Coating

If no wrapping material is available, an outer coating of microcrystalline wax, paraffin or a similar waxy substance can be used to protect the contents against moisture. It will not provide protection against insects and rodents. The package should be hot-dipped in the waxy substance, or the wax can be heated to molten form and applied with a brush.

THE CONTAINER
The outer container serves to protect the contents from shock, moisture and other natural hazards to which the cache may be exposed to.

Criteria for the Container
The ideal container should be:
· Completely watertight and airtight after sealing.
· Noiseless when handled and its handles should not rattle against the body of the
container
· Resistant to shock and abrasion.
· Able to withstand crushing pressure.
· Lightweight in construction.
· Able to withstand rodents, insects, and bacteria.
· Equipped with a sealing device that can be closed and reopened easily and repeatedly.
· Capable of withstanding highly acidic or alkaline soil or water.

    * The Standard Stainless Steel Container

The standard stainless steel container comes in several sizes. Since the stainless steel container is more satisfactory than any that could be improvised in the field, it should be used whenever possible. Ideally, it should be packed at headquarters or at a field packaging centre. If the items to be cached must be obtained locally, it is still advisable to use the stainless steel container because its high resistance to moisture eliminates the need for an outer wrapping. Packers should, however, use a single wrapping even with the stainless steel container to protect the contents from any residual moisture that may be present in the container when it is sealed.

    * The Field Expedient Container

Obviously the ideal container cannot be improvised in the field, but the standard military and commercial containers discussed below can meet caching requirements if they are adapted with care and resourcefulness. First, a container must be sufficiently sturdy to remain unpunctured and retain its shape through whatever rough handling or crushing pressure it may encounter. (Even a slight warping may cause a joint around the lid to leak.) Second, if the lid is not already watertight and airtight, packers can make it so by improvising a sealing device. The most common type of sealing device includes a rubber-composition gasket or lining and a sharp metal rim that is pressed against common sealing device is a threaded lid. Its effectiveness can be increased by applying heavy grease to the threads. (Metallic solder should not be used for sealing because it corrodes metal surfaces when exposed to moisture.) Whenever any non-stainless metal container is used, it is important to apply several coats of high-quality paint to all exterior surfaces.

    * Instrument Containers.

Ordinarily, aircraft and other precision instruments are shipped in steel containers with a waterproof sealing device. The standard instrument containers range from 1/2 gallon to 10 gallon sizes. If one of suitable size can be found, only minimum modifications may be needed, In the most common type of instrument container, the only weak point is the nut and bolt that tightens the locking band around the lid. These should be replaced with a stainless steel nut and bolt.

    * Ammunition Boxes.

Several types and sizes of steel ammunition boxes that have a rubbergasket closing device are satisfactory for buries caches. An advantage of using ammunition boxes as a cache container is that they are usually available at a military depot.

    * Steel Drums.

A caching container of suitable size may be found among the commercially used steel drums for shipping oil, grease, nails, soap, and other products. The most common types, however, lack an adequate sealing device, so a waterproof material should be used around the lid. Fully removable head drums with lock-ring closures generally give a satisfactory seal.

    * Glass Jars.

The advantage of using glass is that it is waterproof and does not allow chemicals, bacteria and insects to pass through it. Although glass is highly vulnerable to shock, glass jars of a sturdy quality can withstand the crushing pressure normally encountered in caching. However, none of the available glass container have an adequate sealing device for the joint around the lid. The standard commercial canning jar with a spring clamp and a rubber washer is watertight, but the metal clamp is vulnerable to corrosion. Therefore, a glass jar with a spring clamp and a rubber washer is an adequate expedient for short-term caching of small items, but it should not be relied upon to resist
moisture for more than a year. Paint Cans. Standard cans with reusable lids require a waterproof adhesive around the lids. It is especially important to apply several coats of paint to the exterior of standard commercial cans because the metal in these cans is not as heavy as that in metal drums. Even when the exterior is thoroughly painted, paint cans probably will not resist moisture for more than a few months.
Section 3. Methods of Emplacement

Since burial is the most frequently used method of emplacement, this section describes first the complete procedure for burial, followed by a discussion of emplacement procedures peculiar to submersion and concealment. The last area discussed is the preparation of the cache report-a vital part of a caching operation.

BURIAL
When planners have designed a cache and selected the items for caching, they must carefully work out every step of the burial operation in advance.

    * Horizontal and Vertical Caches

Ordinarily, the hole for a buried cache is vertical (the hole is dug straight down from the surface). Sometimes a horizontal cache, with the hole dug into the side of a steep hill or bank, provides a workable solution when a suitable site on level or slightly sloping ground in not available. A horizontal cache may provide better drainage in areas of heavy rainfall, but is more likely to be exposed by soil erosion and more difficult to refill and restore to normal appearance.

    * Dimensions of the Hole

The exact dimensions of the hole, either vertical or horizontal, depend on the size and shape of the cache container. As a general rule, ensures that the hole is large enough for the container to be inserted easily. The horizontal dimensions of the hole should be about 30 centimetres longer and wider than the container. Most importantly, it should be deep enough to permit covering the container with soil to about 45 centimetres. This figure is recommended for normal usage because a more shallow burial risks exposure of the cache through soil erosion or inadvertent uncovering by normal indigenous activity. A deeper hole makes probing for recovery more difficult and unnecessarily prolongs the time required for burial and recovery.

    * Excavation Shoring

If there is a risk that the surrounding soil will cave in during excavation, boards or bags filled with subsoil may be used to shore the sides of the hole. Permanent shoring may be needed to protect an improvised container from pressure or shock.

    * Equipment

The following items of equipment may be helpful or indispensable in burying a cache, depending upon the conditions at the site:
· Measuring instruments (a wire or metal tape and compass) for pinpointing the site.
· Paper and pencil for recording the measurements.
· A probe rod for locating rocks, large roots, or other obstacles in the subsoil.
· Two ground sheets on which to place sod and loose soil. An article of clothing may be
used for small excavation if nothing else is available.
· Sacks (sandbags, flour sacks) for holding subsoil.
· A spade or pickaxe, if the ground is too hard for spading.
· A hatchet for cutting roots.
· A crowbar for prying rocks.
· A flashlight or lamp if burial is to be done at night.

    * The Burial Party

Aside from locating, digging, and refilling the hole, the most important factors in this part of the emplacement operation may be expressed with one word: Personnel. Since it is almost
impossible to prevent every member of the burial party from knowing the location of the cache, each member is a prime security problem as long as the cache remains intact. Thus, planners must keep the burial party as small as possible and select each member with utmost care. Once selected, each member Must have adequate cover to explain his absence from home or work during the operation, his trip to and from the site, and his possession of whatever equipment cannot be concealed on the way. Transportation for the burial party may be a problem, depending on the number of persons, how far they must go, and what equipment they must take. When planners have worked out all details of the operation, they must brief every member of the burial party on exactly what he is to do from start to finish.

    * The Operational Schedule

The final step in planning the emplacement operation is to make a schedule to set the date, time, and place for every step of the operation that requires advance coordination. The schedule will depend mainly on the circumstances, but to be practical it must include a realistic estimate of how long it will take to complete the burial. Here generalizations are worthless, and the only sure guide is actual experience under similar conditions. Planners should consider three things with respect to scheduling. A careful burial job probably will take longer than most novices will expect. Therefore, if circumstances require a tight schedule, a dry run or test exercise before taking the package to the site may be advisable. Unless the site is exceptionally well concealed or isolated, night burial will be required to avoid detection. Because of the difficulties of working in the dark, a night time practice exercise is especially advisable. The schedule should permit waiting for advantageous weather conditions. The difficulties of snow have already been mentioned. Rainy weather increases the problems of digging and complicates the cover story. If the burial is to be done at night, a moonless or a heavy overcast night is desirable.

    * Site Approach

Regardless of how effective the cover of actions during the trip to the cache site, the immediate approach must be completely unobserved to avoid detection of the burial. To reduce the risk of the party being observed, planners must carefully select the point where the burial party disappears, perhaps by turning off a road into woods. They should as carefully select the reappearance point. In addition, the return trip should be by a different route. The burial party should strictly observe the rule for concealed movement. The party should proceed cautiously and silently along a route that makes the best use of natural concealment. Concealed movement requires foresight, with special attention to using natural concealment while reconnoitring the route and to preventing rattles when preparing
the package and contents.

    * Security Measures at the Site

The burial party must maintain maximum vigilance at the caches site, since detection can be disastrous. The time spent at the site is the most critical. At least one lookout should be on guard constantly. If one man must do the burial by himself, he should pause frequently to look and listen. The burial party should use flashlight or lanterns as little as possible, and should take special care to mask the glare. Planning should include emergency actions in case the burial party is interrupted. The party should be so thoroughly briefed that it will respond instantly to any sign of danger. Planner should also consider the various escape routes and whether the party will attempt to retain the package or conceal it along the
escape route.

    * Steps in Digging and Refilling

Although procedures will vary slightly with the design of the cache, persons involved in caching operations must never overlook certain basic steps. The whole procedure is designed to restore the site to normal as far as possible.

    * Site Sterilization

When the hole is refilled, make a special effort to ensure that the site is left sterile-restored to normal in every way, with no clues left to indicate burial or the burial party’s visit to the vicinity. Since sterilization is most important for the security of the operation, the schedule should allow ample time to complete these final steps in an unhurried, thorough manner. Dispose of any excess soil far enough away from the site to avoid attracting attention to the
site. Flushing the excess soil into a stream is the ideal solution. Check all tools and equipment against a checklist to ensure that nothing is left behind. This should include all personnel items that may drop from pockets. To keep this risk to a minimum, members of the burial party should carry nothing on their persons except the essentials for doing the job and covering their actions. Make a final inspection of the site for any traces of the burial. Because this step is more difficult on a dark night, use of a carefully prepared checklist is essential. With a night burial, returning to the site in the daytime to inspect it for telltale evidence may be advisable, if this can be done safely.

SUBMERSION
Emplacing a submerged cache always involves two basic steps: weighting the container to keep it from floating to the surface and mooring it keep it in place.

    * Container Weighting and Mooring

Ordinarily, container weights rest on the bottom of the lake or river and function as anchors, and the mooring connect the anchors to the container. The moorings must also serve a second function, which is to provide a handle for pulling the cache to the surface when it is recovered. If the moorings are not accessible for recovery, another line must extend from the cache to a fixed, accessible object in the water or on shore. There are four types of moorings.
(1) Spider Web Mooring. The container is attached to several mooring cables that radiate to anchors placed around it to form a web. The container must be buoyant so that it lifts the cables for enough off the bottom to be readily secured by grappling. The site must be located exactly at the time of emplacement by visual sightings to fixed landmarks in the water, or along the shore, using several FRP’s to establish a point where two sighted lines intersect. For recovery, the site is located by taking sightings on the reference points, when a mooring cable is engaged by dragging the bottom of diving. This method of mooring is most difficult for recovery. It can be used only where the bottom is smooth and firm enough for dragging, or where the water is not too deep, cold, or murky for diving.
(2) Line-to-Shore Mooring. A line in run from the weighted container to an immovable object along the shore. The section of the line that extends from the shore to the shore must be buried in the ground or otherwise well concealed.
(3) Buoy Mooring. A line is run from the weighted container to a buoy or other fixed, floating marker, and fastened well below the waterline. This method is secure only as long as the buoy is left in place. Buoys are generally inspected and repainted every six months or so. The inspection schedule should be determined before a buoy is used.
(4) Structural Mooring. A line for retrieving the weighted container is run to a bridge pier or other solid structure in the water. This line must be fastened well below the low-water mark.

