Components of the Militia
When
asked what the Militia was, George Mason, one of the Framers of the U.S.
Constitution, said, "Who are the Militia? They consist now of the whole
people, except for a few public officers." Yet we also see statutes like
10 USC 311, which defines it as "all able-bodied males at least 17 years
of age and, except as provided in section 13 of title 32, under 45 years of age
who are, or have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the
United States." Some state statutes define it as "able-bodied
males" of different age ranges, such as 16 through 59. These statutes also
divide the Militia into various classes, such as "organized" or
"unorganized", in the case of 10 USC 311, or "active" and
"reserve", as many states do, with "active" being considered
the National or State Guards, but not the national armed forces.
To
understand how these definitions have arisen, one must first understand what
the Framers of the U.S. Constitution had in mind for the new Republic they had
created. They allowed for a standing national army, but insisted that it be
kept small, and although it might be the first force to be called out, and the
only force to be sent abroad, the primary defense of the country was to be the
duty of ordinary citizens, who would be kept in a state of military readiness
while leading their normal lives, and who would be called up to "repel
invasions, suppress insurrections, or execute the laws", for limited
periods of time. At the time the Constitution was adopted in 1789, the well-established
tradition was for local militia units to be kept in a state of readiness in
each and every community. Such units were organized and trained locally,
perhaps led by the local town or county officials, but otherwise independent of
official control when not actually called up for service.
When
lawmakers tried to define the "militia" by statute to consist of less
than the entire body of citizens, they were defining those citizens who would
be required to be kept in a state of readiness, as was done in the Militia Act
of 1792, which required able-bodied males age 17 through 44 to keep a
"musket or firelock". However, persons younger than 18 and older than
45 regularly responded to call-ups of the Militia and were accepted as part of
it. There were even some women who participated.
The
Framers also insisted on a distinction between the "genuine"* Militia
and a "select" militia, which they viewed as a danger, just as much a
danger as a standing army. They did not want a militia whose members might
consist of anything less than the entire people, or at least able-bodied ones
in a certain age range, because if selected on any other basis, they might be
used to oppress other parts of the population. *Editor's note: the word
"genuine" is what is used in the Federalist Papers.
Actually,
George Mason provided the best definition. It only needs to be broken out into
various classes, representing the order in which persons would be called out
for military service. Qualifications like "able-bodied" or
"male" or "age 18-44" only establish who would be first
called to service, with the expectation that they would be adequate for almost
any situation, but it allows for calling up other persons if needed.
This
suggests a hierarchy of classes:
1)
National Army.
a) Full-time. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast
Guard.b) Part-time. Reserves, National Guard.
2)
State and Local Select Militia. But these are not
"general" militias. They are paid and equipped by the State or by
local governments.
a) Full-time. State and local law enforcement
officers.
b) Part-time. State Guard.
3)
Obligatory Militia. Able-bodied male citizens of a certain age range,
who are required to be kept organized and trained, but at their own expense.
Age range is 18-44 for federal purposes, but states may establish other age
ranges.
4)
Volunteer Militia. Citizens not part of obligatory militia who
voluntarily participate in activities of the obligatory militia, again at their
own expense.
5)
Ready Militia. The combination of 3) and 4) above, who would be called
up after the armed forces and the regular militia, but who are also those
likely to be first on the scene in emergency situations. It is not a
"select"" militia.
6)
Reserve Militia. All other citizens, including children, the
elderly, the less-able, and women, and perhaps foreign visitors as well, who
might be called up after the ready militia, if needed.
What
is missing from the current picture is the ready militia. Most states now lump
it in with what we are here calling the reserve militia, and in fact often call
it that. The ready militia is what the Framers meant when they used the term
"militia". It is also what the Swiss mean by the term, and it was the
Swiss model that the Framers had in mind for the United States. The ready
militia was to serve as a counterbalance to the armed forces and regular state
(select) militias.
