What the pros are saying about Maritime Sniper Manual

Maritime Sniper Manual by Fredrik C. Jonsson is destined to become the classic book on precision fire from seaborne platforms. It is intended for active-duty snipers who require a comprehensive training aid for operating in a maritime environment; instructors tasked with developing a maritime sniper team; military and police riflemen who, out of professional curiosity, want to learn more about the sniper trade; and interested civilians who want to learn about the extraordinary skills that enabled U.S. Navy SEAL snipers to so dramatically put an end to the Maersk Alabama hijacking incident in the spring of 2009.

But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what others are saying about Maritime Sniper Manual:

“Maritime Sniper Manual . . . is a fascinating work and should be mandatory reading for newly assigned or veteran professional snipers alike.”

—Brian K. Sain, AmericanSnipers.org

“As a maritime commando, [Jonsson’s] work to develop and enhance skill levels for precision fire under maritime conditions has been tireless and timely, considering the current piracy threat facing world trade. I strongly recommend adding this book to your training resources.”

—Sgt. Maj. Mark Spicer, retired British Army Sniper Instructor,
Chief Training Officer, Craft International LLC

“I have only known the author for three years, but in that time he has proven himself as an experienced and knowledgeable maritime commando. This manual is a necessity for any unit attempting to combat piracy or undertake any maritime operation.”

—Chief Chris Kyle, former Navy SEAL sniper/instructor,
CEO, Craft International LLC

“Unlike so many books on snipers and sniper operations, this one is written by a professional warfighter with practical experience behind the gun. It is written and organized very clearly and logically, without a lot of fluff or filler, and it makes sense from start to finish. I recommend it highly.”

—Hans Halberstadt, author/coauthor of Trigger Men,
To Be a Military Sniper, and many other books

“I consider Fredrik’s book to be the perfect reference for maritime operations. He is direct and to the point. He has taken a very complex discipline and skill set and put it into a practical and functional tool.”

—David Agata
Maritime Counter Terrorism,
Special Operations Training Instructor

“There are some excellent books that cover training of police and military snipers, but none adequately cover the special challenges of tactical precision shooting in the maritime environment like Fredrik Jonsson’s Maritime Sniper Manual. This book is a unique and timely contribution to both the police and military sniper communities.”

—LCDR Jon Bartee, USN
Precision Marksman/Observer and Employment Officer

“To those operating in this specialized environment, I urge you to study this book and thank Master Sniper Jonsson for his contribution to our precision shooting profession.”

—John L. Plaster, Major, Special Forces, USA (ret.)

“A must read. No sniper should be without this book. Take it in the fight.”

—Jack Coughlin, Gunnery Sergeant, USMC (ret.),

New York Times bestselling author of Shooter

As a special bonus to the book, Jonsson has written a supplemental report on modern piracy and maritime terrorism. In it, he provides a revealing glimpse into the operations of modern-day pirates and seaborne terrorists and shares his insights into the best methods to face these evolving threats. For up-to-the-minute reporting on maritime piracy incidents as they occur around the globe, visit the author’s Facebook page.

The author respectfully requests that readers consider supporting the nonprofit organization American Snipers to help fellow snipers currently engaged in the global war on terror. He is doing his part by donating a portion of the proceeds from the book to that cause.

The inside story on Paul Kirchner’s new bowie knife book

When best-selling author Paul Kirchner began research for what would become his book Dueling with the Sword and Pistol, he created a separate file on bowie knife fights. As his research deepened and he started accessing digitized archives he hadn’t been aware of before, he became intrigued by the sheer volume of incidents that involved a bowie knife, extending far beyond duels. He decided to set that material aside for a future book . . . and now it’s here.

At almost 400 pages, with some 500 footnotes and 50 original drawings (you may be familiar with Paul’s accomplished illustrations from the works of Jeff Cooper), Bowie Knife Fights, Fighters, and Fighting Techniques is as carefully researched and richly detailed as Paul’s previous Paladin books. He writes:

“A large part of my enthusiasm for this project came from the sense of unearthing a hidden part of American history. On my shelves I have nearly a dozen books that profile noted gunfighters of the Old West. But what about the knife fighters? They’ve been swept under the rug. How often do you see a character in a Western movie wearing a bowie knife? Rarely, unless he’s some designated knife fighter, undoubtedly a bad ’un. Yet a man wearing a bowie knife as well as a pistol was a sight commonly noted in the accounts from that period. In the 20th century, the practice of carrying a knife as a weapon became associated with the lowest sorts of dirt-bags—junkies, convicts, serial killers, gang members, and outlaw bikers. It’s hard for people to imagine that in the 19th century, congressmen wore bowie knives in the Capitol!”

The book is valuable not only to readers interested in the bowie knife and its unique history as one of the most iconic of American blades. Students of knife-related martial arts can glean much from the remarkably detailed accounts of men (and a few women) who used knives in brawls, duels, assaults, self-defense, and military combat.

Paul has started a fantastic blog dedicated to his latest release—what he labels “Everything I Couldn’t Fit in the Book.” Check it out for accounts of bowie knife incidents that didn’t make it into the book (only the best stuff did), plus Paul’s thoughts on its content, cover (“I got a few comments already on the lurid quality of my cover . . .”), and recent correspondence with such interesting characters as custom bowie knife maker and champion knife thrower Joe “Brokenfeather” Darrah.

Interview with New Paladin Author F. Kim O'Neill

F. Kim O'Neill is the author of the recently-released Paladin book, The Ultimate Guide to Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse. We had the opportunity to interview him about zombies, survival preparedness, and the end of the world.

How is The Ultimate Guide to Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse different from the other zombie guidebooks out there?

