After the fall of Bataan in 1942 tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers were forced to march over 60 miles to POW camps. The POWs were beaten, starved, and executed, while covering brutal terrain, many suffering from things like malaria and dysentery.
By 1944 the American public would come to know this as the Bataan death march that killed around 10,000 Filipino soldiers and over 600 Americans.
My grandfather found himself in the Pacific, towards the end of the war, and he stood guard over many of the captive Japanese responsible for the Bataan death march.
Here are some of the lessons I learned from him.
How to Fight
Pop was a Diamond Belt boxer in his youth, and that was similar to the Golden Gloves.
There are a lot of self defense modalities that come up in the prepping and survival world. Things Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu have their merit. One thing is for sure; any self defense is better than none!
Gun disarms and armbar’s aside, we have a great study of how fights end and that is data from MMA. I know there are rules and refs but you must consider that the majority of fights are stopped because of punches.
Learning to box was one of the biggest leaps in my personal self defense because it teaches you not only how to throw your hands and hurt someone quickly but also how to move your feet and how to make someone else miss.
It helps to have some boxing pedigree in the family. Thanks, Pop!
How to Crab
One of my earliest memories with Pop is being on a bridge and dropping crab pots down into the water. The crab pots were metal cages, pretty big, and we baited the crab pots with a chicken drumstick.
I was so young at the time that I only remember the concrete of the bridge, the darkness of the water, and I remember the chill of the wind that night. We crabbed into the night as the tide slowed, and the water went slack and wound up with a bushel of crabs!
While I didn’t get a lot of hands-on experience, it taught me about bait and timing with the tides, when it comes to catching those delicious Maryland blue crabs!
Trapping small game and fishing are often the focus of a lot of survivalists and preppers. If you live near the oceans or even brackish water, shellfish should be on the menu! This could come in very handy if you ever need to bug out in a crisis situation.
Speaking of which, a lot of other crucial tips for scenarios like this are available in the Wilderness Long-Term Survival Guide by the renowned Dr. Nicole Apelian.
Reading that book sent a jolt through me, as it reminded me of those childhood memories, when I hit the section on five plants for crafting tough, natural cordage: step-by-step instructions for twisting threads strong enough to snare fish or small game in a survival pinch.
Avoid Alcohol
There was no such thing as PTSD when Pop came back from WWII. Men returned to the US in triumph, but many brought with them a Tengu. The Tengu is a type of Japanese demon that brings about chaos.
Pops’ demon was trapped in bottles. He became a heavy drinker, and this became a part of his life that brought about such suffering. He would pass this Tengu down to his own son and, of course, live with that terror, too.
Watching them both taught me a lot about the dangers of alcohol. Also, the power of alcohol as a barter item. When alcohol has its claws in someone, they will go to great lengths to get what they want. You can leverage this in an SHTF situation should you have alcohol to barter.
How to Steam Crabs
The most underrated skill when it comes to self reliance is cooking. Learning to forage, trap, fish, and hunt are all great but you also need to know how to prepare all that food!
We would pull up those crab traps and bring the crabs home a wooden bushel basket before creating an incredible mixture to enhance the flavor of these fresh steamed crabs.
- 2 bottles of light beer
- 2 cups of white vinegar
- 1/4 Cup of Old Bay Seasoning
All of this goes into a large pot and comes to a simmer before adding the crabs and covering the pot till they all turn bright red. If you have a lot of crabs you might need to do several batches depending on the size of the pot.
In wartime conditions, you’ll cook and eat whatever you can find just to survive. For other types of crisis, you also have the option to prepare in advance with survival foods. Back in the Cold War days, the U.S. military developed a secret survival ration, known as the “Doomsday Ration”, designed to keep Americans alive through a nationwide crisis.
It wasn’t fancy or tasty. It was made to be extremely cheap, last for decades, and pack enough calories to sustain an adult for only $0.37 per day. You can see the exact recipe right here.
How to Be a Father
Fatherhood was a different beast in the 1950s. Sometimes your very best teachers are the ones who stumble and the ones who get things very wrong. I have seen and heard a lot of things about my grandfather that fell into the category of things NEVER to do as a father.
Those lessons are incredibly valuable. I also apply this to my preps. You can learn so much from a failed build or a garden that has fallen to disease. If everything goes perfectly then you miss out on those valuable, WHAT NOT TO DO moments.
To Prepare for War
Like so many men who headed off to Europe to defend this nation, Pop was hardly prepared for war. Of course, the Americans were quick studies, war running in our veins and all.
