The Last Militia Member Handbook

History

The Last Militia was founded in 2009 by Walt Simms and Richard Dame. Tired of seeing the downward spiral of the United States, worried about economic collapse, and man-made or natural disasters, these two men came together to prepare for the worst and to hope for the best. They formed the Last Militia to educate and train, not just themselves, but to reach out to friends, families, and neighbors so that no one will have to be caught unaware and unprepared for any eventuality. They also wanted a place where men are free to be men. In an emasculated America, they wanted a place where men can wear knives and guns. A place where men can speak their mind. A place where men can still be what men were meant to be. They started planning but could not settle on a name that grabbed the attention of the people and showed their connection to the past as well as their desire to be prepared. They began to use the name “The First Battalion” and it looked as if this name was going to be the one they used. Circumstance and chance would change this. On October 1st of 2011, Walt had a “Right of Passage” ceremony for his son Seth’s 12 birthday. It was a man only event and after wood carving, fire starting, bow shooting, and other events the ceremony concluded with a cotton ball being wrapped around an arrow shaft and lit on fire. He (Seth) grabbed the flaming ball of fire as a boy, putting it out as a man. It was after this, as all the men in attendance were eating, that Walt posed the questions: “What if this is as good as it will ever get?” and “What if we are the last men to care about what we are doing?” It was then, after much agreement from the others that Walt turned to Richard and said, “Instead of the First we should be called the Last, The Last Militia.” Richard firmly agreed and confirmed to Walt that The Last Militia was now their name. In the weeks that followed they decided on their logo and motto. The logo for each State would be the outline of that state with a variation of the American flag over it. They changed the colors of the stripes to black and grey to show the morning they felt about how people were turning away from the Constitution. The blue field to represent the hope that they had that they could make a difference. The single white star to represent the dream of a single state making a difference. They chose the motto of “Molon Labe”, meaning “Come and take them,” which is about their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. After much consideration, they chose to make The Last Militia a private men’s only club with an LLC license. The decision was made not to be solely a militant group but they want the organization to be involved in politics and family needs as well. Today, The Last Militia, also known as TLM or The Club is a preparedness organization network that looks to the future of everyone associated with them, from members, to family, to friends, to neighbors.

 

The Pledge

The following Pledge is required by all members and reflects their commitment to The Last Militia, its members, and their families.

 

“I, state your name, do solemnly affirm, that I will be a dedicated member of The Last Militia. That I will listen and respect the Leadership and Elders of The Last Militia. That I will train in the areas of defense, preparation, and survival. I will be there for my fellow members of The Last Militia and their families.”

 

Organization of TLM Members Elders:

These are members that have been with the club for more than 2 years and have shown conduct above and beyond. To become an Elder, you must be nominated by an existing Elder and elected by a 2/3 majority of the Leadership. Each new Tribe will start with 3 Elders which are appointed by the State Elders. There shall be 1 Elder for every 10 members in the Tribe. Only after a Tribe reaches 40 members can they add an additional Elder. The a 5th Elder after they reach 50 members and so on. Leadership: The Leadership is made up of 3 Elders. The Tribal Chief is elected by a majority vote of the Elders and is elected for a life term. Only a majority vote of the Elders can remove him from office. The Tribal chief then selects from among the Elders two men, one to serve as his Tribal Spirit and one to serve as his War Chief. All Leadership appointments must be approved by the State Leadership. Tribal Chief: The Tribal Chief is the Chairman of the Elders and the Executive Officer of the Club. All matter concerning relations between the club and any outside person or organization should be routed to the Tribal Chief for appropriate action. The Tribal Chief or his delegate shall assume the Chair at all chapter meetings. He is responsible for controlling the meeting and keeping order. If necessary, the Chair may utilize the services of the War Chief to aid in keeping order. Tribal Spirit: The Tribal Spirit shall act as an intermediary between the Tribal Chief and the Members and Prospects. All questions and comments concerning any club business not specifically related to the duties of the other officers should be brought directly to his attention. He also keeps all funds for the club chapter as well as enforcement of dues. War Chief: The War Chief is responsible for ensuring that the bylaws and standing rules of the club are not violated. He is responsible to ensure that the orders of the Tribal Chief are carried out in an expeditious manner. He is responsible for policing and keeping order at all club events. He may conscript members to aid in keeping order on their own authority. He is responsible for the safety and security of the club, as well as its protection and defense of its Members and Prospects. Members: All Members must serve at least 12 months as a Prospect. To become a Member, you must be nominated by a current Member and receive a majority vote of the Elders. Members that have shown conduct above and beyond the call of duty may receive the Warrior Patch. Prospects: Pledges for the club, known as Prospect, must serve for at least 12 months and prove their loyalty to the club to become a Member. Braves: These are the sons of club Members and other male children that are affiliated with the club. Much like a youth scouting program, these young men are taught and trained in all areas at their level. They remain Braves until they turn 18 and may be voted in without being a Prospect. If they fail to vote in they must go through the Prospect process. Hang-Arounds: Even though they are not official Members, a Hang-Around may attend club events and official meetings if approved by an Elder.

