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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
Best Audiobooks for Holiday Travel
Holiday travel is right around the corner. Before know it you’ll be getting the car or hopping on a plane to go home for Thanksgiving. I often wait until the last minute to pick out an audiobook for my road trip. This list of the best books for holiday travel offers some of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. I don’t think you’ll go wrong with any of them.
Concealed Carriers: Don’t Be Like the Police!
Law enforcement agencies have some characteristics that are worthy of emulation by civilian concealed carriers. Shooting police qualifications is not a bad thing, as I have repeatedly said on this site. Using the ammunition used by prominent law enforcement agencies probably isn’t a bad thing, either. But there are some things done by law enforcement that you should actively strive to avoid emulating. Don’t be like the police if it harms your readiness.
Freedom IS Free, For Most of You
This will surely be another hugely unpopular post, but one that’s been on my mind for a while. Despite the popular slogan, “freedom isn’t free,” freedom is free, at least for most of you. Let’s discuss.
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.