Review of On Combat
Review by the Tuebor Newsletter

An Interview with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
With the release of the long awaited book, "On Combat," TUEBOR has taken the opportunity to interview author Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a retired U.S. Army Ranger and Pulitzer nominated writer of "On Killing" and "Stop Teaching Our Kids To Kill." Dave has become a national figure in the cause against violence and the education of police officers. Going back to his days as a professor at West Point Military Academy, Dave teaches a concept he calls the "Bulletproof Mind."

Tuebor: Can you tell us the objective of your new book “On Combat,” and the concept you call the Bulletproof Mind?

Dave: The LEO has spent countless days on the range and in training, and years of practical experience on the streets, learning to survive the felonious assault. But we are far more likely to be destroyed by the stress after the incident. In WWI, WWII, and Korea, we lost more boys to psychiatric casualties than were killed by the enemy. In the LE community we lost about 60 cops to felonious assaults last year, but we lost hundreds to suicide, and that is just the tip of the iceberg of those destroyed by the stress of this job. Thus the goal is to send out a generation of mentally prepared and informed warriors.

Tuebor: The police officer’s authority revolves around the Bill of Rights, with "burden of proof" and "minimum use of force" standards. Does this fit with military research?

Dave: When it comes to the psychology and physiology of combat, there is a universal body of knowledge that applies to all aspects of the warrior community. A recent article in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin reinforced the point that “the type of trauma experienced by soldiers in combat is quite similar to that endured by law enforcement officers.” The point is that anything you can do to enhance police, mentally and physically, also improves performance.

Tuebor: What do police need to know regarding their own physiological and psychological responses to danger?

Dave: The most important thing to know is the incredible, overwhelming response of the body in extreme fear/survival stress situations. Once you KNOW about these things you are far better prepared to deal with them – forewarned is forearmed. The next step is to learn how to PREVENT these extreme physiological responses. The final step is to understand what to expect AFTER the stressful situation, how this can lead to PTSD and how to prevent stress disorders.

Tuebor: You discuss "Perceptual Distortions" in your book. Is this something that police can minimize?

Dave: Yes. By reducing stress responses we can reduce this. Stress inoculation, mental mindset, autopilot/conditioned response, tactical breathing, these are just some of the vital skills needed by police.

Tuebor: What advice can you give for law enforcement training?

Dave: The most important thing is realistic training. Simunitions-type force-on-force training is to the LEO what the flame house is to the fire fighter, or the rappel tower is to the mountain rescue climber. We must be inoculated against the stressors we will face, and the more realistic the training (and the stress thereof) the greater the inoculation, and the greater the self-control in the real event. Likewise, we must realistically train officers to “communicate” in stressful situations, so they can talk people out of violence when it’s safe and possible to do so.

Tuebor: While there is important new emphasis on anti-terrorism, we don't want to neglect all the other public safety issues. Has anything changed regarding school violence and the effort to raise well-adjusted kids?

Dave: Last year we had an all time record number of dead from violent attacks in U.S. schools. And I fear that whatever is happening in the schools, we will reap in the workplace and community in the years to come. The most important thing on that front is the Stanford University Medical Department research demonstrating that if we convince the kids to turn off the TV and video games, then (as was demonstrated in a controlled experiment) we will see a 40% reduction in violence and a 50% reduction in bullying in one semester! More information about this Stanford "SMART Curriculum" can be found at www.sosparents.org. This is something that gives us real hope for the future. By the way, Escanaba, Michigan, is one of the first school districts in the U.S. to put this curriculum in place in all of its schools, and they demonstrated a 55% reduction in violence!

Tuebor: What is your concept of the Peace Warrior?

Dave: I had the privilege of being the co-keynote speaker with a Nobel Peace Prize recipient at an international peace conference. There I proposed the term peace warrior to refer to those in every profession, with and without guns, who are dedicated to moving our world forward toward peace. This term has been in use for a long time, and today it is widely accepted. It includes the Red Cross, the non-governmental organizations in a war zone, the probation and parole officers, the doctors and EMTs, the firefighters, the social workers, and even the clergy. So where do we get such men and women? We build them. We train them. We nurture them. There can be no more important or noble endeavor for a civilization.

Tuebor: Lastly, what advice can you give police related to homeland security?

Dave: It’s obviously important to look for signs, to prevent what we can, but to also be prepared, to have a plan. If they came to your kid's school tomorrow, would you be ready? Denial is our greatest enemy. Denial makes us physically and psychologically unready at the moment of truth.

Tuebor: Thank you for taking time to conduct this interview.

Dave: My sincere pleasure – “The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it!” -- Thucydides