    * Essential Data for Submersion

Whatever method of mooring is used, planners must carefully consider certain data before designing a submerged cache. The cache very likely will be lost if any of the following critical factors are overlooked:

    * Buoyancy.

Many containers are buoyant even when filled, so the container must be weighted sufficiently to submerge it and keep it in place. If the contents do not provide enough weight, emplacers must make up the balance by attaching a weight to the container. The approximate weight needed to attain zero buoyancy is shown in Appendix. This figure applies to several sizes of stainless steel containers. The weighting required for any container can be calculated theoretically if the displacement of the container and the gross weight of the container plus its contents are known. This calculation may be useful for designing an anchor, but is should not be relied upon for actual emplacement. To avoid hurried improvisation during emplacement, emplacers should always test the buoyancy in advance by actually submerging the weighted container. This test determines only that a submerged cache will not float to the surface. Additional weighting may be required to keep it from drifting along the bottom. As a general rule, the additional weight should be a least one-tenth of the gross weight required to make the container sink; more weight is advisable if strong currents are present.

    * Submersion depth.

Planners must first determine the depth which the container is to be submerged to calculate the water pressure that the container must withstand. The greater the depth, the greater the danger that the container will be crushed by water pressure. For instance, the standard stainless steel burial container will buckle at a depth of approximately 4.3 meters. The difficulty of waterproofing also increases with depth. Thus, the container should not be submerged any deeper than necessary to avoid detection. As a general rule, 2.2 meters is the maximum advisable depth for caching. If seasonal or tidal variations in the water level require deeper submersion, the container should be tested by actual submersion to the maximum depth it must withstand.

    * Depth of the Water.

Emplacers must measure accurately the depth of the water where at the point where the cache is to be placed. The will be the submersion depth if the cache is designed so that the container rests on the bottom of the lake or river. The container may be suspended some distance above the bottom, but the depth of the water must be known to determine the length of moorings connecting the containers to the anchors.
High-and-Low-Water Marks. Any tidal or seasonal changes in the depth of the water should be estimated as accurately as possible. Emplacers must consider the low-water mark to ensure that low water will not leave cache exposed. The high-water point also should be considered to ensure that the increased depth will crush the container or prevent recovery.

    * Type of Bottom.

Emplacers should probe as thoroughly as possible the bed of the lake or river in the vicinity of the cache. If the bottom is soft and silky, the cache may sink into the muck, become covered with sediment, or drift out of place. If the bottom is rocky or covered with debris, the mooring may become snagged. Any of these conditions may make recovery very difficult.

    * Water Motion. Emplacers should consider tides, currents, and waves because any water motion will put additional strain on the moorings of the cache. Moorings must be strong enough to withstand the greatest possible strain. If the water motion tends to rock the cache, emplacers must take special care to prevent the moorings from rubbing and fraying.

    * Clearness of the Water.

When deciding how deep to submerge the cache, emplacers mustfirst determine how far the cache can be seen through the water. If the water is clear, the cache may need to be camouflaged by painting the container to match the bottom. (Always paint shiny metallic fixtures a dull colour.) Very murk water makes recovery by divers more difficult.

    * Water Temperature.

Planners must consider seasonal changes in the temperature of the water. Recovery may be impossible in the winter if the water freezes. The dates when the lake or river usually freezes and thaws should be determined as accurately as possible.

    * Salt Water.

Since seawater is much more corrosive than fresh water, tidal estuaries and lagoons should not be used for caching. The only exception is the maritime re-supply operation, where equipment may be submerged temporarily along the seacoast until it can be recovered by a shore party.
CONCEALMENT
There are many different ways to conceal a cache in natural or ready-made hiding places. For instance, if a caching party were hiding weapons and ammunition in a cave, relying entirely on natural concealment, the emplacement operation would be reduced to simply locating the site. No tools would be needed except paper, pencil and a flashlight. On the other hand, if the party were sealing a packet of jewels in a brick wall, a skilled mason would be needed, his kit of tools, and a supply of mortar expertly mixed to match the original brick
wall. When planning for concealment, planners must know the local residents and their customs. During the actual emplacement, the caching party must ensure the operation is not observed. The final sterilization of the site is especially important, since a concealment site is usually open to frequent observation.

CACHING COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT
As a general rule, all equipment for a particular purpose (demolitions, survival) should be included in one container. Some equipment, however, is so sensitive from a security standpoint that it should be packed in several containers and cached in different locations to minimize the danger of discovery by the enemy. This is particularly true of communications equipment, since under some circumstances anyone who acquires a whole RT set with a signal plan and cryptographic material would be able to play the set back. An especially dangerous type of penetration would result. In the face of this danger, the signal plan and the cryptographic material must never be placed in the same container. Ideally a
communications kit should be distributed among three containers and cached in different locations. If three containers are used, the distribution may be as follows:
Container #1: The RT set, including the crystals.
Container #2: The signal plan and operational supplies for the RT operator, such as
Currency, barter and small arms.
Container #3: The cryptographic material.
When several containers are used for one set of equipment, they must be placed far enough apart so that if one is discovered, the others will not be detected in the immediate vicinity. On the other hand, they should be located close enough together so that they can be recovered conveniently in one operation. The distance between containers will depend on the particular situation, but ordinarily they should be at least 10 meters apart. One final reference point ordinarily is used for a multiple cache. The caching party should be careful to avoid placing multiple caches in a repeated pattern. Discovery of one multiple cache would give the opposition a guide for probing others placed in a similar pattern.
CACHING MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
A feasibility study must be performed to determine the need for the caching of medical supplies. The purpose of caches is to store excess medical supplies, to maintain mobility, and deny access to the enemy. Also caching large stockpiles of medical supplies allows prepositioning vital supplies in anticipation of future planned operations.
THE CACHE REPORT
The final step, which is vital in every emplacement operation, is the preparation of a cache report. This report records the essential data for recovery. The cache report must provide all of the information that someone unfamiliar with the locality needs to find his way to the site, recover the cache, and return safely. The report format follows.
THE TWELVE-POINT CACHE REPORT
1. Type of Cache
2. Method of Caching
3. Contents
4. Description of Containers
5. General Area
6. Immediate Area
7. Cache Location
8. Emplacement Details
9. Operational Data and Remarks
10. Dates of Emplacement and Duration of the Cache
11. Sketches and Diagrams
12. Radio Message for Recovery
Content
The most important parts of the cache report must include instructions for finding and recovering the cache. it should also include any other information that will ease planning the recover operation. Since the details will depend upon the situation and the particular needs of each organization, the exact format of the report cannot be prescribed. The Twelve-Point cache Report is intended merely to point out the minimum essential data. Whatever format is used, the importance of attention to detail cannot be overemphasized. A careless error or omission in the cache report may prevent recovery of the cache when it is needed.
Procedure
The observer should collect as much data as possible during the personal reconnaissance to assist in selecting a site and planning emplacement and recovery operations. Drafting the cache report before emplacement is also advisable. Following these procedures will reveal the omissions. Then the missing data can be obtained at the site. If this procedure is followed, the preparation of the final cache report will be reduced to an after-action check. This check ensures that the cache actually was placed precisely where planned and that all other descriptive details are accurate. Although this ideal may seldom be realized, two procedures always should be followed:
· The caching party should complete the final cache report as soon as possible after
emplacement, as details are fresh in mind.
· Someone who has not visited the site should check the instructions by using them to lead the party to the site. When so such person is available, someone should visit the site shortly after emplacement, provided he can do so securely. If the cache has been embraced at night, a visit to the site in daylight may also provide an opportunity to check on the sterilization of the site.
This Document is Copyright by the United States Military. This edition was first published by Soldier of Fortune Magazine

http://www.prepperideas.com/special-forces-manual-on-building-and-maintaining-supply-caches/

Jewelweed seed gathering from Kim's Herbal Guide

2012-10-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

From Kim over at Kim's Herbal Guide, a video on the Jewelweed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlha_ARqqwk&feature=plcp

Re-post How our cities may explode

2012-10-01T19:56:00.001-07:00

This is a possible scenario on how our cities may explode. A lot of folks online have talked about "Martial Law" most rather fearfully, think of a worse alternative, chaos, as the largest urban areas collapse in fire and violence and the government not being able to stop it. In the hurricane Katrina event something along the lines of one third of our deploy able military was soaked up restoring order, could the forces of law restore order if 3 or more cities fell apart at the same time? Think about it.... One of the reasons I am a prepper.

Here is the excerpt from the article:

How our cities might explode

This is a really good read, long, but worth it, please take the time and read it. I did not write this, and I give credit to the author just below. I just knew I had to post it after I read it.

From Matt Bracken:

In response to recent articles in mainstream military journals discussing the use of the U.S. Army to quell insurrections on American soil, I offer an alternate vision of the future. Instead of a small town in the South as the flash point, picture instead a score of U.S. cities in the thrall of riots greater than those experienced in Los Angeles in 1965 (Watts), multiple cities in 1968 (MLK assassination), and Los Angeles again in 1992 (Rodney King). New Yorkers can imagine the 1977 blackout looting or the 1991 Crown Heights disturbance. In fact, the proximate spark of the next round of major riots in America could be any from a long list cribbed from our history.

We have seen them all before, and we shall see them all again as history rhymes along regardless of the century or the generation of humankind nominally in control of events. But the next time we are visited by widespread, large-scale urban riots, a dangerous new escalation may be triggered by a fresh vulnerability: It’s estimated that the average American home has less than two weeks of food on hand. In poor minority areas, it may be much less. What if a cascading economic crisis, even a temporary one, leads to millions of EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards flashing nothing but ERROR? This could also be the result of deliberate sabotage by hackers, or other technical system failures. Alternatively, the government might pump endless digits into the cards in a hopeless attempt to outpace future hyperinflation. The government can order the supermarkets to honor the cards, and it can even set price controls, but history’s verdict is clear: If suppliers are paid only with worthless scrip or blinking digits, the food will stop.

STEP ONE: FLASH MOB LOOTING

In my scenario, the initial riots begin spontaneously across affected urban areas, as SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) and other government welfare recipients learn that their EBT cards no longer function. This sudden revelation will cause widespread anger, which will quickly lead to the flash-mob looting of local supermarkets and other businesses. The media will initially portray these “food riots” as at least partly justifiable. Sadly, millions of Americans have been made largely, or even entirely, dependent on government wealth transfer payments to put food on their tables.

