[Wyosmith]

Yes I have been trained and I was an NCOIC of training for years. I also have taught non-military personal for many years more. I still do from time to time.

Recognizing the entire threat is a pipe dream. We have entire battalions to try to do that as well as the NSA and the CIA and a bunch of other agencies that dedicate their entire existence to that very mission.

For an individual to do it is impossible. Only God Himself knows everything.
The entire threat changes with the enemy, and the enemy can and does move, meaning the situation changes second by second.

You go into a fight with limited information and limited mobility, communications, assets and knowledge. Many times the fight comes to you, and in about half of those times the fight starts when the enemy wants it to start, not you.

So what you need is the ability to think and move and look at the battle ground as if you were them, and they were you. If the roles were reversed, what would you do? That’s what they will try to do. If you can out think them and do it before they can, you will often win that contact. In a war, there will be many points of contact, and many times you will loose men and/or loose some fighting ability at each one. Not always, but you must always expect that such a thing may happen.

There is no safe way to fight for your life. We can train to make the situation worse for the enemy than it is for you, (that's the objective of good training) but the idea that you can learn enough to go to war without risk is a dream, not a reality.

Your area of control or influence is all you can deal with, and that area will move as you do and as your enemy does. Your area of influence is more like spokes on a wheel and not rings in a pond. You may have a clear shot for 100 yards but be 4 feet from a piece of cover that allows an enemy to flank you. You need to understand that.

Do not fall into the mind set that you can control as far as you can see or shoot. You can control one spoke at a time as far as you can make a hit on a moving enemy, not as far as you can see.

Movement is the key. Both for you and for your enemy.

If you can make your enemy move where you want him to, you will. If your enemy moves and you get the drop on him, you win. If you can move into your enemy’s blind spot or weak spot, you win.
And all the same rules work to your enemy’s advantage if you allow him to do the same to you.

Situational awareness is key. Access and egress for both you and your enemy is going to be the single most important thing to consider in any fight. Shooting itself is actually only about 1%-2% of the fight. Movement is 98%.

If you are not alone communications is also vital. Far more vital than most trainees know. Practice that with your family and friends (your teem) as much or more than you do your shooting.

Keep your head and don’t panic even if you or a loved one gets hit. Pain is part of fighting, but fighting with a cool head even when there is pain is what will win through many times. Panic benefits the enemy almost as much as your own suicide. Never panic, never give up.