I AM JOINING THE FIGHT

I AM JOINING THE FIGHT AND HAVE RECENTLY HAD VISITS FROM THE FBI IN REGARDS TO THE TRAINING I DO TO PREPARE CITIZENS WITH MEDICAL,COMMUNICATIONS AND OTHER INFO TO BE ASSETS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THEMSELVES IN TIMES OF STRIFE. SEEMS I HAVE BECOME A CONCERN FOR DOING THIS AND THAT TELLS ME I MUST BE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

I HAVE SERVED MY COUNTRY TWICE AND SWORE MY OATH TWICE TO "DEFEND THIS COUNTRY AGAINST ALL ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC."

I HAVE JOINED THE FIGHT FOR THE COUNTRY AND ITS RETURN TO THE REPUBLIC IT ONCE WAS.

HERE IS MY WEBSITE AND THE JULY ISSUE OF "SWAT" MAGAZINE HAS AN ARTICLE ABOUT MY TRAINING.

[Note from Oath Keepers: go here to read that excellent article by S.W.AT. columnist Jeff Randall].


I AM PROUD TO BE AMONG THOSE STANDING FOR THIS COUNTRY AND KNOW I AM IN GOOD COMPANY.

JOHN GERRARD. www.alphieomegatraining.com

[Note from Oath Keepers: We asked Mr. Gerrard to tell us a little more about his visit from the FBI, and below is what he sent. ]

A little background to this story.

May 27, 2009: Around 1600 hrs. Bryan County Sheriff detectives in a white Ford Explorer with heavily tinted windows arrived at the ranch while my wife and I were outside tending to our farm. The apparent reason for their visit was that they were looking for our daughters’ boyfriend who worked at the Bryan County Jail as a jailer. They informed us the needed to ask the boyfriend some questions and clear some things up in connection to an escape of an inmate on charges of armed robbery. While waiting for our daughter and her boyfriend to arrive home we chatted with the detectives. Since it was our daughter involved with the individual the deputies wanted to question we felt in the interest of everyone’s safety it best for them to pick him up at our home allowing us to observe and witness what could have been a potentially dangerous situation. During the course of our conversation with the deputies we spoke about the economy and I told them about the Oathkeepers site. They seemed aware of the economic concerns but only voiced an opinion of the fact the economy was “not going well” as told on the mainstream media. Once our daughter and her boyfriend arrived the deputies immediately AND peacefully put him in their vehicle and took him in for questioning.

May 28, 2009: Around 1400 hrs. our dogs again alerted us that we had someone coming up the drive so I went out on the front porch to see who it was this time. Again, it was a white Ford Explorer so I assumed it was the deputies from the day before. They parked their vehicle in the shade and again two casually dressed men, again with side arms, approached me on the porch. I started the conversation with “well, you guys back again today?” I then realized that they were not the same officers and introduced themselves with the FBI and stated their names Agent Jeff Youngblood of the FBI (his business card denotes ”Special Agent Durant Resident Agency”) and Alan N. Carpenter ( his card has a heading U.S. Dept of Justice FBI Special Agent) said they had ‘heard about my training from the local sheriff’s office’ and were here to ask me some questions about ‘the training’. We then played a verbal chess game of questions/answer and I relayed the basic information about my training scenarios i.e.: medical, communications, survival skills, alternative power, antennas, solar, as well as the firearms training. They were interesting in how far my commo gear would communicate, how much of my gear was “off grid on solar” and numerous other questions about the ability I had to communicate “long distances.” At times the questions were specific about the training and other questions appeared to be more probing like “How do you advertise for your training”? This one I avoided answering, it seems they were concerned with the potential radio programs I spoke on and had used to let others know of the training seminars. Hmmm…. I thought to myself….. 1^st amendment violations….patriot act…?

They asked if we could go “somewhere to sit and talk” and I pointed towards the porch but with only two chairs I felt more comfortable staying outside so we continued our conversation standing on the porch. I realized later that they would have preferred we had gone inside to talk. They inquired as to how I check out the people who come to the training. I responded that we really haven’t had any concerns about anyone but had a former OSI agent who teaches the communications course and if there was a concern he would ‘check them out’. Mr. Youngblood then offered to do background checks for me and all I had to do is call him. Hmmmm……. I have never heard of the FBI volunteering to assist private citizens with “background checks” before.

There was more small talk including the statement “we aren’t bad cops like on T.V. but we know there are bad cops out there”. And then the kicker statement was “it must be hard for anyone to get up your long driveway without you knowing it, huh?” To which I responded by shaking my head “yes”.

There was more small talk about my livestock the ranch,what I did for a living and I then offered them the opportunity to come to the next training seminar in July and they stated they “may have to check out the ‘website’ ”. I never gave them the web address but did point them to the July issue of SWAT Magazine article about our training and to the ‘Oathkeepers’ website.

They mentioned more than once ‘they weren’t worried about the shooting’ we were doing or any part of the firearms training we do here. We had notified the local sheriff prior to our first training April 2008. My wife actually called him at home and informed him of our meet-up training that included a shooting class and he seemed to be ok with it. She also notified our neighbors so they were not alarmed about the extra people, traffic and shooting without knowing what was going on.

I asked both agents for their business cards and again invited them to come to the training in July. At this time again, Mr. Youngblood said “he would be willing to run background checks on anyone I might be concerned with”. They both made a general statement about checking out the next training seminar, I can only wonder what their underlying purpose would be.

We then made polite good byes, said our thank you’s and shook hands. Mr. Youngblood stated as they were slowly walking back to their vehicle he had not had a chance to read my “No Trespassing” sign with it’s attached titles of code posted up the drive and they proceeded to their vehicle and drove off without incident. They murmured to each other when they read the sign words incomprehensible to me.

I was not intimidated or afraid but was very concerned as to what kind of threat I posed as an ex-serviceman, American citizen who had served his country not once but twice. With all the wrong going on in our country, the problems at the border, the bailout of crooked corporations, job loss, housing foreclosures, gang violence and human trafficking spilling over from Mexico I feel there are much more important issues they could be dealing with then hassling private citizens about preparedness training. After seeing and reading the recent DHS Report regarding right wing extremist’s and their definition of those considered a risk to national security, thinking about my Ron Paul bumper sticker on both our vehicles and the fact that I am against “bad government” and speak out on the radio and internet broadcasts I realize I am a threat to them if only by their own defined definition. It’s NOT because of the training but because I am preparing folks to be independent and aware of the downward path our country ‘I used to know and love’ is going. I also realize it is no longer a representative Republic and has been bankrupted by the elite. Therefore, I must be a threat. Does that make sense in this day and age? I have continued to wonder the real reason I appear as threat to National security and warrant the FBI’s attention, hmm.. self reliance, self sufficient, aware, concerned ex-military, able to be independent of power, speaks out……training others. the list builds of threats.

I don’t know my country anymore. It’s not the one I swore an oath “to defend against ALL enemies foreign and domestic” not once but twice. It is a foreign land, bankrupt and going down a road I see as fascist, awaiting once again for the ‘Renegades’ to make it once again a Republic, one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all. God save the Republic not the fascist system that fears its citizens.

John Gerrard