Okay...Instant Recognition

[tarheelsman71]

We wanted to decide on a group standard camo pattern to wear for quick recognition, but that never happened cuz no one could decide on "THE" pattern. We eventually just decided on getting a certain color shemagh to wear to be able to differentiate ourselves. Great idea in theory, but those shemaghs are very good at one thing. I sent my kid down into the woods behind my house...about 200 yards from the window....and I could not see him at all. I have a nice set of 10x50's and I could not see him. The shemags make for decent camoflage apparently. I was wonder if anyone was employing a different method of visual opsec. I was thinking about armbands that are camo on one side, and have a red emblem on the other so if you are returning to your retreat you can just flip it over and then overwatch can see you coming and radio it in.

[kenno]

Blue armband and tie a blue rag to the muzzel of your rifle

[Oscar Wilde]

Establish an outbound route and an inbound route .... DONT COME BACK in the way you went out .... EVER .... travel / maneuver in pairs or teams. If you're gonna wear cammo .... wear camo .... no colored rags unless you have a regular opportunity to practice your "flipping" technique. These activities need to be second nature and that will only be with much practice. Don't rely on radios .... you won't be the only ones using them. Good luck.

O.W.

[Long_Hunter]

Not for the faint or weak of heart.

Tarheelsman, you are on the right track and glad to see you out working real world solutions in the field, as that is how we learn. What you really need is a Patrolling 101 class. Once you are established in your BOL / redoubt / homestead / retreat / etc… every time a single individual or group of individuals leaves your established perimeter, this must be considered a “patrol”, whether it’s purpose is to perform labor tasks, such as cutting firewood, or conducting a security patrol of the local area or even going further out on a “health & welfare” check of your nearest neighbors, each of these is a patrol and follows the same format. You must have a plan for each patrol, a task and purpose. The simplest technique (there are many) for planning this is to use a prepared checklist that includes the 5 Ws (or 4 if you prefer) of who, what, where, when, & why.
1. Who is going on the patrol? Who is in charge? Who stands guard while the others work?
2. What is the patrols job (mission)? What is the planned route of travel, to and from (should be different perimeter exit and entry points)? What are the near recognition signals (radio, visual, verbal)? What are the far recognition signals (radio, visual, verbal)? Distress signal? Radio comms, preferably something secured if you have it, is the best, followed by some type of visual signal, but not something that is worn.
3. Where is the patrol going? Establish a known point (rally point) for members of the patrol should they become separated for any reason. Make sure everyone leaving knows the route.
4. When will the patrol depart and estimated time of return?
5. Why are we doing this?
6. Damn, there is so much I could go into here…

You must plan for contingencies: what does the main group at the retreat do if the patrol is attacked or does not return as scheduled? What does the patrol do if the retreat is attacked why they are out? What does the patrol do if it is attacked- how does the patrol react? Plan, plan, and plan… the contingency that is not planned for is the one you will inevitably face at the worst possible time… Hope for the best, plan for the worst… but remember, Hope is not a method.

There are a great many contingencies that must be planned for, but most of them will fall under those areas mentioned above. I could go on and on here, but I will not. I would strongly encourage you to order a hard copy of the US Army Ranger Handbook SH 21-76 and if you can find it, FM 7-8, Light Infantry Platoon and Squad. Both of these have more information than you will likely need on patrolling, plus a great deal you have not thought of. The RH includes a lot of practical survival information as well. You may find some downloadable .PDF copies of these on-line, but make sure you get a hard copy.

Patrolling is a learned skill that must be practiced and a necessity for any group to survive out on its own. In a complete TEOTWAWKI, everyone will have to be a soldier to some degree or another, or at the very least incorporate individuals with military skills into their group(s).

There will be tens of thousands of people with military training of one type or another running around when the shit hits the fan; I would not assume that all these men and women will be “good guys”. Some will be your worst nightmare and hopefully you will be off the beaten path far enough to escape the inevitable rogue para-military groups that will find raiding and ambushing a way of life.

I am starting to ramble… Out.

RLTW!!

LH

[tarheelsman71]

Thanks LH for the info. 5 members of my group are members of Uncle Sams Misguided Children so we have the tactical no how. What I was looking for was a way to see someone coming in, that is not obvious to anyone reconnoiterring or position, that we can see and quickly notice. Instead of going to defcon4 we might just goto defcon2. What we have settled on is some paintball armbands of multiple colors. Each day is a different color so that someone would have to be incredibly lucky to pick the right color with the correct day unless they scouted us everyday for more than 10 days. We keep the armband off until we are making out ascent to the retreat. Long range optics will identify people long before they get in shouting distance to issue a challenge and password.

[RedWoods]

Long_Hunter that was a great post filled full of great ideas for those hoping to survive a SHTF event. More than once I have had the "thrill" of being shot at by the good guys. In the military and once on a hunting trip. After the first event it sure makes you pound the basics into the minds of all envolved. It is something I see very little mention of among those who "think" they are well prepared and competent in woodscrafts & basic military skills.

I will keep an eye out for any of your future ramblings! I printed out your post and hope it will give some people I know a better idea of the "real world".
Very well done Long_Hunter!

Red

[C141-B LOAD]

One way in 3 ways out.

[Centurion]

tarheelsman,
we used to flash a colored light pattern

[tarheelsman71]

We decided to standardize on one of these.

https://www.gijoesmilitarysurplus.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_347&products_id=5628

We put in a different color, depending on day (so someone cannot plan for it.) We will have challenge and password etc. but with optics reaching out past our voices, we wanted to quickly tell friend from foe. We did like the 1 return route and multiple stepping off routes. THanks.