Post-Collapse Roles

I think it would be cool to make a hypothetical list using the active members here; Pair the list to a Post SHTF skill that person has.

Off the top of my head:

melbo=construction: Log, Timber Frame, Conventional

Valkman=Knife and edged tool maker

phishi=Medical

Clyde=bard

TLynn=Logistics and Long term planning of/for supplies

Minuteman=alternative energy, (The professor from Gilligans Island)

ghostrider=communications

magnus=Gunsmith/armorer

E.L.=agriculture/farming/food


and so on. If I didn't mention you, it's not that I view you as worthless...lol, I'm just listing some examples. I may split this to another thread later...

What can you contribute as a skill when there is no Electricity?

 

Bard? I would prefer master of brew and liquid sustenance

 

Pretty good shade tree mechanic, very good assistant dishwasher, possible sentry material. Forager par excellance. Counsellor and dispenser of wisdom and wisecracks.

 

Well, the leadership and defensive side is a whole 'nother topic. Personally I'd always rather be a second in command. I've always wanted to plot a coup...

I'm just thinking abt skills that would aid a group that was living together. I thought of you TLynn as logistics as you seem pretty organized and are able to sort things into categories, look at how long a certain supply would last etc. Rationing might be a better description.

Logistics example might be taking an inventory of ammunition and then tallyinhg it, and deciding what can be used for what and when. Yeah RH would be good at that too.

Again, this is all just hypothetical and for fun.

 

I didn't jump into this for awhile so that I could put together some things.So here for what it's worth is my contribution to the discussion.A bit long but I think there are some good points there to make folks think.MM

Let’s say for information purposes that we know someone who is part of a well established, serious and dedicated group of people who intend to survive any TEOTWAWKI event that may come. These folks would have been together for years and over time weeded out all the wannabes and the dreamers and schemers. Their SOPs and leadership hierarchy would, if nothing else, serve as an example of how a group might be organized and function as a cohesive unit in planning and preparing for any eventuality.
This fictional group would have been together before Y2K and that non-event would have served as a dress rehearsal for them and pointed out weaknesses and flaws in their preparations. Flaws that now would have been eliminated.
Their leadership hierarchy would be as follows;

Commanding Officer
A Democracy does NOT work in a survival situation. One person would be designated as the CO and have the final word on all matters. Just as a democracy does not work, neither does a dictatorship. The CO is not an enviable position. He/She has to be someone who takes all others opinions into consideration and makes decisions based on the overall good of the entire group. Someone who can and will make decisions as the situation permits and sticks by them. As impartial an arbitrator as possible, always keeping in mind the good of the many over the good of the few. No matter whom the few may be. Thier decisions will never satisfy everyone, but everyone should be satisfied that their decisions are fair and for the benefit of the entire group.

(A note on terminology. This group would have decided to use military terms for their leaders as a simple and familiar means of identification. The titles do not necessarily reflect a military organizational structure)

Tactical Officer
This person would have military experience (preferably) and/or have studied combat tactics. They would be in charge of all defenses and operations in a tactical or self defense situation.

Logistics Officer
This person would be in charge of all stocks for the group. They would maintain an inventory of all items possessed by the group and would institute and monitor rationing if needed.

Medical Officer
This person would be a nurse or doctor preferably. They would be in charge of stocking all medical equipment and supplies needed for the group. In any medical emergency they would be in command. They would monitor the health of all members.

Game Procurement Officer
This person would ideally be someone with extensive hunting experience. Someone well versed with not only peacetime hunting but knowledgeable of survival hunting as well. They would coordinate and be in charge of all wild game hunting. They would decide when and where that hunting was to take place and coordinate and lead hunting parties.

Food Procurement Officer
This person would be in charge of all domestic food procurement. They would oversee and manage all planting and harvesting. They would be in charge of any domestic animals and insure effective management and use of all resources. They should not only be knowledgeable in gardening and animal husbandry but also in harvesting natural plants and herbs.

Equipment Officer
This person would be in charge of all group equipment. All vehicles, machinery and tools. They would insure that transportation was available and in shape. Spare parts for all group equipment was stocked. This person should have good mechanical skills or general all around handy man skills. They would be in charge of all retreat maintenance, modifications and repairs.

Communications Officer
This person would have or acquire the skills necessary to install and maintain an effective communications set up. They would be in charge of all comm. equipment and monitoring and would insure proper communications security measures were followed.