A new social contract has been created, where bread and circuses buy a measure of peace in our minority-populated urban zones. In the era of ubiquitous big-screen cable television, the Internet and smart phones, the circus part of the equation is never in doubt as long as the electricity flows. But the bread is highly problematic. Food must be delivered the old-fashioned way: physically. Any disruption in the normal functioning of the EBT system will lead to food riots with a speed that is astonishing. This will inevitably happen when our unsustainable, debt-fueled binge party finally stops, and the music is over. Now that the delivery of free or heavily subsidized food is perceived by tens of millions of Americans to be a basic human right, the cutoff of “their” food money will cause an immediate explosion of rage. When the hunger begins to bite, supermarkets, shops and restaurants will be looted, and initially the media will not condemn the looting. Unfortunately, this initial violence will only be the start of a dangerous escalation.

The ransacked supermarkets, convenience stores, ATMs and gas stations will not be restocked during this period due to the precarious security situation. A single truck loaded with food or gasoline would be perceived to be a Fort Knox on wheels and subject to immediate attack unless heavily protected by powerfully armed security forces, but such forces will not be available during this chaotic period. Under those conditions, resupply to the urban areas cannot and will not take place. The downward spiral of social and economic dysfunction will therefore both accelerate and spread from city to city. These delays, in turn, will lead to more riots with the constant underlying demand that hungry people be fed, one way or another.
Catch-22, anyone? When these demands do not bring the desired outcome, the participants will ratchet up the violence, hoping to force action by the feckless state and national governments.
The “food riots” will be a grass-roots movement of the moment born out of hunger and desperation. It will not be dependent upon leaders or an underlying organization, although they could certainly add to the sauce. Existing cell phone technology provides all the organization a flash mob needs. Most of the mobs will consist of minority urban youths, termed MUYs in the rest of this essay. Which minority doesn’t matter; each urban locale will come with its own unique multi-ethnic dynamic.

Some locales will divide upon religious or political lines, but they will not be the dominant factors contributing to conflict. In the American context, the divisions will primarily have an ethnic or racial context, largely because that makes it easy to sort out the sides at a safe distance. No need to check religious or political affiliation at a hundred yards when The Other is of a different color.

We Americans are all about doing things the easy way, so, sadly, visible racial and ethnic features will form the predominant lines of division.
Would that it were not so, but reality is reality, even when it’s is a bitch.
Especially then.

NEXT STEP: FLASH MOB RIOTS

In order to highlight their grievances and escalate their demands for an immediate resumption of government benefits, the MUY flash mobs will next move their activities to the borders of their ethnic enclaves. They will concentrate on major intersections and highway interchanges where non-MUY suburban commuters must make daily passage to and from what forms of employment still exist. People making a living will still be using those roads to get to where they earn their daily bread.

The results of these clashes will frequently resemble the intersection of Florence and Normandie during the Rodney King riots in 1992, where Reginald Denny was pulled out of his truck’s cab and beaten nearly to death with a cinder block. If you don’t remember it, watch it on Youtube. Then imagine that scene with the mob-making accelerant of texting and other social media technology added to stoke the fires. Instead of a few dozen thugs terrorizing the ambushed intersections, in minutes there will be hundreds.

Rioters will throw debris such as shopping carts and trash cans into the intersection, causing the more timid drivers to pause. The mobs will swarm the lines of trapped cars once they have stopped. Traffic will be forced into gridlock for blocks in all directions. Drivers and passengers of the wrong ethnic persuasions will be pulled from their vehicles to be beaten, robbed, and in some cases raped and/or killed. It will be hyper-violent and overtly racial mob behavior, on a massive and undeniable basis.

Some of those trapped in their cars will try to drive out of the area, inevitably knocking down MUY pedestrians and being trapped by even more outraged MUYs. The commuters will be dragged out of their cars and kicked or beaten to death. Other suburban commuters will try to shoot their way out of the lines of stopped cars, and they will meet the same grim fate once they run out of bullets and room to escape.

The mob will be armed with everything from knives, clubs and pistols to AK-47s. A bloodbath will result. These unlucky drivers and their passengers will suffer horribly, and some of their deaths will be captured on traffic web cameras. Later, these terrible scenes will be released or leaked by sympathetic government insiders and shown by the alternative media, which continue to expand as the traditional media become increasingly irrelevant.
Implausible, you insist?

This grim tableau is my analysis of age-old human behavior patterns, adding flash mobs and 2012 levels of racial anger to the old recipe. Early-teenage MUYs today are frequently playing “The Knockout Game” on full bellies, just for kicks, and proudly uploading the videos. They and their older peers can be expected to do far worse when hunger and the fear of starvation enter their physical, mental, and emotional equations. The blame for their hunger will be turned outward against the greater society, and will be vented at first hand against any non-MUY who falls into their grasp while they are in the thrall of mob hysteria. These episodes of mass psychology we will refer to as “flash mob riots”, “wilding”, or some other new name.

THE OFFICIAL POLICE RESPONSE TO FLASH MOB RIOTS

To gear up for even a single “Florence and Normandie on steroids” flash mob street riot, city police departments will require an hour or longer to stage their SWAT teams and riot squads in position to react. Ordinary patrol cars in small numbers will not venture anywhere near such roiling masses of hysterical rioters, not even to perform rescues. Those citizens trapped in their cars cannot expect timely assistance from local or state authorities.

Even in the first days of widespread riots, when the police forces are well rested, it might take several hours to mount a response sufficient to quell the disturbance and restore order to even one major street intersection riot. In the meantime, scores of innocent commuters will have been attacked, with many of them injured or killed and left at the scene. It will be a law enforcement nightmare to quell the disturbance, mop up lingering rioters, restore security, and bring medical attention to the living and get medical examiners to the dead. And each jurisdiction will face potentially dozens of such scenes, thanks to the ability for MUYs to cross-communicate at will using their wireless devices.

The far more difficult challenge for the police is that by the time they are suited in riot gear, armed and geared up to sweep the intersection, it will probably be empty of rioters. The police, with their major riot squad reaction times measured in hours, will be fighting flash mobs that materialize, cause mayhem, and evaporate in only fractions of hours. This rapid cycle time is a clear lesson taken from massive riots by immigrant French Muslim MUYs in their own religious enclaves and bordering areas.

The American flash mob riot will exist almost entirely inside the law enforcement OODA (observe, orient, decide, act) loop. In other words, the rioters will have a much quicker reaction time than the police. Until fairly recently, superior police communications meant that they could use their radio networks as a force multiplier. With their networking advantage and cohesive reactions both within a department and among cooperating local agencies, police could act as shepherds guiding or dispersing a wayward stampeding flock.

Today, the mob has the greater advantage, immediately spreading word of every police preparation by text and Tweet, even in advance of the police movement. Attempts by the authorities to stop the flash mobs by blocking and jamming wireless transmissions will have limited success.

It is at this point that the situation spirals out of control.
The enraged mobs in urban America will soon recognize that their spontaneous street riots cannot be stopped by the police, and then they will grow truly fearsome. For the police, it will be a losing game of Whack-a-Mole, with riots breaking out and dispersing at a speed they cannot hope to match. The violence will spread to previously unaffected cities as an awareness of law enforcement impotence is spread by television and social media. After a few days, the police forces will be exhausted and demoralized. As the violence intensifies and spreads, and in the absence of any viable security arrangements, supermarkets and other stores will not be restocked, leaving the MUYs even more desperate and angry than before. The increasing desperation born of worsening hunger will refuel the escalating spiral of violence.

Nor will violent conflict be only between the inhabitants of the urban areas and the suburbs. The international record of conflict in tri-ethnic cities is grim, making the old bi-racial dichotomy formerly seen in America seem stable by comparison. In tri-ethnic cities the perceived balance of power is constantly shifting, with each side in turn feeling outnumbered and out muscled. Temporary truces, betrayals and new alliances follow in rapid succession, removing any lingering sense of social cohesion.

The former Yugoslavia, with its Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim divisions, comes starkly to mind. The Lebanese Civil War between the Christians, Sunnis, Shiites and Druze raged across Beirut (at one time known as “The Paris of the Middle East”) for fifteen brutal years. Once a city turns on itself and becomes a runaway engine of self-destruction, it can be difficult to impossible to switch off the process and return to normal pre-conflict life. It’s not inconceivable that the United States could produce a dozen Sarajevos or Beiruts, primarily across racial instead of religious divides.

Vehicle traffic by non-minority suburban commuters through adjoining minority areas will virtually halt, wrecking what is left of the local economy. Businesses will not open because employees will not be able to travel to work safely. Businesses in minority areas, needless to say, will be looted. “Gentrified” enclaves of affluent suburbanites within or near the urban zones will suffer repeated attacks, until their inhabitants flee.

Radically disaffected minorities will hold critical infrastructure corridors through their areas hostage against the greater society. Highways, railroad tracks, pipe and power lines will all be under constant threat, or may be cut in planned or unplanned acts of raging against “the system.” As long as security in the urban areas cannot be restored, these corridors will be under threat. Even airports will not be immune. Many of them have been absorbed into urban areas, and aircraft will come under sporadic fire while taking off and landing.

In the absence of fresh targets of value blundering into their areas, and still out of food, MUYs will begin to forage beyond their desolated home neighborhoods and into suburban borderlands. “Safe” supermarkets and other stores will be robbed in brazen commando-like gang attacks. Carjackings and home invasions will proliferate madly. As I have discussed in my essay “The Civil War Two Cube,” so-called “transitional” and mixed-ethnic areas will suffer the worst violence. These neighborhoods will become utterly chaotic killing zones, with little or no help coming from the overstretched police, who will be trying to rest up for their next shift on riot squad duty, if they have not already deserted their posts to take care of their own families.

THE SUBURBAN ARMED VIGILANTE RESPONSE

In the absence of an effective official police response to the exploding levels of violence, suburbanites will first hastily form self-defense forces to guard their neighborhoods—especially ones located near ethnic borders. These ubiquitous neighborhood armed defense teams will often have a deep and talented bench from which to select members, and they will not lack for volunteers.

Since 9-11, hundreds of thousands of young men (and more than a few women) have acquired graduate-level educations in various aspects of urban warfare. In the Middle East these troops were frequently tasked with restoring order to urban areas exploding in internecine strife. Today these former military men and women understand better than anyone the life-or-death difference between being armed and organized versus unarmed and disorganized.

Hundreds of thousands if not millions of veterans currently own rifles strikingly similar to those they carried in the armed forces, lacking only the full-automatic selector switch. Their brothers, sisters, parents, friends, and neighbors who did not serve in the military are often just as familiar with the weapons, if not the tactics. Today the AR-pattern rifle (the semi-automatic civilian version of the familiar full-auto-capable M-16 or M-4) is the most popular model of rifle in America, with millions sold in the past decade. Virtually all of them produced in the past decade have abandoned the old M-16′s signature “carrying handle” rear iron sight for a standardized sight mounting rail, meaning that virtually every AR sold today can be easily equipped with an efficient optical sight. Firing the high-velocity 5.56×45 mm cartridge and mounted with a four-power tactical sight, a typical AR rifle can shoot two-inch groups at one hundred yards when fired from a steady bench rest. That translates to shooting eight- to ten-inch groups at four hundred yards.

