Methods for Personal and Home Defense

Personal and home defense are essentials these days. Crime rates remain steady. The types of crimes and the depth of their violence have definitely grown. Knowing how to defend against potential criminals and the possibility of a personal attack is a necessity for personal safety and security, even survival. Whether it is learning how to defend with hand to hand combat or using a firearm, personal and home defense can give one a sense of security and safety.

Knowing how to defend against personal attack can provide a sense of safety and security. The knowledge and application of personal defense techniques could also prove essential for one’s survival. Armed with the right knowledge and applying proper techniques, a person can feel ready to respond appropriately if under attack.

Self Defense for Personal Safety

Whether walking to one’s car in the parking lot at work or strolling from the library after hours on a college campus, personal attacks are a real possibility. Rape and robbery are realistic threats to one’s safety. Potential criminals are seeking unsuspecting victims who are unaware of their surroundings and vulnerable to attack.

Personal safety is about a sense of awareness. Keeping an eye and ear open can give the potential victim an indication of an attacker’s approach. Maintaining a cool head and performing under pressure are essentials no matter if the attack requires hand to hand combat skills or the ability to properly use a handgun for self defense. Defending against an attack can best be done by maintaining awareness of one’s surroundings prior to attack.

Home Security and Defense Methods

Home invasions and armed burglary are among the major violent crimes that occur on private property. Simply having an alarm system installed can no longer deter thieves and attackers. Homeowners need more to address such threats.

Proper home defense requires a plan and adequate preparation. Home defense can begin as simple as identifying potential threats such as poorly lighted areas. Home defense may also include knowing how to properly handle a firearm like a handgun.

Finding firearms for home and personal defense is simple and easy on Grab A Gun. The online catalog of handguns for sale gives an indication of the various types of handguns on the market today. The proper training for handgun usage should be undergone no matter if it is for a revolver or semi-automatic.

Save the sea turtles! Andersen teams with local university to conserve species

by Staff Sgt. Melissa B. White
36th Wing Public Affairs

8/19/2014 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Editor's note: This is the second part of a series featuring conservation programs managed by the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Flight.

Team Andersen has partnered up with a scientific research team from the University of Guam this year to help make the base's beaches cleaner and greener -- with turtles -- by participating in the sea turtle monitoring, protection and educational outreach program on Guam.

The program aims to conserve the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle and endangered green sea turtle species that occasionally make their way to the rocky and sandy shores of Andersen for foraging, nesting and residential behaviors. The 36th Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Flight will use the findings from the research along with current and new conservation efforts they implemented to update the AAFB Sea Turtle Management Program for 2015.

"We are contributing to the overall recovery of these endangered species," said Ruben Guieb, 36th CES Environmental Flight Natural and Cultural Resources Conservation Program chief. "We are taking active and aggressive actions toward being good environmental stewards, and we do care about their recovery. We will use this information to better understand the species and track any changes in their population in the future."

An integral part of the program includes field studies where Tarague Basin on base is surveyed and monitored for turtle activity by the UOG scientific program. This part of the program began in March and will continue until the end of March 2015 in order to gather sufficient scientific data to determine a baseline of how often and how many turtles come to the base each year, along with the behaviors they exhibit.

"I've worked on turtle projects before, and this one is different because this beach has so little data from the past," said Marylou Staman, University of Guam Sea Turtle Monitoring, Protection and Educational Outreach on Guam project manager. "We're working to determine a hard nesting season and to gather really good data about the turtles and their habits in order to see through the next few years if what we're doing is helping and they keep coming back here."

Since they started surveying the beaches five months ago, Staman and her team have monitored 14 green sea turtle nests on the base, which resulted in a total of 984 hatchlings, based on the empty shells left behind. She said the statistics are critical because sea turtle biologists predict only one out of every 1,000-2,000 hatchlings survive to adulthood. Green sea turtles take 25-30 years to reach sexual maturity. That means maybe only one turtle from this season could return to Andersen in 25-30 years to reproduce.

The scientists survey the beach at least six days each week to monitor turtle activity and any active nests. When a nest is discovered, they mark off the site with pink tape and observe the nest daily until the turtle is finished nesting in that location. This process could take several weeks because the turtle lays eggs in the same location in two-week intervals, providing about 70-120 eggs each time.