It
should be noted that the obligatory militia is usually defined to exempt
certain public officials, and perhaps persons with certain occupations, whose
usual duties are considered essential.
Choice
of words can be indicative. 10 USC 311 lumps the ready and reserve militias
into what it calls the "unorganized" militia, with the implication
that it is to remain unorganized, since no provisions for organizing and
training the ready militia are given, contrary to the intent of the Framers.
Militias
are local and independent
Often
heard are arguments about whether militias are state or national, but the
militia, like citizenship, is fundamentally local. We are first and foremost
citizens of our local community. The word "citizen" has the same root
as the word "city". Although people may also be concurrently citizens
of larger political entities, such as states or the nation, and although those
entities may be considered to be composed of their citizens, they are
essentially composed of localities, and it is the local community that is the
basis for the social contract, although it may be considered to include a
certain amount of surrounding territory. Today we would usually identify the
locality with the county.
Just
as militias are essentially local, so also are they essentially independent of
established authorities, since the militia may have to challenge or bypass
those authorities if they abuse their authority or fail to perform their lawful
duties. The legal basis for assemblies of militias are two natural rights: the
right to assemble and the right to keep and bear arms. Combined, they are the
right to assemble bearing arms. The Framers considered it obvious that rights
which could be exercised separately could be exercised in combination, and
would have thought present attempts to outlaw independent assemblies of militia
units as absurd. The term "well-regulated" used in the Second
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution did not mean "regulated by some
official". It meant "well-trained and disciplined". A militia
can and should be self-regulated. The U.S. Constitution, in Article I Section
8, does provide for States to organize and train their militias according to
standards established by the U.S. Congress, and to appoint the officers, but it
was not the intention of that clause to authorize states to forbid local
organization and training of militia units, but to require that they be organized
and trained. If the state fails to do so, people have not only the right but
the duty to organize and train themselves locally, using their own arms. Just
as they have the right and duty, failing action on the state level, to conduct
elections, enforce the laws, establish courts, and so forth.
Of
course, a militia unit that is not called up by any official, but by its own
members, does not have the authority to compel participation through some kind
of sanction, such as the imposition of a fine. Therefore it will be composed of
volunteers, who may not represent a cross-section of the general population. In
this situation, the militia members must make a special effort to avoid having
the militia unit take on the attributes of a private association, such as by
always calling up the militia using public notices, and allowing any
responsible citizen to participate. It must also avoid any suggestion of
partisan or sectarian bias, and limit itself to constitutional actions.
To
do this, a militia unit should always refer to itself as the "[state/county]
militia" and not adopt a name that would suggest some kind of
private association, something that would expose its members to legal action
against it as a legal "person" or as a "conspiracy". There
can't be a conspiracy of the entire population of an area, and a court can't
serve the entire population with process, even if not all of them are present
at meetings.
Organizing
strategy
Militia
units of 50-200 members should be organized at the local level, by going house
by house, covering entire neighborhoods, towns, and counties. This will
initially be easier to do in rural areas, where people are already more
receptive to the patriotic message. In urban areas, it may work better to start
by organizing "neighborhood associations", then
educating the members gradually until it can be converted into a self-conscious
militia unit. Co-ordination among local units should be done using
correspondence committees, which is the traditional method. These committees do
not attempt to act as regional,, state, or national organizations, but only to
facilitate communications among local units, the sharing of literature, and the
building of a consensus for action.
Some
units might try to publish newsletters or other documents, but in most cases,
it will be better to publish through established magazines and various
alternative media, and distribute extra copies. Members may agree to subscribe
to media that co-operate in publishing supporting materials.
Dealing
with official resistance
For
some time now the Establishment has discouraged the formation of armed groups,
including independent constitutional militias. They don't want the
"unorganized" militia to become organized. Besides legal and illegal
harassment, militia leaders must prepare participants to deal with attempts to
infiltrate militia units. This can take three main forms:
Moles. Agents who pretend to be trustworthy but who are
mainly focused on obtaining information about militia members and their
activities.
