EDITORS COMMENT
So, Issue 12 of PMCI means that it’s officially our second birthday and what a ride it’s been so far!
In future issues we’ll be expanding on this, particularly in relation
to the great and oh, so important work being done by PMCs in
the realms of anti-poaching. Many from outside the community
will only see the images that appear in the mainstream press of
heavily armed and armoured contractors going about their work
in conflict zones, but few give a thought to the guys with their
boots in the soil of “The Dark Continent” helping to preserve the
mighty animals that we are so close to losing.
Although our focus is on the military side of things of course there
are also civilian contractors that are involved in every possible
field; health care, security, engineering, education, construction,
transportation, interpreting, telecoms, and the perilous task of
mine removal. I sincerely hope that some of our reviews and
reports will be of use to them too.
On a really positive note, the time of writing this issue also
coincides with the 5th anniversary of the Tactical Beard Owners
Club (TBOC) which boasts many active PMCs amongst its ranks;
Trampas, Craig, and I are proud and honoured to be members
of this select group, and I asked Mike Hartmann, the founder of
TBOC to grace us with a few words.
“Dear Brothers, it is a great honour for us to announce the 5th
anniversary of the Tactical Beard Owners Club, founded on 24th
of August 2011. What started with just one thought has become
a solid institution in the tactical scene.
In the last 5 years so much happened that we will only mention
the most significant here. We have become a real vivid social
club with a constitution, staff organization and multiple internet
platforms. Our logo has become a distinctive mark for the tactical
beard owner and we are well known now. We (have) processed
5000+ member applications to hand pick only 1600 of them (so
far) to become our Brothers. The fluctuation is at a minimum;
most original members are still here since the beginning, which
shows what a loyal group we are. We have built 40 chapters (so
far) all over the world to be bastions for beards to gather members
who become brothers. We awarded honorary memberships and
made contact with outstanding personalities to promote the
tactical beard.
I
n the last two years the team and I have travelled near
and far to bring you stories that we’ve found interesting,
useful of just downright entertaining and we’ve been
fortunate to meet some outstanding people along the
way. With regular contributors from Europe and the USA
we’ve now spread our net wider to look at what is going
on around the world in relation to the Private Contractor
and I’m proud that in this issue we have our very first
feature from Africa.
Our joint network of tactical beard owners will continue to grow
and in regard of what we want to achieve in the future it feels
like we just started. We are excited to look forward to see what
can be achieved in the next 5 years.
Let us remember those who are not here with us anymore. We
keep up the memory of our deceased Brothers. They will never
be forgotten.”
Wherever you may be people, train hard, stay vigilant and keep
safe.
pmcimagazine.com