Thursday, June 16, 2011

Officer Survives Near Fatal Shooting by Fighting Back


"Why I survived? I took it to him..." Officer Jared Reston
talks about when he was shot.

The experience of Officer Jared Reston is a cautionary example to remind us of the overwhelming importance of a tactical mindset. Shot through the face and left for dead, Officer Reston's indomitable will and non-quitting spirit helped him survive a deadly encounter with a suspect at a mall.
"I took it to him...I took that fight to him and I won that fight is why I survived. I'm not gonna sit there and let luck or any thing else determine my fate I'm gonna...fight and that's what I think everyone should do." -Jared Reston, Police Officer

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” Winston Churchill quotes (British Orator, Author and Prime Minister during World War II.1874-1965)

I recall one of my Army mentors telling me, "sometimes the only way forward is through." He was a Special Forces instructor offering advice on how to take on seemingly impossible circumstances. That was nearly 20 years ago and it continues to ring true. In our research at NTS, we continue to see examples of this mindset in prevailing officers, soldiers and even civilians in deadly force encounters.

This is one of the reasons NTS training has more academic training than most courses. We believe education drives belief system, belief system drives training habits, training habits dictate conditioning and that translates to more lives saved and the good guys having a better chance to win.

I would argue that the primary battle that most modern professional warriors face is not what most might expect, it is a war of the mind. In over 25 years of teaching military, law enforcement and over 10,000 students, I have learned that the battle is over ignorance and arrogance-both forms of denial.

There is a lot of good information out there. There is just as much bad. I believe the key for modern professional warriors, whether a soldier, law enforcement or even responsible citizen is to take total responsibility. We must do our due diligence to get ongoing training, stay fit and healthy and put good information and training experiences into your mind.

As my Mom always says, GIGO. Garbage In, Garbage Out. However, the inverse is true as well, Good In, Good Out. It reminds me of Coach Tony Blauers first commandment, "Thou shalt not, not train." Belief system and training are inextricably intertwined.

I think Officer Reston can credit his survival in this deadly encounter to his trainers as well as his indomitable mindset and will to fight back. He was experiencing "hell" and kept going. He had a belief system that gave him the mindset to fight for his life and the training and conditioning to do what he had to to survive. This is another good lesson for us all.

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