Provocateurs. Agents who pretend to be responsible members,
then, when least expected, do something which seeks to discredit the militia
and perhaps provoke official action against it.
Dissipators. Agents who pretend commitment until they can
assume positions of influence within the group, then use it to divert them into
ineffective or unproductive activities, such as endless debate, socializing,
and divisive disputes, or to reduce morale and resolve.
The
best protection against infiltration is to teach members to be vigilant to it
and to have a large number of small units and many leaders, none of whom is
critical. There should be little or no leadership on the state or national
level, other than a network of correspondence committees that facilitate
communications. It is also important to try to establish good relations with
local and state officials, to the extent possible. Work with them to help them
solve the problems of the community, and encourage them to ask the militia to
assist them. Resistance from such officials should be countered by getting
better ones elected or appointed.
Subjects
for action
One
of the most important subjects for action by local militia units is
investigation of election fraud and other kinds of official corruption. It will
do little good to try to elect better officials if elections are rigged, and if
they are, the militia may become the only way for citizens to secure their
rights. If such fraud is found, it will also help to build public support for
further militia action and for greater participation.
Another
key subject is to inform citizens of their right and duty, when serving as
jurors in cases in which the government is a party, to judge the law and not
just the facts in the case. No matter how despicable the defendant in a
criminal case or how heinous the offense, the jury must find the defendant not
guilty if the law under which he is charged is unconstitutional or misapplied.
It is unconstitutional if it violates a constitutional right, is not based on a
power delegated to government, or is so vague that honest people may disagree
on how to obey or enforce it. It is misapplied if it is applied to acts outside
its proper jurisdiction, such as a federal criminal law applied to acts
committed on state territory, or to acts not intended to be included by the
lawmakers.
One
of the most important subjects for action will be to establish an alert system
for warning of abuses of citizens by organs of the government, and mobilizing
to defend them. It must be emphasized that it is not enough for citizens to
defend their rights in isolation. Only if they band together can their rights
be protected.
Education
in constitutional law must also be a priority. Every citizen must be trained to
interpret the constitutionality of laws and official acts, and taught that
doing so is the responsibility of each individual, that it cannot be delegated
to others, such as judges or superiors. That is the Lesson of Nuremberg.
Special attention needs to be given to educating lawyers, judges, officials,
and college and high school students. Militia members need to make sure that
every public library contains suitable books and magazines that provide
education on these subjects.
References:
Morgan
Norval, ed., The Militia in 20th Century America: A Symposium, 1985
Available
from Gun Owners Foundation, 5881 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.
Stephen
P. Halbrook, That Every Man Be Armed, 1984
Available
from the Independent Institute, 134 98th Ave, Oakland, CA 94603.
James
M. & Kenneth F. Collier, Votescam: The Stealing of America, 1992
Available
from Victoria House Press, 67 Wall St #2411, New York, NY 10005.
Copyright (c) 1994
Constitution Society
Fire
Team Operations(Starting your own Unit)
The
primary unit in any resistance or guerilla movement is the team or squad. A
fire team shall consist of between two and five persons. Two fire teams (over
six persons) will operate as a squad; a squad being two fire teams. The key is
to operate in the smallest sized unit possible.
The
fire team will consist of a team leader, and whatever additional persons
capable of bearing arms that join him. The standard configuration of a fire
team will be as follows:
1.
TEAM LEADER. This is the
person responsible for developing the unit. He or she will set up training for
the team, establish and maintain unit cohesiveness. This is the person whom the
team feels that they are most likely to rally around. He or she directs team
fire and maneuver during combat. The team leader should lead by example. He or
she maintains contact with higher elements in the unit. The team leader should
be agreed upon by the whole team. The fire team leader also locates meeting
places for team meetings, which should occur on a regular basis.
For
organizational clarity, in communications, the team leader will be designated
as unit one, so if your fire team is Team Katana, then your team leader is
Katana One.
