I got this from Carter. Sounds like it makes a lot of sense.
S.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> FYI
> ----- Forwarded by Carter Niemeyer/ESBO/R1/FWS/DOI on 10/31/01 09:46 AM
> -----
>
> "Tom Beno"
> <tom.beno@hom To: "Recipient List Suppressed"
> e.com> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> cc:
> 10/25/01 Subject: Surviving Terrorism Attacks
> 08:35 AM
>
>
>
> SURVIVING CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL OR NUCLEAR TERRORISM ATTACKS
>
> "Words of Wisdom From An Armor Master"
> by SFC Red Thomas (Ret)
>
> Overview:
>
> Since the media has decided to scare everyone with predictions of chemical,
> biological, or nuclear warfare on our turf I decided to write a paper and
> keep
> things in their proper perspective. I am a retired military weapons,
> munitions,
> and training expert.
>
> Lesson number one: In the mid 1990s there were a series of nerve gas
> attacks on
> crowded Japanese subway stations. Given perfect conditions for an attack
> less
> than 10% of the people there were injured.
>
> 60 Minutes once had a fellow telling us that one drop of nerve gas could
> kill a
> thousand people, well he didn't tell you the thousand dead people per drop
> was
> theoretical. Drill Sergeants exaggerate how terrible this stuff was to keep
> the
> recruits awake in class (I know this because I was a Drill Sergeant too).
> Forget everything you've ever seen on TV, in the movies, or read in a novel
> about this stuff, it was all a lie. (Read this sentence again out loud!).
> These
> weapons are about terror, if you remain calm, you will probably not die.
>
> This is far less scary than the media and their "Experts," make it sound.
>
> Chemical weapons:
>
> Chemical weapons are categorized as Nerve, Blood, Blister, and
> Incapacitating
> agents Contrary to the hype of reporters and politicians they are not
> weapons
> of mass destruction they are "Area denial," and terror weapons that don't
> destroy anything. When you leave the area you almost always leave the risk.
> That's the difference; you can leave the area and the risk; soldiers may
> have
> to stay put and sit through it and that's why they need all that spiffy
> gear.
>
> These are not gasses, they are vapors and/or air borne particles. The agent
> must be delivered in sufficient quantity to kill/injure, and that defines
> when/how it's used. Every day we have a morning and evening inversion where
> "stuff," suspended in the air gets pushed down. This inversion is why
> allergies
> (pollen) and air pollution are worst at these times of the day. So, a
> chemical
> attack will have it's best effect an hour of so either side of
> sunrise/sunset.
> Also, being vapors and airborne particles they are heavier than air so they
> will seek low places like ditches, basements and underground garages. This
> stuff won't work when it's freezing, it doesn't last when it's hot, and
> wind
> spreads it too thin too fast. They've got to get this stuff on you, or, get
> you
> to inhale it for it to work. They also have to get the concentration of
> chemicals high enough to kill or wound you. Too little and it's nothing,
> too
> much and it's wasted. What I hope you've gathered by this point is that a
> chemical weapons attack that kills a lot of people is incredibly hard to do
> with military grade agents and equipment so you can imagine how hard it
> will be
> for terrorists. The more you know about this stuff the more you realize how
> hard it is to use.
>
> Nerve agents:
>
> You have these in your house, plain old bug killer (like Raid) is nerve
> agent.
> All nerve agents work the same way; they are cholinesterase inhibitors that
> mess up the signals your nervous system uses to make your body function. It
> can
> harm you if you get it on your skin but it works best if they can get you
> to
> inhale it. If you don't die in the first minute and you can leave the area
> you're probably going to live. The military's antidote for all nerve agents
> is
> atropine and pralidoxime chloride. Neither one of these does anything to
> cure
> the nerve agent, they send your body into overdrive to keep you alive for
> five
> minutes, after that the agent is used up. Your best protection is fresh air
> and
> staying calm. Listed below are the symptoms for nerve agent poisoning.
>
> * Sudden headache,
> * Dimness of vision (someone you're looking at will have pinpointed
> pupils),
> * Runny nose,
> * Excessive saliva or drooling,
> * Difficulty breathing,
> * Tightness in chest,
> * Nausea,
> * Stomach cramps, and
> * Twitching of exposed skin where a liquid just got on you.
