February 2000 Field Training

On Saturday, February 5th and Sunday February 6th, members of The Wayne County Militia, along with Oakland and Macomb County personnel, deployed to an undisclosed training location to qualify (or re-qualify) as Level One. However, the berm has not been raised enough, so there was no rifle shooting. When the weather proves cooperative enough, we will most likely raise the berm to near-epic proportions.

Being the stalwart militia people that we are, we did not let that minor detail hinder our efforts.

It was easy to see that most people had their level one gear on hand. A quick glance confirmed the presence of rifles, canteens, carrying gear (most had US type LBE, but there were some nifty improvised rigs, too), boots, and some kind of camouflage uniform. The only real disappointment here was the lack of winter camo....

We had to check more thoroughly for first aid gear, ammo, and weapon cleaning equipment. In other words, "open it up, and let's see it." Some folks had extra first-aid gear, and this is encouraged. However, some of the first-aid kits contained non-first aid stuff, and while this is not prohibited, it is frowned upon. A couple of people lacked cleaning rods, but could use a string pull-through instead. Everyone had ammo, but one or two people had to go "get it out of the truck." Even if you have to throw a box or two in one of your pockets, you should always carry the minimum 100 rounds ON YOUR PERSON. (Of course, if you are carrying a .22 caliber rifle, you can get away with carrying a lot more than 100 rounds...)

After checking everyone's gear, we then had everyone break down their rifle. This is not a complete breakdown, but rather demonstrating that you can clean the barrel, bolt, and gas mechanism. Basically, open rifle, and pull out the bolt. A person or two with new or unfamiliar rifles got a brief block of instruction on initial breakdown and cleaning of their rifle, after which they demonstrated that they themselves could also do it. These are the times when we so appreciate the experienced folks on hand who can pass this information along. You know who you are, and thanks.

Then we did the two-mile march, through about six to eight inches of snow, with some of us (ahem) having a bit rougher time than others. Clearly it is time to lighten the weight of my LBE (web gear), which has at times weighed over 30 pounds. Some obvious weight reducing measures will be to remove one of the canteens, at least one, if not both of the flares, and maybe think about taking off the smoke grenade and pouch, and possibly carrying less food in the butt pack as well. Another option is to lessen not only the weight of my butt pack, but the weight of the butt that carries it as well.....

Since we could not shoot that weekend, that concluded all the Level One testing that could take place. The shooting will take place at a later time. You can do it on your own, as long as you have two other previously-qualified Level One persons to witness this.

Some of the folks that did not plan on staying overnight then departed. We hope to see them again soon.

We then measured our pace counts in the snow, and briefly went over how to use the pace cord with beads. It is important to know how many paces you take for each 100 yards. This can come in very handy when navigating over longer distances.

It was now time to prepare to stay overnight. This time we had a thermometer with us, to be certain of the local temperature. A handful of us stayed outside overnight. It was terribly cold. When I woke up, the thermometer indicated a temperature of MINUS 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Here is where the biggest, best, heaviest sleeping bag you can buy or improvise will be mighty handy. I had a couple of lightweight sleeping bags (one with a waterproof shell), one inside the other, along with my poncho, poncho liner, and a tarp (thanks, Nick and Kristin). I also cheated by throwing down the emergency blanket from my truck. I had an extra wool blanket, but since I didn't need it, I used it for a pillow. The only things that I would not carry would be the extra sleeping bag, and the "truck blanket". The tarp doesn't weigh anything, so I'm sure I could fit that in. It would have been a big help here to have brought my sleeping pad, too.

In any event, nobody froze to death, nobody needed anything amputated, so overall, our winter survival check was a success.

One other point to mention here, is that Mike Johnson did a TEN mile march with his rucksack, with all of the Level One through Four gear. As soon as he shoots his Level Four rifle qualification, he will be the first to make level Four. These are standards that we can all aim for, and so far, Mike has led the way on higher levels. (We have the list of Level 2-4, and are

working on making them into some sort of handbook, like Level One. If you want to see the list, we'll have it at the next meeting or two...) Not only has he done them, but he has encouraged us to do them as well.....

As usual, I would liked to have seen more people, but we did have a pretty good turnout, and it was great to see quite a few new faces out in the woods.

Is it silly to stay out all night when it's three below zero? Maybe. But it would be a lot sillier if you didn't know you were able to......

So come out and train with us next time. If you're not up to speed on something, we'll help get you there. If WE'RE not up to speed on something, then you can come help get us there.....

 -3 degrees, and I need to take a leak.

 Well, I found out this past Saturday that I need the following things upgraded : Rucksack , "Sleeping" bag , Load bearing equipment. Here is why : Huhhhhuummm!!! After wearing my small A.L.I.C.E. pack and TA-50 (webgear = L.B.E.) on a long march, I came to the conclusion that a medium pack with a frame definitely is more comfortable. I carried a medium pack in the military. I carried more weight, and experienced less pain. (The frame) My sleeping bag is one of those "British commando" styles. I put quotation around the word sleeping because "Sleeping" is something you do when you are warm, not shivering. It is good at 25 degrees to 60 degrees above zero. Saturday night it was around, oh –3 degrees. I remember waking up at 01:00 hours, I needed to go and relieve myself, but man it was COLD! Held that one till 03:00 or so. Anyway, equipment that did perform well: My DOD issue Gore-tex 600 Grams Thinsulate combat boots. They are perfect warmth-wise when you march. My New foreign-made Butt-pack from Harry’s did not last ten miles before it tore at the seam. Y-type Alice suspenders held up well, but not very comfy when you also have on a Chinese issue O.D. green ammo belt for an SKS. I wore it to ride above the web-belt. It is a cheap item, will hold many rounds, and is functional, yet crappy to wear. Overall the "Snow-Spider" FTX gave me a better understanding of how important it is to evaluate equipment through extended use. Some equipment is holding up well, others pieces have, and more soon will, I believe, end up in the "militia goodwill box". Hoooah!