Spring Break Lost Footage:2019!
APRIL 28th, 2020
Haven't seen my brother in forever, and my 2020 Spring Break trip was placed on standby: due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Miss you brother and I can't wait to get jamming again!!
#StraightAndStalwart #StrengthAndHonor
Don't Forget to have Fun During these stressful Times!
MARCH 28th, 2020
Fun Can give us the Strength to go forward!
To put it plainly, fun keeps you sane amidst the stresses and demands of daily life. When we are having fun, we'll naturally feel happier. What's not to like about having fun when our elevated well-being aid in keeping us healthier in its own little ways? Besides, life is too short not to include fun.
Many people throw fun out of the equation because they think adult responsibilities trump fun, they think that they don't deserve to have fun.
Truth is, there's this forgotten thing called balance. In life, and in all that we do, there has to be balance. I believe with conviction that everyone deserves to have fun, but everyone must be willing to work for what they want to achieve.
Healthy Lifestyle In Quarantine
Info-Chart!
MARCH 26th, 2020
Healthy Lifestyle In Quarantine Info-Chart was created to help people maintain their sanity. Remember fun is not an option and it is very important for mental health!
STAY ALERT STAY ALIVE IS BACK!!!
MARCH 23rd, 2020
This website was originally created for my digital content design class at The University of Texas at Dallas in 2018. I have had a flood of questions and concerns about self-defense and how to protect ones loved ones in these stressful times. This pushed me to reactive and reboot this website with valuable Medical, survival, and tactical knowledge.
FUN IS NOT AN OPTION DURING THIS QUARANTINE!
We must not forget to have fun and this can help our mental health.
We must protect the most important things on this planet our loved ones, the innocent, and the defenseless.
We must all remember if we Stay Alert...we Stay Alive!!!
Carl Gustaf 84mm Recoilless Rifle
AUGUST 10th, 2018
(SGT.) FEMATH, KYLE Logar Province, Afghanistan OEF 2011-12 EBK (WILD WILD WEST)
(Ronin “Combat Carbine” Course (WAXAHACHIE, TX/ 05 May 2018)
The Training and Learning Never stops
MAY 27th, 2018
After attending Tu Lam’s, Ronin Combat Carbine Course I was left with an overwhelming amount of knowledge and information. Information not only about tactical body mechanics,the importance of having a selfless lifestyle path/ helping others (Ronin mindset), but also the importance of training for ones individual life style.
For example, If ones occupation is in law enforcement or SWAT their lifestyle might demand more body armor and protection. If one is a civilian protecting their house hold, than they need to understand the ballistics of their weapon system. They must practice moving around their house or area of operation to increase comfortability. This will help one understand the capabilities of their weapon system and have the ability to expire all enemy combatants, whos main focus is to conduct seriously bodily harm or death.
I want to thank you again Tu Lam @ronintactics. I want to thank you Tu , for Your selflessness to the world, teachings of the Ronin mindset, and lifestyle to live a life of a higher purpose…this does not go overlooked or forgotten. Thank you, TU!!! ( Life in every Breath) 🙏
(RONIN “COMBAT CARBINE” COURSE (WAXAHACHIE, TX/ 05 MAY 2018)
Ronin Combat Carbine Course
Ronin “Combat Carbine” Course (WAXAHACHIE, TX/ 05 May 2018)
Tu Lam a Former- Special Forces (Green Beret) has chosen to serve a higher purpose, fighting to help free those oppressed. After 23yrs of his service and 14yrs of on and off war, Tu has finally stepped off the battlefield and became “Masterless”. -Rōnin.
Course enrollment at www.ronintactics.com. -A Rōnin (Drifter, Wanderer, Wave-Man… Masterless Samurai)- Feudal Period (1185–1868) Japan.⛩
To Tu Lam,”Rōnin” is not just a word or brand… it’s a mindset… a lifestyle choice to be better then yesterday and to live a life of higher purpose (Life in every breath)- knowing that all of us will make mistakes along the way, but through the mistakes comes the life lessons. The teachings of Bushido has allowed for Tu Lam to live a full and awarding life- by serving humanity and protecting the important things in this world. His life experiences and his understanding of “The Way” have allowed for him, to reach a higher level of enlightenment.
This mindset has allowed for Tu Lam to entrepreneur a successful business while also being a professor to many. As he seeks to better himself, He seeks to better others and this my friends- is Rōnin. Masterless in thoughts and opinions, an individuality and a desire to live a life of higher purpose.