2. COMMUNICATIONS
PERSON. This is the team's radio
operator. It is hoped that each fire team's communications operator has an
amateur radio license. A hand-held CB or family radio may also suffice. This
person understands some basic radio operating procedures, and aids the team
leader in keeping in contact with other units. It is also a good idea to have
at least one person in the fire team with a computer, to send and receive e-mail,
publish newsletters, and even establish a web page for your fire team.
Your
commo person is unit two, so in our hypothetical fire team, the radio operator
is Katana Two.
3. MEDIC. The person in your fire team with the
highest level of medical training will be your team medic. It is hoped that
your team medic has at least the training of a Red Cross First-Responder. The
more training, the better , and it is not unheard of for a team medic to be an
EMT or paramedic. Your medic will check on the overall field health and
sanitation conditions of the team. Medics are also responsible for checking
each person's first aid gear. Team medics should carry additional medical gear,
over and above that required for individuals. They are also responsible for aiding
the team leader in checking individuals' water supplies.
We
will call the medic unit three, so Katana Three is Team Katana's medic.
This
is a good basic three-person fire team.
Additionally,
we may round out the fire team by adding a couple of riflemen to the team.
Everybody is a rifleman. Riflemen are responsible for maintaining a high level
of combat readiness. A rifleman assists the team leader and other members in
maintaining the unit. He or she may also serve as a communications person or
medic, and these are things that all militia persons should strive for.
Riflemen are the backbone of every armed ground forces in the world.
Let's
look at a couple of more specific rifleman positions that you may include in
your unit.
4. HEAVY
GUNNER. This is the person
who has the large capacity magazines for his rifle. It is also the person who
is capable of carrying a lot of ammo. Heavy gunners are used for suppressive
fire, covering likely avenues of approach, and even possibly engaging aircraft,
should that ever be called for. This is the civilian militia version of a
machine-gunner, and should be considered as such for employment in the field.
The
heavy gunner, should you have one, will be unit four. Otherwise, unit four is a
rifleman.
5.
TEAM MARKSMAN. Well
placed, accurate shots are the job of your team marksman. He or she should be
capable of placing first round hits on a head-sized target at whatever range is
considered practical and applicable. A good rifle with good optics are best for
this position, but any rifleman should be considered a potential marksman. The
marksman may be someone in your team who is a hunter, target shooter, or just
in tune with the woods. Perhaps the sniper can help with rifle instruction and
training.
If
you have a team marksman, he or she is unit five.
Five
people is really the biggest size for a fire team, because five people can
usually fit in one vehicle. If your team grows beyond five, then you should
consider breaking into two fire teams.
Your
team members should all know where each other lives, and should be in touch
with each other at least weekly. Quite possibly, your team meetings can rotate
amongst your members' houses.
Communications
should be set up within the team, using e-mail, beepers, or radios if the
distance permits.
It
is possible that you may have team members who have no desire to ever go to the
field and train. Consider this to be your team FIELD SUPPORT element.
There is much to be done that does not require field work.
Also,
you may have members who just haven't managed to pass any line qualification.
As long as the rest of the team is comfortable with that, then it's okay. We
feel that Level 1 is a good basic measure of a citizen's ability to bear arms,
and your team leader should make an effort to do so.
The
important thing is to develop fire teams as soon as possible.
Lee's
instruction on formation of the basic guerrilla Fire Team is logical and clear.
The foundation of any squad is the unity of purpose which enables the team to
work as a coordinated unit. Team Leader is a position, not a person. Should the
Team Leader be lost, the next member becomes Team Leader and the mission
continues. It is therefore, extremely important that Fire Teams train AS A
UNIT. They must develop as a unified whole, each man/woman knowing the
strengths and weaknesses--each acting as support and backup for the other. This
is often called the "two-deep concept."
