Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 1, 2025

On August 1, 1781, the British army under General Cornwallis occupied Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis eventually surrendered at Yorktown (pictured), effectively ending the American War of Independence.

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Today is the anniversary of the Warsaw general uprising against the German occupation, in 1944. Like the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto uprising in April of 1943, it was doomed to failure. The uprising was eventually crushed, with massive civilian casualties. There was no support provided by the Allies. The advancing Soviet Red Army–just a few miles to the east–merely waited and watched. It was in their best interest to stand by and witness the remnants of the Polish Army deplete themselves against the German Wehrmacht.

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August 1st is celebrated as Swiss Independence Day, in recognition of the signing of the Federal Charter of 1291, which united Switzerland’s first three cantons. As of 2025, Switzerland has been free and independent for 734 years. Having a well-armed populace has ensured that.

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Today, we are beginning Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. That is a milestone for SurvivalBlog. Since each contest round is two months long, that means that as of the end of September we will have been running the contest for 20 years. I want to thank the many dozens of blog readers who have written articles for the contest.  Sharing knowledge is one of the best things about SurvivalBlog. Directly or indirectly, sharing knowledge of your preparedness and survival skills saves lives.  I am truly grateful!  –  JWR

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We are pleased to announce that a new prize has been added to the First Prize package in the SurvivalBlog nonfiction writing contest: Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books. Rader is the editor of the Prep School Daily blog. Her book titles include:

Armageddon Pharmacy:  Herbal Medicine When the Drugstore Is Closed

Bring Your Own Bandages:  Medicines and Supplies to Have on Hand Before Disaster Strikes

Food Storage Made Fabulous:  Principles of Food Storage and Recipes So Fantastic Your Family Won’t Realize There’s a Crisis

Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café:  Making the Most of Powdered Milk in Your Food Storage (Volume 1)

Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café: Condiments, Sauces, Seasonings and Other Homemade Essentials Using Food Storage (Volume 2)

Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café:  Making the Most of Grains in Your Food Storage (Volume 3)

Medicine Surrounds Us:  Craft Powerful Herbal Remedies from Backyard Flowers (Volume 1)

Medicine Surrounds Us (Volume 2):  Craft Powerful Herbal Remedies from Mint Family Herbs (Volume 2).

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the first entry for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
5. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books.

Second Prize:

1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
2. A $269 retail value survival-ready power package from Solar Power Lifestyle. This includes two Solar Power Lifestyle 25W Portable Solar Panels, plus a $150 gift card to use for any purchase at solarpowerlifestyle.com.
3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.