Dangerous Old Men

AmSJ ^ | 2-26-25 | A Hess

[w1n1]

Why the right Self-Defense Tools and Tactics are Vital at any age

On April 19, 1775, a man named Samuel Whittemore directly engaged the 47th Regiment of Foot. Armed with a musket, dueling pistols and a saber, Whittemore caused them to deploy by killing three and forced them to execute actions on contact. He in turn was shot in the face, bayoneted, beaten and then left for dead. These actions slowed the advance of the Regulars and assisted colonial forces in the area along Battle Road. Whittemore was 78 years old and lived despite his wounds.

This article is about “dangerous old men” like Whittemore. As an old man myself, I recognize the signs and see them in my friends and people around me. We all like to say we are dangerous old men, but are we really? Until recently, I can tell you that I was not. I was just an old man. Here is why. I spent time thinking about what it means to be dangerous.

I tied it to the dangerous things that I could do back when I was in combat operations. I do not claim to be a high-tier, super-fit warfighter, but I was able to do all the tasks and actions that were required in combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. These included long movements in combat gear followed by sprints, fighting, shooting and basic medical tasks, all while having the mental capacity to make decisions. Combine this with days of minimal sleep plus nutrition that was based on space, time and weight choices. Read the rest of "dangerous old men" here.

[teeman8r]

i am at the age now, where older men with gray hair and beards make eye contact with me and nod, knowingly. i nod back. because something is up. and they think i am a part of it. and i do not wish to caught unawares... it is happening. i just do not know when.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

The story of Samuel Whittemore is one of the stories covered in the “Project Appleseed” marksmanship course.

[rlmorel]

I live near where that happened to Samuel Whittemore, and you can even see the location!

Man! What a tough bird.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I remember reading “Paul Revere’s Ride” thirty years ago (by David Hackett Fischer) and being astounded by the “Battle Road” British retreat.

I also greatly enjoyed “The Minute Men: The First Fight: Myths and Realities of the American Revolution” by General John R. Galvin around the same time.

[Flaming Conservative]

When I get to Heaven, if he’s there, I’d like to shake his hand. (I have a long list of people in history I admire and hope to see there).

[sauropod]

Bkmk

[KrisKrinkle]

‘This article is about “dangerous old men” like Whittemore.’

I kind of doubt Whittemore met all of this guy’s criteria for being dangerous, especially the fitness part, and yet...

[Tennessee Nana]

PING

[NonValueAdded]

RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/2977447/posts

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https://freerepublic.com/tag/concord/index

[Bigg Red]

Amazing tale. I had never heard ofSamuel Whittemore. Tough guy.

[Bigg Red]

Thanks for the flag.

[laplata]

Thanks for the ping.