There is a militant aspect of prepping that can feel a lot like preparing for war. Whether it be some kind of invasion, terrorist attack, civil war, or even prepping for a tyrannical government. As preppers we often focus on the skills and tools to be ready for such an eventuality.
What Pop taught me through stories of World War II is that these moments come and you must be prepared to act.
Having practical firearms training is essential. Because I wanted to follow in his footsteps and truly be prepared to handle even the most complicated situations, I decided to enroll in a course to master the basics of defending my personal territory. There, I learned:
- How to Avoid Being Targeted During Civil Unrest
- What the Gun Salesmen Will Never Tell Me
- How to Tell if the Law Enforcement Officer Knocking on My Door Is Real or Fake
- Sneaky Inside Secrets to Surviving Martial Law
- How to Clear My Home Like a Green Beret
I also learned everything about firearms and how I can use them to protect my home and family. All of this, with the help of Terry Schappert and the Home Defense Academy, for which I am grateful and always will be!
Mental Strength is Crucial
Besides training, your ability to perform is essential too. When my grandfather was a kid and a young man, people were stronger and more fit. Being fit for duty is essential and can often be a struggle for the average American.
His generation valued a strong body and mind, where today we are encouraged to lean into our mental health struggles and to fatten up on comfort and convenience. I know he is proud of how I take care of myself.
I understood a lot about mental resilience, as well as how to be physically prepared for any challenge, with the help of Joel Lambert. Author of the extremely popular A Navy SEAL’s Bug-In Guide, Joel developed an impressive course on self-defense and mental discipline. This course might be perfect for you if:
- You don’t trust that anyone else will protect you in case of Civil War, Martial Law, riots, or other crises
- You want to be able to take care of your family when things go crazy
- You want to finally get rid of procrastination for good
- You don’t want to break down mentally when only the truly prepared will survive
👉 Click here and transform yourself from an easy victim into a true soldier in just one month!
Final Thoughts
The darkness of war ripples through generations. So, what happens when generations are in perpetual war?
War makes monsters of men, unlike anything else. The men who conducted the torturous Bataan Death March were monsters themselves. My Grandfather recalled the vengeance exacted on those men.
As POWs they were under constant guard but from time to men would be taken to run. They would run those Japanese men who marched their brothers straight to hell. And they’d run them, and run them, under the hot sun until eventually those men who conducted the brutal Bataan Death March would fall dead.
The most powerful lesson my WWII vet Grandfather ever taught me is that WAR HIS HELL and it should be avoided at all costs.
In the Pacific theater, U.S. troops battled deadly heat, jungle diseases, and severe dehydration from lack of clean water. Secure your own water supply now with this ingenious DIY water generator that can produce up to 40 gallons of pure water daily, straight from thin air!
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A good, thought-provoking article. Thank you. I would like to see an article detailing the odds we older folks would be facing in a SHTF. I only recently realized the odds when I read this: Older Population and Aging https://www.census.gov/topics/population/older-aging.html
The percentage of people age 18 to 50 far outnumber us who are 65 and over. Don’t think for a second that those 18 to 50 won’t attack us who are 65 and over. Just a thought.
Good question. I’ll turn 70 in a few months. I don’t know what the author would say, & I’m sure you already know this, but I’d say have protection & be ready to use it, & be ready to meet God. This is for anytime, of course, as we’re not promised tomorrow. Make sure that Jesus is your Lord & Savior, so you’ll be in heaven for eternity. If He is not, then don’t put that off. Anyone needing more info on Jesus, call 1-888-NEED HIM. Or contact the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association at https://billygraham.org/
Alcoholism is a slow death because in reality alcohol is a low level poison. Even at “only” 40% it’s still pretty potent. When you get up into the 60 and 70% stuff doesn’t take much to knock you out. Knew a friend of my father’s who used to drink a forty every day for twenty years. At the end of that time he had completely destroyed himself. He was almost like a very helpless baby again. One eye went in one direction. The other in another. Had to be in diapers. Had no idea who or where he was. Saw him 6 months before his death. Very, very sad when people do this to themselves.
In regards to procrastination it can be one of three worst things you can do ad a pepper. It takes a while just for the stockpiling part. I plan on starting tomorrow. 🙂
Good for you! My problem is lack of storage space. I’ve done what I can, though the canned goods I stored during Covid are now out of date. Don’t know how long they’ll actually be good, or if I should replace.