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Day time nightmares...

WhiteFeather

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2007
Messages
221
Location
Oley, Pennsylvania, USA
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Perhaps I am alone in this, maybe I am over thinking scenarios, but everytime I watch cops or happen to see a video where someone is getting attacked with or without a weapon my skin crawls.

I used to watch Cops, or videos on Youtube and think "Man if I was carrying, boy would that be different."

Now I think to myself "What the hell would I do? Could I react that fast? DoI have the drive to fight until the end even when the odds are stacked against me?" My pulse quickens and I get goose bumps thinking about how I react.

I work in the security business and for the most part react very well under stress and pressure. I am used to thinking on my feet and jumping right into what needs to be done. But still when I see those videos I geton edge. I don't know howsome people can watch them and think that the cops will come in time, or thatthey don't need a gun to protect themselves that OC spray or a tazer will do fine or even worse "That will never happen to me!".

I'm drawing a blanknow, does anybody feel this way?
 

Task Force 16

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
2,615
Location
Lobelville, Tennessee, USA
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I have a hard time understanding how people can go through life denying the realities of the world we live in. It's like they live in a small Eutopian bubble.

The day may come a time when someone comes along with a pin a burst that bubble.
 

deepdiver

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
Messages
5,820
Location
Southeast, Missouri, USA
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WhiteFeather wrote:
Now I think to myself "What the hell would I do? Could I react that fast? DoI have the drive to fight until the end even when the odds are stacked against me?" My pulse quickens and I get goose bumps thinking about how I [would] react.
I think that puts you ahead of 90%+ of the population.

From discussions with veterans who have seen significant combat I have come to believe that there is no way to know for sure how anyone is going to react to real violence. Not a fist fight level of violence, but life, death, blood and guts violence. I have heard stories of the apparent uber warrior in the unit freezing in a firefight and of the mousy guy who everyone expected to be the weak link turning out to be the one who sucks it up when it matters and saves everyone's butts. Training, training and more training seems to increase the likelihood that someone will perform well in a combat situation, but it is not everything, otherwise all soldiers would perform equally.

I'm of a mind that if you have done all you can reasonably to train and be as prepared as possible for real life situations you are likely to encounter, then that is all you can do. No reason to get all excited or worried about it anymore.
 

WhiteFeather

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2007
Messages
221
Location
Oley, Pennsylvania, USA
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I think part of my problem is some of my training. As an EMT I have to think about what an injury could be doing as well as I what I would need to do to survive and obviously survival rates play through my head. I am trained to treat people who have been shot, and for that matter have and it is one of those things that ingrains itself into your subconscience.

I don't have nightmares where I am in a situation and my gun malfunctions, or I can't throw a punch or the bullets do wierd crazy things. I am a pretty confident guy with a little training in that relm under belt.All of the training I do have has centered around believing that you can beat the odds and having a positive outlook can and will save your life.

But with all that said, when I watch those type videos it still rattles my cage.
 

Task Force 16

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
2,615
Location
Lobelville, Tennessee, USA
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I think that carrying a weapon on our persons may give some a sense that they are guaranteed survival in an encounter with an armed BG. It's not. It merely gives us a fighting chance for survival.

We can take all the training there is to be had, but it will not guarantee that we won't make a mistake during an encounter with a violent BG. It will only reduce the chances of making mistakes that might get ourselvesand other innocentsinjured or killed.

All of us that carry will have to be willing to except the fact that we may take a bullet or two, if we encounter an armed BG('s), and hope we can put more in him/her/them before we go down. We must also be willing to except the fact that we may have totake a life to protect the lives of other and ourselves.

There's a huge responsibility that goes with carrying a weapon. The main question we should be asking ourselves is, "are we up to it?" But then, we won't really know for sure until the time comes when we are faced with a life and death situation.
 
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