Civil Defense Needed To Stop Another 9/11

I was a Naval Reservist Sept. 11th, 2001. This fact alone speaks to my commitment to civic duty despite agreeing with few foreign policy decisions of late.
I wasn’t surprised by the attack per se because those in security circles had long felt Islamist ideologues would eventually mount another high profile attack against a symbolic American target. America’s Mid East alliances and first Iraqi invasion virtually assured payback here at home.
We still have a dangerously under defended homeland in my opinion with its largest protective force, the public, as de-mobilized today as then.
United 93’s passengers are a text book example of what mobilized citizens may have to do in critical situations. It’s obviously far more risky than simply pressing 9-1-1 on your cell phone.
As a former local Red Cross Disaster Action Team ( DAT ) member I know first hand the services a trained citizenry can provide during emergencies.
Eternal kudos to the two Times Square vendors this year who foiled a car bomb attempt by practicing something which once was a popular concept: civil defense.
” Civil Defense ” is an old school, Cold war Era method where the population was given basic training in how to respond to enemy attacks. Skeptics ( correctly ) questioned the long term effectiveness of ducking beneath furniture or backyard bomb shelters during nuclear attack but alot of valuable information was spread among millions and used when natural disasters and other major events struck.
Fast forward to the 21st century and President Carter’s lingering Emergency Management doctrine ( embodied in FEMA and his statewide emergency management agency system ) provides dispassionate experts ordering clueless civilians around with comic and sadly, tragic consequences. A relative handful of trained professionals verses a mass of uninformed people does not make a homeland more secure!!!
We need to train Americans in basic civil defense doctrine beyond even the current Community Emergency Response Team model organized in various cities for search and rescue.
The ” first responders ” to an attack will be Joe and Jane American caught in the middle of something erupting around them. What they see and do in those chaotic moments with materially contribute to identifying perpetrators and more immediately, saving lives on scene.
The same holds true for area law enforcement and related personnel. Training these two groups are vital for providing real homeland security.
I practice Civil Defense for one reason: it preaches the great truth that there are no spectators in homeland security. It shows you don’t have to be a police officer; fire fighter; EMT; service member or federal agent to help keep America safe.
You do need a commitment to be prepared and willing to risk your safety on behalf of others. It sounds corny but that is  what civil defense boils down to.
” Let’s go shopping! ” was essentially the homeland security battle cry last Administration, urging us to venture out in defiance of unseen assailants.
Comparatively, a renewed Civil Defense culture seems the better option.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info .