Situational awareness email from brother

RetiredUSNChief

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An email from one of my brothers:

Do stay aware of your surroundings.

On Sunday, about 1pm, I stopped on my way through Ft Wayne to buy gas at a Marathon station in the deepest, darkest end of town...on Anthony Street, a 4-lane, fast-moving N-S throughfare. I often stop there because Anthony was the route I routinely used to take attending the Autodesk CAD class we no longer hold in the Ivy Tech complex, tucked behind IPFW.

Gas there was (expectedly) 2.39 a gallon, and intending to fill up, I walked inside and palmed two $20's as I stood in line to the cashier. My usual and customary quip is, "Pump #_, I'll come back for my change..." However, about two bodies from the cashier, a loud voice behind me on the right proclaimed: "ALLAHU-AKHBAR...!" Hearing this, I slowly indexed my trouser seam with my right thumb, finding my shirt-tail, and turned to see the "goings-on." A tall black man was the only person in the sector from which that proclamation had come, and he was intent on retrieving his money from the ATM. Some other people had "jumped," but I had not. I simply changed my stance to face half-toward the man, and slipped ONE of the $20's back into my left pants pocket.

My decision made, when I got to the cashier moments later, "Pump #_, here's $20...see ya later, dude..." I walked out, and figured if the SOB needed shot, I'd rather be out with more room to do whatever, and by the way, somebody ELSE could take this guy in close-quarters.

My take, and I'm sharing this with anyone who cares to listen, is that the idiots in Ft Wayne have decided they need to "ratchet up" the anxiety. In my experience, when Muslims greet one-another, it ain't with that proclamation. It's with something that sounds like, "Ashalam alaiku..." To use the 'Allahu Akhbar' proclamation is to confront, and put on notice, non-believers.

So...keep your heads on a swivel...you need to know what is going on around you. Not necessarily because there WILL be violence, but to become aware of the level of "confrontationalist 'anxiety-level-influencing'" that is being perpetrated in your vicinity.
 
Had my daughter with me enroute to a meeting in Greensboro, down by the train station. We had some time to kill & she asks if I'll stop & get her a soda. After driving past more than a couple of convenience scores, she asked why I hadn't stopped. I asked her if she'd noticed the unusually large number of adolescent & early adult aged 'youths' loitering in the parking lots at 10:30 in the AM on a weekday when school was in session. When she replied, "oh," I explained that while I would gladly kill a MFer to defend her, I had crap to do that day & really didn't want to deal with the ensuing legal mess over a soda.
 
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Situational Awareness is key
Im curious, not in the email, about his dress and attitude at this point (the Muslim).
Situational awareness, I think, may have been noticing him before he said the phrase, taking in his dress and giving him, what many like to call, an Ocular Pat-Down (derived from the great sheriff of Paddy's, Mac).
 
I preach SA to my wife all the time but it falls on deaf ears. She wont carry either. She prefers the head in the sand approach to life.


Mine is the same way, thinks I'm crazy for carrying a gun.

Mine bitches at me all the time when we are out eating or pretty much anywhere we go. She says "You never look at me anymore". I tell her I know what she looks like. I'm making sure nothing stupid is about to happen and I am not ready for it. Being the gentleman I hold the door for her and have her walk in front of me. She always sits in the wrong chair and I have to ask her to move explaining that I want the seat that give me the best view of where we are. After 40+ years together I still have to do this. :rolleyes:
 
In my experience, when Muslims greet one-another, it ain't with that proclamation. It's with something that sounds like, "Ashalam alaiku..."
Just for the record, it's "Ah salaam alaikum" -- which means "Peace be unto you". The standard response "Wa alaikum salaam" means "And unto you peace".
 
This is why I hate going to a Resturant with gun buddies.. We're all fighting for the seat with the best view.
Also the only ones I trust to have my back to the door.

This was 35 years ago but I had never heard of sitting in a restaurant with a view towards the front door. We had a guy xfr from New Jersey to our office in Raleigh. He would go hungry before sitting with his back to the door. Stick ups and hits all to common in restaurants where he came from.
 
This was 35 years ago but I had never heard of sitting in a restaurant with a view towards the front door. We had a guy xfr from New Jersey to our office in Raleigh. He would go hungry before sitting with his back to the door. Stick ups and hits all to common in restaurants where he came from.


Careful with that one. Trouble doesn't always come thru the front door. I like (when I can get it) a view of the front door, any side doors and the kitchen (cause it usually has a back door). Doesn't always work out that way but sometimes you do the best you can.
 
I read somewhere that in Fayetteville with all the PTSD going on, everybody wants a corner booth like a mob boss.
 
In line at the cstore the other day... 98 degrees out. Guy in front of me is wearing a hoodie. Wallet in one hand, phone in the other, hes fidgeting constantly and when hes not pulling up his pants his hands are in the hoodie pocket.... where there's something heavy weighing it down. I had a plan, but he dindo nuffin.
 
After reading some of these posts, I now realize how fortunate I am!

My wife and daughter automatically take seats based on knowing what I want/need to see, they both know my body language and respond to my actions the way I have instructed them to do, they donā€™t question me when I simply say ā€œwaitā€, they move opposite of where Iā€™m looking and normally stop conversation and actually look around to see what Iā€™m looking at.

They are both very good about moving to the ā€œinsideā€ when we are walking in a parking lot or on a road, so Iā€™m the one closest to the traffic etc, I guess I pestered them enough over the years haha
 
Not sure why the snark? Not many folks set off my alarms, this one did. What's on your mind?

