Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
After two weeks (checks notes), make that three years to “flatten the curve”, Dad is grumpy, antsy, and ready for action. Help him out with a thoughtful present selected from this Father’s Day Gift Guide. As usual, every item profiled in this article is something I either use all the time or have personally tested.
Hack Me Not
After being cooped up for far too long, dad is ready to travel like a bird dog that’s spent 16 hours in a dog trailer and a night in a crate. He’s going to cast wide, likely internationally, so he will bring his passport. Don’t let dad’s identity get skimmed off his passport! Instead, protect it with the “Battersea Shield” Passport Book from Celtic Shield. Named after the historically significant Celtic shield found in Britain, this metal wallet for your passport protects it from RFID attacks. Don’t think this can happen to dad?
Take a look at the recent interview Shawn Ryan did on his show with former professional hacker Ryan Montgomery. View that video here (skip to 15:40). One of Montgomery’s pro tips to protect yourself from hackers is to use an RFID wallet. Your passport is just as vulnerable as your credit cards. I’ve used a Celtic Shield RFID wallet for years and it’s compact, durable, and effective. You may special order any engraving, but currently three configurations are available: plain black, US Passport engraved, and TOPO engraved ($155, $165, and $175 respectively). The company is owned and operated by service disabled veteran and all around great guy Ryan Soze.
Let’s Roll
Another thing dad needs for the road is the Load Up 22” Carry On bag from 5.11 Tactical. This 46L roller bag has rugged wheels and measures 22x11x9 inches. It features a retractable pull and other grab handles. While compact, there’s enough room for an overnight getaway with mom or a quick business trip. The 1050D nylon is tough and durable and the molded EVA hardshell will protect what’s inside. A padded laptop section and zippered compartments will keep dad organized during his mission. $205 in ranger green or volcano.
Chest Rig
If that trip dad is going on has anything to do with coyote hunting, as it should, then get him the 5.11 Skyweight Survival Chestpack. You could use this pack for a variety of purposes, but I have found that chest packs are very convenient for coyote calling. This 6x10x1.75 inch pack offers a liter of volume in the main pocket. That’s plenty of room for a remote for an electronic predator call. There are several elastic loops inside for hand calls, a knife, a candy bar, or whatever. The loop material on the inside panel supports a CCW option as well. The outside MOLLE on the front and bottom allow attachment of more things, such as a tourniquet. The 330D ripstop nylon is tough enough for this job without being too loud. The breathable padded panel next to your chest is well thought out. The straps offer wide adjustment and can be removed for use with a waist pack or belt configuration. $45 in green, volcano, or brown.
Tough Mudder
If dad’s travels take him to the mud, as they should, then kit him out with the Lacrosse AlphaTerra 6 inch boot. I’ve been testing these for a few months, and I’ve loved them from the start. They are so comfortable I forgot I had boots on when I worked on an offroad bumper installation for several hours. It seemed like I was wearing sneakers. They feel that good, and they are waterproof. This neoprene and rubber boot has a soft lining, an EVA footbed, and side zipper entry. The structure of the boot’s base gives ample support for all day comfort. The outsole is aggressively lugged for great traction. $150
Functional Camo
If dad lives anywhere it rains, like I do, he will love the Kryptek Jupiter Jacket. This waterproof rain shell is 100% seam taped and has an adjustable hood. Other features include zippered hand pockets and an elastic hem drawstring. The shell is lightweight, stuffs into its pocket, and compact enough that it stows easily in dad’s truck, boat, or UTV. The cuffs are adjustable and Velcro secured. What does a writer do when he gets a rain shell to test? He jumps into the shower and tests it out. I’m happy to report it is indeed waterproof. Perhaps the most overlooked feature of waterproof rain shells is ventilation. The Jupiter jacket has pit zips! This is a well-constructed and smartly thought-out piece of gear. Highly recommend at $99.
