Here is another example of the economy having an impact on how folks do business out there. Because there is less money for local law enforcement agencies to hire more officers, and because there are high prices for copper and/or food, thieves are targeting big farms. So these farms have no choice but to hire security. I imagine this is playing out in other economically depressed areas of the country as well, and we will see what else pops up. -Matt
This is some fascinating US history that does not get much mention. I had heard about the Tong War in Weaverville when I was fighting forest fires there way back when. But I did not know about the details of this little known war.
Basically this was a classic Chinese battle between two mining companies/gangs in Northern California during the Gold Rush. And boy what a battle? Ironically, only four combatants died in the battle that had 2,500 participants! (the monument says 2000 participated and 26 were killed?)
The one bit of information that really perked me up after reading this article below was the the use of ‘white’ advisers. Here is the quote:
The Sam Yap Company, Hanley wrote, had purchased 150 muskets and bayonets and muskets in San Francisco. They had employed fifteen whites as drill instructors. The instructors were paid ten dollars daily along with all the food and whiskey they could handle.(What cost $10 in 1854 would cost $239.63 in 2010.)
Before the battle the fifteen white mercenaries painted themselves yellow, put on Chinese costumes, and hung a yard of horsehair tail down their backs in a mocking depiction of a Chinese queue.
I would be very interested to know who these fifteen advisers were? At that time period, security contractors were vital to supporting all of the mail and banking activities that came along with the gold rush. The west was a rough place to operate in back then, and hired guns were essential for protecting shipments of gold heading back east or between the various towns of the west. Wells Fargo, American Express, Pinkertons, Butterfield Overland Mail, all started up around this time period. I am sure the Sam Yap Company was able to draw from this pool of security contractors that serviced this industry, to train their forces for this battle.
China was also in the process of modernizing it’s own military and drawing from the military expertise of Europe. So it does not surprise me that these companies would outsource the training of their combatants to insure a win. Which this little tidbit is also pretty cool. Here was the cost of the battle for each side:
After a hundred shots had been fired, the woefully underarmed Yan Wo beat a hasty retreat. Thousands had watched and dueled, but the casualties were light. Sources indicate a death toll of four.
The cost figures were much higher. The Sam Yap Company had expended $40,000 in pursuit of victory, while the Yan Wo Company had spent $20,000 in defeat.
Either way, if you are ever in Northern California and looking for something interesting to do, go visit Weaverville and check out the Joss House. This place has a few of the original weapons that these combatants used. It would have been cool if more of the tactical details of this battle were available, but there really isn’t much out there about it.
I would speculate that if you were to draw from Chinese war fighting tactics of the early 1800′s, that we probably could have drawn some conclusions on how they might have went about fighting this war. But of course these guys were all miners/prospectors and if they had to resort to hiring advisers, and only 4 people died in the battle out of the 2500 that participated, then I have to imagine that it wasn’t that well planned or organized. So no Sun Tzu at this party. lol
Also, I am getting different dates for this war, and have decided to go with what the monument and the Joss House said about the date. So disregard the time period below. -Matt
CHINESE TONG WAR – Near Chinese Camp, October 1856
The historic Gold Country was a violent land — claim jumping, murder, theft, cheating at cards, and much more was quite common.
In October 1856, a different type of violence occurred near Chinese Camp. It was a Chinese Tong War.
A Tong is defined as a Chinese secret society or fraternal organization. While many Tongs were mostly social, some organizations engaged in gang warfare or ethnic revenge.
The Tongs were often rivals for control in the Chinese communities and public challenges toward one another were not unusual. Along the Mother Lode in late Gold Rush California two Tongs were rivals for hegemony. They were the Tuolomne County Sam Yap Company and the Calaveras County Yan Wo Company, headquartered near Chinese Camp.
This happened back on April 16 during an attack that killed several NATO and Afghan allies, as well as Paul Almryde. Contractors are a crucial element to the training mission in Afghanistan, and Paul was certainly doing his part. Rest in peace to Paul and the rest of the fallen, and your sacrifice will not be forgotten. -Matt
Barstow contractor killed in Afghanistan
By KAREN JONAS
April 21, 2011
A Barstow man killed last week while working as a military contractor in Afghanistan will be honored on Friday evening with a law enforcement escort as he is brought back to Barstow.