Each one of these officers would have certain responsibilities both pre and post TEOTWAWKI.They would select and train if necessary others in their field of expertise. For example, in our fictional group the Medical Officer is a registered nurse. But she has under her, two group members that have had EMT training.
And being assigned officer status in one area does not preclude you from serving in another. In our example the Equipment Officer also is one of the ones with EMT training and is subject to use by the MO if the need arises.
A very strong trait that should be strived for is as much cross training as possible. Every Officer should have others that can fill in or take over their position if needed.
The more diversified a group is in their skills and talents the stronger they are.
Our example group would have learned that to consolidate knowledge or skill in only a few is a recipe for disaster. They would have adopted the concept of force multiplication.
To have just a few people trying to learn and acquire everything that a group like this needs is folly. The smart approach that our group has learned the hard way is to delegate the areas of needed expertise to as many as possible. Each officer is required to learn and acquire as much knowledge as possible in their area of expertise. Then by using the force multiplier effect they then teach the rest of the group as much as is possible of what they have learned.
For example, our fictional group raises the money amongst themselves to send their Tactical Officer to a national training school for intensive tactical training. Then that TO comes back to the group and shares what he has learned in weekend training sessions. This way the entire group gets professional training for the cost of only one member.
There are sub groups within each of these positions. Such as in our fictional group one member is an experienced gunsmith. But instead of assigning them as Weapons Officer. They fall under the command of the Equipment Officer. You don’t want too many chiefs. Remember the KISS principal. This also serves to take the strain of leadership (which can be enormous) off of the CO. The other officers oversee their specific area and all sub categories under them.
Here is a list of responsibilities for our fictional group’s officers.

Commanding Officer
Pre-TEOTWAWKI;
Plan and organize meeting with all other officers. Chair meetings and help group to establish and develop effective plans and SOPs. See that all other officers are fulfilling their duties. Remove if necessary any officer not living up to their responsibilities.

Post-TEOTWAWKI;
Provide leadership and guidance in getting retreat set up and functional. Oversee all officers in the performance of their duties. Make sure all SOPs and protocols are being followed.
Meet daily with all officers and make any decisions necessary for safety and security of group. Mediate any differences or debates among officers.

Tactical Officer
Pre-TEOTWAWKI;
Obtain as much training and knowledge of battle, and defensive tactics as possible. Train other group members in tactics.Develope SOPs for all situations foreseen i.e.; contact with refugees, retreat defense, group excursions etc.Coordinate with EO on needed equipment and spare parts for weapons etc.Develope along with other officers a group standard weapon. Compile a personal weapons list for each member and help each member to acquire the group standard equipment.

Post-TEOTWAWKI;
Oversee all security for retreat. Establish guard schedules and assign duties. Insure adherence to all security SOPs. Organize and lead any excursions outside of retreat area. Assume command during any contact with outsiders or in any other tactical situation.

Logistics Officer
Pre-T;
Compile list of all equipment possessed by group. Including all food, medicine, weapons, clothing, etc.
Make recommendations for group standard supplies and or individual items. Report to CO on any areas where you think that the group as a whole is lacking. Coordinate any group purchases.

Post-T;
Maintain record of all consumable items. Institute a rationing plan if necessary. If trade or barter is established make lists of needed items and items usable for barter.

Medical Officer
Pre-T;
Compile list of all members’ health status. Any medications, allergys, blood types, etc.Obtain any items needed to provide for the health needs of group. Make recommendations for items needing to be obtained by group. Make list of personal items for each member to aquire.Obtain any and all training and knowledge possible that may benefit group. Specifically holistic and natural remedies and procedures. Train other group members.

Post-T;
Set up and run a clinic at retreat. Oversee all medicine stocks.Instittute and monitor a health regiment for all members.

Game Procurement Officer
Pre-T;
Acquire any skills and knowledge necessary to perform assigned duties. Share knowledge with and train other group members. Make list of needed equipment and coordinate with EO on acquiring them.ie; crossbow, airrifle, nets, snares etc.

Post-T
Coordinate and lead all hunting parties. Decide what when and where hunting is to be done. Set traps, snares etc. and maintain.
Organize and oversee all butchering of wild and domestic animals.

Food Procurement Officer
Pre-T
Make list of all types of seed and equipment needed for large scale food production. List and procure any domestic animals and equipment needed for them. Obtain any items needed for food storage. Obtain all knowledge possible in your area.

Post-T
Will be in charge of what where and when to plant and harvest. All food preparation and storage. All domestic animal raising and harvesting. Will organize and lead wild edibles foraging expeditions. Will coordinate with MO on growing and harvesting medicinal herbs.

Equipment Officer
Pre-T
Will compile list of all equipment possessed by group. i.e. all vehicles, machinery, tools, etc.Will make list of all recommended spare parts for equipment including material for maintenance and repair of retreat. Will obtain any and all training in regards to repair and maintenance of group equipment. Will make recommendations for group purchases etc. ie; welding machines, metal lathe etc.

Post-T
Will assume responsibility for maintenance of all group equipment. Will be responsible for assigning equipment out and insuring that it is used correctly and safly.Will be in charge of any and all construction or maintenance projects at retreat. Will oversee all maintenance of retreat.

