How big of a disadvantage do civilians have versus ex-military in a SHTF scenario?

[gaijinsamurai]

Good thread.

I would say it all depends on the individual. For me, the greatest advantage from my military service ( six years USMC Combat Engineer, five years Oregon National Guard Infantry) is the ability to act under stress and deal with prolonged periods of discomfort. Sure, I learned tactical skills, but I know people who've never served who are just as skilled or better.

I also know people who work in hospital emergency rooms who have just as good of an ability to act under stress, who I'd choose for my SHTF team over some of the Marines and National Guard soldiers I served with.

In summary, military service will give an individual an advantage, but not an ultimate advantage that will override everyting else.

 

[BryanMunson]

I want to echo, emphasize what I have read from some fellow vets, the BIGGEST thing the military did for me was mindset whether we are talking about prepping, survival, work, family or church having a plan (even if its on the fly to deal with unknowns) implementing it and driving on is 9 tenths of the battle. I'm reminded of Patton, "A good plan executed today is worth more than the perfect plan executed next week." That is no small thing, it often determine's if one lives or dies in drastic situations. Tactical skills work when you have a team or even just a partner, marksmanship is good if you have to shoot something, First Aid can be crucial to surviving, field craft is the difference between comfort and just surviving, dealing with boredom while on watch may not seem like much until it is, setting up perimeters or assessing someone else's perimeter and defensive/offensive capabilities (S.A.L.U.T.E (Size, Activity , Location, Uniform, Time, Equipment -surprised I remembered that), where/when to attack or ambush, how to do a hasty ambush, how to lead in different situations (group think, command and control, delegation etc), how to deploy tactical assets, large force tactics, small unit tactics, demolition, construction, various weapons platforms and how they work (you never know what you may have available), movement-individual, small unit and large unit; mechanized or infantry, artillery commands (bracketing), booby traps (mouse traps catch mice, what do booby traps catch?) how to set, identify or disarm,....

There were a lot of things the military taught me but other than mindset I think understanding how the military works in a SHTF situation and interacting with them (if need be) accordingly is probably the second most important thing. The stuff mentioned above may not seem applicable to short term scenarios but who knows, it may be like Red Dawn?

 

[Aero Denezol]

Very, very, interesting thread..

I'd like to add my own .02 about civilians, since I'm not qualified to speak about the military. Some adults have been babied and spoiled since childhood, and some are pretty tough and adaptable. My folks never gave me much choice in anything, or gave me any kind of extra encouragement for being average. So I learned to eat everything, and I learned to motivate myself. I learned to take direction. Sometimes when I see mothers giving their kids choices in things I wonder which was way to grow up was better. I don't know if having the confidence/arrogance to demand things for yourself is better than just being able to take it.

Anyhow, my high school weights coach who also coached football used to say that some of our best athletes never played football. And I assume conversely, some of our football players were not particularly gifted. So it stands to reason some of the civilians out there would have made fine soldiers as well.

Most of the veterans I've met are particularly handy people, something that strikes me as being of great advantage in life, period. But I think more importantly veterans are people with principles. A lot of people I meet in day to day life wouldn't know which side they were on if you asked them real quick. If the SHTF and we were working in teams, that's something I would want to know from my teammates.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Interesting article; not science fiction; most scientists in the field of genetics say it is a done deal in the last decade, two at the latest.

Of course these soldiers will be UN/Global since we will have been expired/absorbed as a sovereign nation by then. First soldiers, then a very willing populace of drones lining up for their implants. The future sucks and luckily I should be dead and gone by then.

U.S. Super Soldiers Of The Future Will Be Genetically Modified Transhumans Capable Of Superhuman Feats

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/wher...ers-are-on-american-soil-oh-right-here_082012

 

[Burt Gummer]

I am a thread killer lol.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I see most of my transferable skills (for lack of a better term) as very basic inner strengths, the ability to endure hardship and trauma, a strong sense of responsibility, great self discipline! A civilian can acquire the same traits but it's much harder to be that self motivated. It's much easier in the Army (in my case). When your section leader orders you to patrol with an infantry platoon and it's -30f and you are the eyes of the Artillery you learn all kinds of interesting stuff about yourself. Also you are a trained observer, able to bring fire onto the enemy and have all of the skills of an infantryman. In other words you know that you can kill! This stuff is priceless. I have already eaten dog and rat and starved for 80+ hrs. in a whiteout. I have carried a combat load with bronchial pneumonia so bad that I coughed blood into the snow each time that I fell to my knees. The list goes on and on and it's just the kind of s--t that happens to everyone in a combat arm. There is no school to learn about these things, so I feel that a combat soldier does have a little advantage in these matters.