Hello and welcome to Swift | Silent | Deadly, a blog by me, Justin Fields. I’m a former Marine Corps Special Operator, government contractor, professional trainer, and current paramedic. I’m on a mission to help others become more capable, competent human beings by sharing the lessons learned from a lifetime of adventure. Read more about me.
Justin
The Latest
Lessons Learned at The Worst Firearms Training Class I’ve Ever Attended
It finally happened: I attended a bad firearms training class. I don’t have the deepest training resume, but I have trained with quite a few national-level trainers. Though I once wrote a couple scathing reviews of a local concealed carry class, most of my class AARs are glowing; I love training and it’s not hard to make me happy. Here is what happened at the worst firearms training class I have ever attended.
Disaster Preparedness: 72-Hour Food Supply Considerations
During the power outages of Hurricane Helene, I learned a few lessons. I wrote about most of them in this article. There are some that I want to dive into in a bit more detail, however. One of them is considerations for a 72-hour food supply and how to build one.
How the New S&W Bodyguard 2.0 Sucks…Sorta
No, the title isn’t clickbait. The new S&W Bodyguard 2.0 has a lot going for it. Unfortunately, it sucks in one really important way. I have a full review of the Bodyguard 2.0 in the works. Due to the PD using the range this week, I wasn’t able to access it and finish up my firing portion, but I wanted to get this out: how the new S&W Bodyguard 2.0 sucks…at least a little. Read on to find out more.
Ending the Class: Issuing Student Certificates
I attend a lot of training. The learning is its own reward, but there’s more. As someone who spent a decade as a full-time instructor, I enjoy seeing how other instructors do things. I have written before about opening a class with instructor introductions (and a bunch of other observations). Though I haven’t taught professionally in a while, I can offer the view from the other side of the podium, as a student. Today I’m going to talk about something that I think is important: closing the class with student certificates.
PSA: An Aggressive Email Scam to Watch Out For
This post is going to warn you about a very aggressive email scam. I thought I’d seen it all, but I have recently gotten some pretty aggressive phishing emails that caught my attention. I want to make you aware of this scam so you don’t get taken by it. This aggressive email scam can give you a big jolt of fear, but hopefully I can prepare you for the day you get one of these.
Helene: Natural Disaster Preparedness Lessons Learned
Today I hope to offer some lessons learned from the recent events I have lived through with Helene. Though the title of this article is “natural disaster preparedness lessons learned,” these lessons are applicable to just about any emergency. If you follow this advice and develop a decent, well-rounded system of preparedness, you will be ready for just about anything.
Working Through a Major Disaster: Helene
I am one of those folks in a major disaster area in the Southeastern U.S. I thought I would share a dog’s-eye-view of what is going on and a few of my own experiences. Be advised that this is mostly an update for the myriad friends and family who have reached out asking how I’m doing. In the near future I will post more typical content in the form of some lessons to be (re)learned for those of you interested in preparing for such events.