>
> If you are in public and you start experiencing these symptoms, first ask
> yourself:
>
> * Did anything out of the ordinary just happen, a loud pop, did someone
> spray
> something on the crowd?
> * Are other people getting sick too?
> * Is there an odor of new mown hay, green corn, something fruity, or
> camphor
> where it shouldn't be?
>
> If the answer is yes, then calmly (if you panic you breathe faster and
> inhale
> more air/poison) leave the area and head up wind, or, outside. Fresh air is
> the
> best "right now antidote." If you have a blob of liquid that looks like
> molasses or Karo syrup on you, blot it or scrape it off and away from
> yourself
> with anything disposable. This stuff works based on your body weight, what
> a
> crop duster uses to kill bugs won't hurt you unless you stand there and
> breathe
> it in real deep, then lick the residue off the ground for while. Remember
> they
> have to do all the work, they have to get the concentration up and keep it
> up
> for several minutes while all you have to do is quit getting it on you/quit
> breathing it by putting space between you and the attack.
>
> Blood agents:
>
> Blood agents are cyanide or arsine which effect your blood's ability to
> provide
> oxygen to your tissue.
>
> The scenario for attack would be the same as nerve agent. Look for a pop or
> someone splashing/spraying something and folks around there getting
> woozy/falling down. The telltale smells are bitter almonds or garlic where
> it
> shouldn't be. The symptoms are:
>
> * Blue lips,
> * Blue under the fingernails, and
> * Rapid breathing.
>
> The military's antidote is amyl nitride. Just like nerve agent antidote, it
> just keeps your body working for five minutes till the toxins are used up.
> Fresh air is the your best individual chance Blister agents (distilled
> mustard)
> are so nasty that nobody wants to even handle it let alone use it. It's
> almost
> impossible to handle safely and may have delayed effect of up to 12 hours.
> The
> attack scenario is also limited to the things you'd see from other
> chemicals.
> If you do get large, painful blisters for no apparent reason, don't pop
> them,
> if you must, don't let the liquid from the blister get on any other area,
> the
> stuff just keeps on spreading. It's just as likely to harm the user as the
> target. Soap, water, sunshine, and fresh air are this stuff's enemy.
>
> Bottom line on chemical weapons (it's the same if they use industrial
> chemical
> spills); they are intended to make you panic, to terrorize you, to heard
> you
> like sheep to the wolves. If there is an attack, leave the area and go
> upwind,
> or to the sides of the wind stream. They have to get the stuff to you, and
> on
> you. You're more likely to be hurt by a drunk driver on any given day than
> be
> hurt by one of these attacks. Your odds get better if you leave the area.
> Soap,
> water, time, and fresh air really deal this stuff a knock-out-punch. Don't
> let
> fear of an isolated attack rule your life. The odds are really on your
> side.
>
> Nuclear bombs:
>
> These are the only weapons of mass destruction on earth. The effects of a
> nuclear bomb are heat, blast, EMP, and radiation. If you see a bright flash
> of
> light like the sun, where the sun isn't, fall to the ground! The heat will
> be
> over in a second. Then there will be two blast waves, one out going, and
> one on
> it's way back. Don't stand up to see what happened after the first wave.
> Anything that's going to happen will have happened in two full minutes.
>
> These will be low yield devices and will not level whole cities. If you
> live
> through the heat, blast, and initial burst of radiation, you'll probably
> live
> for a very very long time. Radiation will not create fifty foot tall women,
> or
> giant ants and grass hoppers the size of tanks. These will be, at the most,
> 1
> kiloton bombs; that's the equivalent of 1,000 tons of TNT. Here's the real
> deal, flying debris and radiation will kill a lot of exposed (not all!)
> people
> within a half mile of the blast. Under perfect conditions this is about a
> half
> mile circle of death and destruction, but, when it's done it's done. EMP
> stands
> for "Electro Magnetic Pulse" and it will fry every electronic device for a
> good
> distance. It's impossible to say what and how far but probably not over a
> couple of miles from ground zero is a good guess. Cars, cell phones,
> computers,
> ATMs, you name it, all will be out of order. There are lots of kinds of
> radiation, you only need to worry about three, the others you have lived
> with
> for years.
