From Suarez: Jihad in America

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http://www.warriortalknews.com/2011/09/lessons-from-jihad-in-america.html

ohn Chambers

Suarez International Tier One Instructor

As we approach the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I believe it would be helpful for all of us to consider the lessons learned from the jihadist assault of Nidal Hasan.  The odds of a massive attack similar to 9/11/01 being repeated are much lower than a single shooter or a team of shooters deciding to reenact the FT Hood or Mumbai incidents.  And as we know from history, it is always better to get your information from primary sources instead of hearsay or the “official story.”  “Smith” is a SI student and has agreed to be interviewed in order that others might learn the lessons that should not be forgotten.

Smith is a pseudonym that was used to protect personal privacy.

JC:  Are you military or civilian and what is your training background in firearms and combatives?

Smith:  I am civilian from a military family. I've grown up with firearms for as long as I can remember. I've been taught that they are a tool, and something to take seriously. I've been taught the "rules" of firearms- I know enough to be able to defend myself, and am consistently training more all the time. As for combatives, I've been taught those as well but not as much as the military. I also took some martial arts as something to do. I could defend myself if need be, but could use more training. I know that you'd better not carry unless you're willing to take a life when threatened and that it's not a decision to take lightly.


JC:  Were you at the Soldier Readiness Center that day and what are your normal duties on post?

Smith:  I wasn't there but I was supposed to be. It actually happened right before I headed over there. I worked at several clinics in the area and was responsible for suicide assessments, triage, referrals, TBI assessments, psychometric testing, group therapy, and counseling. 

JC:  Where were you when the initial rounds were fired?  Were you immediately aware what was happening?

 Smith:   I wasn't immediately aware. I was working as normal and received a phone call from a superior who is a close friend.  I could tell immediately by the tone of his voice that something was terribly wrong and I'd better switch into “go” mode. He had locked down his clinic but the phone lines had been cut. Hasan was shooting at the glass doors but he couldn't get in at that time. My friend had barricaded his staff and made it difficult to get in. I'm convinced he saved several lives that day. Hires_takecovera[1]

He had called me on his cell phone and told me to call 911. At first, I was confused as I heard gunshots and screaming (I still hear them...), I didn't know what was happening, but then I realized what he had asked me to do.   I alerted the MPs, who had started to receive several calls about what was going on. I remember running down the hallway and when people tried to stop me I ran straight through them- I let my superiors know what was happening. I actually had to YELL at them because they were in shock. I also initiated lockdown of our clinic. I didn't really have the authority to do this, but at the time I didn't give a rat's ass because none of the upper level staff were available at the time.

At this time, the receptionists were "checking ID". It was apparent that they weren't clear on what they should be doing. Most of the people in the clinic weren't. To me "lockdown" means nobody in, nobody out- that was not what was happening. It was all very confusing and NOBODY really knew what was happening. There was no real leadership either. I remember just taking charge- which to me is odd as I was a GS6 (don't ask). That's about two steps above the file clerk! The sirens started going off just as we started lockdown. I think people were confused and didn't take them seriously because at least once a month they're "tested" and nobody can understand what the voice is saying anyways. I remember pulling in several soldiers off the street. They didn't know what was going on and thought it was a test of the system, as usual.

I also remember that we had the news on and that's where we were getting most of our info at the time. We were actually told to turn it off so as not to upset the patients in the waiting room! (I ignored that.)

As an aside, Hasan was very deliberate. He paced around one provider's office that he had a beef with for an HOUR, just waiting for him. Thankfully, he had the day off. That probably saved us, because that office was across the street from me. I'm not sure why he went to the SRP site, except that the boys are run through there like cattle and it was the most "bang for the buck" on post.


JC:  Were you armed with a weapon of any sort?  If yes, what was it?

Smith:  By regulation, I'm not allowed to be armed. I was actually even told at my job that if I were attacked I was "not allowed" to take a patient down because we were an outpatient clinic. I knew I couldn't get away with a gun (at least that's what I thought!) The best I could do was a concealed pocket knife and some pepper spray, so I always carried that. I don't know why, because it probably wouldn't be much use...but at the time it was the best I could do. I had thought through several scenarios at my desk, in case I was ever attacked by a patient, but a mass shooting never crossed my mind.