Communications Introduction
Communications
within and between small units is critical to mission success. It is important
to understand some very basic rules and procedures for operating a radio or
other piece of communication equipment.
1. Transmit only when necessary. Not only
will idle chatter distract the receiving party, it may compromise his and your
positions, and all communications may be monitored and triangulated. Do not
discuss the weather, sports scores, or anything that doesn't apply to the
success of the current mission.
2. Limit your transmissions to no more
than FIVE seconds each. Anything longer than five seconds is enough time to
almost guarantee that anyone with even moderately effective equipment can find
you. Insert breaks in any transmissions that need to be longer.
3. Never use actual names, addresses, or
anything else that is sensitive over the air. Never use a personal name over
the air. Use their fire team unit and position designation, if you know it, for
example, Katana One. Make up something using the person's initials if you have
to. Use personal reference points to keep information secure. For example, if
one of your fire team members is a postal worker, refer to them as such, if you
have to. Never, ever, ever use a person's real name over the air. Ever.
Never
use addresses, unless you can encode them somehow (more on that later). Use
place names that the unit may have developed. Examples can be "The
Badlands", or "The Wheat Farm", or "the place where Havoc
Three spilled his enchiladas". If you have to use a location, try to use a
pre-determined set of grid references, like in your Delorme Gazetteer map of
the counties in the state, but never broadcast which maps you are using openly.
For example, you can say, "Green Book, page (whatever), B5." Where the
green book is a certain map book. Make sure that everyone has the same edition
of that book, to avoid confusion.
4. Always speak clearly. This should be a
given. Never pause on the air. Know what you are going to say BEFORE you key
the mike. Know what your response is BEFORE you key the mike. DO NOT pollute
the airwaves with unnecessary "ummms", "ahhhhs" and
anything else that announces cluelessness over the air. Do not key the mike
while looking up some information. Do not key the mike unless you are prepared
to speak.
5. Do not "step" on each other.
Always say, "over" when it is time for the other guy to talk. Always
say, "break" when you still have more to say but are breaking the
transmission to keep it short. When two other people are talking to each other,
do not jump in unless they call you.
6. Acknowledge the reception of
information with a brief repetition of it. For example, "A" might
transmit, "Move your team up 200 yards to the fence line, then go north to
the crest and cover the field to your west when we are ready to move";
"B" would respond with, "Up 200, cover from crest, OK".
This lets both parties know that each other understands, without any errors or
excess, "Did you understand what I said?" back and forth several
times.
Directions
should be given from a specific, unmistakable reference. The other guy doesn't
always know what you have in mind; "Go left" - (whose left, yours or
mine?), "Come back toward the trees" - (which trees?), "We're
behind you" - (200 yards back along the trail, or 20 feet away?). If it
can be misunderstood, it will be.
7. Do not get into pissing contests over
the air, with ANYBODY. EVER. PERIOD.
8. Always have an alternate frequency, and
another back-up for that. Always have a fall-back frequency or channel, in case
you get compromised, stepped on, or get into the previously mentioned pissing
contest. Make sure that everyone knows what these back-up channels are. Make
sure that everyone in the net understands when it is time to change channels,
either by a predetermined code word, or at a pre-set time. When it is time to
change channels, make sure that you do a commo check with everyone on the new
channel to make sure that they have indeed switched over.
9. Change channels on a regular basis
anyway. Even if you are not compromised, you should change channels at least
every 24 hours. If you are limited to the number of channels you have access
to, just rotate your primary, back-up, and alternate back-up frequency very 24
hours.
10. Have a pre-determined code. Even a simple
123ABC grid reference of some sort may do the trick here. Simply get a
three-by-five card and write a five-by-five square grid on it, with five
numbers on top, and five letters on the left side. Fill in the alphabet,
randomly. Change daily. Use this if you have to spell things out securely. If
you want to include numbers, simply use a six-by-six set of squares, and add
numbers, randomly, into the grid. If you need to, put each day's frequency on
these cards. Guard these closely. This is the militia equivalent of the
military CEOI (communications electronics operators instructions), and radio
operators are instructed to die to prevent these from falling into enemy hands.