Four hundred yards is a long walk. Pace it off on a straight road, and observe how tiny somebody appears at that distance. Yet a typical AR rifle, like those currently owned by millions of American citizens, can hit a man-sized target at that range very easily, given a stable firing platform and a moderate level of shooting ability.

And there are a far greater number of scoped bolt-action hunting rifles in private hands in the United States. Keep this number in mind: based on deer stamps sold, approximately twenty million Americans venture into the woods every fall armed with such rifles, fully intending to shoot and kill a two-hundred-pound mammal. Millions of these scoped bolt-action deer rifles are quite capable of hitting a man-sized target at ranges out to and even beyond a thousand yards, or nearly three-fifths of a mile. In that context, the 500-yard effective range of the average semi-auto AR-pattern rifle is not at all remarkable.

So, we have millions of men and women with military training, owning rifles similar to the ones they used in combat operations overseas from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Many of these Soldiers and Marines have special operations training. They are former warriors with experience at conducting irregular warfare and counter-terrorism operations in dangerous urban environments. They are the opposite of unthinking robots: their greatest military talent is looking outside the box for new solutions. They always seek to “over-match” their enemies, using their own advantages as force multipliers while diminishing or concealing their weaknesses. These military veterans are also ready, willing and able to pass on their experience and training to interested students in their civilian circles.

Let’s return to our hypothetical Florence and Normandie intersection, but this time with hundreds of rioters per city block, instead of mere dozens. Among the mobs are thugs armed with pistols and perhaps even AK-47s equipped with standard iron sights, and except in rare cases, these rifles have never been “zeroed in” on a target range. In other words, past a medium distance of fifty to a hundred yards, these MUY shooters will have little idea where their fired bullets will strike—nor will they care. Typically, most of the rioters armed with a pistol, shotgun or an iron-sighted rifle could not hit a mailbox at a hundred yards unless by luck. Inside that distance, any non-MUY could be at immediate risk of brutal death at the hands of an enraged mob, but beyond that range, the mob will pose much less danger.
Taking this imbalance in effective ranges of the firearms most likely to be available to both sides, certain tactical responses are sure to arise, and ranking near the top will be the one described next.

THE SNIPER AMBUSH: THE NEW TACTIC OF CHOICE

The sniper ambush will predictably be used as a counter to rampaging mobs armed only with short- to medium-range weapons. This extremely deadly trick was developed by our war fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan, taking advantage of the significant effective range and firepower of our scoped 5.56mm rifles. Tactics such as the sniper ambush may not be seen early in the civil disorder, but they will surely arise after a steady progression of atrocities attributed to rampaging MUYs.

Street intersection flash mob riots will not be the only type of violence exploding during periods of civil disorder. As mentioned earlier, the number and ferocity of home invasions will skyrocket, and they will be very hard to defend against. Neighborhood self-defense forces will be able to protect a group of homes if they are located on cul-de-sacs or in defensible subdivisions with limited entrances, turning them overnight into fortified gated communities. Individual homes and apartment buildings located in open grid-pattern neighborhoods with outside access from many directions will be much more difficult to defend, and the home invasions will continue.

Carjacking and other forms of armed robbery will proliferate to previously unimagined levels, leading to a total loss of confidence in the government’s ability to provide security across all social lines. Stray bullets striking pedestrians or penetrating houses will take a frightening toll, even in areas previously considered to be safe. The police will be exhausted by constant riot-squad duty, and will not even respond to reports of mere individual acts of violent criminality. They will simply be overwhelmed, and will be forced to triage their responses. The wealthy, powerful and politically well-connected will demand the lion’s share of remaining police resources, further diminishing the safety of average Americans.

In that context, neighborhood self-defense forces will form the nucleus of the armed vigilante direct action groups which will spring up next in the progression. Suburban anger will continue to build against the MUYs, who are perceived to be the originators of the home invasions and gang-level armed looting raids. Survivors of street ambushes, carjackings and home invasions will tell blood-curdling tales and show horrific scars.

The neighborhood defense teams will evolve into proactive suburban armed vigilante groups (SAVs) out of a desire to preemptively take the violence to their perceived enemies, instead of passively waiting for the next home invasion or carjacking. The SAV teams will consist of the more aggressive and gung-ho members of the self-defense forces, who met and compared notes. Often they will be young men with recent combat experience in the armed forces, who will apply their military training to the new situation. Major intersections and highway interchanges where ambush riots have previously occurred will be among the SAV targets. The SAV reaction times will be measured in minutes, compared to the hours required by major police department SWAT teams and riot squads.

A SAMPLE SNIPER AMBUSH SCENARIO

When word is received that a flash mob is forming at one of their pre-reconnoitered intersections or highway interchanges, the SAV team will assemble. Sometimes cooperating police will pass tactical intel to their civilian friends on the outside. Some clever individuals will have exploited their technical know-how and military experience to build real-time intel collection tools, such as private UAVs. Police will have access to urban security camera footage showing MUYs moving barricade materials into position—a normal prerequisite to a flash mob riot intended to stop traffic. Tip-offs to the vigilantes will be common, and where the networks are still functioning, citizens may still be able to access some video feeds. Sometimes, police will even join the SAV teams, incognito and off-duty, blurring the teams into so-called “death squads.”

The operation I will describe (and it’s only one of dozens that will be tried) uses two ordinary pickup trucks and eight fighters. Two riflemen are lying prone in the back of each truck, facing rearward, with removable canvas covers concealing their presence. Their semi-automatic, scoped rifles are supported at their front ends on bipods for very accurate shooting. A row of protective sandbags a foot high is between them and the raised tailgate.

In the cab are a driver and a spotter in the passenger seat who also serves as the vehicle’s 360-degree security. The two trucks don’t ever appear on the same stretch of road, but coordinate their movements using one-word brevity codes over small FRS walkie-talkie radios. Each truck has a series of predetermined elevated locations where the intersection in question will lie between 200 and 500 yards away. Each truck is totally nondescript and forgettable, the only detail perhaps being the non-MUY ethnicity of the suburbanite driver and spotter driving relatively near to a riot in progress.

By the time the two SAV pickup trucks arrive at their firing positions on different streets and oriented ninety degrees to one another, the flash mob riot is in full swing. A hundred or more of the rampaging youths are posturing and throwing debris into traffic in order to intimidate some cars into stopping. The riflemen in the backs of the pickups are waiting for this moment and know what to expect, trusting their spotters and drivers to give them a good firing lane. The spotters in each truck issue a code word on their radios when they are in final position. The tailgates are swung down, and the leader among the riflemen initiates the firing. All-around security is provided by the driver and spotter.

Lying prone and using their bipods for support, the shooters have five to ten degrees of pan or traverse across the entire intersection. Individual rioters are clearly visible in the shooters’ magnified optical scopes. Each of the four snipers has a plan to shoot from the outside of the mob toward the middle, driving participants into a panicked mass. The left-side shooters start on the left side and work to the middle, engaging targets with rapid fire, about one aimed shot per two seconds. Since the two trucks are set at ninety degrees to one another, very complete coverage will be obtained, even among and between the stopped vehicles.

The result is a turkey shoot. One magazine of thirty aimed shots per rifle is expended in under a minute, a coded cease-fire is called on the walkie-talkies, and the trucks drive away at the speed limit. The canvas covering the truck beds contains the shooters’ spent brass. If the trucks are attacked from medium or close range, the canvas can be thrown back and the two snipers with their semi-automatic rifles or carbines will add their firepower to that of the driver and spotter.

Back at the intersection, complete panic breaks out among the rioters as a great number of bullets have landed in human flesh. Over a score have been killed outright, and many more scream in pain for medical attention they will not receive in time. The sniper ambush stops the flash mob cold in its tracks as the uninjured flee in terror, leaving their erstwhile comrades back on the ground bleeding. The commuters trapped in their vehicles may have an opportunity to escape.

This type of sniper ambush and a hundred variations on the theme will finally accomplish what the police could not: put an end to mobs of violent rioters making the cities through-streets and highways impassible killing zones. Would-be rioters will soon understand it to be suicidal to cluster in easily visible groups and engage in mob violence, as the immediate response could come at any time in the form of aimed fire from hundreds of yards away. Even one rifleman with a scoped semi-auto can break up a medium-sized riot.

Many citizens will take to carrying rifles and carbines in their vehicles, along with their pistols, so that if their cars are trapped in an ambush they will have a chance to fight their way out. If their vehicle is stopped outside the immediate area of the flash mob, they will be able to direct accurate fire at the rioters from a few hundred yards away. Inside the fatal hundred-yard radius, unlucky suburbanite drivers and passengers pulled from their cars will still be brutally violated, but the occurrences of large mob-driven street ambushes will be much less frequent once long-range retaliation becomes a frequent expectation.

THE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO VIGILANTISM

Where they will be unable to respond swiftly or effectively to the outbreaks of street riots by MUY flash mobs, the police and federal agents will respond vigorously to the deadly but smaller vigilante attacks. These sniper ambushes and other SAV attacks will be called acts of domestic terrorism and mass murder by government officials and the mainstream media. A nearly seamless web of urban and suburban street cameras will reveal some of the SAV teams by their vehicles, facial recognition programs, and other technical means. Some early arrests will be made, but the vigilantes will adapt to increasing law enforcement pressure against them by becoming cleverer about their camouflage, most often using stolen cars and false uniforms and masks during their direct-action missions. Observe Mexico today for ideas on how this type of dirty war is fought.

Eventually, the U.S. Army itself might be called upon to put out all the social firestorms in our cities, restore order and security, pacify the angry masses, feed the starving millions, get vital infrastructure operating again, and do it all at once in a dozen American Beiruts, Sarajevos and Mogadishus.

Good luck to them, I say.
A few hundred “Active IRA” tied down thousands of British troops in one corner of a small island for decades. The same ratios have served the Taliban well over the past decade while fighting against the combined might of NATO. Set aside for a moment the angry starving millions trapped in the urban areas, and the dire security issues arising thereof. Just to consider the official reaction to vigilantism separately, it’s unlikely that any conceivable combinations of local and state police, federal law enforcement, National Guard or active-duty Army actions could neutralize or eliminate tens of thousands of former special operations troops intent on providing their own form of security. Millions of Americans are already far better armed and trained than a few hundred IRA or Taliban ever were. And the police and Army would not be operating from secure fire bases, their families living in total safety thousands of miles away in a secure rear area. In this scenario, there is no rear area, and every family member, anywhere, would be at perpetual risk of reprisal actions by any of the warring sides.

In this hyper-dangerous environment, new laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in vehicles would be ignored as the illegitimate diktat of dictatorship, just when the Second Amendment is needed more than ever. Police or military conducting searches for firearms at checkpoints would themselves become targets of vigilante snipers. Serving on anti-firearms duty would be seen as nothing but pure treason by millions of Americans who took the oath to defend the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights. Politicians who did not act in the security interest of their local constituents as a result of political correctness or other reasons would also be targeted.

