"The Watchmen"

[Mortblanc]

A very simplistic article to say the least, and a very revealing thread following.

I am really concerned that no one here has any friends. I am not talking about a "survival group", I am speaking of the people that look at you and a person of good character and great knowledge that is the "go to guy" if things get bad. People that will seek you out due to your known intelligence and ingenuity. People you can depend on to help you keep watch. Most of you are not even counting on the wife and kids!

Oh well!

Sleep, and when you do it, becomes a different experience in a combat or stress situation. the one thing most combat vetrans will agree on was that the sleep deprivation they endured was one of the worst parts of their experience, far worse than the brief episodes of dodging bullets.

In our military, at least when I was playing "defenders and raiders", we worked our positions in 3 man teams. Everyone was up until around midnight even if they were not on an ambush or recon patrol. At 12 the watch started and went in 2 hour shifts through the three men until just before daylight.

At dawn EVERYONE was shaken awake and on full alert. Most attacks take place in the haze of false light at dawn. You want every human that can carry a weapon awake at dawn.

Then the day begins. Security does not end at dawn, it goes on through the day. Patrols being done by one lone man are normally called suecide missions. You do not send your BEST man out to see what is going on, you send your WORST man, the one you can do without or the one that pi$$ed everyone off yesterday.

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(25 February 2013, 18:25)Mortblanc Wrote: A very simplistic article to say the least, and a very revealing thread following.

I am really concerned that no one here has any friends. I am not talking about a "survival group", I am speaking of the people that look at you as a person of good character and great knowledge that is the "go to guy" if things get bad. People that will seek you out due to your known intelligence and ingenuity. People you can depend on to help you keep watch. Most of you are not even counting on the wife and kids!

Oh well!

Sleep, and when you do it, becomes a different experience in a combat or stress situation. the one thing most combat vetrans will agree on was that the sleep deprivation they endured was one of the worst parts of their experience, far worse than the brief episodes of dodging bullets.

In our military, at least when I was playing "defenders and raiders", we worked our positions in 3 man teams. Everyone was up until around midnight even if they were not on an ambush or recon patrol. At 12 the watch started and went in 2 hour shifts through the three men until just before daylight.

At dawn EVERYONE was shaken awake and on full alert. Most attacks take place in the haze of false light at dawn. You want every human that can carry a weapon awake at dawn.

Then the day begins. Security does not end at dawn, it goes on through the day.

Patrols being done by one lone man are normally called suecide missions. You do not send your BEST man out to see what is going on, you send your WORST man, the one you can do without or the one that pi$$ed everyone off yesterday.

The result is that in a understrength unit everyone is going to be sleep deprived. Everyone is operating on 4-6 hours sleep daily, if that much.

One of the reasons the dog was one of mans first domisticated animals was so that he could get some sleep, and so he could have better ears, smell and hearing while traveling alone.

If the dog you have is not alert and making noise when strangers get near, eat it. Dog is a good meal.

In the early days of Colonial America we developed a breed of dogs that were well suited to guarding the frontier forts. They were generally an Englisn Mastaff crossed with a Foxhound. These brutes were kept inside the fort walls and became formidable warriors in their own right. There are several instances when the dogs of the fort saved the inhabitants. Our native Americans were terrified of these animals more than they feared the settlers.

http://www.nashville-vacation-fun.com/ba...bluff.html

One might also note the 400 against 20 odds of this seige/battle. This was not unusual odds for defense on the frontier with all weapons technology being equil for both sides.

There is no record of any frontier fort ever falling to assualt as long as the gates were kept locked, the enemy had no artillery, and there was a good watch standing at the walls.

Make some friends.