LGBT Srike Back ~ The Pink Pistols

[Thumpalumpacus]

So, going by that experience, I'm very careful in what I think about anyone's capabilities when being in a chaotic life and death situation.

I've never been in combat, but as a former Air Force firefighter, I think I have something to add to this discussion.

The point Abs made about training is absolutely vital. When all Hell is breaking loose around you, you need a mental cleat so that you can get traction in your thoughts and actions. When they told me I was going to be a fireman, I thought to myself, "I'm running into that burning building while everyone else is running out? Kiss my ass." But after training, exposure to the threat, and even learning to love that feeling of risk, a high you can't mimic with drugs or love, I was happy to walk into anything as long as I had a wet hose. I was King Shit of Turd Mountain, trained to the Nth degree, honed to a fine edge. (I'm a bit older now; I choose my battles rather than charge headlong ).

But at the same time, in both myself and others, I noticed a funny thing -- courage. Most folks think of courage as an unvarying quality in a person -- "He's brave", or "He's a coward" -- but the truth is not that simple. On some days, a guy is brave ... he's having a good day, happy walking into the station, wifey gave him some good loving the night before. On other days, the same sonofabitch ain't worth a pisshole drilled in a snowbank ... maybe he had a near-miss auto accident on the way to work, or skipped dinner the night before and is jittery.

My point being, courage varies inside each person on a day-to-day basis. A hero one day might be a coward the next.

So talking about what you might or might not do in a situation like an active-shooter scenario is really bullshit. The most anyone can really say is, "I hope I do the right thing".

We can address the ugly mechanics of a crossfire in a crowded club featuring shooters impaired by alcohol later. Simply inside a person, when the shit hits the fan, it's pretty hard to tell who will stand up and who will fold, in my experience.