A festering race war with police and the military in the middle taking fire from both sides could last for many years, turning many American cities into a living hell. Remember history: when the British Army landed in Northern Ireland in 1969, they were greeted with flowers and applause from the Catholics. The Tommys were welcomed as peacekeepers who would protect them from Protestant violence. That soon changed. Likewise with our tragic misadventure in Lebanon back in 1982 and 1983. Well-intended referees often find themselves taking fire from all sides. It’s as predictable as tomorrow’s sunrise. Why would it be any different when the U.S. Army is sent to Los Angeles, Chicago or Philadelphia to break apart warring ethnic factions?
For a long time after these events, it will be impossible for the warring ethnic groups to live together or even to mingle peacefully. Too much rage and hatred will have been built up on all sides of our many American multi-ethnic fault lines. The new wounds will be raw and painful for many years to come, as they were in the South for long after the Civil War. The fracturing of the urban areas, divided by no-man’s-lands, will also hinder economic redevelopment for many years because the critical infrastructure corridors will remain insecure.

Eventually, high concrete “Peace Walls” like those in Belfast, Northern Ireland, will be installed where the different ethnic groups live in close proximity. That is, if recovery to sane and civilized norms of behavior are ever regained in our lifetimes and we don’t slide into a new Dark Age, a stern and permanent tyranny, warlordism, anarchy, or any other dire outcome.
Dark Ages can last for centuries, after sinking civilizations in a vicious, downward vortex. “When the music’s over, turn out the lights,” to quote Jim Morrison of The Doors. Sometimes the lights stay out for a long time. Sometimes civilization itself is lost. Millions of EBT cards flashing zeroes might be the signal event of a terrible transformation.

It is a frightening thing to crystallize the possible outbreak of mass starvation and racial warfare into words, so that the mind is forced to confront agonizingly painful scenarios. It is much easier to avert one’s eyes and mind from the ugliness with politically correct Kumbaya bromides. In this grim essay, I am describing a brutal situation of ethnic civil war not differing much from the worst scenes from recent history in Rwanda, South Africa, Mexico, Bosnia, Iraq, and many other places that have experienced varying types and degrees of societal collapse. We all deplore the conditions that might drive us toward such a hellish outcome, and we should work unceasingly to return America to the path of true brotherhood, peace and prosperity. Race hustlers of every stripe should be condemned.

Most of us wish we could turn back the calendar to Norman Rockwell’s America. But we cannot, for that America is water long over the dam and gone from our sight, if not from our memories. John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” If that is true, judging by current and even accelerating cultural shifts, we might already have passed the point of no return.

The prudent American will trim his sails accordingly.

http://tacticalpatriot.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-our-cities-might-explode.html

Five Points in Setting up a Patrol Base

2012-10-01T19:41:00.003-07:00

FIVE POINTS TO SET UP A PATROL BASE:

A Patrol Base is used when doing a patrol to provide a secure point as a base of operations for the patrol conducting the work and is established by a larger element.

5 Points to remember when establi...

shing a Patrol Base.

1. You must be able to defend the patrol base from all directions but is it is discovered, your aim is to melt away, not to stand you ground.

2. The position you select to establish your patrol base in must be easy to conceal and off the beaten track.

3.The Patrol Base must be established near a supply of fresh water you can purify to drink. This is essential.

4. The terrain you establish the patrol base in must not interfere with any radio communications your unit is using although you should for the sake of security restrict your use of radio communications to avoid discovery in a high tech environment.

5. The Patrol Base should be established near enough to the objective of your mission to allow your main force to support your Raid, Ambush or Recon patrol.

These are combat arms tricks we used back when but are not only useful for your tactical teams but also for any movement your teams make.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SurvivalHaven/doc/469039409793000/

Cooking Carp

2012-09-30T19:41:00.003-07:00

Cooking Carp

When I was growing up, my family lived on a subsistence farm part of which lay in the bottom-lands along the Kalamazoo River East of Battle Creek, Michigan. At that time before the 10 August 2010 Enbridge oil spill, the river was relatively unpolluted and particularly after my Dad died when I was 12 we gathered a lot of our meals from the river bottom-lands.

Even today if you can find the rare areas of more or less unpolluted river bottom lands, the marshes are some of the richest food gathering areas you can find.

One of the easiest meals were the huge carp that migrated up and down the river to spawn. We netted them and also would spear them whenever we got the chance and even occasionally caught one of the 20 to 30 pound monster fish on a hook and line, Wow was that a fight!

A carp is pretty much despised here but we ate them just as they do in Europe. Grandpa would smoke them and we had several other recipes.

The instant the carp is out of the water kill it, hang it by the lips and cut a half inch oval from the bottom of the tail just behind the carp's anal orifice. The fish will bleed out from that and most any residual taste from their indiscriminate feeding habits will leave with the blood.

When the fish stops bleeding clean the carp by scaling it, cut out all if its fins and a half inch area around them skin the fish and then we found that by scrubbing the fish with a clean clothe dipped in salted water it would remove any "muddy" taste. (use about 1 teaspoon of salt per quart of water for your scrub)

Cook the carp as soon after cleaning as you can. A carp has soft flesh and many bones but that never bothered us when we were hungry, and smoked carp, smoked over a hickory or apple smoke is pretty good.

Here are some more recipes for the carp we caught.

My grandpa's favorite was Carp in beer.

You will need

a 4 to 5 pound freshly caught carp cleaned as above.
a cup of salt.
2 medium sized white onions.
a lemon.
a bay leave.
6 black peppercorns.
1 11 ounce bottle of dark beer, grandpa made his own so I don't know what brand.
a tablespoon of fresh butter.
a tablespoon of white flour.
a teaspoon of sugar.
a 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger.

Now cut the fish into 1 inch thick slices.
Spread the fish pieces with salt covering both sides and let them lay for 30 minutes.
Scrap of the salt and wipe the pieces of fish clean.
Lay the slices of fish in a large lightly greased skillet and place over them piece of cheesecloth large enough to form a bag or a envelop when doubled over on itself.
Put the onions and lemon on the piece of cloth after slicing them very very thin, also the bay leaf and the peppercorns.
Fold the cloth over to close it like a bag over the onion and lemon slices tie both ends of the cloth bag.
Now pour the beer over the fish, if it isn't enough to cover the fish slices add more beer.
Close the pan and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes.
The flesh of the fish should flake easily with a fork when the fish is done.
Now remove and discard the bag with the onion and lemon slices (we fed it to the pigs.)
Lift out the pieces of fish and slip them to a warmer platter to keep warm.
Work the butter, flour sugar and ginger into a smooth paste and add this in small flakes to the liquid remaining in the pan.Stir it until smooth.
Pour over the fish slices.
Serve.

This will serve 6 to 8 normal folks and closer to 4 to 5 hungry farm-working kids.

Another good recipe my Mom likes is Carp Fish in Tomato Sauce.

You will need:

a 4 to 5 pound cleaned carp, (see above on cleaning carp).
1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh sweet butter.
6 green onions. (Mince them).
1 minced garlic clove.
a bay leave.
A pinch of Thyme.
1/2 teaspoon salt.
a large pinch or dash of black pepper.
2 cups of red wine.
1/2 cup of tomato paste (we make our own from Roma tomatoes)
2 tablespoons of cooking brandy.

This can be cooked in a Dutch Oven or in a tightly closed pan in the kitchen.

Butter the pan or Dutch Oven well.
Heat the rest of the butter in a skillet and saute the minced onions and garlic; add the bay leave, the thyme and the pepper as they cook.
When the onions are tender but not yet brown blend in the wine and the tomato paste and pour over them.
Simmer for some 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Put the whole cleaned carp into the Dutch Oven or Pan, strain the sauce over it and if a Dutch Oven bury in the coals and cook for one hour. In the Kitchen with a sealed pan cook for 40 to 45 minutes at 325 degrees.

This will serve 6 to 8 folks or closer to 4 to 5 hungry kids.

We also smoked the carp and used them as a fish barbecue as well as fed them to our pigs. Never wasted much when I was growing up, we were poor but the food was good.

Parched Corn the Original MRE.

2012-09-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

Parched Corn

Parched Corn was one of our original, Meal Ready to Eat when my ancestors raised Cain all through the Great Lakes and Ohio Basin.
...
Here is another way to store your corn for the winter season.
Take and let some large yellow and white ears stand on your corn stalks until they dry. Remove the ears before hard frost and check them to ensure they are dried hard. Sweet corn kernels will shrivel up a lot as they get drier. Bite a drying kernel and when you do it should still "give" just a little.
At this point you can remove...
the kernels and keep them in a covered dish in the refrigerator (up to several months if you desire.)
When you are ready to parch them act like they wet popping corn, use a small amount of cooking oil in your popping pan and stir the corn kernels until they turn a light brown. The kernels will half pop and are a wonderful tasting treat for a long winter evening with the family.
We used to take handfuls of parched corn and chew it on the trail as our feild rations along with Pemmican. It is light and sustaining, and a man can carry quite a lot on a mission.

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How to tell if a stream will develop the horsepower to generate electricity.

2012-09-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

How to tell if a stream will develop the horsepower to generate electricity.How to tell if a stream will develop the horsepower to generate electricity.

First find out how many gallons per minute of water will flow past a given point in the stream.

To do this put up a temporary board dam with a notch or weir cut into the top board.
...

To figure out the amount of water flowing through the weir, use this formula.

Three times the width of a weir, times the square root of t...
he depth of the water.

As a example, a weir notch 25 inches wide with 4 inches of water flow going over it will equal 400 gallons per minute (25 x 16 (4x 4) flow.

(Note my math is subject to analysis and correction by those better then mathematics then I)

Now to determine horsepower available multiply the gallons per minute water flow times the height of your dam (The number of feet the water will fall from the top of the dam breast to the water surface below )

In the case of a 400 gallon per minute flow and 10 foot head you will get about 1 horsepower of usable work from the water flow following the formula (rate of flow times height divided by 4000 equals the horsepower of work available from the water flow.).

Another method to determine the horsepower available from a given stream of water is called the float method.

Take a weighted piece of wood. Let it float down the stream in a strait stretch in the middle. Measure how far it floats in a minute. (you must weight the float by tying a weighted line to it so that the surface current and the wind will not push the float along faster then the water current is actually going.).

If the float moves 25 feet in a minute that will be your velocity.

Multiply your velocity by .75 to get your average stream flow. (25 x .75 = 18.75 feet per minute true stream velocity)

Now calculate the average width and depth of the stream. Multiply this by the velocity to give the cubic volume of water flow.

For example Average width of 6 ft by average depth of 3.5 ft with a velocity of 18.75 feet per minute flow to get a average flow of 393.75 feet per minute. Now say you have a drop of 9 feet. Multiply this equals 3543.75.

Horsepower available equals the weight in pounds of a cubic foot of water (62.5 pounds per cubic foot of water) times the flow of water in cubic feet per minute times the fall of the water, divided by the constant of 33,000 (3543.75 x 62.5 = divided by 33,000 = 6.7 horsepower.