 

Meetings

An Official meeting is to be held once each month. Members are required to attend an official meeting at least every other month and a minimum of 6 meetings a year. During an official meeting all phones, electronic devices, and any communication devices are to be turned off and collected by the War Chief or his conscripts. The War Chief will then instruct the members to be seated. The Tribal Chief will always be seated at the head of the table. The Tribal Spirit will be seated to the right of the Tribal Chief and the War Chief to the left of the Tribal Chief. The War Chief will stand and ask the Tribal Spirit for the Coup stick. The Tribal Spirit will stand and hand the War Chief the Coup Stick. The War Chief will then hand the Coup Stick to the Tribal Chief telling him that the men are assembled and in order. The Tribal Chief will bring the meeting to order by using the handle of the Coup Stick as a gavel. The Meeting agenda shall be at the discretion of the Tribal Chief and he can choose to table certain discussions for later meeting. The Tribal Chief may open the floor up to any business any Member may wish to bring up so long as proper order is kept and maintained. Any Member may nominate someone as a Prospect or as a Member and any Member may second the nomination but only the Elders may vote to accept the nomination. Only the Elders have voting authority. The Tribal Chief has authority to break any deadlocked vote and has full veto power in his Tribe. When the Tribal Chief closes the meeting he then returns the Coup Stick to the War Chief who returns it to the Tribal Spirit. The War Chief will then return all electronic devices to those in attendance.

 

Membership

As a Member of The Last Militia you must be dedicated to the TLM and its beliefs. You must be willing to protect the club, your fellow Members, and their families just as your fellow Members will protect the Club, you, and your family. Members are expected to spend time together to build a certain level of fellowship. Members are also encouraged to bring their families together so that they can get to know one another. This is done, so that in a worst-case scenario, everyone truly knows each other and the bonds of trust are already built and in place. Members are expected to wear their Cut as often as the can and to always promote the club in a positive manner. Members are expected to pay their monthly dues on time and to attend as many club events as possible. Members will be awarded a “Warrior” based on one of two factors. 1) If they have served in the military they will be awarded a white “Warrior” patch. If they were in combat they will be awarded a red “Warrior” patch. If they served as a contract soldier they will be awarded a blue “Warrior” patch. These patches will only be awarded after one year as a member and will be presented to the member by the State War Chief. 2) If a member saves someone’s life they will be awarded a white “Warrior” patch. If a member must use his weapon to protect someone they will be awarded a blue “Warrior” patch. If a member must take a life to save someone they will be awarded a red “warrior” patch. These patches will be presented by the State War Chief. The County War Chiefs will nominate members to the State War Chief for these patches. The “Warrior” patches are only awarded at the State meeting. Members will also be eligible for the “Feather” patch. This patch is for any member that has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Only one “Feather” patch is awarded per year and is only awarded by the National Tribal Chief. Any member can nominate a fellow member for the “Feather” patch through their county Tribal Spirit. There is no guarantee that anyone will receive the “Feather” patch.

 

The Cut and the Coup Stick

The two most iconic items of The Last Militia are the Cut and the Coup Stick. Let’s look first at the Cut. The Cut is the official uniform of the TLM and is required for all Members to wear at all official club functions, hangouts, and meetings. Members are urged to wear their Cut as often as possible to promote the Club. The Cut is a button up woodland camo BDU top with the sleeves “cut” off. The Cuts are Club property and are to be treated with respect and dignity. The front of the Cut will have your Member patch above the right breast pocket and your County patch above your left breast pocket. If you become an Elder, Your Elder patch will replace your Member patch. You may, if you wish, add other patches to the front of your Cut within reason. Your Elders can ask you to remove any patch that they feel is not becoming of The Last Militia. Prospect Cuts will have a PFC (Prospect For Club) patch instead of a member patch. Prospects are not permitted to put any other patches on their cuts until they are voted in. The back side of the Cut has three patches. The top rocker is the clubs name for the State you live in, “Last Ohio Militia” for example. The bottom rocker is the club’s motto, “Molon Labe”. The middle patch is the club’s logo for the state you live in. No other patch can be added to the back side of the Cut. The other most recognizable image of The Last Militia is the Coup Stick. The Coup Stick is not just a gavel used to maintain order during meetings but represents courage, valor, honor, and commitment. Each Tribe is responsible for designing and making its own Coup Stick. There are no set guidelines for the Coup Stick for now. The Tribal Spirit is responsible for keeping and maintaining the Coup Stick and insuring it is at every meeting.