Paul Almryde, 46, was working for military contractor MPRI in Afghanistan as part of the Afghan National Army Corps support battalion on April 16 when he was killed by a suicide bomber, said his wife, Pamela Almryde. According to reports, a Taliban bomber dressed like an Afghan soldier in order to infiltrate a joint Afghan-U.S. base in the eastern province of Laghman. Four Afghan soldiers and five NATO service members — including Paul — were killed in the attack.
Rick Kiernan, a spokesman for MPRI, said the company wanted to express its condolences to the Almryde family and said that Paul was a “dedicated and professional member” of its team.
“At tragic times like these, we are reminded that we can never take for granted the sacrifices of L-3 MPRI employees worldwide,” said Kiernan. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Almryde family during this difficult time.”
Pamela said her husband was working as a mechanic at the base and was teaching Afghan troops how to repair their vehicles. Paul had served in the military for 21 years — with 12 years of active service in the Army and 9 years in the National Guard — before retiring in 2010 as a Master Sergeant. Paul joined MPRI last May. He was scheduled to come back to Barstow in June and was planning to sign another year-long contract with MPRI, said Pamela.
One of Paul’s neighbors, Jim Osbourn, is helping to organize the memorial on Friday because he wants to honor Paul’s memory as a service member. Osbourn said those wishing to honor his memory should get to Dana Park around 8:00 p.m., although the procession could be delayed because of traffic.
Paul was born and raised in San Diego before moving to Barstow about 15 years ago, said Pamela. The Almrydes would have been married for 10 years in June and were going to renew their vows once he returned.
Paul and Pamela each had two children from previous marriages and one of his sons will soon be stationed at Fort Irwin. Paul also had three grandchildren, whom Pamela said he doted on.
“He loved his grandkids to death and spent as much time with them as possible,” said Pamela.
One of the favorite things the couple would do together was simply sit outside in the summertime and talk, said Pamela.
“I’m very proud of him,” said Pamela. “He was my hero. I even have a license plate frame that says my husband, my hero.”?Contact the writer:?(760) 256-4122 or kjonas@desertdispatch.com
Honoring Paul Almryde
Honor escort• Law enforcement officials will be escorting Paul Almryde’s remains down Barstow Road to Mead Mortuary.
• The public is invited to honor Paul Almryde’s memory by gathering at Dana Park, 841 Barstow Road, Friday, around 8-9 p.m. (dependent on traffic)?Memorial service
• Tuesday, April 26
• Visitation at 10:00 a.m.
• Services begin at 11:00 a.m.
• First Baptist Church, 1320 Barstow Road
Link to story here.
‘The more uneasy the country is, the more work we tend to have,’ says an organizer of an industry event in San Diego this month.
There, I corrected the title for the author based on the last sentence of this article. lol If the guys don’t like being called ‘bodyguards’, then don’t call them bodyguards in your title. It would seem that would be the respectful thing to do.
Either way, the statistics in this article are what drew me in. “Growth averaged about 15% from 2001 to 2006 and slowed down to about 5% in the years after” is what jumped out at me. Very interesting, and I am sure the economy and events in Mexico also added to this ’9/11 fueled’ growth.
As for the guard card and standards in California, that is great. I got a little taste of this stuff when I went through my ITG course in California. Which is another reason why any Californian readers out there should think seriously about going through a course like ITG, because they will certainly point you in the right direction. You might even get some gigs out of the deal. -Matt
By Shan Li
December 18, 2010
When bodyguards around the nation flocked to San Diego recently, the talk was all about paparazzi, terrorists and the latest tech gizmos, with seminars like “Surviving the Kill Zone — Human Factors Are the Key.”Guards trained in martial arts showed the latest techniques for subduing nightclub troublemakers, joked about the challenges of guarding celebrities like Paris Hilton and compared notes on the latest technology borrowed from the military.The 29th annual Executive Protection Institute Conference this month came at a time when demand for bodyguards has soared in lockstep with increasing global unrest spurred by wars and economic turmoil and rising public curiosity about the private lives of celebrities.