Wherever dad may live, he will appreciate the Kryptek Tartaros Hoodie. Fair warning – this thing is so comfortable he probably won’t take it off. If dad casually wears camo or if he’s a hard-core hunter he will appreciate the new Obskura Skyfall pattern. Made with a stretchy 100% polyester fabric, the Tartaros can be a standalone around camp hoodie or part of a layering system. $69.99
Second Amendment
Dad has guns, he likes guns, and he is an unwavering supporter of the second amendment. As such you can really make his day by getting him a membership in the Second Amendment Foundation. The SAF aggressively defends our God given right to keep and bear arms, codified by the second amendment of the United States Constitution. Through legal action and education the SAF has been very successful in defending our 2A rights. Need another reason? If dad has a pistol brace then dad will be interested to know that per SAF, U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle recently clarified her recent Preliminary Injunction Order related to the ATF pistol brace ban. She wrote, “The Court confirms that its Preliminary Injunction Order applies to both the Second Amendment Foundation, Inc. and its members.” As a result of this clarification SAF membership skyrocketed to the extent their website crashed. If dad is already a member of SAF you can still make a 501(c)(3) donation in his name and thereby Make Father’s Day Great Again. Annual membership $15, five year $50, and lifetime membership $150.
Reading is Fundamental
Dad is smart and because of that he doesn’t spend every waking moment looking at a screen. Dad reads books, you know, the things that can’t be stealthy edited online or woke-rewritten. Books expand the mind and calm the soul. Below are two suggestions for dad.
Red Platoon is a book written by Medal of Honor recipient Clint Romesha. The book takes the reader through life in Combat Outpost Keating in eastern Afghanistan leading up to and during the desperate battle for its control. This is a firsthand account of the worst and the best of our military – the former being the horrible decision by military brass to locate Keating where it was, and the latter being ordinary men doing extraordinary things to help each other survive those dire circumstances. The story is absolutely riveting. I’ve read the book several times and have watched the movie, The Outpost, based on the same intense battle. While the movie is good, the book is better. Five out of five stars for sure. I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Romesha at SHOT Show one year and found him to be generous and humble. I can’t imagine what he and his brothers went through, but I can read about it and appreciate their sacrifice. So can your dad. Get him this book. $18 Penguin Random House.
The book, 13 Hours In Benghazi, is an inside account of what really happened starting the night of September 11, 2012 at the US State Department Special Mission Compound and the nearby CIA Annex. Like Red Platoon, 13 Hours is a firsthand account of a fierce battle. And like Red Platoon, 13 Hours showcases the worst and the best of our military. The worst, again, was exhibited by our leaders. The best, again, is played out by ordinary men doing what they had to do to save the man next to him. The movie 13 Hours in Benghazi is quite good, and this book is equally as good. This is another five out of five stars. I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to meet some of the survivors of this battle. Simply because nearly 11 years have gone by doesn’t mean we should forget. To paraphrase one of the bad leaders involved here “at this point it makes every difference.” Remember the sacrifices made. Get dad this book. $29 in hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Reload!
Dad needs ammunition regardless of how much he has currently. This is for two reasons: first, ammo is a consumable so you always need to be replenishing supply; second, with all the Draconian unconstitutional laws being pushed by the Leftists you better buy it before you can’t. Seriously, the Left knows no bounds, and (unconstitutional) legislation has been promoted by the Left to limit access to ammunition by rule or by tax. We have all seen this happen. The panic buying starts, the scalpers swoop in, and BOOM we have an ammo shortage – ban or no ban. Get dad some ammo now! I buy mine locally if I can, but when I can’t I like SGAmmo.com. They often have what I want, they offer free shipping, and they have never messed up one of my orders.
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It’s Father’s Day, and Dad needs more ammo, sure, but doesn’t Dad need to remember those soldiers who sacrificed themselves considering the consequences of intellectual blindness? Here’s a WWI hero worthy of remembrance on FD.
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced by his mentor Siegfried Sassoon and stood in contrast to the public perception of war at the time and to the confidently patriotic verse written by earlier war poets such as Rupert Brooke. Among his best-known works – most of which were published posthumously – are “Dulce et Decorum est”, “Insensibility”, “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, “Futility”, “Spring Offensive” and “Strange Meeting”. Owen was killed in action on 4 November 1918, a week before the war’s end, at the age of 25.