Now multiply that by .8 because the the falling water is reckoned to be only 80% efficient in converting power. (6.7 x .8 = a practical actual horsepower rating of 5.36 for that streams head of water.

My grandpa taught me this and I never thought I would be able to use it, now, it may be the "High Tech" of a grid down future.

For those of you near moving water this is the math to make it useful to you.

More such articles at

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SCROUNGING MATERIAL FOR SURVIVAL AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY

2012-09-21T19:38:00.002-07:00

www.facebook.com/Survivalist.and.Preppers.Haven

SCROUNGING MATERIAL FOR SURVIVAL AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY

I have been reading and chatting with a lot of other prepper's, homesteaders and survivalists, and wanted to put my two cents in on the subject of scrounging.

Much of North America would even now qualify as a gigantic shore to shore garbage dumb, for a scrounger instead of the pristine wilderness many seem to be preparing to deal with and in a major disaster, especially TEOTWAWKI it will only get worse.

We are rich as a society today and for a skillful scrounger, the materials and other stuff people discard and throw away and out can be recycled and reused to build many, many things

My relatives and friends who served in Vietnam have told me many stories about how skillful the NVA regulars and the VC guerrillas were at scrounging and recycling anything American our other Free World military forces threw out to their own advantage.

We are rich as a society today and for a skillful scrounger, the materials and other stuff people discard and throw away and out can be recycled and reused to build many, many things

My relatives and friends who served in Vietnam have told me many stories about how skillful the NVA regulars and the VC guerrillas were at scrounging

Great book for Herb users

2012-09-21T19:24:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to a good book for gardeners and those interested in using or gathering herbs http://www.amazon.com/Great-Terrible-Herbal-Presents-ebook/dp/B0092ZV6X4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348278266&sr=8-1&keywords=Kim%27s+Herbal+guide

Edible flowers for your garden

2012-09-21T08:23:00.001-07:00

Edible flowers

Not only pretty, but nutritious too.

I have grown a number of different flowers since my grandmother taught me gardening in the late 1960's early 1970's. It was Grandma's contention that the garden was not only the most productive part of the farm but should be the prettiest. So always it was full of annual and perrienial flowers, many of which doubled up as either herbs or slad vegetables or both.

Here is a list of some of the flowers and what you can use them for.

Begonia; The stems can substitute for a late season rhubarb.

Calendula; Also known as pot marigold the pretty yellow flowers add a
golden color to your soups, scrambled eggs and grain dishes
substituting for saffron.

Carnations: Are both edible, although i find them rather bland but add a pretty
garnish to your meals.

Chives; One of my personal favorite, i love their flowers, the bees love
them and i love adding them to my potatoes, soups stews and
salads.

Chrysanthemums; Depending on which plant they can be a bitter or mild salad
herb, to taste the flower before adding it to yoursalads and you
can briefly blanch and add to your stir fries too.

Dandelion; My mom and grandma's favorite flower and herb and tonic and
early spring vegetable. You can use the leaves in the early spring
as a salad or boiled green wwith a touch of vinegar it is delicious,
the flowers are not only pretty but the bees love them and we
fried them and used them as garnish in our salads, and the roots
grandma and mom dug and used for a coffee type drink substitute
after cooking until very brown. The only problem we had is we
could never get enough to satisfy my mother and grandmothers
appetite for dandelions and I would always laugh when people
complained about them in the yard, they didn't know what good
eats they were missing.

Daylily; Eat these beautiful flowers either raw or fried.

Dianthus; You can use these pretty members of the carnatian family as a
addition to your salads or as a colorful addition to herbal butters.

Gardenia; The blossom is a pretty garnish for your salads.

Geranium; The geraniums have very many tastes and scents and can be
used on and in pastries and as a flavor for water based drinks.

Honeysuckle; The nectar in the trumpet shaped flowers is sugary and deliciious.

Lavender; A beautiful herb, medicinly it is used as a herbal expectant and
antispasmodic and the flowers are a favorite for our bees. It
smells good dried as a scent and is quite pretty in our garden
edges.

Nasturtium; One of my favorites, I love the flowers plant it everywhere and I
love the peppery taste of the flowers as well.

Pansy; Can be added to your salads and used as a garnish.

Rose; Not only beautiful, but also the petals can be used to make
scented rose water, the rose hips can be used to make high
vitamin C drink, rose hip jam and jelly and we raise a pale
flowered variety mostly for the hips that can be eaten as a
delicious fresh fruit.

Rosemary; The herb has pretty blue blossoms that have a delicate
fragarence. The bees like most herbs love Rosemary. You can
use the flowers and the leaves in soups, stews, on pizza and as
a sorbert.

Sunflower; You can eat the seeds but also pick the flowers before they open
and steam or boil the buds as you would artichokes and eat with
a vinegar dressing or with butter. The yellow flower petals can
be added to your salads as a slightly bitter garnish as well.

Thyme; Another beautiful and fragerent herb, with different varieties
such as lemon and pinapple thyme, there are over 500 varieties
of thyme. Thyme can be made into potpourri, added to soups
and other recipes.

Tulip; Origenally domesticated in what is now Turkish anatolia for the
edible roots, today they aremostly grown for their flowers. Tulip
flowers are also edible with a sweetish taste and can be added to
minced vegetables or salads.

Violets; These beautiful spring flowers are not only attractive but edible
as well. the blossoms can be added to your spring salad, added
to a syrup for flavor and the flowers can also be candied and
used to decorate cakes and pastries.

These are just a few of the many edible flowers you can grow in your garden for color and flavor.

HHomeland Security Has NO EMP plan, what the heck over!

2012-09-20T20:06:00.001-07:00

The FEMA folks don't seem to have a better plan then they did five years ago, basically bend over and kiss our fanny good bye. http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/homeland-security-what-emp-action-plan/

THE END OF THE RULE OF LAW, A VIDEO PRESENTATION

2012-09-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

THE END OF THE RULE OF LAW, A VIDEO

Here in Battle Creek Michigan we are already seeing raids and marauders out here in the rural areas and the suburban areas and large areas of the urban core of Battle Creek has become to dangerous to go into at night, (even our police go in pairs at night in those areas.) Battle Creek is a small 100,000 person town halfway between Detroit and Chicago off I94. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkCU_-0...

v4OY&feature=share

This video is showing some of the effects in the "war Zones" of the larger cities. This stuff is increasing in number everywhere. It happened in Ancient Rome before the End, It is why I say, get ready to survive when Law breaks down into warring gangs of bandits and brigand marauders. It has happened before, and unfortunately if history is any guide (and it always is) it will happen again.

LDS Prepredness Manual Free Download Link

2012-09-20T11:46:00.002-07:00

LDS Preparedness Manual download link

just downloaded the free 509 page PDF "LDS Preparedness Manual" from http://www.ldsavow.com. It's not something you have to be LDS (or even like them) to find great value in. After looking it over I decided I really wanted a hard copy of it in case our electronics stop working. (Who am I kidding? Of course they're going to stop working.) The hard copy was only $20 plus shipping. Well worth it for me.

A Severe Carrington Effect from a Solar Flare or a EMP attack causing the power grid to collapse will be worse then martial law.

2012-09-19T17:34:00.001-07:00

If we have a grid down Carrington Effect or severe EMP attack, Martial Law will be the least the very least of our troubles. Imagine, no vehicle after 1984 or diesel 1994 working. Imagine ALL the Solid state electronics gone, all the technological tools broken and imagine the cities without power, the Police without transportation or communications. Imagine the aftereffect of NO delivery of foods or supplies or fuel getting into a blocked out city or town, Imagine it to be YOUR town.

Now imagine the military, scattered across the country on their bases, their communication is also vulnerable, as are their aircraft and their transportation. Don't worry about martial law. It will be the TOTAL collapse of government of Law and the Rule of Law we have to worry about, At that point our civilization as it exists now has totally collapsed.

At this point, if government is collapsing around you, if the remnants are trying to apply "Martial Law" to just keep some semblance of order, are you more worried about "Martial Law" or the fact that there will sonn be NO LAW at all, as well as NO food or fuel, you do not make?

the whole idea behind my "Haven" concept, a number of us Survival groups, Prepper's and self sufficiency interested folks buying homes/retreats in a area and working with each other to guard one another and the area and make it both more secure and more self sufficient.

In a EMP attack or Carrington effect Solar flare event severe enough to knock down the power grid,
basic necessities that Americans take for granted, such as widely available food and clean water, become vanish and millions will die from starvation, disease or widespread violence. With the elimination of most modern telecommunications Government at all but the most local level will collapse almost instantly, and the country or in a Carrington event the world devolves into a collection of mutually hostile self-styled militias, private armies and warring tribes.

This sounds fantastic. However, as national security expert F. Michael Maloof points out in his upcoming book, “A Nation Forsaken,” this may actually downplay the threat.

An EMP is caused by an explosion of charged particles, such as the detonation of a nuclear weapon in high altitude. The resulting wave wipes out electronics throughout the affected area.

Because of American society’s reliance on computers and electronic equipment, this would mean that financial, medical, security and logistical systems would fail simultaneously. The result could be a wholesale breakdown of civil society.

An EMP is caused by an explosion of charged particles, such as the detonation of a nuclear weapon in high altitude. The resulting wave wipes out electronics throughout the affected area.

Because of American society’s reliance on computers and electronic equipment, this would mean that financial, medical, security and logistical systems would fail simultaneously. The result could be a wholesale breakdown of civil society The New Dark Age or the survivalists TEOTWAWKI.

This is in my opinion one of the worst threats we face and is far worse then the possibility of a merely tyrranical would be dictator as in the anarchy, violence and turmoil of a New Dark Age most of humanity will cease to exist as their life support infrastructure simply vanishes.

Four points to think of in your survival planning.

2012-09-18T09:37:00.001-07:00

Four points to think of in your survival planning.

1) Do not become a obvious target for those who can and will want to hurt you. Either be inconspicuous and stay out of sight, or find a good cover story for what you do, (maybe hiding in plain sight) (such as a hobby like Paint Ball, Civil War or other Reenacting, Camping club, like I am a member of your State's Self Defense Force etc. to draw attention away from your prepping) or be and make it known to potential bad guys that you are strong enough to seriously hurt them so that they are afraid of messing with you.

2) Be aware that a regular well armed military force can destroy any target with its air power and precision guided munitions and heavy weapons, survival against such a foe requires being hidden. A good idea in this event is to copy the Viet Cong and the current Taliban, and go "underground" in hides.

3) Don't ever allow yourself to become a refugee. Always retain control over your destiny. Stake out your turf, make your plans and make sure that you never allow yourself to become panicked into mindless flight or obedience to the whim of a government official.
4) Never give up the ability to or the desire to resist. A very important psychological element in survival and personal and retreat protection is to make sure a "Bad Guy" who messes with you knows that even if he wins he looses. Make sure that a fight with you is a bad idea. That is the best way to ensure that you don't have to fight very often.

Making a barrel of 50 pounds of Sauerkraut

2012-09-17T12:09:00.002-07:00

Sauerkraut, salted fermented cabbage was always one of the stables of food storage here in the North. In the early days of Michigan's settlement a good supply of sauerkraut was literally a lifesaver.