“Never forget why you started on your chosen path. Warrior in the Garden.”- Tu Lam
“They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
I HAVE NOTHING BUT THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR YOU TU, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR LIFE SAVING KNOWLEDGE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY YOUR SELFLESSNESS TO THE WORLD!
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Audio Interview
MAY 1st, 2018
PREVENTION CAN BE THE BEST SELF-DEFENSE
APRIL 14th, 2018
Yes, some attacks can happen at random, but we must remember that attackers will sometimes usually stalk their prey before they attack. They pick their victims from the individuals, who don’t have a good situation of awareness and is easily distracted.
We must remember to always scan from left to right and keep our head on a swivel. An attacker, will most likely not attack someone who is highly alert and aware of their surroundings. We must not forget to be vigilant and not become complacent from day to day. Even at our own home of residence and comfortable known visited locations.
Here are a few general tips individuals can follow to ensure they are keeping a higher level of the situation of awareness.
Keep a high level of awareness, keys in hand ready to open car, only take foot routes and park vehicle in well-lit areas. Have all items of distraction to a minimum and only the necessities in hand.
For an example, don’t ever have your head buried in your phone or being distracted in some other manner. I cannot stress enough, how important being vigilant and staying alert will divide you from the victim and ensure you are the victor, from a dangerous situation.
Life’s too short to become complacent and die from something that could have been preventable and survivable. If not for yourself than gain this knowledge to ensure the survival of your loved ones and family around you.
SHOOTING POSITIONS WITH SERGEANT FEMATH
APRIL 6th, 2018
In this video, I will go over a few body mechanics and various shooting positions. I will also go over cover/concealment, dominant/non-dominant, muzzle mitigation, and lowering one’s body silhouette towards the enemy. There are many factors and situations, were one could use all of these body positions and effectively disengage or expire the threat.
How To Pack Your 72 Hour Survival Bag
MARCH 29th, 2018
Before we begin let’s start by stating some reasons an individual would even have or need a Survival, go, bug out, bag or whatever one wants to call it. This bag is essential for when everything hits the fan and people’s lives depend on it.
This bag will provide food, medical care, hygiene, and basic items that can dictate an individual living or not. Many try not to think about danger or chaos, while others plan to defend against it daily.
Here are a few scenarios, where one would one would possibly need to grab their Go Bag. A person is on the way to pick their child up from school when they see another child viciously attack and bitten by a wild dog. If this individual had their go bag in their vehicle, they could pull their car over and throw on their hazards.
Grab their go bag and take their first aid kit out. Then, they would start applying gauze and medical tape to secure it for pressure. These simple actions can be taken by anyone and any bystander can have the potential to save a person’s life or their own.
Next, an individual is driving with their family and their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. They are miles away from any population and stranded. None of their cell reception works or communication devices, but there is still hope.
This person brought their go bag, which contained food rations, water, lights, SAT Phone, Glow sticks, GPS, and many other items. Now instead of letting an uncontrollable situation control the outcome of one’s life, we must learn to survive and plan ahead. Now I understand the chances are slim, but would one rather be victorious from the negative situation or become the victim. We must always prepare for the dangers that surround us.
In addition, hypothetically in this scenario, this individual is around another person who has been shot with a bullet. This event could happen anywhere and the location is not a factor. The question is can and will you save their life or your own? Does one possess the necessary items or knowledge to accomplish this mission, when the blood starts flowing?
Many don’t think in this state of mind but should reevaluate the importance of having a Go Bag with a first aid kit. A simple tourniquet or gauze can be the difference between life and death. There have been too many occasions when bystanders do nothing and victims die shortly after. So, let’s get started and start setting up our survival or Go Bag!
We Must all stay prepared for a natural disaster, viral outbreak, civil unrest, or some other type of chaotic event that could happen. Now let’s start by packing a Go Bag that could keep us alive for at least 72 hours.
1.) Choosing the Right Survival Bag
Choosing the correct bag will depend on the personal situation and what an individual feel is best for mobility. If an individual cannot move in their survival bag the what is the point? Key questions in choosing one survival bag are whether you select one that best fits one’s body and sacrifices some items if there is no room, or selects a bag that is big enough to hold all the items.
All these factors depend and with comfort in mind, we must also think about weight. We must be able to go with our pack and be mobile; this can mean pairing items together and packing in a more creative way.
