Ever
since hearing of the tragic deaths at Virginia Tech last April, I have
been deeply troubled by the number of people killed by a lone gunman
wielding two hand guns in the midst of dozens of people.
Why was
Seing-Hui Cho able to methodically move from classroom to classroom -
four in total - killing 29 people and wounding at least 26 more, with
so little effort to stop or to disarm him?
Why was the kill rate so high?
Why was there no offensive response by the overwhelming numbers being attacked?
Why was 76-year-old
Professor Liviu Librescu one of the very few willing to take an
offensive posture, and sacrificing his own life, to save students in
his class?
And most important of all: What can I do for my family and friends to give them a better chance of survival when something like this happens again?
I believe the answers
lie in mental preparation for such an event. More precisely, I believe
we can substantially reduce the kill rate when a Virginia Tech event
such as this one occurs again by choreographing, with professional
military/police advice, group response to such an attack. I believe
the memory of Professor Librescu and his name, screamed at the top of
our lungs, can ignite a life-saving group response.
What if, when
Seing-Hui Cho entered Classroom 206 on April 16 - as the first drop of
blood fell - the 13 graduate students present, along with Professor
Loganathan, at the top of their lungs had screamed "LIBRESCU!" And if
instantly each student and the professor - because the situation had been visualized dozens of times before in their minds - had
started throwing every loose item in the classroom including computers,
cell phones, PDAs, purses, backpacks, shoes, books, and water bottles
at Cho. And what if, almost simultaneously, each of them had started
running toward Cho and attacking with the clear intent to subdue and
immobilize.
And what if every
other student and professor within earshot of room 206, upon hearing
the screams of "LIBRESCU!" had grabbed everything they could find to
bar their own classroom doors. What if they had immediately prepared
to tackle and subdue anyone who successfully broke through their
barriers.
Visualize this instant
- aggressive "LIBRESCU!" group response to Cho's actions - the morning
of April 16 instead of the confusion and paralysis that in fact
happened as Cho methodically went from classroom to classroom, killing
and maiming all in his presence. Now visualize a "LIBRESCU!" response
where your children go to school, where you worship, on your train
coming from work, in an airplane cabin, in a restaurant.
Can we train for such a response? Of course we can. And we must.
I propose that leaders
of all groups of people - including governments, universities,
companies, churches, schools, unions and associations - get to work
immediately to prevent, or at least contain, another mass slaughter.
Here's how:
- Engage professionals to
design the best possible group response to maximize the survival rate.
(And why shouldn't the Department of Homeland Security lead the way,
with its own expertise and with funding?)
- Develop videos
depicting attacks by one or a few gunmen on a group, along with the
appropriate response by the group to maximize survival upon hearing the
scream "LIBRESCU!" (Once again, why shouldn't DHS help out by at least
paying for widespread distribution of such videos?)
- Play these videos for your team every few months.
- As we do with fire
drills, practice group response whenever large groups of people
gather. And above all, practice the scream "LIBRESCU!"
If this makes sense to
you, and especially to those of you who lead groups of people, you can
unilaterally respond right now. Share these thoughts with others. Get
the dialogue and debate started. You can arm your people, not with
guns but with the knowledge and training that will provide the best possible chance for survival.
Why not?
One final question to
ponder: Did Professor Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, respond as he
did because of the thousands of times he had run his exact response to
Cho through his mind? Were the last thoughts of this brave man, the butchers at the door will not slay my people again.
About
the Author:
William R. Hartman is an advisor to Chief Executives and to key members
of their teams. Based in Reno, he is chairman of four groups for
Vistage International, a worldwide organization of CEOs.
americanthinker
Posted on
Saturday, June 28, 2008
by William R. Hartman