Early life
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced by his mentor Siegfried Sassoon and stood in contrast to the public perception of war at the time and to the confidently patriotic verse written by earlier war poets such as Rupert Brooke. Among his best-known works – most of which were published posthumously – are “Dulce et Decorum est”, “Insensibility”, “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, “Futility”, “Spring Offensive” and “Strange Meeting”. Owen was killed in action on 4 November 1918, a week before the war’s end, at the age of 25.
War Service
On 21 October 1915, he enlisted in the Artists Rifles. For the next seven months, he trained at Hare Hall Camp in Essex.[13] On 4 June 1916, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant (on probation) in the Manchester Regiment.[14] Initially Owen held his troops in contempt for their loutish behaviour, and in a letter to his mother described his company as “expressionless lumps”.[15] However, his imaginative existence was to be changed dramatically by a number of traumatic experiences. He fell into a shell hole and suffered concussion; he was caught in the blast of a trench mortar shell and spent several days unconscious on an embankment lying amongst the remains of one of his fellow officers. Soon afterward, Owen was diagnosed with neurasthenia or shell shock and sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh for treatment. It was while recuperating at Craiglockhart that he met fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon, an encounter that was to transform Owen’s life.
Whilst at Craiglockhart he made friends in Edinburgh’s artistic and literary circles, and did some teaching at the Tynecastle High School, in a poor area of the city. In November he was discharged from Craiglockhart, judged fit for light regimental duties. He spent a contented and fruitful winter in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and in March 1918 was posted to the Northern Command Depot at Ripon.[16] While in Ripon he composed or revised a number of poems, including “Futility” and “Strange Meeting”. His 25th birthday was spent quietly at Ripon Cathedral, which is dedicated to his namesake, St. Wilfrid of Hexham.
Owen returned in July 1918, to active service in France, although he might have stayed on home-duty indefinitely. His decision to return was probably the result of Sassoon’s being sent back to England, after being shot in the head in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, and put on sick-leave for the remaining duration of the war. Owen saw it as his duty to add his voice to that of Sassoon, that the horrific realities of the war might continue to be told. Sassoon was violently opposed to the idea of Owen returning to the trenches, threatening to “stab [him] in the leg” if he tried it. Aware of his attitude, Owen did not inform him of his action until he was once again in France.
At the very end of August 1918, Owen returned to the front line – perhaps imitating Sassoon’s example. On 1 October 1918, Owen led units of the Second Manchesters to storm a number of enemy strong points near the village of Joncourt. For his courage and leadership in the Joncourt action, he was awarded the Military Cross, an award he had always sought in order to justify himself as a war poet, but the award was not gazetted until 15 February 1919.[17] The citation followed on 30 July 1919:
2nd Lt, Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, 5th Bn. Manch. R., T.F., attd. 2nd Bn. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in the attack on the Fonsomme Line on October 1st/2nd, 1918. On the company commander becoming a casualty, he assumed command and showed fine leadership and resisted a heavy counter-attack. He personally manipulated a captured enemy machine gun from an isolated position and inflicted considerable losses on the enemy. Throughout he behaved most gallantly.[18]
Death
Owen’s grave, in Ors communal cemetery
Owen was killed in action on 4 November 1918 during the crossing of the Sambre–Oise Canal, exactly one week (almost to the hour) before the signing of the Armistice which ended the war, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant the day after his death. His mother received the telegram informing her of his death on Armistice Day, as the church bells in Shrewsbury were ringing out in celebration.[9][19] Owen is buried at Ors Communal Cemetery, Ors, in northern France.[20] The inscription on his gravestone, chosen by his mother Susan, is a quotation from his poetry: “SHALL LIFE RENEW THESE BODIES? OF A TRUTH ALL DEATH WILL HE ANNUL” W.O.[20][21]
Owen was killed in action on 4 November 1918 during the crossing of the Sambre–Oise Canal, exactly one week (almost to the hour) before the signing of the Armistice which ended the war, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant the day after his death. His mother received the telegram informing her of his death on Armistice Day, as the church bells in Shrewsbury were ringing out in celebration.[9][19] Owen is buried at Ors Communal Cemetery, Ors, in northern France.[20] The inscription on his gravestone, chosen by his mother Susan, is a quotation from his poetry: “SHALL LIFE RENEW THESE BODIES? OF A TRUTH ALL DEATH WILL HE ANNUL” W.O.[20][21]