Snark is what I do best but my point was as serious as a heart attack. Your situational awareness caused you to be aware of him, but if he truly was a predator, well they usually have situational awareness too.

He might have become aware that he wasn't alone with just a flock of sheep and there was a mean ass guard dog with fangs every bit as sharp as his own nearby.

I was in a zoo one day looking at a mountain lion in an enclosure. He was pacing back at forth looking out the window at the crowd when he stopped and focused on something behind me. I turned around and saw a guy that maybe had MD or CP. He was walking across the courtyard using crutches. The cougar was focused on him just like a predator focuses on the very young, old or injured.

I'm betting Mr. Nuffin got some vibes and decided that easy pickings were elsewhere today.
 
I like sitting where I have the widest expanse of view. If it includes the entrance, great. But having a really good view of the most landscape also gives you a great tactical advantage not only for early warning, but whether or not there are more bad guys in the background, plus a view for maneuvering/cover/evacuation as well.
 
Snark is what I do best but my point was as serious as a heart attack. Your situational awareness caused you to be aware of him, but if he truly was a predator, well they usually have situational awareness too.

He might have become aware that he wasn't alone with just a flock of sheep and there was a mean ass guard dog with fangs every bit as sharp as his own nearby.

I was in a zoo one day looking at a mountain lion in an enclosure. He was pacing back at forth looking out the window at the crowd when he stopped and focused on something behind me. I turned around and saw a guy that maybe had MD or CP. He was walking across the courtyard using crutches. The cougar was focused on him just like a predator focuses on the very young, old or injured.

I'm betting Mr. Nuffin got some vibes and decided that easy pickings were elsewhere today.

Isn't that sort of the point? If Mr Nuffin moves on, that's a win in my book.


Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk
 
Not sure what Trump was talking about when he referred to s**thole countries. Here's a pic of Iraq attributed to Getty Images with the caption "Protesters fleeing from police firing tear gas and live rounds near Tahrir Square, Baghdad." It looks like a nice, quiet street in Cary.

Iraq 2019.jpg
 
Before my dad passed away earlier this year, I stayed with him as much as I could. During one of those times I was in Walmart in Dunn during the day on a Tuesday and saw the strangest juxtaposition of religious folks I could have imagined. There were two apparent Buddhist monks, in pale orange robes - both chrome-domed, but one had a matching orange toboggan on his head. As is typical with me, my first instinct was to ask for them to take a pic with me, but I couldn't remember if this religion thought cameras stole their souls or not, so I just moved on.

About two minutes later, I was approaching a woman (I supposed) in full, head-to-toe burka - the kind with just the eye-slits. After I recovered from that startling sight, I realized she was following a tall, thin dark-skinned dude wearing a kufi-style (Muslin attire) hat and pushing a cart like he was on a mission. I pinched myself to make sure I was awake, and in Dunn, NC at Walmart.

As is also typical with me, I ran into a Walmart lady working an isle I shopped on, and asked her "Is Tuesday Weirdo-Day at Walmart?" When I described both groups she said she'd never seen the Buddhists, but the Muslim couple came in from time to time. Without direction on my part she said, "They seem to be trying to provoke reactions, and the man will sometimes get very close to other shoppers like he's trying to get noticed."

If something had started that day, I would have retreated toward the Buddhists, because I always liked "Kung Fu Fighting."
 
In my guidebook, situational awareness is the number one skill in importance (and it would be in "practice time" if I didn't practice it 24/7 instinctively by now).

And while not originally intended as such, I think it is safe to assume that "Allahu akhbar" (uttered fervently anywhere other than in ritual prayer) is a trigger. Just my $0.02 worth, adjusted for inflation.
 
I think it is safe to assume that "Allahu akhbar" (uttered fervently anywhere other than in ritual prayer) is a trigger. Just my $0.02 worth, adjusted for inflation.


In this case, Allahu Akhbar was a trigger for money coming out of an ATM

"God is Great"
 
In this case, Allahu Akhbar was a trigger for money coming out of an ATM

"God is Great"
I guess that falls into the 'prayer' category. :)
 
Iā€™ve found my SA for yoga pants is next level.

Donā€™t pay much attention to anything else. Unless a nice motorcycle rides by or maybe a sweet 911.

giphy.gif
 
Before my dad passed away earlier this year, I stayed with him as much as I could. During one of those times I was in Walmart in Dunn during the day on a Tuesday and saw the strangest juxtaposition of religious folks I could have imagined. There were two apparent Buddhist monks, in pale orange robes - both chrome-domed, but one had a matching orange toboggan on his head. As is typical with me, my first instinct was to ask for them to take a pic with me, but I couldn't remember if this religion thought cameras stole their souls or not, so I just moved on.

About two minutes later, I was approaching a woman (I supposed) in full, head-to-toe burka - the kind with just the eye-slits. After I recovered from that startling sight, I realized she was following a tall, thin dark-skinned dude wearing a kufi-style (Muslin attire) hat and pushing a cart like he was on a mission. I pinched myself to make sure I was awake, and in Dunn, NC at Walmart.

As is also typical with me, I ran into a Walmart lady working an isle I shopped on, and asked her "Is Tuesday Weirdo-Day at Walmart?" When I described both groups she said she'd never seen the Buddhists, but the Muslim couple came in from time to time. Without direction on my part she said, "They seem to be trying to provoke reactions, and the man will sometimes get very close to other shoppers like he's trying to get noticed."

If something had started that day, I would have retreated toward the Buddhists, because I always liked "Kung Fu Fighting."


That Muslim couple just walked into the Fayetteville gun show. At least, the description matches them to a tee.
 
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