I recently attended the police academy. I made it through the course fairly easily, and did so as the class Sergeant, and the recipient of the Outstanding Student award. There are a few things I noticed that made it easy to be highly successful in the class. These are keys to success in the police academy, but they also work in many other avenues of life. These same keys to success will serve you very well in the military, or any high-stress job.
2024 Year in Review: A Heavy-Duty Training Year!
At the end of most years, I try to post a year in review (2020, 2021, 2023). This year saw me attend a LOT of training, even thought I missed two of the classes I intended to take. Let’s take a look at what I accomplished in 2024, from training and personal development standpoints. Here is my 2024 year in review!
A Well-Rounded Training Resume
The spirit of this blog is to celebrate being good at wide range of skills rather than being excellent at a single skill. This is exemplified in my About The Name page, where I talk about the origins of “swift, silent, deadly,” and being a Jack of all Trades. I’ve also mentioned it in articles like my article called “Embrace The Coyote” from a few years ago. Today I’m going to cover similar ground, but through the lens of developing a well-rounded training resume.
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.
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.
5 Ways to Stay Ready So You Don’t Have to Get Ready!
One of my favorite phrases ever is “stay ready so you don’t have to get ready!” I find it is applicable to a lot of things in life. At the beginning of a new year – and an election year that promises to be more polarized than ever – I want to offer you some encouragement, and encourage myself, to stay ready.
Someone Trained in CPR Saved My Life
The title is not clickbait. On Saturday, January 6, 2024, someone who was trained in CPR saved my life. I’ve said in the past that CPR is at least as important the TCCC-style, tourniquet-based training, and I’m now even more adamant about it. Though no one performed CPR on me, someone trained in CPR saved my life.
A Look Back at 2023 and 2024 Goals
Twenty twenty-three was a good year for me. This coming year should be a good one, as well. Let’s take a look at what I accomplished in 2023, and look ahead to my 2024 goals. I like sharing these goals with you to help keep myself on track.
Let’s Talk About Fentanyl
As is frequently pointed out, anything – hammers, cars, guns…whatever – can be used for good or ill, depending on the user and intent. And such is the case with fentanyl. Though it’s the new “f-word,” fentanyl is one of the best, safest narcotic pain relievers in emergency medicine. This statement surprises a lot of people, so let’s talk about it.