Gaddy College of Self-Defense
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
By Karen De Coster
Lewrockwell.com
The place was
South Central Tennessee and it was a sunny day in April 2009. I
was out in the boonies at a clearing, with about ten gentlemen.
We were there for the purpose of honing our firearm and personal
self-defense skills with a specialist and trainer who is a master
of such things. I sat on a sandy hillside, waiting my turn. First
my buns itched, then my lower back. By the time my torso was itching,
only seconds later, I knew what I had done. I stood up and did a
country cousin square dance with two left feet, minus a partner
or music, and lacking any discernable rhythm.
"Fire
ants!," someone yelled.
Darn right
it was fire ants. Since I didn’t fancy the thought of peeling off
my clothes and streaking butt-naked through a crowd of ten men,
some of whom I had just met, I sprinted for the woods to ditch behind
some cover and disrobe. Since the invaders had, by that time, occupied
every nook and cranny of my person, it took awhile to rid myself
of the unsolicited invaders. Afterwards, streaking jokes were tossed
around and it all seemed funny, but the memory is making me itch
while I write this article.
The fire ants
weren’t Michael Gaddy’s fault, however.
LewRockwell.com
columnist and Special Forces veteran Michael
Gaddy traveled to Tennessee to train a group of fine folks –
all from the same small community – some essential self-defense
tactics. I received an invitation to attend this event, and my ten-hour
drive to Tennessee, each way, was well worth the instruction I received.
I’ve done a lot of different types of training, but I knew
this was going to be different.
Often, people
make the mistake of thinking they can just have a loaded pistol
on a nightstand and a rifle standing in the corner and they’re good
to go. Not true. Individuals must be mentally prepared as well as
proficient in the use of their firearms. You owe it to yourself
to seek additional, specialized training to develop a mindset of
preparedness and preservation. That’s where a top-notch instructor
comes into play. You should seek a mentor who will teach you the
mental preparation aspects of self-defense as well as the act of
mastering your firearm(s). A one-on-one session, or a session with
a small group of people, is invaluable for receiving personal insight
and understanding where you are in terms of vigilance. Gaddy ran
our small group through a series of drills over two days, and he
schooled his trainees to think about and deal with various real-life
scenarios and potential weaknesses. We practiced shooting behind
barriers, shooting without using the sights, and using our weak
hands, and these are all things that a lot of folks don’t think
about often enough. We also rehearsed the act of picking out friendly
vs. enemy targets under pressure. We created ways to raise our heartbeat
(running sprints) before shooting to try and simulate the adrenaline
rush that someone in the act of self-defense will experience.
Perhaps some
of the most valuable guidance you can procure from a solid instructor
comes during an informal question-and-answer period that allows
you pick an experienced mind. It is often difficult to get top-flight
training that is not loaded with politically correct talking points
and government licensing propaganda. I’ve been fed this nonsense
before. Michael Gaddy didn’t waste our time with such phooey. The
right to defend oneself is a natural right and thus it does not
come from the permission of any government or licensing body. Gaddy
reflects the sort of philosophy that you’d expect from a popular
and relentless freedom activist.
In addition,
a person who is truly pro-liberty will not waste your time telling
you to email your congressman. Due to the fact that there is currently
no support for gun control legislation in Congress, the president
of the United States is pushing an international
treaty that will bypass Congress and can be ratified with Senate
approval. This treaty seeks to disarm Americans. The regime in power
is desperate to commence absolute gun control and will do so in
any manner possible. Now is the time to prepare to resist any such
maneuver.
Mr. Gaddy,
a son of
the Confederacy, spent thirty years in the Army and served in
Vietnam (three tours), Beirut, and Grenada. He also spent some years
at the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Pentagon. Thus he
has a wee bit of real-world experience to pass on to his trainees.
Overall, attending Gaddy College in Tennessee was a splendid experience.
Besides meeting some fine, local patriots who will be my friends
for life, I was able to work with a small group of eager participants
along with a gentleman whose incredible body of knowledge and hands-on
experience was an open book for all of us. Sure, training at places
like Front Sight, Gunsite, etc., might offer up some terrific rewards,
but I have found that nothing can really replace the value of one-on-one
training or small-group training with someone whose philosophy is
solidly in the libertarian and anti-state camp.
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On our last
evening in Tennessee, I managed to pull one over on Gaddy. That
evening, a group of us headed to the riverbank, and the only available
transportation was a group of 4-wheelers. Gaddy and I, both Harley
riders, didn’t know a dang thing about those machines. They had
two wheels too many, and it took a ten-year-old to show me where
the throttle was located. But we learned with an express lesson
from that delightful, homeschooled child, and all was well.
Poor Mr. Gaddy
got stuck "riding bitch" on my 4-wheeler on the way back
from the river. All in good fun, of course. But definitely a Kodak
moment.
Karen De Coster is a CPA and has an MA in economics. Born in Detroit into an autoworker family, she writes from halfway between Detroit and Minneapolis.
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