Please join me in welcoming Chris “Doc” Lee to SOFREP. Chris brings a wealth of experience as a 18 Delta (look it up!) trained corpsman that also provides him with a unique perspective on domestic security and foreign policy issues.

This is his first post of many we hope. -Brandon

Relaxing with the family on a typical Sunday night, you are trying not to think about Monday. You feel safe at home while enjoying the last bits of weekend freedom.

You stop channel surfing… sensing an eerie silence, goose bumps tingle over your skin. Suddenly, the lights go out.

The world crashes like thunder! Rocking your house, it hits again! The windows shatter from another violent explosion, raining shards onto the floor. Your wife screams. It is chaos… Barking echoes through the kitchen as the dog goes nuts. Shrieking children callout from an unseen place.

“Mom! Dad! What’s happening?”

“Relax. Everything will be all right!” You shout like a good leader, wondering if it will.

Modern advancements evaporate instantly. What’s happening? When will the lights come on? The amount of water and food stores pops into your mind. Blood surges through your body. Survival instincts pique, racing into overdrive…

Ready. Set. Go!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in a few survival situations in my day. When the environment becomes extreme, you get a true sense of perspective. Four days are the longest I’ve been without food. It sucked.

Deprived of nutrients, your body does funny stuff. Still, I’ll take hunger pains over cold weather any day of the week. Truly, it is no contest. I promise; exposure to long bouts of frigid temperatures can break you. Moreover, it will break your family too.

Most people do not think about disaster striking, especially at home. Once it hits, it is too late. Bug-out bag, do you have one? What about a bug-out location?

What if catastrophe strikes when you are driving home from the office? Cut off from your loved ones, the stakes go up.

Atlanta, Georgia:
January 28th

Fifteen miles from home, disaster struck. I was cut off. Six states declared a state-of-emergency. Thirteen people died, including a three-month-old infant.
In some cases, twelve-mile commutes took sixteen hours. Those were the lucky ones. Children stranded on school buses spent their first night away from home, freezing with no food or water. Fighting off hypothermia, they huddled for survival.

Wrong time and wrong place, I was caught in the middle. The eye of the storm smashed me without mercy. My car slid out of control, and I opted out of rear-ending the cars in front of me, curbing it over a large medium. My vehicle teeter-tottered… Spinning the tires in an attempt to get off the barrier, metal and concrete ground together, sounding like rocks in a wood chipper. Car stuck… I abandoned my vehicle, not that I had a choice.

Nine degrees and my dumb ass, is walking in dress shoes. It was 3:00AM. Traffic jams sprawled as far as the eye could see. Headlights glowed like fireflies. Spooky red taillights seemed to number in the thousands. After I had taken in the carnage, one description came to mind: The Apocalypse.

Good thing I had my Bug-out bag, now updated and fitted with hiking boots.

Impossible to prevent, at some point, disaster will strike. It’s what you do next, and that ultimately hinges on how well you prepared, which matters. Preparedness could mean the difference between life and death.

A Few Tips for Items to Have in your Survival Kit:  

• Start with a high-quality bag
• First-aid kit
• 550 cord
• Water
• Waterproof flashlight (extra batteries)
• Lighter with Flint backup
• 100MPH Tape (Scotch Duct Tape)
• Weapon (with several loaded magazines)
• Signal Mirror
• GPS w/extra batteries
• Spare mobile battery for smartphone x2
• Iodine Pills (for water)
• MRE s (field stripped) or similar survival food (REI has a lot of choices)
• Knife (Multi-tool preferred)
• Betadine wipes and/or Antibiotic ointment  (to fight infection on lacerations)
• Light windproof/waterproof jacket
• Thermal blanket

Look for the guys over at the LoadOutRoom to expand on this list with recommendations coming later this month.

Thanks for listening.

-Chris “Doc” Lee

Chris Lee is a former Navy Corpsman with 2^nd Reconnaissance Battalion/Company. After two years of schools, including Combat Diver, French Foreign Legion Jungle Commando, Army JOTC Ft. Sherman Panama, and 18Delta lab phase, he deployed with the 22^nd MEUSOC. Chris also has operated in the private sector conducting covert surveillance.

He is currently a staff writer for Men’s Psychology Magazine, Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Competition Team Member, and the author of three novels, including, “Waking of the Samurai” and “Clio and Cy: The Apocalypse.”