Otherwise, I remember, during the lock down, staring at my Concealed Handgun License and thinking what a fat lot of good it did for me. I felt naked and vulnerable- and betrayed in a huge way.

JC:   Prior to the incident, did you know Hasan and did you have any mental alarm bells going off when you dealt with him?

Smith:  I didn't know him well, but I'd been around him. I saw his patients on the ward many times. I also read clinical notes that he had written. Something about his phrasing and clinical decision making was off. Something about HIM was off. He ALWAYS gave me the creeps, but because I didn't have much contact with him I didn't really know why.  So I avoided him, because I could.                                                                                                                                                                                      Nidal-hasan-shooting-fort-hood-040910jpg-1738780fb558ce00[1]

I know he bothered many people. I also know that MANY soldiers disliked him. Many had complained about him and requested a different doctor.  They also reported that he had tried to push the Muslim faith on them and that he complained that the war was wrong. But they were ignored. He wrote medical discharge boards for many soldiers- sadly, ALL of his work is now under review. It's a cluster and a half.

 

JC:  If someone near Hasan had been armed, how difficult would it have been to engage him at the start of his attack?

Smith:  From what I know, it would have not very difficult. He didn't take cover or anything- he KNEW that everyone was unarmed and that he had free reign. I do know from the reports of those who were there that it wouldn't have been difficult as he was in an open area with no cover. At one point he was even standing on a counter top in full view of everyone who was there. It wouldn't have been difficult to take him down. A couple of people tried to charge him and died in the process. I think one even threw a chair at him.  Another consideration is that he was dressed like everyone else.  You simply don’t expect the bad guy to be wearing your uniform!

I was not in there, but I WANTED to be so badly. I know that sounds weird, but when my people are in trouble I want to be with them. I hate to liken it to the soldier's camaraderie, but for me it was. Those soldiers were MY soldiers. I would have done anything for those boys and for the people that cared for them.

Because I knew so many of those men I was allowed to train in combatives with that unit in the past and I was close to many who were killed. I remember sitting there, and thinking of what I may need to do if he came to our clinic. At the time we considered this to be a real possibility.

JC:   When you look back on the event, what do you believe are the most important lessons to be learned; both cause and effect?

Smith:  First of all, political correctness kills. Period. That was the cause. The Army is becoming a social engineering experiment and I'm sick of it. Frankly, and this may be radical, but at this time I don't think we need Muslims in the service. It's a conflict for them, and for us. LISTEN TO THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND. His classmates had warned, his superiors had warned, his coworkers and patients had warned, and everyone passed the buck. As far as I'm concerned, everyone who wrote his reviews is partially to blame for this.

Trust your gut. I used to be the type to shrug it off. I now know, and know from countless other examples that my "antenna" are picking something up. If I get the heebies, I'm keeping an eye on you.N29066_muslim%20fort%20hoods[1]

Disarming a populace isn't the answer. All that does is make easy targets. The MP's have to check in their weapons at the end of the day, so that increased their reaction time as they had to draw weapons from the armory before they could respond.

Take security seriously- before this, we had been asking for security systems for YEARS. As far as I know, the clinic still doesn't have one.  Make sure that EVERYONE knows what they should be doing. And I don't mean in the way the army does it- they send out a memo that they'll be doing a drill around X time and nobody should panic. Frankly, they need to alert the authorities and NOBODY ELSE and do dry runs. When people know it's "just a drill" they don't take it seriously, and they don't pay attention. Because of this, nobody really knew what they needed to be doing that day.

Make sure you take care of your first responders. We were all in shock and exhausted. Many of us have secondary trauma on top of the primary. We had to take care of everyone else.  The Army made an effort but they needed outside resources. They missed SO MANY PEOPLE, who were suffering, either due to the scale of the event or simple distrust of the Army resources.  “Everything is fine here, Boss!  I’m driving on…”  I still don't think we know the full scope of it.  Many still have not gotten the help they need.

 JC:   Do you believe that DOD has taken the internal jihadist threat seriously or do you think that careerism and political correctness are seen as more important than dealing with potential problems?