Pretty cool opportunity guys and gals. EP work with this company would probably be a good gig. I am not the POC or recruiter for this and follow the link below to apply. Good luck. -Matt
——————————————————————
Title: Executive Protection Officer 3
Category: SECURITY
Location: LOS ANGELES, CA / USA
Sector: CORPORATE
Posting ID: CO/116080
Description:Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Provides protective services for company executives, CEO, Chairman of the Board, members of the board of directors, and visiting dignitaries, such as CEO’s of other organizations, major customers, political leaders, and heads of state. Plans, coordinates and ensures personal protection throughout facilities, residence, airfields, off-site events, and ground and air transportation. Recommends procurement and installation of security equipment. Maintains personal profiles and conducts risk assessments of personnel covered by protection.When not committed to executive security duties, the position will conduct investigative activities pertaining to background investigations, physical and personal security assessments and providing security awareness training as may be required.
Basic Qualifications: BA Degreeor equivalent experience required. Graduate of a federal, state, local or private sector reputable Executive Protection Program. Previous Law Enforcement and/or investigative experience.Candidate should either posses a valid concealed weapons permit or be capable of obtaining one in many jurisdictions as possible. Valid driver’s license and passport require.Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions. Security Clearance Required.
Apply here.
Here are a couple of opportunities available to guys living in these US states. I am not the POC or recruiter for these jobs, and please follow the links below in order to apply. By the way, there are two separate job posts below-one for Union Bank and the other for Bank of America. Good luck. -Matt
—————————————————————–
Executive Protection Specialist-12189
At Union Bank, our people are our greatest asset. We are one of the largest banks in California with a longstanding reputation for professional training and career development. In addition to investing in our employees, Union Bank has established a generous community reinvestment program that works to uplift communities and watch them grow. We invest in a diverse workforce as our employees come from many different backgrounds, bringing with them different experiences and perspectives.
I am not affiliated at all with Family Security Matters, but I am a veteran and stuff like this pisses me off. I am sure it pisses off the majority of the readership here at FJ, and I like putting this stuff out there with the chance that some of our ‘hunters’ who make it their business to find stuff and people, will try and find this memorial and the thugs who stole it. Good luck and happy hunting. -Matt
——————————————————–
$100,000 Reward to Locate Criminal(s) Who Stole Mojave Desert War Memorial
May 13, 2010
A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the individuals who seized the Mojave Desert War Memorial earlier this week.
The $100,000 is being offered by a donor to the group Family Security Matters (FamilySecurityMatters.org). The donor is an anonymous U.S. Military wounded veteran who was the recipient of the Silver Star Medal.
“Family Security Matters is honored, on behalf of an anonymous U.S. Military wounded veteran – a recipient of the Silver Star Medal – to announce this reward,” said Carol Taber, President of Family Security Matters. “We are confident that our donor’s generosity will help to bring the criminals to justice and that the message rings loud and clear: we will never allow such a vile crime that defiles the memory our nation’s war dead to stand. Not now, not ever.”
Earlier this week, the memorial was stolen from its longtime perch in California’s Mojave Desert. It was first erected 75 years ago as a memorial in honor of America’s World War I veterans and became known as a symbol to honor all veterans who have served their country. Less than two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a lower court order, returning the case to the District Court, and thus enabling the symbol to stay on federal land for now.
Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., the national commander of the 2.1 million member Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) said: “We are extremely grateful for the $100,000 anonymous contribution to the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial reward fund that Family Security Matters was able to arrange from a private donor.”
“We may never know the donor’s name, but the VFW wants to personally thank him or her for caring enough to get involved,” he said. “These thieves desecrated a national war memorial that was erected to honor America’s war dead. They must be caught, prosecuted and jailed in a federal prison, and we hope that will happen quickly now that the total reward money has been upped to $125,000.”
Family Security Matters has established a tip hotline and a private email address for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of this crime. Anyone with information is asked to call 202-528-4665 or to email at tips@familysecuritymatters.org. To contribute, click the Mojave Desert War Memorial Fund at this URL: https://www.familysecuritymatters.org/donate/donate.asp
About Family Security Matters
Family Security Matters was created to give Americans like us the tools to become involved citizens and powerful defenders of our homes, our families, and our communities.
I think this is great that they are looking to bring back some form of SBInet and tap into what is currently available on the market to get the job done. There are tons of cool sensors and technologies that folks can use to get the job done, and probably for a whole lot cheaper than what was originally intended.
But the other component of this must be human. You have to have enough folks to respond to all and any incidents out there, and the best sensors and interdiction devices are human brains mounted on two feet. That is why I like the idea of moving more folks near the border and creating FOBs or Stations throughout the border. Get those human sensors called Border Patrol closer to the action. To own terrain, means being on that terrain, and I really don’t think commuting to those areas is the way to go.
