{"id":2491,"date":"2020-06-25T08:23:56","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T08:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?p=2491"},"modified":"2020-06-29T19:04:37","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T19:04:37","slug":"book-review-left-of-bang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/book-review-left-of-bang\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Left Of Bang"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Left Of Bang” Is Right On The Money<\/span><\/h1>\n

Early on in the Iraq War, the United States military was in big trouble. They had the firepower to quash anything and anybody who tried to use force against them. That firepower, however, could only be brought to bear after the fight started. Our military, as powerful as it was, wasn\u2019t able to tell when the situation in a seemingly normal area of Iraq was about to turn into a firefight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine a firefight as a line, with the midpoint being where the fighting started. Our military was winning the battle from the start of the firefight (the \u201cBang\u201d) until the fighting stopped (the \u201cright of bang\u201d). Where we were ineffective, though, was figuring out what was happening before the shooting started. We needed to win the battle on the left of bang.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Enter General James \u201cMad Dog\u201d Mattis \u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

In 2006, General Mattis realized the losses the Marines were suffering in Iraq were untenable. Marines in Iraq needed to learn how to spot trouble before it happened. General Mattis created the Combat Hunter program<\/a> to teach Marines situational awareness so they can spot an ambush before it happened. The Combat Hunter program brought in experts from the world of big game hunting, urban warfare, and undercover law enforcement to create a program that would help Marines look for the clues that might mean an attack was on the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

He can win the fight, but can he win the battle before the fight?<\/p><\/div>\n

The program they created taught Marines to develop a proactive mindset from four different elements: situational awareness, sensitivity of baselines and anomalies, critical thinking, and decision-making. \u201cLeft of Bang\u201d is a book about what those elements are, how the Marines applied them in Iraq and how they apply to our lives over here in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Theory And Practice Of Situational Awareness<\/span><\/p>\n

One thing I have noticed in my journey towards a safe and secure armed lifestyle is how many trainers talk about how important situational awareness is, but so few talk about how to attain it. I\u2019ll admit it comes naturally to me. I have always been a people-watcher, so looking around when I\u2019m outside the house is second nature to me. However, I know I am the exception, not the rule. One of the big takeaways from \u201cLeft of Bang\u201d for me was the steps laid out in the book on how to pay attention to your environment. Rather than just say \u201cKeep your eyes peeled for trouble,\u201d this book lays what trouble might look like before it actually becomes trouble.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s All About The Base(line)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Ever get nervous when travelling overseas? Does walking through a strange neighborhood at night give you the creeps, even if it\u2019s a neighborhood in a nicer part of town? We get that feeling of uneasiness because we don\u2019t know what \u201cnormal\u201d looks like in those areas, and so we\u2019re not sure if what\u2019s happening around us is a good thing or a bad thing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Overseas<\/a>

Traveling to unfamiliar areas means we have no baseline of “normal.”<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cLeft of Bang\u201d walks the reader through the process of six key elements to establish a baseline of \u201cnormal\u201d for any given area, whether that area is a street corner in the Middle East or Main Street, USA. Those six elements are:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n