In the Saginaw valley in the early days of settlement a party of Michigan's first settlers almost died completely off because they hadn't made enough sauerkraut, to keep them through the winter. ...

Sauerkraut to keep a family over the winter is pretty easy to make. Use the firm heads of at least 30 cabbage/ 50 pounds of cabbage. You will also need at least 2 pounds of course non iodized salt.

It will take about two to three hours to make this, and you will have to salt it and ferment the sauerkraut for about 21 days plus (three weeks)

Get a good sized wooden barrel or pottery crock. Scrub it very very thoroughly, set it on boards so air will flow around it well in a cool corner of your cellar.

pick of then outer leaves off the cabbage heads , save the perfect looking leaves.

Line the bottom of the barrel with 10 to 12 of the large leaves.

Slice each cabbage head into two and cut out the cabbage hearts, (the solid core in the center) then set aside 3 or four heads of cabbage.

Now shred the cabbage heads with a sharp knife. When you are done shredding it, the cabbage should look like a mountain of small pieces of cabbage. Mix the salt together with the shredded cabbage.

Pack the salted shredded cabbage down into the barrel, pressing each layer of shredded cabbage down heavily. Cover the barrel of shredded cabbage when filled with about twenty perfect outside cabbage leaves. Top it with a lid or plate only slightly smaller then the barrel or crock. Weight this down with a heavy clean large rock weight. This is to keep the salted shredded cabbage mixture down.

After about a week, check to see if the brine is forming well. It should be covering the cabbage after ten days. If you need to at that point add more brine made up of 1 ounce of salt to 2 cups of water.

Keep the sauerkraut cabbage covered with brine and weighted down, it must not be permitted to come in contact with air.

The cabbage will ferment and in about three weeks will be ready to eat.

To store over winter keep checking your barrel every week all winter skim off the fermentation foam and if need be add more brine to keep it covered. It should keep all winter till the spring greens are coming up in the fields and will provide not only a tasty food but a very good and valuable source of vitamin C to fight off scurvy.

One of my cousins read this and told me to "Get with the times" She uses a 5 gallon food grade bucket to make her sauerkraut in. She also uses a plastic cover over the chopped salted cabbage to weigh it down and she uses water filled milk jugs on top of that. I thought I would share Melonie's little addition to modernized home sauerkraut production.

For more information go to

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DRY SALT CURE for HAM

2012-09-17T11:45:00.002-07:00

It is getting to be fall, and for those of us who currently or have in the past grown up raising our own meat, or would like to know how, as the weather cools it nears when we farmer folk turned our hog into bacon and ham.
Here is the recipe for for our DRY SALT CURE that will cure a 14 pound ham.
take a leg of ham from one side of your hog and severe it. (you can also use this cure to make bacon.)
...
You will need at least as a minimum 3 weeks or more.
you will need:
1 ham between 14 and 20 pounds.
a ounce of good brown sugar.
a half ounce of salt peter (potassium nitrate)
2 pounds of roughly ground salt.

You are going to need a salting pan or drawer.
Leave the ham un-skinned.
Rub the sugar and the salt peter in first, pay the most attention to the bone ends.
Now rub on half the salt and put the ham to rest on slats in the salting trough, (leave a channel to let the brine run out.)
At the end of the next week rub in the rest of the salt.
Let the ham set and take in the rest of the salt for the next three weeks., turning the ham in the salt regularly to dry and take in the cure.
Now you can hang the ham to dry in a drafty area of warm air for a day or two to dry out more.
If you want to smoke the ham (we did) put it in your smoke house and let it hang in the smoke for a day or so ( the smoke house should be designed so the smoke from your fire is cool as it runs through and use hickory or apple wood to smoke the meat.
Leave the smoke to settle on the meat for 2 to 3 days.
Hang the ham in your attic or another similar cool dry place.
This home made ham can be stored over the winter.
Here is a link to more information like this. https://www.facebook.com/Survivalist.and.Preppers.Haven

The role of militia and security following the end of the rule of law, a few thoughts.

2012-02-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Mao Tse-Tung, the infamous Chinese Communist leader and guerrilla warfare master advocate said "The population is to the guerrilla as the water is to the fish." The success and the survival of a guerrilla force relies and depends on the continuous physical, moral, material popular support of the civilian population.... In a survival situation this becomes both more necessary as well as much more difficult to achieve. The guerrilla is acting in a environment where the main enemy is a force seeking to control the population and act as the formal government. This type of enemy will attempt to terrorize and dominate and exploit the civilian population for its own ends but will not seek to destroy a civilian population. The defenders of a survivalist community are working in a much more hostile environment where many if not most of the enemies are brigands and marauding bands who will merely exploit and wipe out the civilian population and then move on to find other victims. This is a more ancient and I feel a much more difficult problem for the commander of the survivalist defense forces. How do you defend the civilian populace and its means of survival and recovery from a enemy who will not hesitate to kill everyone in the community to get at what amounts to the communities loot. First Americans and many other peoples dealt with such enemies in the past. Because there is no negotiation possible with a enemy who only wishes to kill and loot or enslave (maybe) the only answer has always been to dig in and fight to the bitter end. Everyone in a community must be trained and organized into the defense plan, even if only to carry water to the combatants or to give warning. Next as soon as possible you will need to set up some kind of final protective position that will stop a more numerous and violently inclined enemy from physically getting in among your probably less numerous, less fit, older defenders. This is why most old frontier communities had walls. (go back to the defenses the farmers of Jericho built 9000 years ago, walls, ditches and towers, to keep a raiding attacker away from the defenders) . Update these defenses to allow for the use of firearms and barriers to keep a attacker away in clear prepared fire swept kill zones and you can make a simple farming community a much harder nut to crack, even if only defended by a home guard of farmer/artisan militia. In order to keep the raider/brigand marauder types from getting close to your civil populace you will need to organize a force like the frontier "minutemen" ready to spring to arms immediately and back them up with something like the "rangers that Americans organized to deal with similar French, Indian and Mexican marauders in the past. The "ranger" would then take the fight to the enemy and when a enemy force was to big, alert the home guard and the minuteman type field forces to make ready to protect their community. The entire focus of post collapse security will be the protection of the means of survival and recovery and that means the civilian populace of productive farmers and artisans. Guerrilla warfare type forces are not enough, you will need to revert to the older American frontier model if you wish your community to survive.

Potatoes, the perfect self sufficiency and survival crop

2012-01-31T18:08:00.000-08:00

Potatoes are just about the perfect survival crop.

the potato is fairly easy to grow they store very well and potatoes are very nutrtious (potatoes are high in vitamin C and potassium) Potatoes can be cooked in many ways such as roasted, mashed, sliced and fried or deep fried, boiled or baked or roasted in a fire, potatoes can even be used as the base for a alcohol (vodka).

The potato will g...row just about everywhere, produces a tremendous amount of food for the labor and space involved and is easily disguised as something non edible to most non rural people.

The Irish before the famine lived largely on a small plot of potatoes, some cabbage and the milk from a cow they grazed beside the roadside verge and maybe a pig or two. The mistake made by the Irish was to grow only one variety of potato, so when the blight hit the entire potato crop died off.

With hundreds of potential varieties of potatoes to plant, potatoes have tremendous genetic varieability and are some of the most important food crop we can plant for self sufficiency.

There are early varieties of potatoes to harvest as early as late spring to mid or late summer, just wait till the flowers open fully then use your potato fork to lift the potato plant and ease your treasure of tubors from the ground.

The main crop of potatoes will produce your heaviest crop. Wait till the plant tops have turned brown and died down completely then fork the potatoes up, let them dry and then take the tubors into storage.

An acre of potatoes on well tended ground, can produce as much as 40 tons of potatoes per acre, that is a lot of spuds folks.

You can store your potatoes in root cellars, just don't let them freeze, or put them in clamps. A clamp is made by selecting a dry corner of your garden, cover it with straw, pile the potatoes, then cover them with straw, then bury the straw under 6- 8 inches of dirt then cover with straw or leaves. This will keep your potatoes all through the winter.

Quote of the day

2012-01-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man. ~Cesare Beccaria ~

Violets, an attractive flower, edible flower and usefful medicinal herb

2012-01-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

The violet, (Viola odorata from France or Viola canadensis from the Great Lakes watershed), is a low growing perennial with heart shaped leaves rising from creeping underground rhizomes. the common names of the violet are sweet violet, heart's ease and violet.

Violets live in moist shady grasslands on the edge of forests in the Great Lakes area.

Violets symbolized Venus and was regarded as... the flowers of love, and were placed on the hats of brides in ancient Greece. Napoleon, Emperor of France made the violet the symbol of his Empire.

Most people today think of the violet as a springtime flower but the violet is also valuable as a edible flower with attractive white, pale blue or light purple flowers, and is also a valuable medicinal herb.

Violets flowers can be candied and were used in colonial days for garnishes and in salads, put in fruit custards, and as fritters, on sauces and the flower petals are still used candied on cakes and on icing for decoration.

To make a violet syrup, take 1 cup of violet flowers, 2 cups of water, 2 cups of honey and 1 ounce of gin. Bring the water to a boil. Add the violet petals and combine them. Let the flowers infuse the water overnight in a non metallic container. strain and add the honey to the water. simmer for 10 minutes at a low heat. Let the fluid cool and pour it into glass bottles or jars. Add the gin to preserve the mixture. the violet syrup can be kept in a cool place for up to 3 months. This is excellent on cakes and as a topping on sherberts. The syrup is soothing on throats and in the intestines.

Used for the medicinal benefits violets were made into a tincture and into a syrup. Tincture of violet flower is used to treat coughs, and the syrup was used as a laxative. The seeds of violet, gathered in the fall, were used as a purgative and as a diuretic, by chewing. A cold infusion made from the fresh leaves of the violet was used to treat sore throats.

The brushed, washed and dried roots can be used in a concentrated decoction (1t in about 1/3 cup water will provoke vomiting in the case of food or alkaloid poisoning.

To preserve the flower petals of the violets, dry the flower petals and pack the petals in a airtight place indoors.

Chicory wild Medicinal Herb

2012-01-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

Chicory, also called wild succory has the Latin name Cichorium intybus, and is a common roadside weed in the Great Lakes Area.

Chicory grows on untilled lands all through the norther hemisphere, on sandy and limey soils, particularly along roads and paths where stones have been dumped.

Chicory is a attractive perennial herb with a thick brownish taproot.   The flowers are a attractive sky blue and appear on the tall stalks rising up to about 4-5 feet and blooming in mid summer.

Chicory leaves can be used starting in the spring for early salads, and the root of chicory can be dug and in the shortages of WWII was roasted and ground and used as a coffee substitute.

Chicory leaves are prety tasty in salads and are grown as salad greens in Europe while the fresh root can be dried and roasted to treat diabetes.   The salad leaves from the chicory used in a decoction can be used to help clean the blood and gallbladder.

A decoction or tincture of chicory root can also be used as a drink to treat water retention.