Maybe you should limit these to your team leaders and radio operators.
11. Never discuss guns, ammo, or anything of
the sort on the air. Use colorful euphemisms if you need to. For example, you
could refer to training as "going to the dance", guns as
"tools", and ammo as "boxes of candy".
12. Always let someone know when you are
going to be off the net. If you are changing batteries, or shutting down for
any reason, let someone on the net know, and let them know approximately how
long you will be off the air, and alert them when you are back on the net. If
it would compromise your situation, do not discuss why you are shutting down.
Just make sure that someone knows.
13. Learn the military phonetic alphabet. It
is pretty much common sense to pick it up. Some of you may use the police
phonetic alphabet. The two are different, and we should probably learn them
both.
14. DO NOT DISCUSS ANYTHING THAT YOU DON'T
WANT TO TELL THE WORLD ON ANY AIRWAVE, CHANNEL, NETWORK OR FREQUENCY. EVER,
EVER, EVER. ALWAYS ASSUME THAT YOU ARE BEING MONITORED, BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY
ARE. DO NOT SEND ANYTHING OF QUESTIONABLE LEGALITY THROUGH/VIA/OVER E-MAIL
EITHER.
This
is the format to be used when submitting intelligence reports:
S: Size
of the unit or formation you have observed. Number of persons or vehicles
visible.
A: Activity
of unit, persons, or formation you have observed. Clearly describe what you
have seen them doing, include direction and speed of movement.
L: Location
of what you have observed. Distance and direction from nearest intersection, an
address, or an eight-digit grid coordinate will work.
U: Unit
or uniform. Describe what they were wearing. Describe any insignia, signs,
banners, or flags. Note type of camouflage.
T: Time
and duration of your observation.
E: Equipment
they carried or were using. As best as you can, describe they types of weapons
and gear that you observed. this includes communication gear, weapons, and
vehicles.
Pictures
and sketches are always encouraged, but never place yourself at risk to get a
picture when a description will suffice.
A - alpha
B - bravo
C - charlie
D - delta
E - echo
F - foxtrot
G - golf
H - hotel
I - india
J - juliet
K - kilo
L - lima
M - mike
N - november
O - oscar
P - papa
Q - quebec
R - romeo
S - sierra
T - tango
U - uniform
V - victor
W - whisky
X - x-ray
Y - yankee
Z - zulu
You will learn more of this as you
do it. Also, be advised that militia persons may tend to co-mingle CB jargon
with any radio communications. Make sure you brush up on that, as well.
Personal
Camouflage and Concealment
Camouflage
is anything you use to keep yourself, your equipment and position from looking
like what they are. Personal camouflage has certain simple rules that will
defeat the most obvious sensor on the battlefield; the human eye.
SHAPE. Your
helmet, load bearing web equipment, rifle and other gear have a clear, often
square shape, and there are no squares in nature. Break up straight lines with
strips of burlap, camo cloth or netting in shades of brown and green. Elastic
bands can be sewn to your uniform or equipment straps to facilitate adding camo
strips or vegetation. Camo materials should not be attached to your rifle in
areas where they may slip and interfere with your firm grip or the mechanical
operation of the weapon. It is better to cover the weapon with paint or
camouflage tape.
SHINE. Most
modern military equipment uses plastic or subdued painted metal fasteners and
buckles. If the paint has worn off or you are using commercial equipment with
shiny buckles, these need to be covered with paint or tape. Other shiny
surfaces that can reflect light include binoculars, compasses, watch crystals,
unshaded rifle scopes, plastic map covers and eyeglasses. Little can be done
about eyeglasses other than using headgear with a low brim or mosquito netting,
but other shiny equipment should be stowed away when not needed and used with
caution. Shine also includes light-colored skin, even at night when it will
reflect moonlight and flares. Face masks make a surprisingly big difference at
night.