I’m not terribly familiar with other zombie guidebooks; my immediate impression is that they’re written by individuals who don’t have my direct personal experience with combat and urban survival. Anyone can claim to be an expert on anything, especially in today’s culture of 24-hour news cycles and style over content. What I can definitively say about my text is that it is the only one I know of that directly and comprehensively addresses the idea of surviving not only a zombie attack, but also the concerns that come with surviving the end of civilization.

Why did you write this book? And why should we listen to your advice on zombies?

I wrote this book because of discoveries I made during my previous position as head of security at CERN (The European Organization for Nuclear Research). A non-disclosure agreement forbids me from going into too much detail. As for why you should listen to my advice, I can tell you that I’m a veteran of the U.S. Army and retired after thirty years at the rank of Major. I’ve seen combat in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Persian Gulf. Some of my time was spent teaching at the Army’s SERE school (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Do you really think that we are going to face a zombie apocalypse? How soon?

Again, I can’t talk about what I know specifically, but I will say that the information in my book is more timely than anyone would care to believe. There are scientists of my former acquaintance who, under the guise of discovery and curiosity, are undermining the very foundation of physical existence. Without going into too much detail, consider this news story:

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/05/freaky-physics-proves-parallel-universes/

That’s old news to the physicists at CERN. They’ve been doing experiments like that for some time. Think about it: they could see the tuning fork move in this universe, and simultaneously not move in the other universe. If you can see something, you’re going to want to touch it. It’s human nature. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

Have there been any zombie uprisings that governments have kept secret? Like what happened with aliens at Area 51?

If there have been zombie uprisings in the past, I don’t know about them. It doesn’t seem likely, though. If the recent Wikileaks fiasco is any indication, it’s extremely difficult to keep a secret about anything, let alone the dead rising to attack the living. As for Area 51, don’t be silly. It’s ludicrous to believe that a bunch of extraterrestrials would master interstellar space travel, only to incompetently crash into a planet.

Does the way in which zombies have been treated in pop culture help or hurt the effort to prepare for a zombie apocalypse?

That depends. A more cynical person would say that the popularity of zombie mythology has made it more difficult to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, as you now have more competition for needed resources. I personally don’t believe that. The more people who prepare themselves and their families for the eventuality of the undead destroying civilization, the better chance we have, as a species, to survive. When it happens, it won’t be a surprise. And it could be that groups or towns of committed, prepared individuals would keep a zombie uprising from becoming the end of the world. It stops being a joke or a pop culture symbol when you’re the one fighting off a recently-turned friend or spouse suffering from a sudden craving for human brains. Your brains.

Is it futile to even attempt to survive a zombie uprising?

Of course not. It’s not futile to attempt to survive anything. The information and skills I impart in the book are designed to take you, the untrained but interested person, and turn you into a survivor. The notion of learned helplessness is addressed several times in the book: don’t wait for the government or the cavalry or the police department to save you. Save yourself.

In the book you discuss the three types of zombies. Which are we most likely to face, and which one is the most formidable foe?

It’s a tricky question. Viral Zombies are considered by “experts” to figure most prominently in any zombie apocalypse scenario, and what we know about biology and chemistry would seem to bear that out. Their physical toughness and communicability of their affliction make them formidable. Supernatural Zombies present a different set of difficulties, not least in an existential sense. The possibility of Supernatural Zombies tells us that modern physics is a joke, and that magic/sorcery is real. That’s difficult to wrap your head around when that becomes your new reality. As for Voodoo Zombies, they’re particularly dangerous in that they occasionally wield weapons. Each type has its own set of dangers; the book describes this and how to overcome them.

How do you kill a zombie? Aren’t they already dead?

Well, no. They’re not dead, but undead. Animate. The simplest answer is to destroy the zombie’s brain. That turns it off like a light switch. Then it’s no longer animate. But that’s a lot easier said than done. What if you’re dealing with two zombies? Or five? Or fifty? In the book, I describe weapon selection, undead fighting tactics, and zombie combat drills that can help you burn ghoul-killing techniques into your muscle memory. Zombies are slow, but they also don’t bleed out from a bad cut or lose morale. And there are likely to be a lot more of them than you.

If you could only have one weapon to use against a zombie, what would you choose?

An AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. Reliable, excellent at long and close ranges, and you won’t have to worry about your bullet bouncing off the curve of an undead skull: it’ll drill right through it.

During a zombie apocalypse, do you think that we have more to fear from the living (that is, other human survivors) or the undead?

It depends on where you live. In the book, I mention how you should stay away from large cities at all costs during the zombie apocalypse, because one of the many dangers there is the likelihood of meeting hostile human survivors. Small towns have their problems, too: the local chief of police may decide to declare martial law with him as the Supreme Leader. If you live in the country, you’ll probably have to arm yourself against roving bandits, cannibal families, and unprepared former city-dwellers. Luckily, what works against zombies (catastrophic brain injury) also works against the living.

What do you have in your zombie bug-out bag?

I’d rather not say. I’m prepared. Are you?

What if I do all the things that you suggest—fortify my shelter, assemble a bug-out bag, gather my arsenal, lay in provisions—and nothing happens. No zombies appear. Won’t I look foolish?

You might. But who cares? Most people would rather be comfortable than safe, which is why so many of us are victims of crime. Don’t worry about outward appearances too much, but be aware of going overboard. You want to be prepared, but this also means that you don’t want to draw attention to yourself. If everyone around knows that yours is the house to go to when the world’s coming to an end, you’ll soon find yourself in the unenviable position of fighting off both the living and undead. Would you rather be armed, fed, and in a well-stocked Zombie Redoubt, or cold, hungry and alone against the undead because you’re too embarrassed to buy a case of Dinty Moore beef stew at the Wal-Mart? Preparation is a way of life, not a goal.