 

Tribal Charters

Each county in a state will have its own charter known as a Tribe. To start a tribe three men must petition the State Leadership. These men will attend meeting and hangouts in another county that already has a Tribe. Once they have proven themselves to that Tribal Charter, the State Leadership will vote rather or not to give tribal status to them. Once a new Tribe has been approved for inclusion into The Last Militia they will choose among themselves who will be their Tribal Chief. In keeping with the club rules, the newly elected Tribal Chief will then select which of the other two men will be his Tribal Spirit and his War Chief. Each Tribal Charter is responsible for its self and is an autonomous unit but still reports to and maintains contact with the State Leadership. The Tribal Chief is required to talk with the State Leadership at a minimum of once every 90 days. Each Tribal Charter is responsible for collecting dues and having its own fund raisers. They are also responsible for acquiring new Members and developing close interpersonal relationships within its Tribe. A Tribe is meant to be not just a unit but a family as well.

 

State Leadership

The State Leadership is made up of the State Tribal Chief, the State War Chief, and the State Tribal Spirit. The State Tribal Spirit is a shared title that consists of all Tribal Chiefs from each of the counties of that State. When a vote is required of the State Leadership the State Tribal Chief has one vote, the State War Chief has one vote, and the State Tribal Spirit has one vote. The State Tribal Spirit vote is determined by the majority vote of all the county Tribal Chiefs. In the event of a tied vote within the National Tribal Spirit, its vote will not be cast. In this case, if the vote is a 1 to 1 vote cast by the State Tribal Chief and the State War Chief, then the State Tribal Chief will decide the issue. If the State War Chief office becomes vacant, the State Tribal Chief will nominate a current Elder from among any of the Tribes of the State to fill the Position. The State Tribal Spirit will then vote to accept the nomination or not. A majority vote from among the county Tribal Chiefs that make up the State Tribal Spirit is required to confirm the nomination. If the State Tribal Chief office becomes vacant then the State War Chief will assume the office and follow the nomination process for choosing a New State War Chief.

 

National Leadership

The National Leadership is made up of the National Tribal Chief, the National War Chief, and the National Tribal Spirit. The National Tribal Spirit is a shared title that consists of all State Tribal Chiefs from each State. When a vote is required of the National Leadership the National Tribal Chief has one vote, the National War Chief has one vote, and the Tribal Spirit has one vote. The National Tribal Spirit vote is determined by the majority vote of all the State Tribal Chiefs. In the event of a tied vote within the National Tribal Spirit, its vote will not be cast. In this case, if the vote is a 1 to 1 vote cast by the National Tribal Chief and the National War Chief, then the National Tribal Chief will decide the issue. If the National War Chief office becomes vacant, the National Tribal Chief will nominate a current Elder from among any of the Tribes to fill the Position. The National Tribal Spirit will then vote to accept the nomination or not. A majority vote from among the State Tribal Chiefs that make up the National Tribal Spirit is required to confirm the nomination. If the National Tribal Chief office becomes vacant then the National War Chief will assume the office and follow the nomination process for choosing a New National War Chief.

 

Financial Information/Dues

Each Member is to pay $10 in due each month to its Tribal Charter. During their first year, Prospects are to pay an additional $10 a month as an initiation due. Each Tribal Charter may also have fund raisers to help with their finances. A tribute of 10% of any monies collected, earned, and raised by all County Tribal Charters is to be sent to their State Leadership. A tribute of 10% of any monies collected, earned, and raised by all State Leadership is to be sent to the National Leadership.

 

Closing Message

Our Founding Fathers of the United States of America put their lives on the line to declare to the world that they were citizens and not subjects. They fought the American Revolution over a simple tax on tea. The Revolution insured our God given rights to the basics of free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to govern ourselves, and so much more. Sadly, many of these rights are being chiseled away by people that want to see us as subjects, not citizens. Taxes are higher than they have ever been, many hidden as charges and fees. Our freedom of speech is being censored. Our right to bear arms targeted. If you are not a member of the Republican or Democratic parties it is virtually impossible to even get your name on the ballot. Why do we no longer hold this truth “That all men are created equal”? We seem to run to the shackles of socialism that will lead us eventually to the dictatorial leaders to those we fought against in World War II. We will lose all that our Founding Fathers fought for and more if we do not cry out now “ENOUGH!” “NO MORE!” Help your family. Help your people. Help us help you. Together, we can restore America to the shining light of Liberty. Together we will remain citizens, not subjects.