SILHOUETTE. Similar
in many respects to shape, silhouette includes the outline of the human form
and the equipment it is carrying. The shape of the head and shoulders of a man
are unmistakable and a bare helmet attracts attention. The use of local
vegetation as garnishing helps break up your silhouette. Thick handfuls of
grass tucked into your shoulder straps are especially useful in breaking up the
distinctive "head and shoulders" shape of the human figure and
vegetation added to a helmet breaks the smooth curve of the top and the line of
the brim. Take care not to overdo adding local vegetation. You shouldn't need a
machete to hack a path through your camouflage to get at your ammo pouch or
other necessary equipment. Also, a large bush or tree is sure to attract
attention when it starts to move. Silhouette also includes field craft. However
well camouflaged you may be, it is little help if you "sky line"
yourself by walking along the top of a hill or ridge line, or if you stand
against a background of one solid color.
SMELL. Even the
most urbanized man will develop a good sense of smell after a few days in the
open. He will be able to detect engine smells, cooking, body odors and washing.
Some smells are hard to minimize. Soaps should be scent-free and activities
such as cooking should be confined to daylight hours when other smells are
stronger and the air warmer. Rubbish from cooking should be carried away from
your operational area and buried only as a second choice. Buried objects are
often dug up by animals and can give a good indication of the strength and
composition of your patrol or unit as well as its morale. The discipline of
refuse removal is important.
SOUND. You can make
a lot of noise while out on patrol. Your boots can squeak. Your cleaning kit or
magazines can rattle in your ammo pouches. Heavy pack frames can creak.
Fittings on your weapon can rattle. Radios can have background noise. Coughing
and talking can carry for long distances, especially at night; although,
whispering doesn't carry. You must become familiar with a silent routine in
which hand signals replace the spoken word and conversations are conducted in a
whisper. Proper stowage of your gear, taping of slings and other noisy
equipment and a final shakedown before a patrol moves out will reduce noise. If
digging a position, place sentries far enough out that they will spot an enemy
before he hears the sound of digging.
COLOR. Though most
modern combat uniforms are in a disruptive pattern camouflage, there may be
times when this is less helpful. The trouble with camo clothing is that in the
wrong environment, like cities, it stands out and says "Hey, look at
me!" If fighting in built-up areas, a pattern of greys, browns and dull
reds would be more useful than the typical woodland BDU pattern. Natural
vegetation used to garnish helmets and equipment will fade and change color.
Leaves will dry and curl up exposing pale under surfaces. You may have put dark
green ferns and leaves into your helmet band while in the woods and then find
yourself moving through an area of pale open grassland. Check and change your
camouflage regularly.
The
most obvious color that needs camouflaging is that of human skin, and for that
you need G.I. camo stick or, preferably, a commercial camo cream. G.I. camo
sticks are issued in loam and light green for use in areas with green
vegetation. A sand and light green stick is used in areas lacking green
vegetation. A loam and white stick is for use in snow covered terrain. If camo
sticks or creme are not available use burnt cork, bark or charcoal for the dark
color and mud for the light color. Dark colors are used to reduce the
highlights formed by the nose, cheekbones, chin, ears and forehead. Lighter
colors are used in areas of shadow under the eyes, nose and chin. When applying
camo to your face it is useful to work with a buddy and help each other. G.I.
camo sticks are rough on the skin and difficult to apply. A few drops of baby
oil, skin lotion or insect repellent rubbed on the skin first will make it much
easier to apply. Skin camo needs to be periodically touched-up as you move and
sweat. A simple pattern for the face is to apply a light color first to the
entire face and then add dark diagonal stripes. The diagonals cut though and
break up the horizontal and vertical lines of the eyes nose and mouth.
Good
camouflage is almost as important as good marksmanship. A well camouflaged man
who is a poor shot will probably survive longer than the poorly concealed
expert sniper.