Smith:  I think political correctness is winning. They obviously don't take the jihadist threat seriously. They don't even exercise OPSEC with the press.  Troop movements are advertised on the evening news. DOD disarms their soldiers. They make all of us take "cultural sensitivity" classes. They don't check out the Muslims that are in the service, and they make exceptions for them. We even get emails about certain Muslim holidays so we are "educated” about the culture.  I recall getting an email that during Ramadan we should watch for soldiers falling out as they aren't allowed to eat and drink and that they should take it easy on PT! DFACs even had a special "Ramadan Menu" so we could become more “culturally aware.”

 Obviously they still do not allow us to be armed on post. For the short term they posted MP's at our clinics, but they weren't allowed to do anything! Their orders were such that they couldn't have responded to a real threat. They weren't even armed, they just had radios to "call for help if need be." They were asleep most of the time. The Army' did not even change the cattle calls at SRP. It's pretty much the same as it was before, except now there are two armed guards at the front of the SRP clinic. I think some of the clinics have hired on a private security firm, which is ridiculous because it's unnecessary. Just arm us and you won't have to spend that money.  Often times, there is a roving officer that goes to various facilities, but there is no way to reach him if he is needed.

JC:  If you could ensure that everyone learned one key lesson from this attack, what would it be?

Smith:  ARM YOURSELF!  If you're not comfortable with a gun, make sure you have something.  You're not safe anywhere, you are on your own!  Get trained to be dangerous!  It's disgusting that the Army disarms people at the gate. This is a place that should be ready to go if something happens. Obviously it wasn't. It still isn't.

It's not near as locked down as people think it is. All you need is a driver's license to get on post. They don't even use the DOD car stickers anymore. And remember, HE HAD AN ID CARD.  Occasionally they'll "check" the cars, but it's actually rather rare. Gate security was and still is very lax.

This is a completely different kind of war. They're infiltrating us by using our own culture against us and because we really want to be liked, we let them.

JC:  Is there ANYTHING else you believe is important about this event that is not commonly known?

Smith:  Yeah. The insurgents have learned from this. Attacks on posts have actually INCREASED since then as it has been made glaringly obvious that we don't take them seriously and are sitting ducks. 

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I think I've already said this, but this was the day that it really solidified for me that I am not safe ANYWHERE at ANY TIME. Always be prepared for a predatory attack. These people are serious. And it's not just insurgents- there are other predators out there. The worst part- they look like the rest of us. Oh, and always remember that a real threat is better off dead. Otherwise, it gets caught up in the legal system and tortures everyone. 

 Some Lessons Learned

You MUST be armed and trained, ALWAYS.  Obviously a firearm is best and if possible one should always remember that “concealed is concealed.”  If you can’t carry a gun, carry a couple of blades and become very proficient in their use.  Even a ball point pen combined with speed, surprise and overwhelming violence is better than your bare hands.  No weapon is of any use if it is not able to be accessed immediately.  Remember how “Smith” felt while looking at their CHL card.

Jihadists and other threats can be anywhere and can look just like you.  Nidal Hasan was an officer in the US Army and wore the same uniform as all the other soldiers on Ft Hood.  He was not running around looking like Osama Bin Laden with robes and a Suchka, he appeared to be one of us.

Actions determine whether someone is a target.  This is tied in with the previous point:  one cannot let the “normalcy bias” keep you from engaging an obvious threat.  Hasan was in uniform and this builds in a natural hesitation but the fact that he was murdering innocents should have brought him immediate attention of the most lethal kind.

You must be as ruthless as the attacker.  When it is time to kill, it is time to KILL.  No hesitation, no second guessing, just cold execution of the attacker.  An active shooting is not the same as a mugger wanting a wallet and the rules of engagement are much more brutal.

Profile, Profile, Profile!  Political correctness will get you killed and so will the willful ignoring of signs that someone is becoming a threat.  If warning bells go off in your head, LISTEN TO THEM!  Otherwise, more memorials are guaranteed.309570-fort-hood-memorial[1]

The world is not a safe place, and you need to be mindful that an attack can come at any time, from any direction.  If you do not plan for that eventuality you are fooling yourself.  Just because the “authorities” tell you everything is sweetness and light, only you are responsible for you and you should train accordingly.