For an example, say we had a lighter in our survival bag, we could probably save a lot of space and weight if we wrapped a few thick rolls of duct tape around the middle of the lighter. Another example would be wrapping 550 cords around a knife handle or another lighter. These small tips will not only decrease weight but make one that much faster and mobile during danger. We can also get a compression bag for our sleeping bag and this will save us a lot more room. We must always have our survival bags stored in an easy access location and a place that makes sense.
There are lots of various lists and items a person can get and they are always up to debate. I am going to go over the bare essential items that will keep one alive for at least 72 hours. I have lots of cold weather training in South Korea and throughout my military career. I have also had lots of experience with the blazing hot temperatures in Afghanistan and the bare necessities to keep a person alive. That being said, the person who knows what’s best in their survival kit is you and being able to use these items effectively is key.
3.) Customize Your Kit
Customizing one’s kit based on their geographical location and situation is essential. For example, if a person lives in California versus Colorado. The person living in California would typically have more items surrounding sunburns or heat. While an individual customizing their kit in Colorado would have more hand warmers or cold weather items. The hardest thing to decide is what goes in and what goes out. We must remember ounces equal pounds and we want to try to make this Go bag as light as physically possible. We will never know what all we will need if a disaster strikes, the best method is to make an educated guess.
4.) Test Your Gear
The best way to test a person gear is to test. A person can then determine if they are missing items or are carrying unnecessary items. This will also make the individual more proficient with their survival bag and have a better understating to the location of all the items. A good tip is to have not just one survival bag, but to have two. One can never go wrong with a backup.
5.) Organize Your Survival Bag
Generally, when setting up your survival bag it must fall under the following categories.
1.) Food
2.)Water
3.) First-aid
4.)Shelter/safety protection
5.)Ways to make fire
6.)Hygiene
7.)Tools
Again the types of items chosen should depend on one’s personal situation, but at the end of the day, the greatest tool of all is knowledge. It’s also helpful to add a survival guide for those with minimal survival training.
6.) Packing Survival Bag
One must not just randomly throw and stuff their survival bag with items. Just like how we carefully selected our items methodically. We will also make our survival bag organized and easy to access in case of an emergency. Remember we must also take into account the actual use of this bag. This bag is not used for entertainment or a camping trip. This bags intended purpose is to allow an individual to survive and others around them when life has thrown them a curve ball.
A correctly organized survival bag is not only easier to carry but will allow the user to carry more stuff. The rule of thumb generally goes to keep heavier items close to ones back and lighter items vice versa.
We should break down our survival bag into three categories:
1.) Non-urgent
2.) Urgent
3.) Emergency
An Individuals non-urgent items would go to the very bottom of the survival bag and first. These items are items that will not be retrieved in case of an emergency or time of survival. These items would consist of things such as:
Sleeping bag
Extra Clothing
Miscellaneous Items & Supplies
Hygiene
Next, we would pack our urgent items second into our survival bag. These items would include:
Food (MRE’s, Emergency Rations)
Water (Water purification tablets,
Fire Starting Items
Shelter ( 550 Para-cord, tarp, space blanket or woobie)
Finally, we would pack our emergency items into our survival bag. These items should be the easiest to access and the fastest. These items are the ones we need to gain access too at a moments notice. These items should be kept in easy to reach pockets or even on the person. These vital emergency items include:
IFAC (Individual First Aid Kit)
Flashlights
Communication Items ( Satellite Phone, radios, whistles, glow sticks, VS 17 Panel)
Self-Defense Gear
Personal Tools ( Survival Knife, Multi-tool)
Weather gear (Pancho)
Remember when packing your items to look for a creative way to save space; popular tips have been previously discussed. Just remember there are many ways to pack items inside of them self and save space. For an example, say someone really had to pack their favorite cooking pot, items could be stuffed inside of the pot to save space. An old military tactic we would use is to roll up our extra clothes such as underwear, socks, shirts, tops, and even pants. These small tips not only save space but made our combat gear that much more effective.
7.) Keep Gear Dry
Never forget to waterproof your gear and keep everything in zip-lock or plastic bag to ensure things stay protected. In addition, another tip would be to line the inside of one’s survival gear with an industrial strength garbage bag for an extra layer of protection. Many items in our survival bag can become damaged and even obsolete, if not protected from the weather.
8.) Keep a Low Profile
The biggest concern again should be mobility and keep that safe mindset. In desperate times we do not want to become targets for people attack. The more your survival bag looks like a simple backpack the safer you will be. It’s good to keep safety at the top of one’s mindset and protecting our loved ones.
