Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps' Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life

164 Pages·2014·1.46 MB·English

by  Patrick Van Horne, Jason A. Riley

Praise for LEFT OF BANG
In an age when America’s technological edge has eroded in military matters, Van Horne and Riley have
written a compelling and detailed outline for continued American adaptation through improved tactical
cunning. Using timeless and proven techniques that can put American troops above and beyond enemy
capabilities, the tactical awareness they outline is stripped of mystery and presented in a compelling
manner. Throughout history we have seen skilled warriors defeat enemies who are more numerous or less
trained. At a time when we must adapt to the changing character of conflict, this is a serious book on a
serious issue that can give us the edge we need.
—General James Mattis, USMC, Ret.
Left of Bang offers a crisp lesson in survival in which Van Horne and Riley affirm a compelling truth: It's
better to detect sinister intentions early than respond to violent actions late. Left of Bang helps readers avoid
the bang.
—Gavin de Becker,
bestselling author of The Gift of Fear
Rare is the book that is immediately practical and interesting. Left of Bang accomplishes this from start to
finish. There is something here for everyone in the people business and we are all in the people business.
—Joe Navarro,
bestselling author of What Every BODY is Saying
Left of Bang is a highly important and innovative book that offers a substantial contribution to answering
the challenge of Fourth Generation War (4GW). In 4GW, once “bang” has happened, the state has failed
and its legitimacy is further eroded. All “first response” is too late. The state's focus must be prevention, and
Left of Bang suggests concrete ways “bang” can be prevented.
—William S. Lind,
author of Maneuver Warfare Handbook
Left of Bang is born from the blood and fire lessons of Marines in combat. The learning curve is short in the
fight and failure often means death. Seeing, recognizing, and acting on danger before the hammer falls is
what Left of Bang is all about. To that end, Patrick Van Horne and Jason A. Riley have set forth lessons of
human ability and conduct in conflict. These actions and concepts apply to each of us who fight the good
fight against enemies who seek our destruction. Whether military, police, or citizen defender, to win the
battle we must find a way to intercept the enemy and deter his plans—a tough challenge against an enemy
who is often hiding in plain sight. Left of Bang contains answers to detection, deterrence, and ultimate
victory. This is a warrior's book. Get it, read it, live it.
—Jeff Chudwin, Chief of Police Ret.,
President, Illinois Tactical Officers Association
An amazing book! Applying the lessons learned in the longest war in American history, and building on
seminal works like The Gift of Fear and On Combat, this book provides a framework of knowledge that
will bring military, law enforcement and individual citizens to new levels of survival mindset and
performance in life-and-death situations. Left of Bang is an instant classic.
—Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman, U.S. Army Ret.,
author of On Combat and On Killing
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not reflect the
official policy or position of the United States Marine Corps, Department of
Defense, or the U.S. Government.
BLACK IRISH ENTERTAINMENT LLC
ANSONIA STATION
P.O. BOX 237203
NEW YORK, NY 10023
COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY PATRICK VAN HORNE AND JASON A. RILEY
BOOK DESIGN BY DERICK TSAI, MAGNUS REX
FOREWORD BY STEVEN PRESSFIELD
EDITED BY SHAWN COYNE
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST BLACK IRISH ENTERTAINMENT PAPERBACK EDITION JUNE 2014
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SPECIAL DISCOUNTS OR BULK PURCHASES,
PLEASE VISIT WWW.BLACKIRISHBOOKS.COM OR
WWW.STEVENPRESSFIELD.COM
ISBN: 978-1-936891-30-6
EBOOK: 978-1-936891-18-4
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
We dedicate this book to the Marines who have lost life and limb fighting for
their fellow Marines and for us at home. May this increase future Marines’
understanding of human behavior, survivability, and lethality and decrease the
enemy’s effectiveness.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Strangers In Strange Lands
Paradigm Shift — Jason A. Riley
I Wish I Had This Before — Patrick Van Horne
Part One: The War Lab
1. A Marine Called “Chaos”
2. Left Of Bang
3. Cooper’s Color Code
4. Re-Engineering The Toolkit
5. The Experts
6. It Works
7. What Combat Profiling Is
8. Proactive, Not Reactive
Part Two: Everywhere We Go, There Will Be People
1. The Dilemma
2. Paralysis By Analysis
3. Information Overload
4. Perfect Decisions Aren’t Possible
5. The Better Way
6. Bias For Action
7. Baselines And Anomalies
8. Human Universals
Part Three: Detail
Headline Taken From Newspapers On January 1, 2000:
1. The Six Domains
2. The Language Of Profiling
3. Kinesics
4. Biometrics
5. Proxemics
6. Geographics
7. Iconography
8. Atmospherics
Part Four: Taking Action
1. Deciding To Act
2. The Combat Rule Of Three
3. The Three Decisions
Part Five: Applications
1. Bringing It All Together
2. Applying Profiling
3. Establishing Baselines Everywhere You Go
4. Identifying Key Leaders
5. Staying Left Of Bang: Attacks From Within
6. Developing Your Profiling Ability
Endnotes
Bibliography
FOREWORD
A DAY AT CAMP PENDLETON
first met Capt. Van Horne and Maj. Riley (he was a captain then) when they
Itook me through a one-day mini-version of the Combat Hunter Course at
Camp Pendleton in southern California. After three minutes I thought, “This
stuff has got to be made available to the wider public.”
The Combat Hunter Course teaches Marines what their conventional training
doesn’t. Not only how to deal with the bad guys—but how to spot them in the
first place, particularly when they look and act exactly like the good guys.
Left of Bang is not for combat warriors only. It’s for you on the subway, you
in a bad part of town, you with the sharks in the corporate boardroom. It’s for
your wife when she’s home alone, or entering a dark parking structure, or
walking with the kids on vacation overseas.
“Right of bang,” as Van Horne and Riley explain in these pages, means after
the bomb has gone off, after the shots have been fired, after the damage has been
done.
“Left of bang” means before the bad stuff happens. That’s where you want to
be—alert, ready, prepared to respond to protect yourself and your loved ones.
I’m proud to be part of the team that is getting this material out, not just to
soldiers and Marines in their training, but into the wider world that includes your
family and mine.
Bang happens.
This book will teach you how to stay left of it.
Steven Pressfield
Los Angeles
2014