treehopr.net

This website is dedicated to sharing information about training and equipment with an emphasis toward firearms but not limited to it. I have spent the last few years seeking out the best instructors and acquiring the best equipment I could afford. In some instances the instructors or items lived up to the hype and other times it proved disappointing. As neither the training or equipment is inexpensive it can be a frustrating learning process.

My goal is to share my experiences so that others can benefit from them. I’ve had many people ask me about this instructor or that piece of equipment. This website is an attempt to consolidate that information in a format that is accessible. When starting out many people will have the same questions, I hope this website will be a resource to answer some of those questions. I have learned a great deal from my instructors and fellow classmates, many of whom selflessly shared their knowledge with me. I am extremely grateful for their generosity.

I am neither high speed nor low drag and do not claim to be anything more than an average citizen with above average training. I spent 3 years in the Army in the mid-90′s as an airborne infantryman with the Opfor at JRTC (Joint Readiness Training Center) in Fort Polk, LA. I was honorably discharged and joined the Air National Guard in a medical support career field.

Qualifying on the Beretta M9 9mm pistol at Ft. Polk, LA some time in the late 1990's

In 2004 I was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq for 3 months where I traveled on convoys from BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) to the Green Zone and to Abu Ghraib prison. It was during one of these missions when our convoy came to a stop in downtown traffic that I realized that I was not prepared if events turned violent. I have spent the last few years seeking out the training to make up for that. In 2008 I deployed again to Balad, Iraq in a medical support role with the Air Force Reserve and returned after a 5 month deployment.