I kind of look at this like forest fire fighting, and we had camps strategically located throughout the forests of the West. We have state camps and federal camps, or ‘stations’. Firefighters actually live at these camps during the summers, and these camps keep them close to the action. If the Border Patrol’s ‘forest’ is that border, then they should have stations dispersed properly throughout that border to cover every square inch of that thing.
I should also note that this FOB idea or stations along the border is nothing new. I am sure numerous groups have been screaming for this to happen for awhile. The Arizona Cattleman’s Association even called them FOB’s in their report, as a homage (probably) to the outposts in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the advent of armed smugglers and drug dealers, maybe FOB’s is a more appropriate term for these stations, than just a ‘station’. And with all of these drones and sensors, you gotta have some officers close to the action in order to act on that information and work with the ‘eye in the sky’. -Matt
Edit: 5/20/2010 -Check out this story on SBInet, and why it failed originally.
——————————————————————–
Technology Continues to Flow to Southwest Border
June 2010
By Stew Magnuson
While the Department of Homeland Security conducts a program review of its troubled border fence program, Customs and Border Protection has not stopped deploying new sensors in the Southwest, said a senior DHS official.
The Secure Border Initiative’s technology piece, known as SBInet, was designed to create “virtual fences” along remote parts of the northern and southern borders. The program suffered delays, setbacks and cost overruns for years, but the Obama administration signaled its intent to proceed with the plan and field a second version of the system of sensors, cameras and a communications backbone that would tie them all together. That was before the airing of a 60 Minutes report that repeated the conclusions of several Government Accountability Office and DHS inspector general investigations that said the system did not work as envisioned. Two days before the broadcast, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that SBInet was on hold and that there would be a sweeping review that would look for possible alternatives to the program.
Nevertheless, the department is continuing to spend money on border technology, CBP Commissioner Alan Bersen told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The agency has spent $50 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money to deploy proven surveillance systems along the border. The bulk of that, $37 million, has been used to purchase several mobile surveillance systems — a suite of sensors mounted on a rugged truck that can be driven to hotspots along the border. The Border Patrol has also received $12.3 million to spend on thermal and backscatter imagers. CBP’s Air and Marine division has received $4.5 million to buy thermal imaging and other cameras for its boats and aircraft.
The key difference is that these are “commercially available, stand-alone” technologies, Bersen testified. No money has been allocated for networking the sensors into a larger communications system.
Story here.
——————————————————————
FAA OKs Drones For Texas Border
May 17, 2010
By Mary GradyThe FAA has approved a Certification of Authorization (COA) for an unmanned aerial vehicle to patrol a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border extending from Arizona to the El Paso region of Texas effective June 1. This is one of two COAs that have been submitted to the FAA seeking approval for UAV flights along the Texas-Mexico border.
I perked up when I saw a story mentioning smokejumpers in the Stars and Stripes, and this is what they were talking about. Strategy Page just posted about it as well. The parachute that they were discussing is called the MC 6, and it has a different name in the smokejumpers. It is called the FS 14 canopy. It is a round (shape of the canopy) chute, and it is great for steep descents into tight jump spots surrounded by tall trees. It is also steerable, and you can get different sizes of chutes, depending on the weight and size of the jumper. I jumped a large when I was using the canopy in the Forest Service, and they are the ones who primarily use this canopy. I think the smallest spot surrounded by trees that I ever jumped with this parachute was the size of a small house. This parachute struggles in higher winds though, and I like a different parachute for that stuff.
When it comes to a great all around parachute for rough terrain parachuting, I preferred the RAM Air DC 7 canopy or square canopy. The MC 5 is the military equivalent. This parachute looks like the sport parachutes you see in the civilian world, and they are very nice.
This parachute is primarily used by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service is slowly transitioning to this parachute. As we speak, they are doing cross training between the two organizations in order to gain proficiency. The BLM uses this parachute for the Great Basin in the western US, and up in Alaska. Both areas have higher winds, and big open areas. But both areas also have their mountains and trees to jump into. Having jumped rounds and squares (parachute types), I would have to go with squares as being the best all around parachute to use for all types of terrain. What I imagine the SF is doing, is just having the option to use either the MC 5 or the MC 6, depending upon the mission. That is smart, but hopefully they are proficient on both, and muscle memory doesn’t screw them up while using one parachute or the other. You definitely have to know each parachute and it’s deployment system very well in order to get a good parachuting strategy for getting on the ground safely and in rough terrain.
