Build Your Fireteam

Not long ago, things were normal. But it doesn’t look that way.

Emboldened by the President’s incompetent maneuvers in Afghanistan, endless servitude to corrupt countries, and limp-wristed response to pressure in the South China Sea, Xi decided it was time to take the offensive. 

His decisive move on Taiwan gave China a near-monopoly on vital semiconductors–long-term leverage. They then used their ties to local U.S. plants to collapse the civilian power grid. Military forces on California’s coast had mere days’ worth of diesel fuel, and LA’s port had little power to resist. Reinforcing supplies from a secret deal with Mexico supported their invasion. 

No one believed you that the “People's Liberation Army” could eventually roll trucks on U.S. soil.

It hurts that you were so right.

The world you now know is just scrambling to get out of the way. To bug out. Thankfully, you’re one step ahead.

The remote area where you’ve made camp is not likely to be of interest to the PLA, and it grants safety from your No. 2 threat: other clans, looking for prepper treasure.

Your group consists of just a few other households; the select men you felt comfortable joining forces with, and their families. Security and survival would both be easier with them on board.

You grabbed everything you could when you left: vacuum-sealed buckets of food, a water purification device, a heavy-duty first aid kit, gallons of gasoline, guns and ammo, and more. But it’s been long enough. You need more. You need intel. And you need more ammo.

Your wife obviously wasn’t excited about your trip out, but she understood. She would stay at camp with the kids. And she’d keep your armor. Maybe it made more sense for you to wear it during your expedition, but you didn’t like the image of being fully suited while your wife fends off aggressors while wearing no protection. The two men joining your expedition are fully suited, but you’ve just got your AR and war belt for now.

Your destination: Frank Graham’s Surplus. You used to work long shifts there and know where to find extra ammo–if there is any. It’s on the closer edge of the town. You considered getting supplies there when you first left, but didn’t want any trouble with looters. Priorities shift a bit when you have a six-year-old in the backseat.

***

Your fireteam parks outside the town, away from the building. That way, you'll hopefully avoid someone finding your truck, slashing the tires, and ruining your chances of getting back. You approach the glass door, untouched since the building’s looters had come in through the front entrance. You break the glass and reach your hand around to unlock it; Mr. Graham never did get that alarm installed.

Walking into the building feels a little surreal. There’s a strange feeling of cold intensity in your every move. Nothing’s happening. Everything is still. But memories of the life that once permeated this building linger on.

No ammo on the shelves, though. Gutted.

Scanning the room, you notice someone on the ground, on the other side of the shelves. He looks like he was pummeled and died shortly thereafter. Apparently he and some other looter had gotten into an altercation. And he lost.

The shelves are empty, but you know exactly where extra supplies can be found. Mr. Graham liked to keep a personal supply in his home and another supply in a hidden vault in his store. He had shown that to you in case you needed it someday. He was old and didn’t want to die with the secret.

Opening the vault, you find an invaluable trove of 5.56 and 9mm rounds. Plus a plate carrier with two armor plates labeled “C2 MULTI-HIT.” Clearly Mr. Graham believed this would be useful someday.

A distant explosion shakes the walls. You hear some chatter on the far side of the building and pray you’re not surrounded. As your fireteam watches the chokepoints and ensures there’s a clear way to escape back to the truck, you throw all the boxes into your bag and don the armor. Your journey home is not guaranteed.

As you watch the doorway and prepare to escape, a combatant in a Type 07 uniform looks around the corner.

The soldier shouts in Mandarin, notifying his team of your presence, and opens fire.

In an instant, your sights come into view and you press the trigger. Your wingman has already landed a hit, but it was stopped in the combatant’s armor. The trooper fires more rounds your way, this time hitting your chest. The energy transfer is unreal, but the padding on the carrier mutes the damage. One round hits his face, and the threat is neutralized. Your fireteam continues to evacuate.

As you’re leaving, one team member watches the potential entryways for other “Liberators”. He announces that two more grunts are in view ahead of him, and another firefight ensues. An immense jolt in your back is followed by a supersonic crack! from a 5.8x42 projectile. You turn around to return fire. Bullets are exchanged; one Chinese soldier is neutralized from several hits to center mass, while his partner in tyranny went down when a round pierced his skull. 

With this squad neutralized, you return to your truck, keeping tabs on all directions where another aggressor might be found. 

Back home, the little providence of finding and donning armor right before the shootout would not be forgotten.

---

This armor is made to stop tyrants.

Rugged and sturdy, the Testudo Carrier is a powerful platform for all plates in standard sizes. In the past, we featured the Freeman Loadout as a strong option for lightweight and transportable vital protection. The Testudo Carrier places a greater emphasis on coverage, protection and all-around readiness for the fight. 

The C2 Multi-Hit can handle more powerful weaponry than any other plate material. Most importantly, this design is able to stop .30 caliber armor-piercing bullets (U.S. Military designation M2 AP) at a velocity of 2,880 ft/s. Whereas such a threat would punch through most plates, this plate has been tested to successfully stop as many as three successive M2 AP rounds.

Right now, you can get the Testudo with C2 Multi-Hit Plates on our site.

Every year, we are honored to serve the thousands of Free Men that choose us as their armorsmith of choice.

Be prepared to resist evil. Arm your fireteam.