>
> You need to worry about "Ionizing radiation," these are little sub atomic
> particles that go whizzing along at the speed of light. They hit individual
> cells in your body, kill the nucleus and keep on going. That's how you get
> radiation poisoning, you have so many dead cells in your body that the
> decaying
> cells poison you. It's the same as people getting radiation treatments for
> cancer, only a bigger area gets radiated. The good news is you don't have
> to
> just sit there and take it, and there's lots you can do rather than panic.
>
> * First; your skin will stop alpha particles.
> * A page of a news paper or your clothing will stop beta particles.
> * You just have to try and avoid inhaling dust that's contaminated with
> atoms
> that are emitting these things and you'll be generally safe from them.
> * Gamma rays are particles that travel like rays (quantum physics makes my
> brain hurt) and they create the same damage as alpha and beta particles
> only
> they keep going and kill lots of cells as they go all the way through your
> body. It takes a lot to stop these things, lots of dense material, on the
> other
> hand it takes a lot of this to kill you. Your defense is as always to not
> panic.
>
> Basic hygiene and normal preparation are your friends:
>
> * All canned or frozen food is safe to eat.
> * The radiation poisoning will not effect plants. So, fruits and vegetables
> are
> OK, if there's no dust on them. Rinse them off if there is.
> * If you don't have running water and you need to collect rain water or use
> water from wherever, just let it sit for thirty minutes and skim off the
> water
> gently from the top. The dust with the bad stuff in it will settle. The
> remaining water can be used for the toilet which will still work if you
> have a
> bucket of water to pour in the tank.
>
> Biological warfare.
>
> There's not much to cover here.
>
> Basic personal hygiene and sanitation will take you further than a million
> doctors:
>
> * Wash your hands often.
> * Don't share drinks, food, sloppy kisses, etc., with strangers.
> * Keep your garbage can with a tight lid on it.
> * Don't have standing water (like old buckets, ditches, or kiddy pools)
> laying
> around to allow mosquitoes breeding room.
>
> This stuff is carried by vectors, that is bugs, rodents, and contaminated
> material. If biological warfare is as easy as the TV makes it sound, why
> has
> Saddam Hussein spent twenty years, millions, and millions of dollars trying
> to
> get it right? If you're clean of person and home, if you eat well, and if
> you
> are active, you're going to live.
>
> General precautions:
>
> Overall preparation for any terrorist attack is the same as you'd take for
> a
> big storm. If you want a gas mask, fine, go get one. I know this stuff and
> I'm
> not getting one and I told my Mom not to bother with one either (how's that
> for
> confidence). We have a week's worth of cash, several days worth of canned
> goods
> and plenty of soap and water. We don't leave stuff out to attract bugs or
> rodents so we don't have them.
>
> Conclusions:
>
> These people can't conceive a nation this big with this much resources.
> These
> weapons are made to cause panic, terror, and to demoralize. If we don't run
> around like sheep they won't use this stuff after they find out it's no
> fun.
> The government is going nuts over this stuff because they have to protect
> every
> inch of America. You've only going to protect yourself, and by doing that,
> you
> help the country.
>
> Disclaimers:
>
> Finally, there are millions of caveats to everything I wrote here and you
> can
> think up specific scenarios where my advice isn't the best. This letter is
> supposed to help the greatest number of people under the greatest number of
> situations. If you don't like my work, don't nit pick, just sit down and
> explain chemical, nuclear, and biological warfare in a document around
> three
> pages long yourself. This is how we the people of the United States can rob
> these people of their most desired goal, your terror.
> ---------------
> Author: SFC Red Thomas (Ret), Armor Master Gunner, Mesa, AZ.
> Copyright � 2001 by the author. Reproduction and distribution is authorized
> and
> encouraged. Just give me credit for my work, and, keep in context.
>
> http://www.religioustolerance.org/reac_ter17.htm
> http://minjungkim.homestead.com/101901psa.html
