I'm a survivalist author and lecturer. I'm the editor of www.SurvivalBlog.com. I'm also a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, and now work as a full-time blogger and freelance writer. This blog reflects my interests. I’ve been an enthusiastic survivalist since my teenage years. I grew up in the Bomb Shelter era, and that mind set just never wore off.
I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Jose State University with minor
degrees in military science, history, and military history. I have additional
course
work
in HTML
and UML. I held a Top Secret security clearance (with Special Background Investigation).
I was granted access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). I was awarded
Officer specialty 35A (tactical all-source intelligence officer), and
the additional
skill identifier 5M (electronic warfare officer). I achieved the rank of Captain.
I attended the Army NBC defense
officer's course, as well as Northern
Warfare School at Fort Greeley, Alaska.
I am of primarily English ancestry, a Christian, and hold to Reformed
doctrine. My view of history is of the
geographical
determinist school. My view of economics is of the Austrian
school.
Politically, I am a conservative/Constitutionalist
libertarian. All of these have
shaped
my
views
on
preparedness.
I've spent the past 20 years primarily as a journalist and technical writer. I also found the time to write a full length survivalist novel, titled "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse."
I started using the Internet in the late 1980s, and posting about survival topics to Usenet newsgroups (such as misc.investing, rec.guns, and alt.survivalism) in the early 1990s.
In 1987, by God's grace, I married The Memsahib. We are home schooling our kids. We live at the Rawles Ranch “Somewhere West of the Rockies.” Our family enjoys hiking, rock hounding, hunting, kayaking, and target shooting. We are members of a Reformed Baptist church.
As part of our charitable works, we send "care packages" to troops deployed overseas through Any Soldier. We also support a child at a Christian mission in Thailand through Compassion International. I highly recommend both of these charities.
I was on the staff of Defense Electronics magazine for four years. I researched, wrote, and edited more than 60 feature-length technical magazine articles on a wide range of high technology subjects including component technologies, computer hardware and software, foreign military organizations and equipment, high technology terrorism, aircraft, air defense, missile guidance, digital flight controls, intelligence gathering and analysis, antisubmarine warfare, satellites, and communications equipment. I concurrently held the position of Managing Editor of The International Countermeasures Handbook and The Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) Handbook. I've also written for Defense Computing magazine. I've also worked for several high technology companies.
I was commissioned as an Army Intelligence Officer--35A(5M)--in 1984. I specialized in signals intelligence and electronic warfare. Other than my Officer’s Basic Course at Fort Huachuca and a couple of stints of temporary active duty (TDY), I spent my commissioned time as a reserve officer, with the 519th ASA Company. (It was later re-designated Co. D of the 373rd CEWI Battalion.) My duty positions included: Operations platoon leader, electronic warfare officer, intelligence analyst, NBC officer, Supply/Service Platoon Leader and the umpteen other additional duties that the Army loves to heap on company grade officers. I also served as a Special Security Officer (SSO). It was my privilege to be stationed TDY to work a live Guardrail signals intelligence (SIGINT) gathering and analysis mission in West Germany.
I resigned my commission when Bill Clinton was first sworn into office as President. I didn’t fancy having him as my Commander in Chief. At the time I was a Captain, and my six year obligation to the Army had already lapsed. I've often wondered what my life would have been like if I had done the full 20 years.
Memberships (Past and Present):
The National Rifle Association (NRA)
Gun Owners of America (GOA)
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO) (Gentiles can join, too!)
The FalFiles (I'm Member #133)
The Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO)
The Association of Old Crows (AOC)
John Birch Society (JBS)
Society for Technical Communication (STC)
The Washington Arms Collectors Association (WAC)
JWR and Memsahib's eldest son is a homeschooled kid who loves to hike, hunt, target shoot, and generally emulate the boyhood of Patrick McManus.
Mike Williamson is a well-known science
fiction writer, a custom
blade maker,
and occasional historical re-enactor. Since his interests often cross-over
into SurvivalBlog territory, he has been a frequent contributor to SurvivalBlog,
since 2006. His extensive practical and tactical experience--including visits
to "The
Big Sandbox" --give him a unique
insight into preparedness topics. Here
is is his Wikipedia page.
SurvivalBlog's volunteer Economic Editor, the trustworthy Cheryl N.
George Gordon is the nom de plume of an American businessman who closely follows economic developments and hence "is getting more and more worried." Hiis pen name is is an homage to George Gordon Lord Byron, the British poet who was famously described as "Mad, bad, and dangerous to know."
The Pioche Professional Polymer Pistolero (PPPP). The pseudonym for a SurvivalBlog correspondent that is an instructor at a well-known firearms training academy.
"The Werewolf" lives outside a small town in rural Brazil.
He has a full-time "day" job, five children, and a lovely wife. His
home is his ranch, where he raises pigs, chickens, geese, tilapia (via fish
farming), and a variety of crops geared toward self-sufficiency including beans,
rice, and
corn.
"David" was born and raised in the United States. Even before
emigrating to Israel, he had a diverse background
in forestry, firefighting, mountaineering, emergency
medicine,
and
commercial
kosher food inspection. One of his life-long hobbies has been amateur radio.
He is currently a Torah student.
"E.J." is a British ex-pat that lives in rural Basilicata, Italy. She
describes Basilicata as "...a region bypassed by history and its inhabitants
have known a modicum of well
being only in the past 20 years."
"SurvivalistSam" is a 16 year-old survivalist living on New Zealand's
South Island.
Note: Our foreign correspondents kindly send us their e-mails without any compensation. The best we can do is send them the occasional free book, and do some shopping for them in the States. I'd appreciate reading the insights of folks who are are currently surviving hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, secessionist turmoil in Kashmir, convoy IED attacks in Iraq, or kidnappings in Colombia. Please e-mail your letters here.
We
are currently seeking other foreign correspondents. Letters from residents
unstable countries would be great, but we will settle for mundane. (We
can learn just as much from the insights of a sheep rancher in Australia
as we can from someone
living in war-torn Ethiopia.)
Biographies of several of my friends and acquaintances are included in the Retreat Owner Profiles.
You can e-mail Jim here. Note that because of the high volume of e-mail (200+ daily!), we cannot always respond personally.
Copyright 2005-2010. All Rights Reserved by James Wesley, Rawles - www.SurvivalBlog.com™