Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps' Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life

"At a time when we must adapt to the changing character of conflict, this is a serious book on a serious issue that can give us the edge we need.”

—General James Mattis, USMC, Ret.

"Left of Bang offers a crisp lesson in survival in which Van Horne and Riley affirm a compelling truth: It's better to detect sinister intentions early than respond to violent actions late. Left of Bang helps readers avoid the bang."

—Gavin de Becker, bestselling author of The Gift of Fear

"Rare is the book that is immediately practical and interesting. Left of Bang accomplishes this from start to finish. There is something here for everyone in the people business and we are all in the people business."

—Joe Navarro, bestselling author of What Every BODY is Saying.

"Left of Bang is a highly important and innovative book that offers a substantial contribution to answering the challenge of Fourth Generation war (4GW)."

—William S. Lind, author of Maneuver Warfare Handbook

"Like Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Left of Bang isn't just for the military. It's a must read for anyone who has ever had a gut feeling that something's not quite right...be it walking down the street, sitting in a corporate boardroom, or even entering an empty home."

-- Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of The Lion's Gate, The Warrior Ethos and Gates of Fire

“An amazing book! Applying the lessons learned during the longest war in American history, and building on seminal works like The Gift of Fear and On Combat, this book provides a framework of knowledge that will bring military, law enforcement, and individual citizens to new levels of survival mindset and performance in life-and-death situations. Left of Bang is an instant classic.”

--Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman, U.S. Army Ret., author of On Combat and On Killing

-- You walk into a restaurant and get an immediate sense that you should leave.

-- You are about to step onto an elevator with a stranger and something stops you.

-- You interview a potential new employee who has the resume to do the job, but something tells you not to offer a position.

These scenarios all represent LEFT OF BANG, the moments before something bad happens. But how many times have you talked yourself out of leaving the restaurant, getting off the elevator, or getting over your silly “gut” feeling about someone? Is there a way to not just listen to your inner protector more, but to actually increase your sensitivity to threats before they happen?

Legendary Marine General James Mattis asked the same question and issued a directive to operationalize the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter program. A comprehensive and no-nonsense approach to heightening each and every one of our gifts of fear, LEFT OF BANG is the result.

Patrick Van Horne is the founder and CEO of The CP Journal, a behavioral analysis training company. His firm provides training support to the U.S. military, federal and local law enforcement agencies and the private security industry. Van Horne is a former infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps, earning the rank of Captain before returning to the private sector. His company's training programs are focused on teaching people how to prevent violent acts from occurring and finding attackers hiding in plain sight. Jason A. Riley is currently a Major in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, with over six years on active duty. While with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, he served as an infantry platoon commander, company executive officer, and company commander, and deployed twice to Iraq with the 24th and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Units. He also served as a combat advisor to the Afghan National Army in an eastern province of Afghanistan. From 2009 until 2011, he was a mobile training team leader Officer-in-Charge with the Combat Hunter program at the School of Infantry (West). There, he developed training courses and taught behavioral profiling, among other duties. He currently serves with a reserve unit at Camp Pendleton, California. Jason is also pursuing his PhD.