I come from a long line of strong people, with roots that go back to Daniel Boone. You could say my family has always had a knack for thriving in the face of adversity. My family’s story over the past three generations has come with its own set of trials and tribulations, yet each generation has faced unique circumstances that have tested its resolve, courage, and resilience. Times have changed, but that fighting spirit lives on in the lessons I now teach my children. These are a handful of lessons I’ve learned from the generations before me.
Great-Grandfathers
My great-grandfathers were brought up during the Great Depression – a time when your next meal was never a guarantee, and rationing was a way of life. Until he became a wheelchair user, Pop Stetler dove into dumpsters and recycling bins to collect cans for some extra cash. Driven by his motto, “If it’s free, it’s for me,” his waste-not-want-not attitude persevered throughout his life. His teenage years took him to the front lines of World War II, in a tank in France.
My maternal great-grandfather, Grandpa Miller, who served in the Pacific Theater, was much the same. Born in Clarksville, Kentucky, in 1925, he and his family lost everything during the Depression. With the hope of more work, they pulled up stakes and headed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After meeting the love of his life and having a couple of kids (eight total!), he bought a farm in the southern end of Lancaster. He raised his own cows and chickens and sowed his fields with potatoes, corn, and peas. I believe his desire to farm came from his youth spent in tough times. It’s hard to go hungry when you’re growing your own food right in your backyard! One day, while baling hay in the fields he loved so much, his sleeve was caught in the baler. As the machine slowly took his arm deeper, he faced a simple yet harrowing decision: to let the machine engulf him, leaving his family to try to piece together a life without him, or to take his hatchet off his belt and free himself from its grasp. Walking home with one less appendage takes the kind of grit seen only in those classic John Wayne movies, which happened to be his favorite. He showed he would go to any end to be there for his family. His story always amazed me. In fact, the saying in our family was, “That man could do more with one arm than most people could do with three!” It also may have made his hugs just a little tighter.
Grandfathers
The lessons my grandfathers taught me largely revolved around nature. One is a licensed captain, and the other is one of the best outdoorsmen I’ve ever encountered. I spent many days of my youth on the water or deep in the forest.
My fraternal grandfather, or “Poppy Captain” as we called him, started me on my preparedness journey. He gathered the family together for Y2K because of all the theories of what could happen when the clock struck midnight. He instilled in me a thought of “what if?” and the forethought to prepare for such. This inclination for planning also bled over to our time on the water, from walking my cousins and me through emergency procedures to showing us where the flare gun was stowed. He always seemed ready to jump into action at the first sign of danger.
I owe most of my love of the outdoors to my other grandfather, “Pop Jimmy.” Some of my earliest memories are from his shoulders, exploring the forested hill behind his house in the holler. Born right here in the heart of Amish country, he’s a self-taught hunter. This fact is even more impressive when you see his collection of deer racks he’s accumulated over the years. Raising my rifle to a deer in the crosshairs for the first time, with him by my side, gave me the skills to provide food for me and my family. But even more than his guidance on providing sustenance, I value his lessons of the forest. The following quotes are from the man himself. “Sitting in a tree stand grants me time to reflect and meditate on the past, present, and the future. Life is all about the journey, buddy.” “Listen to the forest, hear the trees; leaves fall, and acorns drop. The squirrels and birds will talk to you.” “Always pay homage to your quarry and don’t be afraid to prepare it yourself. It’s the best feast you’ll ever have.” Wise words from an old soul.
Parents
Summarizing the lessons passed down to me by the most incredible people in my life is probably one of the hardest things I’ll ever do. But here goes nothing. It was a day no one will forget – Sept. 11, 2001. I was in the second grade, and I’d just finished my school lunch. I turned to run out to recess, when I heard my name being called from the other end of the hall. My father, calm and collected, grabbed my hand and informed me we needed to leave. He told me there’d been a plane crash, and I wondered what that had to do with me. I got into the back seat of his Jeep. Beside me sat a bag covered in MOLLE (modular lightweight load-carrying equipment) webbing – my first memory of encountering a bug-out bag. We drove down the street and entered my mother’s living room right as the second tower fell, a scene that became forever ingrained into my memory. But my biggest takeaway from that day was how calm my father was, and how he had a plan for what to do if the chaos continued. These were lessons from his days as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, no doubt.
My stepmother came into my life when I was 8 years old. I remember in those early years she worked at Mennonite Central Committee, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting displaced families from around the world. Having the opportunity from an early age to meet people from all over the planet gave me the ability to connect with just about anyone – a valuable lesson that’s made many social situations second nature to me.
My mother, continuing my great-grandfather’s legacy, instilled in me how crucial family is. Growing up with two autistic siblings came with its own set of challenges none of us could’ve prepared for. The shining light through all of those hard times was each other. The bond I share with my siblings is one of the strongest I’ll ever have, and my mother’s love for us all is the reason. I know my grandfather would be proud of her.
Never once in my life have I seen my stepdad call anyone to fix anything. He runs his own construction company. I tell you that man can fix anything and has the work ethic of an ox. Now that I have my own home, he’s been teaching me all the home-repair skills I could ever need. His self-reliance and problem-solving have always been truly inspiring!
For the Next Generation
I try to learn from the lessons of the generations before me and put them into practice. While the times have changed, their teachings still ring true. I find that, through my mission of preparedness and self-reliance, events that might seem like the end of the world to some are quick fixes and easy solutions for me. Being ready for the worst makes common obstacles seem like everyday tasks to my family.
With that attitude in mind, a few years ago, we started Stetler Survival, a company dedicated to family emergency preparedness, wilderness skills, and outdoor living. My philosophy is rooted in our company’s motto: “Stay prepared and stay alive.” Teaching our kids survival skills has been rewarding in so many ways. It always makes me proud when they tackle a challenge and credit one of our lessons as the reason for their success. I think back to the day we went on a hiking trip with the goal of teaching our son to start a fire with nothing but a ferro rod and a knife. I watched him struggle and then succeed, and ever since, I’ve seen a new confidence in him. It was just another lesson learned in the forest that will last a lifetime.
Although I still have much to learn, my family teaches me something new every day. Despite the challenges we face in today’s world, I’m confident the lessons embedded in our roots will get us through, making self-reliance our enduring legacy.
Kaden Stetler is a survival instructor and founder of Stetler Survival, dedicated to empowering individuals with essential self-reliance skills. A devoted father and outdoorsman, Stetler brings a practical, family-centered approach to his training. Find the Stetler family on YouTube and Facebook: @stetlersurvival.
Originally published in the May/June 2026 issue of Grit magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
