Before Terror Strikes: Learn the Tactical Mindsets and Skillsets Necessary to Survive a Terrorist Event Before It Occurs

by William Michael Seddon Sr

BEFORE TERROR STRIKES: Learn the Tactical Mindsets and Skillsets Necessary to Survive a Terrorist Event Before It Occurs is an insightful book that will be more likely, as opposed to less likely to keep you and your family alive while living in the era of terror. It is a wise resource that focuses on mitigating the risk of becoming a victim; a precise travel book that teaches you and your family how to develop tactical mindsets and skillsets, and anyone from an average citizen to an elite trained professional how to prevent, escape or defend against terrorist attacks while traveling in a civilized society. It teaches how not to be a passive frozen-up victim of the terrorist attack and survive by knowing how to act and react in many life-threatening situations while traveling in any city. What would you do if you found yourself in the parking lot and you started taking sniper fire? Or during Christmas holiday season you are shopping in a crowded mall, and someone begins spraying automatic weapons fire Or you are picking up your luggage in a baggage claim area in the airport, and someone starts throwing hand grenades What would you do? If you have never thought these and other similar scenarios through, you are most likely to react with recklessness by endangering yourself and all those around you, to freeze-up and become a helpless victim awaiting rescue. However, these eventual possibilities can be prevented by learning and applying the mindsets and skillsets this book teaches. Using this book as a self-help tactical training manual will allow you and your family to be among those who are less likely to get seriously hurt or killed in a life-threatening terror attack. Terrorist proverb states, Why hunt a tiger when there are many sheep to be had. Would you rather be a tiger or a sheep? Learning and applying the anti-terrorism and counterterrorism mindsets and skillsets will provide the opportunity for you and your family to tactically change by becoming a hard target/tiger, rather than being a soft target/sheep . Understand that terrorists only fear, respect and submit to one thing, a force stronger than them. Terrorists continue to regroup, adjust their tactics and realign their strategies as they set out to hunt sheep . Most people think that this life threatening social problem can be solved by just ignoring it, and therefore those people are living in the following three states: (1) State of Denial, believing that this will not or cannot happen to them or their family; (2) State of Ignorance, thinking that this happens elsewhere or something they hear on the news; (3) State of La La Land, a pre-9/11 mindset of innocent magical thinking where one lives with a false sense of security in a protective bubble . If one lives in any of these states, they are more likely to become a victim of a terrorist attack. This book will become an invaluable time tested investment since it is condensed with tactical knowledge that will easily transition an untrained public thinking mind into a well trained military tactical thinking mind, something that terrorists fear: a civilian population trained to think and posture like tigers, thus eliminating their opportunity for targeting soft targets/sheep, protecting you and your family from becoming victims of their attacks. You and your family can beat these coward terrorists at their own game by becoming tactically wise and outfoxing their tactics, that will make you less likely to become their victim!

166 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2013

Reviews

[Kathleen (Kat) Smith]

"Evil...prevails when good people do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke

In today's world more than ever the need to be observant and diligent wherever we go is something we all need to take seriously. In light of the recent mass shootings, being more diligent in what is normal and what isn't could be the best line of defense we can apply to any situation. I think far too many people think what happens around them is strictly none of their business, but when these same people are interviewed after the event, they all say the same thing. "I knew there was just something about that person that didn't feel right."

In the book, Before Terror Strikes: Learn The Tactical Mindsets and Skillsets Necessary To Survive A Terrorist Event Before It Occurs, author William Michael Seddon Sr. takes readers into some simple things we can do to get us out of our day to day routines and become more hyper aware of our surroundings. It's these simple strategies that may in fact save our lives the next time something like this should happen.

In the beginning of the book, the author asks some very powerful questions to see what your initial response would be to any of these situations: What would you do if you found yourself taking sniper fire in a parking lot? Or shopping in a crowded mall when someone begins spraying automatic weapons fire? What if you were picking up your luggage at the airport, and someone started throwing hand grenades? What would you do?

This short but concise book details the inner workings of such terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and how they have changed strategy's in looking for smaller attacks around the world to accomplish their intents and purposes. He showcases what some safe options might be if you find yourself in any of the situations above and some simple things we can do when traveling to make ourselves a less likely threat and target. He instructs readers to be more vigilant on anniversaries of other attacks such as the one that occurred in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.

I received Before Terror Strikes by William Michael Seddon Sr compliments of Outskirts Press and Bostick Communications for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. In light of all the recent attacks in malls, schools and even abroad, I have found myself paying attention to things a lot more than I would have in the past. In the movie theaters, I watch who comes in and out, and if anyone uses the emergency exits. No longer can we afford to simply be complacent any longer hoping someone else will pay attention for us. While this book is geared to inform, it does not cause you to take up arms and prepare for these events to occur but merely to get you to think a little differently than you may have in the past. For those of you that love books that help you prepare for these types of threats or those who love survival training than this is the perfect book for you. I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars just simply based on the fact I was looking for more meat in the content of this book and it was short, concise and simple at 166 pages.

[Anirudh]

‘Evil prevails when good people sit down and do nothing’ – Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher

We live in an era of terror – the publisher putting it up in an absolutely straighforward fashion but nevertheless, is the reality. The danger with terrorists is that they have no rules and there is no guarantee that you may not be the victim as they strike anywhere – airports, shopping malls, et cetera. Former US Marine, William Michael Seddon Sr. has written a guide on tactical mindsets and skillsets that we all need to learn in order to prevent ourselves from being victims of terrorist attacks, or once you are in it – what to do to protect yourself during one. Author goes over the mindset of a terrorist, of a victim, and extensively covers the antiterrorism preventive measures and countermeasures.

The author exhausts nearly all the common possibilities by giving practical ‘what if’ situations which you and I come across everyday. Useful illustrations were also given regarding avoiding shrapnel injuries, gunfire and safety in subways. The book provides the insight on how terrorists think, it teaches not just to avoid terrorist attacks, but to think tactically, which is useful anywhere. Author mentions some very interesting facts about the human mind and some enlightening quotes from famous people across centuries. This book is a must read before any travel, as it provides sufficient details regarding identifying a terrorist and measures to take in order to prevent yourself from getting into a life-threatening situation, and if you are in the middle of it – measures to take to protect yourself from terrorists. It is even more useful for US citizens as the author has given some specific US related tips such as the services provided by the embassy.

The best part about the whole book is that it is concise – 165 pages within which most common situations are exhausted. A good reader might need less than an hour to go through the entire book and it would provide her / him a basic idea on how to protect themselves. I think this book could also be a useful guide if someone has some project to do on terror attacks and safety during a terrorist attack.

This is one of those books where it doesn’t end with reading it. After reading it, you have to take it into real life situations and act accordingly. Only then you can claim that you have understood the contents of the book.

I don’t think it is all that appropriate to rate non-fiction, especially something of this nature, but a goodreads review is incomplete without it and I have this to say – it is an excellent guide and is a must read in the era that we live in because, counterterrorism is a life or death matter.