This is a story, my story, about how letting my guard down for just a moment, how moving into that blissful "situationally unaware" condition known in the Tactical Community as "Condition White," set me up for a potentially bad situation to occur.

Hopefully, through my words, you'll ensure you don't make the same mistakes I did. This could well have ended up as just another "It happened to me" story, but thankfully, through quick thinking and the use of what I've learned here at The Martialist, it didn't!

The short version of this story is this:  I'd left work here in San Diego at 2:30 in the afternoon, after a very busy Tuesday at work, and battled traffic for the next 3 hours on my 100 mile drive up to the SoCal Blades October "Mini-Show" held at the Crystal Palace Hotel & Casino in scenic Compton, California.

For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Compton ranks right up there with many of the worst urban jungles we have in the U.S. with regard to serious crime against citizens. As such, this is not an area that I would normally visit, but that night was an exception.

The Crystal Palace is actually a nice venue, well lighted at night in the valet parking area, with armed security making regular patrols. Unfortunately, because it was still daytime upon arrival and I was unaware of this, I'd opted for self-parking in the unlighted, infrequently patrolled general parking area. (Mistake #1)

I'd phoned my wife Edna along the way, mentioning that I'd worked through lunch and was really excited about getting to the show as soon as possible. She suggested that I temper my excitement and stop for a bite to eat before the show. Yet, arriving at the venue and heading in to find the show had started early, I didn't heed these words of advice. (Mistake #2)

Entering the show, I almost immediately ran into friends and, through them, made new friends. Four hours later I was leaving the show with new information for our upcoming book on "Randall Made" knives, had two of the three knife books I'd been looking for under my arm, had new knives in pocket, and had many new adventures awaiting me in the future.

As I left the show, my normally alert awareness mode reminded me to look around for trouble but, not seeing any and weary and tired from a long day, I let my mind wander when I spotted my truck in the distance through the darkness and fog. (Mistake #3)

Deactivating the alarm and unlocking the truck, I immediately brought the seat back forward to retrieve my stashed valise and started putting away my new goodies.  I also started putting away my watch, wallet, etc., completely oblivious to where I was and what was going on around me. (Mistake #4)

I leaned over my seat, going about my business, and heard an unfamiliar voice in the darkness call out, "Hey mister, excuse me, can you spare some change, hey mister…" This happened a few times before I realized that the comments were directed toward me and the voice was getting closer.

I stepped back and stood up only to witness a disheveled, skinny individual approaching me at a very high rate of speed. This guy was on me, like, right now, and coming around the rear of my truck.  He had closed the distance between us in the blink of an eye! Truthfully, in retrospect, I'm thankful that he (later) didn't appear to mean me any harm, or was at least cautious enough to announce his presence before striking.

Put yourself in my position now.  It's late and you're alone, you're tired/hungry/drained, it's dark and foggy... and out of the darkness some guy suddenly appears before you, so close to you that you can smell the alcohol on his breath, see the glazed look in his eyes, and tell that he appears so strung out that he's shaking in the wind.  What would you do?

I momentarily froze, stunned, startled for what seemed like an eternity (it was just a few seconds, actually), as my mind raced. (Mistake #5)  I had some strange thoughts then as time slowed to a stop:

"This is not good, what to do, what would Phil do, move, move, move!" And move I did.

Standing next to the door, I pushed it closed and reset the alarm with remote in hand (probably another mistake, but at least I was moving while buying myself some time with the distraction). Quartering, I stepped back and raised my left hand "'palm out" while pocketing the keys and indexing my pocket knife with my right hand.

(The body position I used is similar to that shown in the Phil Elmore's September 2003 article, Maintaining Space, which I'd just read.  It is a position that almost makes it look like you're drawing a weapon... which I would have, if needed.)

"Stop, leave me alone!" I shouted,  I used the time bought by the response to that comment to back up and start moving away.  Move away I did, quickly backing up and then walking away from this, a potential problem situation...

No, guys, no knives were drawn and no blood was shed.  I didn't save the world, but in my opinion I did save myself some degree of trouble. Did this fine fellow mean me any harm? I don't need to know. When I saw and yelled out to the first armed casino security guard I saw, I'd only moved away about 40 feet.  Yet when I pointed to where my truck was, the "crackhead" was gone.

From start to finish, this whole encounter lasted 5 to 10 seconds, yet I've spent hours revisiting it in my mind.  This was a Class "A" screw-up on my part, so I'd like to address the lessons learned here – not only to help insure that you don't make the same mistakes that I did, but to quantify for myself where I went wrong.

The point here is not just that I screwed up, made some mistakes, and luckily lived to tell about it. The point is to identify just where I made those mistakes and to make suggestions to ensure that you'll not make similar mistakes in the future.

So, from the top, my mistakes, one by one – and some recommendations on how you can avoid making similar mistakes.

Mistake #1: I went to an unknown venue, by myself, and parked in a remote area when a better option was available. The lesson learned here is to take advantage of better options and/or travel with friends, when possible.

Mistake #2: I allowed myself to get run down and lethargic, and therefore inattentive, by not eating properly. The lesson learned here is to stay alert and keep the batteries charged by consuming enough fuel to do so. Stay alert in the process.

Mistake #3: I momentarily lost focus and, as such, awareness of my surroundings when I could least afford to do so. The lesson here is that complacency should come only after you get home safely, if at all... and not before. As the song goes, paraphrased, "There'll be time to count the money, when the dealing's done."

Mistake #4: When exiting an area, especially one known for having a high crime rate, regardless of your mental state, you should be focused on just that – leaving! The lesson here is that the time I spent unnecessarily organizing my affairs would have been better spent on simply exiting the area.

Mistake #5: When accosted, and that's just what this was, I didn't have a plan. I reacted slowly and met this potential threat unprepared. It was only when he started to lift his shirt (to show me that he was unarmed) that I realized that I needed to respond forcibly (with body language and voice) and to put distance between us. The lesson here, short of those mentioned above, is to be mentally prepared prior to finding yourself in a similar position.

Thankfully, this fellow probably only wanted a handout, because if it had been otherwise, this situation truly could have turned out differently. It could have become just another "It happened to me" story, and one with dire consequences at that.

As I stated earlier, this was a potentially bad situation and not one that I'd ever thought I'd be writing about, but obviously this type of situation does take place.