GuerrillamericaI’ve talked a bit about Red, Yellow, and Green villages in Afghanistan. They were essentially classifications we assigned to villages as part of a Village Stability Operation (VSO) in order to prioritize our efforts in turning “yellow” villages “green”. Very briefly, red villages were decidedly anti-US/Coalition Forces OR pro-Taliban; yellow villages were mixed or indifferent; and green villages were pro-US/CF OR anti-Taliban. We had to identify these villages, classify them, and then target for influence appropriately. We didn’t waste time on red villages that we were unable to turn. Instead, we focused on keeping the green villages for us, and convincing/influencing the yellow villages to support us.
Going back to the fact that we can’t kill them all, and that killing one insurgent often creates one or more in his place, we have to align our strategy appropriately. This is the battle for hearts and minds that is won and lost in the villages, on the ground, with the people; not sitting behind a computer saying that it can’t be done.
As I was looking at a topo map of my hunting unit, I started to classify terrain as red, yellow, or green based on the likelihood of deer there at certain times of the day. It occurred to me that this analysis has a very profound usefulness to the Patriot/Prepper as well.
We used certain criteria to classify those Afghan villages, and so you should develop your own criteria as to why and how you’re going to classify your neighbors and/or surrounding neighborhoods as red, yellow, or green… I’ll show you how to do that, but first I want to introduce you to blue: that’s decidedly Freedom Forces (FREEFOR). Our purpose today is to learn the process, start labeling our neighbors, and then begin identifying which individuals in our communities we can target for influence. This will involve some OSINT searching and a little time, but I believe that it’s well worth the effort. For an example, take a look at the map below. Start with your street, then your block, then your community. *** Pay special attention to the security caveat at the end of this article. ***
Red.
One of the first things I’m going to do is identify those who are diametrically opposed to Liberty, or who are the very least prepared (which may be a lot more red than shown on the map above). To begin, these are the communists and socialists, to include those who believe in legal and illegal plunder. How do I find these people? As it’s been pointed out numerous times, look at political yard signs. Check out your local political offices and find out who volunteers for the worst leftist candidates. Your state probably has a way you can purchase voter registration information, so start with your zip code. Again, “red” doesn’t mean that I’m going to inflict violence on them; I just want to know who, if/when given their druthers, would take away my Liberty. Some of these red homes may not be at all political – they could be gang or criminal affiliated. They could be drug addicts. They could be the ill-prepared – people who, when the time comes, might think to themselves that my stash of water, food, and medicine would be a tasty treat.
Yellow.
I’m going to use yellow for two categories. The first is for those who I have not identified any political affiliation or preparedness level. That means that there may be lots of yellow on your map, because lots of folks aren’t necessarily political or prepared. The second is for those who are open to hearing the message of Liberty or preparedness, or who believe they should get prepared, but haven’t done anything to prepare. These are folks we can definitely get prepared with the right amount of motivation. Maybe these folks just haven’t formed a bond with a fervent Patriot, and don’t know where to start and have so many questions that they fail to do anything.
Green.
Green homes/families are the folks who believe as I do – that Liberty is under attack. They may or not be getting prepared, but, at the very least, they see the threats. It’s our job to act as a coach when they ask. One of the best things we can do in Intelligence is merely listen. Strike up a conversation. Ask them how they’re doing. Show you care. Build a relationship, then start asking questions about what’s going on in the political world. Ask their opinion. Be interested. They’ll likely tell you, especially if you confirm your belief in what they’re saying. Now you’re building rapport, and you’ll use this rapport to plant little seeds. Pique their interest about a certain topic or about being prepared or about going to the shooting range. Cement the bond you’re building, and introduce them to the concept of a preparedness group, community defense group, or a community watch. Recruit them, then turn them blue.
Blue.
As stated above, “blue” homes are ardent Patriots/FREEFOR. These are the folks in our groups; they’re the ones we can depend on when the SHTF (if the SHTF). We’re responsible for herding these cats, fostering unit cohesion, and building the skill base of the group.
This map should give you a pretty good visual representation of the kind of neighbors you have and community you live in. If you don’t know your neighbors, do a little digging on them. Find out some information, then make an excuse to say hello. Just go meet them.
In the next few weeks, have your group do an “ACE Weekend” where you can spend a few hours, or a day or weekend catching up on all the intelligence activities you should have been doing. Creating intelligence products like these now will pay dividends later. Intelligence drives the fight! It also drives your defense!
SECURITY CAVEAT.
Obviously, a map like this in Iraq or Afghanistan would be an intelligence analyst’s wet dream. I would loved to have had a map of a village marking out the pro-CF and pro-Taliban homes.
To keep things as safe as possible, let’s keep them as analog as possible (re: not digital). Print off a map, and go to Wally World to buy some of those little colored, circle stickers. They come in packs, generally in the crafts or school aisle. If you need to upgrade a yellow to green, or green to blue, then put another sticker on top of it. Keep it in a safe or somewhere secure.
If you wanted to get really out there, you could find all the communists in your area, and mark their homes as “DEFINITELY A HARDCORE PATRIOT, III%er WHO HAS LOTS OF GUNS AND HATES THE GOVERNMENT… AND POSSIBLY HAS EBOLA, TOO.” Then lose that map somewhere.
Love the Security Caveat. I will be losing a few maps of my area.