Class Announcement: “Operation Alamo”

Operation: “ALAMO” course description

When we began talking about a collaboration, we looked at what was happening in the world.

– The pandemic was raging, and people didn’t want to catch Covid.
– Hospitals were over-run by sick people.  No one wanted to go to a hospital for any reason.
– Handgun and rifle ammunition was all but impossible to find; when available, it was astronomically high in price.
– Common defensive rifles and handguns were sold out in gun stores across the country.
– Riots and violent mobs were prevalent amongst downtown commercial/residential areas and suburban neighborhoods.
– Public Safety Officials (Fire/EMS/Police) across the nation were overworked, understaffed, and longer response times became more common at no fault of their own.

Evaluating at all these factors, we tried to think about what kind of class people would like given the epidemic and the economic realities.  The only thing we could conclude was that people only wanted to stay home!

So the two of us came up with the ultimate course to maintain self-reliance and allow you to stay home no matter how badly conditions degrade.  Caleb came up with the brilliant idea of calling it “Operation: “ALAMO!”

In the course, we are combining a day of home defense shotgun training on a live fire range with some advanced medical skills on day two.  Greg will be the primary instructor for training day one (TD1) covering the shotgun portion.  The availability of shotguns and shotgun ammo has been the least constrained throughout the pandemic.  Almost all gun and sporting good stores still offer shotguns and birdshot for sale.  Shotguns make ideal home defense firearms, so it fits perfectly within the framework of our class idea.  With buckshot and slugs difficult to find and expensive, the class will be entirely shot with bird shot.  Shooting 15 rounds of buckshot for familiarization and patterning will be optional during TD1.

As for the medical aspect of the course, Caleb will be teaching his material on using your Level I-III Med Kits, using improvised materials for bleeding control, and treating burn/blast injuries.  We know you all have some good medical supplies.  If you are locked in at home, eventually those supplies may run out.  We want you to be able to take care of yourselves and your family even after you run out of tourniquets, pressure bandages, and chest seals.

 
Together we will then teach more advanced wound cleaning and closure techniques that will allow you to treat some types of more serious lacerations at home without going to the hospital. Proper wound cleaning and disinfection, closing wounds with steri-strips, super glue, staples, and simple skin sutures will also be covered. Students will have ample time to practice both applying staples/sutures and correctly removing them. The instructors will provide resources on what type of wound closure material you might want to stockpile and how to legally acquire those items. All materials for the medical class will be provided by the instructors.

Home Defense Shotgun Class Description –

This class is designed to quickly bring students to a high level of proficiency in the art of using a shotgun for personal or home defense.  The class will cover the following topics:

– Selecting the shotgun, ammunition, and accessories
– Buckshot patterning for optimal performance
– Rapid target acquisition
– Methods to reduce the recoil of the shotgun
– Proper shooting techniques
– Loading/Unloading/Reloading the shotgun, stressing emergency reloads and ammo management

Students will need the following supplies:

– Reliable pump action or semi-automatic shotgun.  We recommend the Remington 870, Remington 11/87, Mossberg 590, Benelli “M-series,” or the Beretta 1201/1301.  Barrel lengths under 20 inches are preferred.  Your shotgun should have a stock.  Pistol-grip only shotguns and firearms like the Mossberg Shockwave are not suitable for this class
– Your shotgun should be equipped with a sling if possible
– 125 rounds of birdshot (whatever cycles your shotgun)
– 15 rounds of your chosen defensive buckshot load (optional)

Home Defense Medical Class Description 

On training day two (TD2) attendees will learn how to treat injuries related to various violent attacks during home defense situations.  There will be a focus on injuries related to recent mob attack methods and scenarios where your medical supplies may be limited or previously exhausted without a resupply available. Attendees will also be presented with an introduction to basic wound management techniques to include irrigation, debridement, and closure techniques.

Subjects covered:

– Review of injuries sustained as a result of civil unrest from recent events and potential injuries while defending your home from such attacks.
Injuries such as… Extremity Hemorrhaging, Penetrating Thoracic Injuries, Penetrating Trauma, Thermal Burns, Blast Injuries, Eye and Facial Injuries, Respiratory Complications related to OC spray and smoke inhalation
– Medical equipment selection for home defense and self-sustainment
– Considerations for improvised medical equipment using common household items
– Introduction to basic wound management; irrigation, debridement, closure techniques

Student Info Packets with complete packing lists and details on class will be sent out after registering and as we get closer to class start date.