Ok, things are starting to get a little hectic with COVID-19, or
whatever the media decides to label it this week.
We’re hearing words like “national emergency” and
“quarantine” get thrown around by the government and through
the mainstream media, while seeing friends post videos of
themselves in bars for St. Patrick’s Day or laying out on a
Florida beach.
If you’re like me, you’re trying to weed through the white
noise of social media and news media to find out what is actually
going on.
Let me help bring some clarity and hopefully some sound advice
to those of you that may be asking, “What the hell is going on
and what should I do?”
I spent eight years in the United States Army, and during that
time, I served in Special Forces. Along with the title of Special
Forces came a plethora of training and experiences that have helped
me during this time, and I’d like to share some of that with
you.
This is, by no means, any sort of official advice or sound
doctrine, just a former Green Beret offering his thoughts and
ideas.
Here are four thoughts/ideas I’d like to Share:
There is no need to panic!
I can remember a number of times, being in chaotic situations
where it seemed all hell had broken loose and I was about to lose
control.
This is not one of those times, but let me be clear and say
COVID-19 is a serious thing and it should be approached as such. I
believe and am practicing all of the directives for social
distancing, limited travel and avoiding social gathering places
(bars, restaurants, etc,).
These are important things to observe now so we can make sure we
don’t get ourselves into a chaotic situation.
Panic will only serve to make things more chaotic and hinder
those that are trying to intelligently work though this pandemic.
We need to make sure we are taking a measured response to all of
this.
That being said, if you are isolating yourself in your apartment
on Park Avenue, you should probably be looking for a place away
from major populated centers to ride this thing out.
You don’t need 500 rolls of toilet paper.
If you’re like me, you’re feeling a bit underprepared for a
crisis. But guess what – so is everyone else! Even that guy on TV
that built a bunker and stocked it with 10 years’ worth of food
and supplies is feeling underprepared.
The appropriate response to have at this moment is to take
inventory of what you have and the things you need.
Things you need include non-perishable food items (canned food,
e-rations, things that won’t expire), clean water or the ability
to purify water, fuel for vehicles and generators, prescribed and
necessary medications (not Advil or TUMS) and basic sanitation
needs (soap, shampoo, deodorant, toilet paper or baby wipes.
Conditioner, perfume and your mango scented lotion are not
essentials).
It would be best to have a one month supply for you and your
family on these things in reserve, meaning, you are still making
safe trips to the store to restock as long as you are able and not
dipping into your reserves unless absolutely necessary.
One final thought on this, remember, when all of this has passed
and life returns to normal, that guy you punched in the face for
the last roll of toilet paper will still be your neighbor.
Process and Priorities of Work
Anyone with an infantry background or combat arms background
just cringed when they saw that heading. Yes, priorities of work.
For those of you who don’t know, in combat arms (Infantry, SF and
Rangers), whenever we would be in hostile territory and had to set
up a long term base of operations, we followed a regimented process
to ensure we would be safe, secure and operate at 100%.
Now, I don’t think all the steps in our “Priorities of
Work” are applicable but some are, and the regimented process is
key. The first step is to set up security. What does that look like
for us at home? Let me ask it another way: How are we preventing
the virus from reaching the ones we love or ourselves?
For example, are you disinfecting Amazon or UPS packages before
they enter your home? We need to take a proactive approach to
combating the virus’ entry into our homes, therefore, setting up
a process and following it is key.
Another thought on security is that, not everyone in this
situation will maintain a clear and rational mindset. People with a
predisposition to prey on others will feel emboldened by the
discourse and may target you as prey.
What steps have you put into place to secure your home and
family? Do all the locks on windows and doors work? Do you keep
your gate/fence locked? Is your car outside and unlocked? Do you
have security cameras or a way to contact emergency services? Do
you own a firearm to protect yourself from intruders?
These are considerations we may not like to think about but are
extremely important. Another key part to priorities of work is
sanitation and personal hygiene.
This is extremely important to keep in mind during a time like
this. Make this part of your regiment and process, disinfecting
anything that enters your home and also disinfecting yourself.
Don’t be that guy/girl that decided to go see your significant
other because you missed them so much, then come back home where
your grandparents are staying as well, without cleaning and
disinfecting yourself.
Don’t forget to relax and have some fun.
Yes, this is a stressful time and yes, we need to take this
seriously, but it is just as important to find silver linings where
you can and to enjoy yourself when able to. This was always an
essential part to making it through a six-month deployment to
countries you wouldn’t visit if someone paid you to.
Stress can be just as devastating as not cleaning or
disinfecting and it can thrash your immune system. Try to maintain
some sort of physical fitness regimen and good sleep cycle.
Also, as a good friend of mine had to remind me of recently,
take this as an opportunity to reconnect and spend that extra time
with your family. Use this as an opportunity to have family
dinners, play games or watch movies together.
If you live alone or maybe want some space from your family
(which is equally understandable), don’t forget the importance of
making a spiritual connection of some sort.
Whether that is through some sort of prayer or meditation, or
just simply taking some time to relax and reset.
When on deployments, we always made it a point to have some time
to “Rest and Refit.” This not only helped keep us physically
prepared but, also mentally prepared.
In conclusion, if you are feeling like you don’t know what to
do or that you need to take some steps to see you through the next
few months:
Distance yourself from majorly populated centers and social
gathering places;
take inventory of your necessities and create a one month
emergency fund while still making safe trips to the grocery
store;
implement some sort of process to protect yourself and family
from sickness and predators;
and finally, remember that leisure activities are just as
important as your process.
To reiterate, we are not in a panic situation and most
everything you need to do can be done very simply. But also
remember there are people and organizations out there to help.
This post may have raised questions about next steps, like, what
does the future look like or maybe you have specific security
concerns as it relates to this pandemic. Conflict International and
I are still operating, and will continue to operate through this
situation and have a number of consulting and security services to
help augment and further prepare you.
We are open to inquiries and invite you to reach out to us for
further help and guidance.
David Johnson – BDM Conflict International USA (NYC) –
3/20/2020
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Advice from a Green Beret on COVID-19 and how to keep your family
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