As for the T 11, it looks interesting, but I really cannot comment on it. Just as long as it is stable, easy to control, and gets the guys on the ground safely, then I am all for it.
Now what is exciting about the T-11 and the MC-6 is that both of these parachutes will make parachute operations a tad more safer, and make the option of airborne operations in war a little more feasible for future missions. Who knows, maybe the military might take another look at Fire Force type operations as a viable way of attacking enemies? Parachuting troops in places like Afghanistan, might be a safer option than flying in with helicopters or driving in via convoys. Parachuting also distributes the forces more. One missile or one IED can take out a multitude of troops in a helicopter or vehicle. Parachuting soldiers who are only exposed in the air for around 40 plus seconds, can make them very spread out and very hard to shoot.
And because the Taliban are such poor shots, I don’t think they could be very effective at shooting soldiers out of the sky as they parachute to the ground. Especially if there is a sniper team on the ground, or some airship circling around and lighting up any enemy forces that want to take a shot. With good night vision kit, and safer parachutes, night time operations might also be more feasible as well. I am sure airborne troops have thought about all of this stuff for our current wars, and it would be interesting to hear some of their ideas. You just don’t hear a lot about parachuting operations in this war, and it might be worth some further exploration. Especially if the military is going to invest millions of dollars into two new canopies for the troops, as well as cycle thousands of troops through airborne training. By the way, bravo to the guys at Paraflite for making some awesome parachutes. -Matt
—————————————————-
MC 6 parachute.
T 11 parachute.
Special Forces look to smoke jumpers for new parachutes
By Warren Peace
May 4, 2010
STUTTGART, Germany — Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group recently got a chance to try out the Army’s new MC-6 parachute, which they say will be put to good use when dropping into tight combat zones in Afghanistan.
The MC-6 is more maneuverable than the aging MC-1, which has been used by Special Forces soldiers for years, and the Stuttgart-based soldiers are the first unit in Europe to train with the new chute.
When searching for a new parachute that could drop them into a small landing area, Army Special Forces looked to the smoke jumpers, who are tasked with descending into the heart of Rocky Mountain forest fires, said David Roy, program leader for the MC-6.
“The U.S. forest services have been using this canopy for about 16 years now,” Roy said. “They use it to get into postage-size drop zones in the Rockies as they go to put out fires.”
Plus, the small drop zones and high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains are very similar to the conditions faced by airborne soldiers in Afghanistan, said Maj. Jason Morneault, assistant product manager for Program Manager Clothing and Individual Equipment for the Army.
Thanks to Cannoneer #4 for sending me this, and this is an excellent addition to The Defense of Farms and Ranches post. The other thing I like about articles like this, is it highlights exactly what works and what doesn’t work out there. What these ranchers are dealing with, is a daily issue that has been going on for years. An individual protecting his land will come across a multitude of ideas, and try everything under the sun to get a job done. They will also be pushing that equipment’s lifespan to the limits, and all of this information about the products longevity and usefulness is vital to other end users and to the company that made it.
Personally, I have not used this product, so I cannot endorse it. I also have no connection to the company, and this just came across my desk as something that was interesting. If any FJ readers have experience with this equipment, I am sure the rest of the readership would be interested to hear about that-good or bad. -Matt
——————————————————————–
Calif. Ranchers Wield British Radar to Detect Illegal Border Crossers
December 2009
By Grace V. Jean
LONDON — Frustrated by trespassers attempting to cross into the United States illegally, ranch owners in southern California have purchased a British radar in an effort to protect their property and to help Border Patrol agents nab more intruders.
The Blighter B202 Radar, developed by Plextek Ltd., an electronics and communications design consultancy based near Cambridge, U.K., detects people walking or crawling through the rocky, hilly landscape from four kilometers away, says Nicholas Booth, manager of Blighter sales and marketing.
The man-portable, scanning radar is mounted on a tripod and runs on rechargeable lithium ion batteries. It has a 20-degree wide vertical elevation beam that permits the detection of targets in the distance as well as up close.
“You can see people walking up and down the mountain and on the plains at the same time,” says Booth.
Traditional radars would require tilting to cover the same area.
You are currently browsing the archives for the California category.
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Arclite theme by digitalnature | powered by WordPress
