June 3rd, 2006, Camp Stasa, MI   Report by Corporal Punishment

      Always nice to see so many vehicles parked in the staging area so that people have to park at the dome. Some prefer to just check gear and get some exercise.  I had another very large spool for the range, so I needed to find room to park. Thanks Uncle Tom! My uncle saves these for us so we have tables for the staging area.

    Things got under way with the new people heading out for the level 1 two-mile walk. This gives even the most experienced Patriot a chance to check gear for noise, all around good fit and accessibility. I have a new vest I will be trying out later after lunch.

   Several Minutemen brought out some old bolt actions. My knowledge of these pieces of history is not up to speed. From what I could tell it was Mauser Mania.

Reaper from Battle Creek had the most current weapon on the line. A very nice 308. Bolt action. Not sure on the make, but can this guy shoot! He had no problem making level one. Only thing stopping him from level two qualifying was a few items short on the list.

Above: Reaper's M40.

   Hunter did some custom work to his Mauser, a new sight and a few other tricks. He now ranks as our Mauser resident expert. After some fine-tuning he was the first to try his luck on a four-pin shoot. Four shots four pins down in forty-four seconds. We have people here who can’t do that with a semi auto. Very nice!

Mauser Mania

   With no support team here we were left to fend for ourselves. Plenty of exchanging of mre’s. Some of our own local veterans were remembering back to the days of C-rations. Now these are some old guys. Also they were talking about their favorite current production mre’s. There was talk of the military going to easy on the new recruits with some of items they put in current mre’s. I saw one this weekend with a tootsie roll in it. Ah, just making the boy’s feel at home defending freedom. The all around favorite seemed to be the ham slice meal.

    Now one might think a nice relaxing nap after lunch would just add to a great day of training. Wrong! Boys will be boys, Pale Rider decided to catch a little shuteye before we got things rolling again. If you are going to do that out here, you do it with one eye open. On the count your rifle just might not be where you left it. Reaper rudely woke him up by banging two metal canteen cups together from behind him. When he got on his feet it wasn’t long and he was looking for his rifle. It was not where he left it. He knew he fell victim to one of the oldest pranks out here. Pale Rider soon found it up in a tree. I learned my lesson once and that was all it took. (Note: The gun racks at the range are considered "safe zones" where your rifle is considered to be secure. Leaving your weapon anywhere else may cause "spontaneous weapon relocation.")

   During lunch Bill from Flint came out to get his level one requirement under way. He was out for the Field Days in April, had so much fun he came back. Bill a former Marine took his spot on the line with his Mauser and after a few shots and switching ammo. He made it!  Hunter and he came to the conclusion that the Turkish ammo is to hot and not very accurate. Hunter had some earlier problems in the day with the same ammo. 

   When the sun was overhead those pesky mosquitoes stayed in the woods. Get too close the under brush and they will suck the life out of you. First thing in the morning they were so bad out here. I would have to say they were the worst I have ever seen. Nothing for the Repel 40% deet, this stuff really works. Plenty of poison ivy in full bloom. It is going to be an itchy summer.

   Six got his Pioneer guys ready for some grueling rifle drills. This doesn’t happen often, the regulars were invited to train beside the Pioneer’s. We did a live fire buddy-team bounding movement exercise. This is the real deal, with two men advancing on some hostile bowling pins. Along side of each participates, there was a coach (last years graduates from Pioneer school). They watch to make sure that the safety is on your rifle when you are moving and help with communicating with your buddy. Every thing comes into play here: reloading, equipment accessibility, vocal commands, and most of all, safety! We did this for several hours, even with the rain coming down.

Above: Super 6, left, and Pioneers, present and future.

   All in all a very good turn out. The weather was in our favor most of the day. Two more people qualified level one. People got to see what goes into Pioneer School. Maybe Six will have some new recruits for next year.

                                                              -Corporal Punishment, ECVM