Could You Start a Fire Without a Match?

If for some strange reason you found yourself in a desperate situation, all alone, in the woods, lost.  And maybe wounded.  Or perhaps there's a flood.  Or maybe you were in a plane crash and you're the only survivor.  Or there's just a few of you and it's up to you to protect and save them.  And you've got to stay alive and somehow find your way out of this predicament.  One you've never faced before.  

Could you?  

Could you build a lean-to (look it up) for shelter if you had to?  Do you have a servicible knife for self-protection?  Could you start a fire without a lighter or matches?  Do you know how to catch enough food to survive in the wild?    

And why do I ask?

A friend who came from a different upbringing then the one I enjoyed asked me the other day why I'm so strident about individual rights and the Bill of Rights and being prepared for any eventuality, no matter what.  I thought for a moment, and answered in the following way...

I was born and raised in the Upper Midwest, in the midst of the Big War.  A place where nearly everyone was armed and there was zero crime.

Or, perhaps it could be said there was zero crime 'cause everyone was(is) armed.  You might have to think about that one for a bit...

But what I do know is that nearly every boy, and most all girls, joined Scouting as early as possible and stayed with it for years.  Because it helped them to learn to how to live life.  In the real world.  Stuff you don't learn without being taught, so cannot therefore teach it to others.  And that's why I joined the Cub Scouts the day after I turned eight.  You had to be eight to join, and I could wait no longer.

I knew I wanted to become a Scout because I loved hunting and fishing and camping with my dad.  So I was a natural for Scouting.  Like all my friends.  Like nearly everyone I knew.

So much so that I accumulated all the necessary Wolf, Bear and Lion achievement badges, enabling me to move from Cub into Webelos ranks*  That's the half-way stage between a Cub and a Boy Scout.

You can't become a Boy Scout until you're ten years old.  And I became one the day after I turned 10.  And then began traveling up through the ranks.  From Scout through Tenderfoot, Second-Class, First-Class, Star, then Life, and on up to Eagle.  Fewer than 5% of all Boy Scouts ever achieve the rank of Eagle, BTW.**  I was awarded my Eagle Scout Badge on my 17th birthday.  A rather remarkable feet, BTW.  

Oh yeah, Boy Scouts earn merit badges for displaying mastery over various subjects.  Such as camping, fire building, fishing and first aid.  Most Scouts wind up earning 5 or 6.  I earned 34. I also qualified for the highly-coveted God and Country Award, with two Oak Leaf Clusters.  Google it if you're interested.

While all this was going on, I was an apprentice gunsmith, starting at the age of 13.  I was under the tutelege of the owner of our local gun store.  I built custom varmint rifles for my mentor's well-healed clients.  They never knew.  I was also a member of two cowboy single-action quick draw clubs, a shotgun trap and skeet club, and an NRA 1,000 yard, Springfield 1903-A3, open-sight .30-'06 competition club.  That's shooting a 120 year-old, bolt-action rifle at a man-sized target 1,000 yards away, without benefit of any scope sight or other optics.  Tough stuff.  

I should also mention I was drafted into the Eeewwnited States Army and out of my professional pool hustlng career (I was ranked one of America's 50 Best by Billiards Digest at the time).  During which I qualified 1st overall on the rifle range, shooting a 998 out of 1,000.  A point total that hasn't been eclipsed to this day, from what I'm told.  Even after more than 50 years.

I was also called upon by Army Intelligence (oxymoron, I know) to qualify for the Ranger Lite Program, featuring a leap off a 61' parachute jump tower (I'm afraid of heights), and a 3-day, 72-hour forced march, carrying a full, 55' rucksack (I'm also afraid of pain).  I then spent nearly 4 years in Europe protecting the world from communism.  And I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.  

Oh yeah, and I was a hunter, taking my share of geese, ducks, squirrels, rabbits and deer. 

I might mention also that in my more than 10 years of Scouting, I never met a "gay" scoutmaster, or one who evidenced any such trait.  I believe ambulance chasers have all but destroyed Scouting.  They should be ashamed of themselves.  And would, were capable of shame...   

I accomplished all of this by the age of 26, then went on to get my degree, found a fine woman and got married, started a company, hired dozens of employees and raised a family.

I relay all of this not to brag, but rather to show what was a normal upbringing in my neck of the woods.  And one I would definitely wish upon others.  What's the normal upbringing in the Big Blue cities these days?  Where more than half our population resides?  Where 73% of the babies are born to single parents?  Where more than half of the homes are single-parent?  Where's there's no male influence?  I had one?  Are we not worse off without it?

Even if you're a CPDLW,*** you can agree that's a better way to go...

I contrast all of this against the upbringing, education, experience and worldview of your average Millenial of Gen X-er wandering around loose on Main Street.  What was their upbringing like?  Did they suffer hardships?  Were they required to pay a price for their citizenship?  Did they wear our uniform?  Do they consider it a burden to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and our National Anthem?  Do they worry more about "climate whatever" then they do about China and Russia and North Korea and the flood of humanity coursing across our Southern border?  Could they start a fire without a lighter?  What would they do if the "big one" hit?  Are they "prepped" for any circumstance?  Or do they rely on the shrink-wrapped meat counter at the local Albertson's?  Are the men of today "men?"  Real men?  Men who size up a situation and then come up with a solution?  Or are they dumber than a bag of rocks?  And afraid of their own shadows?  In need of "crying rooms."  To cure their "discomfort."  And wear...wait for it..."man buns."  

I was born in the deep dark depths of World War Two.  Times were tough back then, but we were tougher.  And we beat the sh&t out of the evil bastards trying to subjigate the world.  We even did it TWICE!  Could we do the same thing again with the youth of today?   

What do you think?

*    "We Be Loyal Scouts."

**   There are two million of us Eagles here in America.  It will probably be us leading America to the "light" when the balloon goes up. Thank God... 

***  Commie Pinko Dummmmass Liberal Weenies+++  NOTE:  I added the "+'s+ just like the LGBTQ folks did, 'cause I might need to add more pejoratives at a later date.