Military Prepping

Prepping From a Military Standpoint
Friends, neighbors, and associates often times make assumptions about veterans when it comes to prepping, assumptions that may not necessarily be true. Some assume that if you have ever served in the military you know all there is to know about prepping and survival.
The skills, and experience gained from military service is a plus, a huge plus when it comes to SHTF scenarios, but when it comes to prepping in general when it's your family and friends' life at stake, veterans and active duty military have the same issues that many of you have.
Knowing how to use a firearm goes without saying. Virtually from day one in the military, you have your issued weapon with you. You trained with it, ate with it, and used the latrine with it. If you ever dropped your weapon in front of a senior enlisted or officer, you heard the familiar "get down with it". In other words drop and give me 50. You didn't drop your weapon.
You knew every part by feel, you knew if its fully loaded by the weight, you knew the kill range and effective range, you know what your zero is from basic training. Once out of the military all firearms are treated the same way. You know every part by feel, so no light, no matter
because you can load in the dark as well as in the daylight. You know to use tracer rounds, so you can zero a target in the dark. You practice and never assume you know it all until you know it all. It is all instinct no contemplation, no thinking about it, you simply do it naturally.
Note about tracer rounds: They are illegal in some jurisdictions, and they can start a fire if used in dry vegetation, be careful, and know the law. Tracers will give away your location, as well, so use prudently. They can also be used by a team member to direct fire for others on the team.
The military, except for certain elite groups work as a team, and prepares for combat and other missions as a team. The military conducts thousands of missions daily that have nothing to do with combat, such as advisory roles, relief efforts in war torn areas, evacuations of civilians from disaster areas, and countless other humanitarian acts are conducted daily around the world.
The squad that patrols past the wire goes out knowing that there are dozens of support troops all working behind the scenes to keep them fed, clothed and armed. You have medical personnel, cooks, helicopter and jet pilots ready on the line to jump in their aircraft to lend air support or to help with extraction of the wounded, and countless others that make sure there is clean water, fresh uniforms, ammunition and there are armory personnel ready to replace damaged or destroyed weaponry. No one goes it alone.
Anyone can stockpile food and water, have a few guns around and medicines, but supplies, materials and gear are just a start.
Having a military mindset means, you will immediately look for cover and concealment whether you need it right away or not. You look for avenues of approach and escape, in your mind's eye you establish fields of fire, and calculate distances from the front door to the end of the driveway, end of the street or to ht big oak tree in the middle of the field. You look for sniper nests that can be used by you or by your adversaries. This is basic training for all military personnel and everything is filed away in the back of your mind. It's so natural you don't think about it, but the information is there when you need
it.
Once you are awarded your Military Occupational Specialty then your training may move away from combat arms. Contrary to what some if not many believe, military personnel are not taught how to cook, sew or even purify water as a rule. You are not taught how to hunt or dress wild game nor taught how to fish.
Those who go through SERE training are taught survival techniques however. The SERE training program teaches leaders and others not only how to survive in virtually any situation they are also taught how to make tactical decisions absent any command structure, d ecisions that advance the stated mission.
Personnel are taught how to survive in complex operational environments. Once back home and out of the military, they still have a can do attitude and the ability to make decisions quickly based on information immediately available to them. Plans will change as the operational environment changes.
Those who have been in the military can use the same techniques and can develop the same mindset that allows them to adapt and overcome. It takes training and a willingness to learn and practice your skills.