Chicory has vitamins, A, C, P, and K as well as the minerals calcium, copper, iron, manganese, potassium and phosphorus and chlorophyll and assorted phytofactors as well.

Chicory has been used as a appetizer, for digestive ailments, as a diuretic, for hypoglecemia, as a vermifuge and as a remineralizing tonic.

A good springtime salad can be made of 15 chicory leaves, 5 endives, 10 black olives and garlic, olive oil and a lemon juice vinagrette.   Wash the salad, chop the leaves finely, and sprinkle with the vinaigrette. Toss and garnish with the pitted olives. Serve the salad at the beginning of each meal for several days in a row to cleanse the gallbladder, soften the intestine and deacidify the blood.

Home Security Alarms

2012-01-21T17:29:00.000-08:00

Do you think there is anything more important than the safety of your home? Your loved ones and your most prized possesions are there. It doesn't matter if go on a vacation, leaving the house unguarded or if are working late at night, and want your wife and children safe, a home security alarm system will be your answer for your peace of mind and security.

A security alarm system typically featur...es a keypad, with a scheduled series of numbers used to activate or deactivate the alarm system. If a disturbance of any kind occurs, the alarm goes off and and sound's and the authorities are notified.

Many companies offer home security alarms with this feature, in other systems the homeowner must notify the authorities immediately. The latest wireless system makes use of a cell phone system to supervise the alarm system.

Many burglaries take place when house is vacant. That is why you need to choose and install a security system.

A good home alarm system is designed to protect the family and the property. The home you live in and the items inside where purchased by your hard-earned money. a home security system is a way to ensure that nobody can take your things away.

Many home security systems are easy to install but it is always advisable to let a professional to take care of the installation because if the Home alarm system is not properly installed it may fail when you most need it.

Take few sensible steps will help to keep your private security code number safe. Don't reveal the security system code to anyone for any reason, and make sure your families children understand this.

In addition, always memorize the alarm code. Don't leave it written on a piece of paper or some other place. Many criminals search very thoroughly in order to gather private information? You don't want your family security code to be available to the intruder. Once you memorize the code use a paper shredder or scissors to make sure the numbers cannot be written back together.

The home security alarm systems will protect you, your family, and your property if properly designed. If you are not comfortable with the system it won't get you the security, safety and peace of mind you want to provide in your home, and you might as well get another system.

A Household alarm system is not difficult to operate and you should not be intimidated. The home security systems have been developed to make you and your family to feel safe.

You can call Advantage Security Systems for expert caring assistance to protect your family home and property at (269) 660-8067 and get a free security evaluation of your home by our professional staff.

Horseradish, the versatile and healthy condiment

2012-01-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

Horseradish, (Cochlearria armoracia) is a versatle and healthy condiment that is also a very useful herb. Originally from Eastern Europe the horseradish is one of the five holy plants consumed by Ashkanazi Jews as part of Passover celebrations, the others being common horehound, nettle, lettuce, and coriander. The Germanic and Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe also ate horseradish as a condiment, thus it was nicknamed, "German Mustard"

Russians use a decoction of horseradish mixed with honey as a tonic they call hren and use it to clean the liver. Another German use was grated and applied to a fine cloth and used as a external poultice applied to pained areas for the treatment of gout , a sprain, or sciatica. Horseradish is very useful as wherever the tissue is congested or needs a rush of blood and circulation.

Horseradish can be made into a diuretic drink by grating the horseradish and mixing it with cider vinegar and letting the two sit for at least a hour straining out the liquid and drinking it. This is a hot tasting drink very rich in Pottasium.

Horseradish is extremely effective as a antiscorbutic to use to prevent or treat vitamin c deficiency including scurvy. Horseradish is extremely high in vitamin C, Glucosides, and the minerals potassium, sulphur, calcium, magnesium iron and phosphorus.

The herbalist Fritz Weiss states that horseradish is one of the most effective antibiotics against skin, lung and bladder infections. The medicinal properties of horseradish are Antibiotic, Anelgesic, aphrodisiac, a revitalizing tonic, a appetizer, a choleretic, a expectorant, a anti scorbiotic, a diuretic, a anti-inflammatory, a dissolvent, and a vermifuge and parasiticide.

A way to make a effective horseradish syrup uncooked of course is to take two cups of unpasturized honey (500g) and 8 ounces of fresh horseradish root. Cover the horseradish root with the fresh honey. cover the container with a lid that will keep out bugs and insects. By the end of a week a syrup will form along the top don't remove the roots for at least a month. For a 30 day cure take 1 tablespoon pure or diluted in water 3 times daily before your meals. This syrup is a excellent way to treat bronchitis, hoarseness, fatigue, arthritis and anemia.

To grow horseradish pick a spot with moist garden soil I put mulch from my composted chicken house litter for the nitrogen, in a area that you aren't going to need to disturb in a place in full sun. Horseradish plants grow very exurberently in this enviroment and are perennial,s that come up year after year and unless you are sure to remove all the root from your harvest will continue at the same spot.

The green herby perennial plant grow a foot and a half to over a yard tall with rank long green leaves. The attractive white flowers of horseradish plants cluster in a lanceolate growth. The horseradish taproot is a long brownish on the outside and white on the inside and has a distinctive tangy "horseradishy" scent.
You can use the flowers in June and the roots can be harvested in the late autumn when the leaves have frosted down.

Something to be careful about when using horseradish, either externally as a poultice or internally is that horseradish can be very caustic and also dilates the blood vessels so rely on common sense and use your senses to tell if if you think you might be taking a overdose, if it feels like you are taking to much... stop.

Finally Horseradish is of course a tasty addition to your home diet, as a marinade, pureed and of course grated as a tasty seasoning as well as added to ketchup as a great seasoning for your seafood and crayfish tails caught from your farm pond or lake.

Great Lakes Survivalist and Preppers Haven

Book review: Contact!: A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival Contact!: A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival

Re-Post of a Special Forces Manual on building hidden supply caches

Jewelweed seed gathering from Kim's Herbal Guide

From Kim over at Kim's Herbal Guide, a video on the Jewelweed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlha_ARqqwk&feature=plcp

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How to tell if a stream will develop the horsepower to generate electricity.

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Great book for Herb users

Edible flowers for your garden

Calendula; Also known as pot marigold the pretty yellow flowers add a golden color to your soups, scrambled eggs and grain dishes substituting for saffron.

Carnations: Are both edible, although i find them rather bland but add a pretty garnish to your meals.

Chives; One of my personal favorite, i love their flowers, the bees love them and i love adding them to my potatoes, soups stews and salads.

Chrysanthemums; Depending on which plant they can be a bitter or mild salad herb, to taste the flower before adding it to yoursalads and you can briefly blanch and add to your stir fries too.

Daylily; Eat these beautiful flowers either raw or fried.

Dianthus; You can use these pretty members of the carnatian family as a addition to your salads or as a colorful addition to herbal butters.

Gardenia; The blossom is a pretty garnish for your salads.

Geranium; The geraniums have very many tastes and scents and can be used on and in pastries and as a flavor for water based drinks.

Honeysuckle; The nectar in the trumpet shaped flowers is sugary and deliciious.

Lavender; A beautiful herb, medicinly it is used as a herbal expectant and antispasmodic and the flowers are a favorite for our bees. It smells good dried as a scent and is quite pretty in our garden edges.

Nasturtium; One of my favorites, I love the flowers plant it everywhere and I love the peppery taste of the flowers as well.

Pansy; Can be added to your salads and used as a garnish.

Rose; Not only beautiful, but also the petals can be used to make scented rose water, the rose hips can be used to make high vitamin C drink, rose hip jam and jelly and we raise a pale flowered variety mostly for the hips that can be eaten as a delicious fresh fruit.

Rosemary; The herb has pretty blue blossoms that have a delicate fragarence. The bees like most herbs love Rosemary. You can use the flowers and the leaves in soups, stews, on pizza and as a sorbert.

Sunflower; You can eat the seeds but also pick the flowers before they open and steam or boil the buds as you would artichokes and eat with a vinegar dressing or with butter. The yellow flower petals can be added to your salads as a slightly bitter garnish as well.

Thyme; Another beautiful and fragerent herb, with different varieties such as lemon and pinapple thyme, there are over 500 varieties of thyme. Thyme can be made into potpourri, added to soups and other recipes.

Tulip; Origenally domesticated in what is now Turkish anatolia for the edible roots, today they aremostly grown for their flowers. Tulip flowers are also edible with a sweetish taste and can be added to minced vegetables or salads.

HHomeland Security Has NO EMP plan, what the heck over!

The FEMA folks don't seem to have a better plan then they did five years ago, basically bend over and kiss our fanny good bye. http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/homeland-security-what-emp-action-plan/

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LDS Prepredness Manual Free Download Link

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Violets, an attractive flower, edible flower and usefful medicinal herb

Chicory wild Medicinal Herb

Home Security Alarms

Horseradish, the versatile and healthy condiment

Calendula; Also known as pot marigold the pretty yellow flowers add a
golden color to your soups, scrambled eggs and grain dishes
substituting for saffron.

Carnations: Are both edible, although i find them rather bland but add a pretty
garnish to your meals.

Chives; One of my personal favorite, i love their flowers, the bees love
them and i love adding them to my potatoes, soups stews and
salads.

Chrysanthemums; Depending on which plant they can be a bitter or mild salad
herb, to taste the flower before adding it to yoursalads and you
can briefly blanch and add to your stir fries too.

Dianthus; You can use these pretty members of the carnatian family as a
addition to your salads or as a colorful addition to herbal butters.

Geranium; The geraniums have very many tastes and scents and can be
used on and in pastries and as a flavor for water based drinks.

Lavender; A beautiful herb, medicinly it is used as a herbal expectant and
antispasmodic and the flowers are a favorite for our bees. It
smells good dried as a scent and is quite pretty in our garden
edges.

Nasturtium; One of my favorites, I love the flowers plant it everywhere and I
love the peppery taste of the flowers as well.

Rose; Not only beautiful, but also the petals can be used to make
scented rose water, the rose hips can be used to make high
vitamin C drink, rose hip jam and jelly and we raise a pale
flowered variety mostly for the hips that can be eaten as a
delicious fresh fruit.

Rosemary; The herb has pretty blue blossoms that have a delicate
fragarence. The bees like most herbs love Rosemary. You can
use the flowers and the leaves in soups, stews, on pizza and as
a sorbert.

Sunflower; You can eat the seeds but also pick the flowers before they open
and steam or boil the buds as you would artichokes and eat with
a vinegar dressing or with butter. The yellow flower petals can
be added to your salads as a slightly bitter garnish as well.

Thyme; Another beautiful and fragerent herb, with different varieties
such as lemon and pinapple thyme, there are over 500 varieties
of thyme. Thyme can be made into potpourri, added to soups
and other recipes.

Tulip; Origenally domesticated in what is now Turkish anatolia for the
edible roots, today they aremostly grown for their flowers. Tulip
flowers are also edible with a sweetish taste and can be added to
minced vegetables or salads.