"The most important means of surviving a lethal confrontation is, according to Cooper, neither the weapon nor the martial skills. The primary tool is the combat mindset, set forth in his book, Principles of Personal Defense.[4] In the chapter on awareness, Cooper presents an adaptation of the Marine Corps system to differentiate states of readiness:I appreciate the color codes simply for the ability to put a label on your level of alertness, To me however, the phrase "combat mindset" encompasses a whole lot more than what the color codes entail. Perhaps a "warrior's mindset" is more what I'm trying to get at.
The color code as originally introduced by Jeff Cooper, had nothing to do with tactical situations or alertness levels, but rather with one's state of mind. As taught by Cooper, it relates to the degree of peril you are willing to do something about and which allows you to move from one level of mindset to another to enable you to properly handle a given situation. Cooper didn't claim to have invented anything in particular with the color code, but he was apparently the first to use it as an indication of mental state.[5]
* White - Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be "Oh my God! This can't be happening to me."
* Yellow - Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that "today could be the day I may have to defend myself." You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary. You use your eyes and ears, and realize that "I may have to SHOOT today." You don't have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow. You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don't know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to "Watch your six." (In aviation 12 o'clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft's nose. Six o'clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.) In Yellow, you are "taking in" surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep. As Cooper put it, "I might have to shoot."
* Orange - Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has gotten your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you do not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to "I may have to shoot HIM today," focusing on the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status. In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If that goblin does 'x', I will need to stop him." Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.
* Red - Condition Red is fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. If "X" happens I will shoot that person.
The USMC also uses "Condition Black" as actively engaged in combat, as do some of Cooper's successors, but Cooper always felt this was an unnecessary step and not in keeping with the mindset definition of the color code since it is a state of action."
The Marine Corps is a big gun club. It's full of competent, efficient, disgruntled and aggressive fighters. Marines are those that could have joined any other military branch, but chose the Marine Corps instead...and for a reason. It starts in recruit training where the words "attack" or "kill" become commonplace. You don't simply "go to the chow hall," you ATTACK it. "Kill" is used synonymously as an affirmative response, replacing the word "yes." On deployment, Marines yearn for, even physically ache for an opportunity to fight the enemy. Marines receive some of the world's finest and most difficult military training and itch to put it to good use. The average Joe would love to end the day without a fight...not so with Marines. It's a mentality that never really goes away.
The law enforcement community is a different animal. Some become police officers to serve their community. Some to aggressively pursue criminals and the thrill that goes with it. Some join for the uniform, gun, and fast cars. There's even those that became police officers because they think of it as a "stable government job" during an uncertain economy. Some are a combination of all of those things.
I go to work every day expecting to get in a fight for my life. I go to work every day expecting that at some point, someone will look to me alone to save a life. I carry far more tools, equipment, weapons, and ammunition than most of my partners. I'm just as prepared to respond to an active shooter as I am to respond to a traffic collision with injuries. Some call me Tackleberry, but I consider it a term of endearment!
My point is this: as a former Marine, I have high expectations of myself and those that I work with. I've worked with officers that are hesitant to jump into a fight. I've worked with officers that have admitted to me that they're not willing to die for this job. I've also worked with officers that don't believe it could happen to them. I'm not discounting these particular officers' desire to serve their communities, but quite simply this is unacceptable. All police officers want to help people, but if that's all you want to do, go be a counselor or a social worker. I don't want you responding to my daughter's school for an active shooter. I want a hard-charging officer who's going to aggressively eliminate the threat.
The combat or warrior's mindset isn't applicable only to service members or first responders. It applies to anyone who carries concealed, or has a firearm for home defense. It applies to anyone that believes that some day they'll have to physically defend themselves, their family, or others. Where do you stand?
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