Communications Officer
Pre-T
Will make list of all group comm. equipment. Will make recommendations for group standard comm. equipment. Will obtain any comm. equipment and or training required.ie; ham license etc.Will establish Com-Sec SOPs.

Post-T
Will set up comm. station at retreat. Will issue and monitor condition of all personal comms.Will create a monitoring schedule and assign duties. Will oversee and enforce all Com-Sec SOPs.


I know this is a long list, but this just barely touches upon the basics. The protocols and SOPs of our fictional group have been adopted and modified over several years. And what works for them may not work for another group. The main thing is to work together for the good of the whole. Our fictitional group may have adopted a motto something like this;
“The strength of the wolf is in the pack. The strength of the pack is in the wolf.”
Knowledge is power and the more knowledge a group acquires now the stronger they will be in the future. A well rounded survival library will be a gold mine in a TEOTWAWKI situation.

One note on retreat selection. Our fictional group would research all factors ie; nuclear targets, radiation fallout patterns, attitudes of people in the area etc before choosing a site to purchase land and establish a retreat. They would have pre-positioned much of their supplies at this retreat. But unlike the group in “Patriots” which our group drew heavily upon, our group would have multiple retreat locations near each other and have supplies pre positioned at each. Members who were capable would move to and live at the main retreat areas to provide security for the groups possessions. These retreats would be located a minimum of 100 miles from the nearest metropolitan center and would adjoin or be very close to a national Forrest. For those not living at the retreat, various routes would be scouted and supplies cached along the most probable routes of travel. A small acreage of land would be purchased in a remote area near to the route of travel and equidistant to the main retreat and the furthest away of the members. A short term (1 month for 3 people) supply would be cached at this “rest area”.
A “meeting area” would be established in a location central to the most members.(possibly a fairly defensible and sustainable home site of one of the members).All surrounding members would gather there post SHTF and proceed from there to the retreat.

Of course these are just fictional preparations our imaginary group might have made. They could always be improved and expanded upon.
One final thought. Our group would have looked at and considered all possible situations and determined what worked and what didn’t. This is easily done by looking at two sources. One is survival fiction. There is a lot to learn from writers who try to envision a future TEOTWAWKI world. The other and probably best source for learning what to do and not do for a group organization is recent history.
Examples of what doesn’t work are found at Ruby Ridge and Waco. Randy Weaver took his family and moved to a remote region. He had a self sufficient lifestyle and was well prepared. But his very isolation was his greatest threat. When the MZBs came. In the form of federal LEOs, the small number of defenders, and the isolation of their position, doomed them.
On the other end of the spectrum was the Branch Davidians.They gathered together in numbers sufficient to withstand most MZB attacks. They held their own very well in the initial attack on them. But the size of their group and their very public activities insured that any preparations they made could not possibly go unnoticed.
So our group would have learned from this and adopted a somewhere in the middle option. For security a group has got to be a minimum size. Most authors and ponderers of the SHTF world agree that no more than a dozen family units is the ideal size for a self sufficient and secure group. A retreat that doesn’t see a lot of activity that would arouse the curiosity of neighbors. Our group makes it a point to never have more than a handful of members at the retreat at any one time. Also all weapons, tactics training takes place somewhere else.
Our fictional group would believe that the best scenario is a group of approximately 50 adults known and trusted by each other, but coordinated with other groups around the same geographic area. Any group is subject to be overrun if faced with a superior force. No matter what that force may be. Our group would hold that the best defense is to make it known that they will not harm others and only want to be left alone. And that any attempt to “Take them out” would be so costly to the aggressor that it would not be worth the effort. To that end members of our fictional group would devote themselves to learning every conceivable means of inflicting the heaviest casualties possible with the fewest people. Every IED, field expedient, homemade, covert, black book, anarchist device ever created in the warped mind of man would be studied and committed to memory as insurance against the day that it would ever be needed. In a strictly defensive mode of course.
Knowledge is power.


Ok I should pay more attention to details.I posted this in the wrong thread.I meant to post this in the "Group Leadership" thread.I'll leave this here and post it again there.Sorry.doh!!

 

Excellent contribution Minuteman

 

Agree, and note that this was in some measure the approach taken by native american tribal organizations, with individual skills emphasized in camp and on the path, whether peaceful migration or war. Training started young. Old chief did not get there by force, but by recognition of overall skills and abilities and selection by the tribe. He (tho' some very few may have been she) had a council of those that were more specialized, younger, and in line for his position. This organizational setup worked well for primitive living, and presumably approximates minuteman's scenario.

The difficulty for us is obvious, we are not a constituted "tribe" tho' thinking in that direction. Much to be figured out and negotiated.