9.) What We Know
We must put forth the exact same effort and analysis into packing our survival bag as we did into the entire planning process. When danger and disaster strikes, it’s not the person with the biggest survival bag who is victorious, it will be the one who best knows how to utilize their equipment.
Now that you have the knowledge to create your own survival bag, it’s your duty to create one and pass the word to your loved ones of its location. We can never know if trouble will happen, but if it does you will be ready to survive!
FOUR BODY POSITIONS THAT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE IN A GUN FIGHT
March 7th, 2018
This drill goes over the different levels one must make, in order to lower their silhouette and increase their survival probability.
The sideways position (on the ground) is used to simulate shooting under a vehicle or obstacle. This could dictate who lives or dies in a deadly situation.
This can also increase one’s probability, in expiring the threat faster and securing the perimeter. Many look at weapon systems or guns as a negative and offensive manner. One must also think about the defensive standpoint guns can take and even the beneficial factors that can surround them.
These various body positions can be used in numerous situations. When changing your level or silhouette, one must take into account their environment and surroundings.
1.) STANDING
The standing position is the most commonly used shooting position. An individuals accuracy and stability will increase with more points of contact to the ground. There are only two points of contact with the standing position and will therefore allow for a far less accurate shot group.
Disadvantages: This firing position is very unstable and creates a larger target for the threat and enemy to shoot at. A persons flesh is exposed greatly in this firing position and it creates a larger target for the threat to shoot.
2.) KNEELING
The kneeling position is used , when an individual wants to get behind cover and protect their body, reload, assess the situation, or etc. I would personally use this body position frequently during my missions fighting Taliban in Afghanistan. I would use the kneeling position; for example, when I was reloading behind a tree, mud hut, and things of that nature. I was an Alpha team leader, So using my kneeling position was quite frequent when I would conduct radio transmissions, back to our Tactical Operations Center (TOC).
In addition, the kneeling position could be used to increase ones stability and allows a smaller amount of exposure to the enemy. We must always maintain our vigilance and situation of awareness. Taking a knee behind cover could be the difference between life and death.
Disadvantages: One must not use bone-to-bone contact with their elbow on their knee. This body position can become very uncomfortable, if one doesn’t maintain a right angle with their left leg and avoid bone-to-bone contact.
3.) PRONE
The prone position is the most stable shooting posting, because of all the points of contact to the ground. This position also lowers your profile and thus limiting an individual to getting shot. An individual can also shoot very accurately and fast with follow-up shots, in this firing prone position as well.
Align and anchor butt-stock of weapon into pocket of shoulder. Maintain a steady grip and lay on ground with toes pointed out. The individual wants their entire leg/foot in contact with the ground.
Take a few deep breaths and relax, once ones lungs are empty their body becomes the most stable and steadiest. Right before an individual takes their next breath, is the perfect opportunity to take a precisely aimed shot.
Disadvantages: One cannot properly perform cover and security to their rear or six O’clock. Yes, ones target area are decreased but the focal point is now your face and neck. These are usually, not covered by body armor or protection. This position is a lot harder to move out of and become mobile. We must remember situation and terrain will determine our tactics. I would use the prone position frequently in combat; However, this is not Afghanistan and the environment will dictate how one operates tactically.
4.) SIDEWAYS/MODIFIED PRONE
The sideways shooting position is used when having to shoot under a vehicle or obstacle along those lines. One must always think about the vehicle itself , in order to maximize their protection and increase their survival probability. Bigger vehicles are going to have bigger engine blocks and wheel areas that can provide cover and protection. We must also take into consideration the high probability of rounds deflecting, hitting, and ricocheting off of the hood or trunk of the vehicle.
Begin by assuming the prone position and then bringing over ones support leg , in a 90 degree angle bend. The individuals sight picture will be at a 90 degree offset as well as the person body mechanics, but we must remember everything will still function the same. The sideways position is the exact same as the standing position, but one is laying on its side and the other is standing.
Also, one must understand the problems that can be faced, if an individual is to close to an object for cover. This will limit the persons Field-Of-View and cause problems with the shooters shooting platform and balance. By not hugging the cover and maintaining distance, one can easily lean out and maintain a more effective shooting platform.
Disadvantages: The ability to get up and become mobile is very limited in this firing position. Also, one has a very limit sectors of fire and cannot properly cover their back or Six O’clock. Ones legs can be left a little too exposed depending on how they lay.