4October2012
by amillerf
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All New- Miller’s Tips Podcast, covering a veterans views on recent happenings in our military around the world
In the first podcast I talk about a recent attack on a major base in Afghanistan and what it may mean for our men and women downrange.
27September2012
by amillerf
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Always prepared. Expect the unexpected. Ready for anything. These are little sayings people like to throw around, but I take them to heart. When in volatile places such as Afghanistan it’s the difference between life and death. While in the office or out in the city preparedness can mean the difference between a great day and an utterly disastrous one. I take it to heart to always prepare myself for anything and everything. Over the next few posts, I will cover what precautions I take when preparing for the unexpected.
Preparedness
Everyday Carry:
100’ 550 Cord
10 Tablets 500mg Motrin
20’ Duct Tape
32gb Flash Drive
Lock picks
3.5 Benchmade Knife
Pathfinder Watch
.40 Springfield XDm (where legal)
There are the primary items that I keep on myself at all times to handle situations that may arise, and I refer to these as my everyday carry. This is my method of keeping everything compact and together so that it is there and ready to go.
550 cord, as it is often called in the military for its 550 pound test strength, is also called para-cord, or type 3 nylon. It is a braided nylon rope sheathed in a nylon casing. To make it manageable I do a quick deploy lanyard (seen here). This allows me to keep it around and ready to use.
I have a small pill container that attaches to my key chain that is water proof for holding the Motrin for aches and pains.
I keep drugs in here
The duct tape is wrapped around an old pen, with the ends cut off for easy portability. To attach it to my key chain I ran a piece of 550 cord through it and tied a knot to keep it from sliding off. Duct tape has so many uses that people have devoted entire websites and books to cover how useful it is, so having it around can’t hurt.
I have a level 2 encrypted flash drive and store many important documents on such as all my military records, financial records, maps of areas that I am in (past, present and future), backed up phone data, my various licenses (pilots, concealed handgun, military, drivers, scuba diving and parachutist) and various other things that I deem important.
Because this isn’t good
I keep a small set of lock picks on my person should I forget the key to my office, a lock box or a friend is locked out of their place. It is important to know the laws of your area on carrying lock picks, in Texas it is a crime if you have are caught either doing something illegal with them or they can prove you had intentions to. Either way, keep your nose clean and only pick locks that belong to you or that the owner of has given explicit permission.
This works too
I keep a Benchmade brand pocket knife (I prefer the brand for their customer programs such as LifeSharp and quality of products) that is very handy for cutting the 550 cord, cutting things open (stupid packing) or a number of other things.
That about does it
My watch (Casio Pathfinder) does more than tell me the time, it also has sensors to display current altitude, a compass that can be adjusted for the declination in the region, and a barometric pressure over the last 24 hours to help predict upcoming weather conditions.
It can also tell you if it’s currently raining…
My last piece of everyday carry is a compact pistol. I prefer the .40 caliber for the large magazine capacity but significant stopping power over the 9mm. The Springfield XDm is a very accurate and durable firearm that I trust to perform should the situation arise. Of course you should always know all of the carry laws in your area and keep a copy nearby (on your flash drive perhaps?) and abide by them at all times.
Next week I will cover what items are good to keep in a vehicle to be better prepared.
‘Cause… you never know
20September2012
by amillerf
0 comments
Being on the go constantly is a staple of the infantry. We move sometimes days at a time with little to no breaks. Those breaks we do have are brief and more for weapon care, communications checks and hygiene rather than actual breaks.
A ‘break’ shown here to prevent heat stroke
Every soldier carries several days’ worth of equipment. This includes food, water, ammunition, and spare clothes. It becomes imperative to store your equipment in an efficient manner so that you can still maneuver and get to your things while on these ‘breaks.’
This efficient packing train of thought has carried over to civilian life greatly as commercial air flight has become a common thing. Seeing people with dollies loaded down with suitcases of clothes for a three day trip makes me cringe. I have all my necessities neatly tucked away and easy to access in a single midsize suitcase that could last a week if it needed to.
They said I’d be gone for almost 2 days so I panicked and brought everything
The first trick is to roll your clothes. There is the benefit of keeping your clothes tight and compact and in doing so it reduces wrinkles so your clothes are ready to be worn right out of the suitcase.
Step One: Lay your shirt out flat pressing out wrinkles
Step Two: Fold the sleeves inward
Step Three: Fold the shirt into quarters by folding the outsides to the middle and then folding in half
Step Four: Flip the shirt around so that the top of it is now towards you
Step Five: Begin rolling the shirt up tightly, pulling out any wrinkles along the way
Step Six: Once you reach the end you should see all the sleeves together, grab the outermost and pull it back around the rest of the shirt
Step Seven: The shirt can now be packed away. In order to open it, grab the loose fabric openings and pull. The shirt will pop open and be ready for wear.
This alone will cut down on the size of your suitcase. The same can be done for long-sleeve shirts pants are generally the same as well (uses the ankle openings instead).
Shirts can even be rolled into pants and a pair of socks tucked in to make each little bundle a days’ worth of clothes.
The next best thing to do is to write out a list of everything you will be doing and each item you will absolutely need in one column and things that would be nice in another column. Then pack all of the necessities and with the room left over prioritize the other items. This will cut down on the frivolous things that you pack and lessen chances of loosing things that you didn’t need to bring anyways.
Do you now? Care to extrapolate?
For information on being a smarter traveler check out Nomadic Matt