Frag Out! Magazine

SPARTAN.AT: Mike, the Tactical Beard Owners Club (TBOC) unites the tactical beard owners of the world, or at least those from the Western world. How did TBOC come into being? Mike Hartman: Surprisingly, TBOC encompasses not only the western beards. At this point TBOC is a worldwide „network of tactical beard owners". Unsurprisingly the majority originates from the USA, the second most part from Europe with Germany the most prevalent there. This might result from the founder being German and that we have here a good word-of-mouth advertising amongst sport shooters, law enforcement officers and above all, Bundeswehr soldiers. I never expected how popular this would become among soldiers. Beside USA and Europe we also have members from the Philippi- nes, South Africa, Russia, Australia to name the most exotic. The genesis of this club was a spontaneous impulse. I hadn't been registered on Facebook for long (I refused to do so for a long time) but in the end of 2011 I finally joined and quickly understood how Facebook „works". The potential to spark a lot of people and to make new friends was soon clear to me. After I realised how many „like-minded" people populate Facebook and how many popular personalities from the tactical scene were present too I felt the need to abandon myself to the impulse to contribute myself with a good idea. At that point some light-hearted quotes and ideas about the so called „combat beard" or „tactical beard" already existed but no one had taken the chance to make something more substantial of it. I got my full beard starting 2008 and the „tactical beard" topic was known to me since 2003. Back then I had read an article in a German political magazine called „SPIEGEL" („Mirror") in which those Green Berets were introduced that formed ODA 961, the unit which was the first to go into Afgha- nistan. My beard, that article, my enthusiasm for everything tactical and the possibility to build a community resulted in the birth of TBOC. It was always a serious community idea mixed with the lightness of being that beard owners have in common. Those have more humor at their disposal than clean shaved men because they are more subject to get an earful of accusations about them being a Taliban, homeless people or The Robber Hotzenplotz (kid's book written by Ottfried Preußler). But we are the contrary movement – we are the „good guys". If you want to be safe in battle keep yourself close to a „TBO" (Tactical Beard Owner) and follow his orders. www.fragoutmag.com

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