When nesting occurs at the Tarague Beach recreational area, the 36th Force Support Squadron Outdoor Recreation does its part to protect the endangered species by closing off any campsites that may be adjacent turtle nests. They also provide campers with educational material on the turtles to make guests aware of the creatures and how they can help keep them safe.

During Staman's almost-daily treks on the beach, any activities she notices that may harm the endangered species and their recovery are reported to the appropriate base agencies.

"People don't realize that dogs are attracted to the scent of the nests, or if a dog is with its owner and leaves its mark on the beach, then it's going to attract boonie (stray) dogs that could endanger the nests," Staman said. "So if I see someone down here with a dog, then I report it ... and I've started seeing more signs put up by the base to let people know dogs aren't allowed. It's nice to work on a beach where you feel like people are really proactive and giving you support."

The base has shown initiative in other ways this year by installing turtle-safe lighting by the Tarague Beach area. The bulbs are designed to emit light in lower wavelengths turtles are unable to see. This change eliminates a deterrence that may have minimized or prevented nesting in the past and will allow emerging hatchlings a greater chance of making it to the water by following the moonlight reflecting off the ocean without the disorientation of artificial lighting.

Andersen also hosted a beach clean-up on Earth Day in April, with plans to have another one in September as part of the 20th Guam International Coastal Cleanup. This practice coincides with the base's goals of protecting the turtles by preventing danger of entanglement in litter.

"I think the turtles are really lucky to have the beaches on Andersen because the base's support is really good and there are fewer and fewer nesting beaches for them," Staman said. "If this is just the start of a long-term project, I think Andersen has the power to do something great."

DoD Announces Readiness, Environmental Protection Awards

By Amaani Lyle

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2014 – Defense Department officials today announced the 2014 Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Challenge award winners, in which 11 finalists competed to help to sustain military readiness and protect critical test, training, and operational missions.

REPI Program Director Kristin Thomasgard-Spence said Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, best demonstrated the spirit of the program to promote innovative land conservation solutions that benefit military readiness, neighboring communities, and the environment while helping installations reduce and avoid restrictions.

“DoD’s ability to conduct realistic live-fire training and weapons system testing is vital to preparing warfighters and their equipment for real-world combat,” Thomasgard-Spence said. “There is a direct relationship between realistic training and success on the battlefield.”

A REPI Challenge award of $4 million for Fort Huachuca will leverage just over $9 million in partner contributions to permanently restrict development on 5,900 acres of ranchland, Thomasgard-Spence reported. Partnerships include Arizona Land and Water Trust, Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

“This buffer protects more than 160,000 annual air operations and reduces proliferation of electromagnetic interference for 800 square miles of air space,” she said. “Protecting these lands will prevent the development of up to 1,400 new wells, ensuring availability of scarce groundwater resources for the installation, the surrounding community, and the local native grassland habitat.”

Meanwhile, Thomasgard-Spence noted, NAS Patuxent River is working with the Chesapeake Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA, NRCS, Maryland, Delaware, and the Conservation Fund to protect a corridor along the Nanticoke River under the Atlantic Test Range airspace. Aircraft use the area for research, development, test, and evaluation missions, she added.

“A REPI award of $1 million at NAS Patuxent River will be leveraged more than 5:1 with contributions from this cohesive partnership to protect 2,259 acres of forests, wetlands, and farmland, as part of a broader 8,500-acre wildlife corridor area,” Thomasgard-Spence said. “The project helps reduce noise and safety concerns, and prevents costly restrictions and delays to training and testing.”

According to Thomasgard-Spence, in the late 1990s the REPI program was borne from DoD’s increasing concern about encroachment.

“Specifically, installations saw two main threats to their ability to train: nearby incompatible development and regulatory restrictions on DoD lands to protect species and habitat under the Endangered Species Act,” she said.

As such, the impacts of encroachment can have serious consequences if military installations are to remain active and contributing economic participants in their communities, she added.

“Together, the Fort Huachuca and NAS Patuxent River projects leverage over $14 million in non-DoD partner contributions and will permanently protect more than 8,150 acres of land adjacent to two important military bases that are essential for testing and training,” Thomasgard-Spence said. “These projects go above and beyond in providing significant benefit to the military, the taxpayer, and the environment.”