I am writing our family’s security preparations, specifically the weapon selection and breakdown per family member. I will also describe our “Battle Rattle” (web gear) and survival kits.
  
First, a little background and base information. I am a retired US Army First Sergeant with over 30 years of military service. I have performed multiple jobs of my lengthy career, mainly in the Combat Arms. I was a Mortarman and Automatic Rifleman in the Airborne Infantry. I was a Unit Armorer, Supply Sergeant and Rifle Platoon Sergeant in the Mechanized Infantry and a Scout Platoon Sergeant and Cavalry First Sergeant in a Brigade Reconnaissance Troop. Those were all active duty positions. I was also a Military Policeman for two years in the US Army Reserve. I retired in late 2010.

My family began preparation for crisis, disaster, TEOTWAWKI in March of 2011. Our efforts have been adversely impacted in that the Veterans Administration has not yet paid my award for Service Connected Disability. I have been waiting almost a year. But, I collected and saved some things over three decades in the Army. I believe that this military equipment will be very valuable in any survival situation. I owned several guns before we began preparation for the pending tragedies. We have purchased multiple weapons specifically for WTSHTF. We have four members of our “Nuclear Family” as Jerry Ahern defines in his book Survive!: The Disaster, Crisis and Emergency Handbook. I have a wife and two teenage sons. I wanted each family member to have both “stand off” and short range firing capabilities. I consider “stand off” to be a rifle or shotgun with slugs and short range to be a pistol.