Text of email

We have the Washington Post to thank for authenticating this text, which has been circulating by email since October 2001, barely a month after the horrific events of September 11.  Post staff writer Dan Oldenburg tracked down Red Thomas, who is indeed a retired sergeant first class in the U.S. Army, and interviewed him for a story that ran that December.

Thomas said he wrote the piece out of frustration after watching "the ninnies on TV just scaring the hell out of people" with loose talk about anthrax attacks, dirty bombs and other doomsday scenarios without bothering to explain in plain, helpful language what an ordinary person's chances might be of surviving such attacks and how we can protect ourselves.  "The Real Deal About Chemical, Nuclear and Biological Warfare" was meant to fill in the gaps. Thomas pounded it out in one sitting, relying on his years of military training and experience for raw material and a stack of Army field manuals to check the facts.

How accurate is it?  That depends on whom you talk to. A pair of defense experts contacted by the Post generally lauded Thomas's effort, only quibbling over minor points. The Army's own experts begged to differ, objecting that the document "doesn't reflect the U.S. Army's position for individual defense and contains an overwhelming amount of incorrect material."

Fortunately for the average citizen, as of 2003 we no longer have to rely on a forwarded email for sound advice on terrorism preparedness. Ready.gov, the educational Website of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, is now up and running with general information and specific, clear recommendations for anticipating and coping with chemical, nuclear and biological attacks — required reading for the 21st century.

Sources and further reading:

Take This, Terrorist Boogeyman
Washington Post profile of Red Thomas

Preparing for Disaster or Terrorism
About.com: U.S. Government Info/Resources

Homeland Security Launches Readiness Website
About.com: U.S. Government Info/Resources

Ready.gov
Advice on preparedness for terrorist attacks from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security

Last updated: 02/22/03