"You just have to DO this..."
Saturday night, I wasn't sure whether to wear snow camo to the training or not. I kept it ready, just in case. Sunday morning, and it sure looked like I would have my chance. For some reason, I have always been partial to snow camo....
Lou came by to give me a ride, and he gave me a snow camo top, to wear instead of
the old poncho that I had. Thanks, Lou!
We arrived first, and began laying out some
training ideas. There was maybe an inch or two of new snow, and it was still falling. It
was beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. This is worth the hassle of coming out. Some of us
rarely experience this type of tranquility. More folks showed up shortly thereafter, with
the majority there by noon. One of the arrivals was a new gentlemen, who was
bereft of the aforementioned favorite snow camo. Because the red color on his coat made me
very sad and caused me pain, I offered to let him wear the now "spare" snow
poncho. (I let him keep it in exchange for some ammo that Nick no longer wanted....deals
like this happen all the time.) 
We started a quick level one check
(necessary for Company A, but not for WCM, unless there was a new person making the
attempt). Still, it's not a bad idea to make sure you have everything. Next time, maybe we
should ask person X to tell us where person Y's first aid gear is, and have people break
down the other guy's rifle.... On the first-aid gear, we are thinking of
amending the list to include some sort of impermeable membrane, like the packaging that
comes with occlusive dressings, to seal any sucking chest wounds that may occur. Perhaps
even something as simple as an extra sandwich bag might fit the bill here....
The rifle break down was okay, but might be more difficult if it was cold enough to
require heavier gloves....practice this at home.(Not everyone broke their rifle down, but
it was not a requirement for everyone.) Put your gloves on and break down your weapons,
see what kind of adjustments you need to make. Better still, come out and do it in the
cold with us..... The walk was great, although some of us for which is was not
necessary ran to get the camera and turned the walk into a picture taking opportunity
instead. 
Then the shooting part. I wanted to try sighting in my scope (overscoped? yep...I don't think I need a scope that can go up to 10 power on an AR15 with a 16 inch barrel...really). This was frustration at its greatest. The locking nut kept working loose, and the scope mounts somehow worked themselves uneven, and I did not have a hex key with me (I should keep a hex key with the scope....whatever rifle I end up mounting it on...). Anyway, maybe I am just an iron sight type of guy... Everyone else shot well, with one person reverting from her scope to iron sights, and then shooting again with her scope. Probably that is the best way to do it....Making sure that you can hit well either way. Nick seems to have found some easily digestible ammo for his rifle, Tom hit well with his .223 of the day, and Denis got his old bolt-action rifle of the day dialed in. Mike from Ice Planet Hoth got zeroed in, which was made easier with the help of a spotter from his unit. And Lou "I'm not a good shot" showed why the CETME needs more respect than some of us gave it by chewing up target number six. The gentleman with the Turkish Mauser should hit it well next time, if'n he brings his spectacles with him. (Folks: Always bring your glasses....always.) A few more folks then arrived, and we did some quick additional sighting in. Never a bad idea to do this. (Especially when you can show off a bit in the process....).
It was time for some tactical drills. We had a fire team
conduct a movement toward the range whereupon this three-man team crept up to a position
and engaged a target (bowling pin) on the range. I followed as an observer, for safety
purposes and to provide an after action review. The camo worked well, although they may
have been wearing a bit too much white. The snow camo was not nearly as effective in the
darker colored woods as it was when they were on the ground. White mixed with tree bark or
other camo pattern may have done well, here. The individual who carried extra items
attached to his gear actually ended up being harder to see because his gear broke up the
mostly white pattern. Movement was good, although the team leader could have
checked back with his team a few more times to check their position (they were never out
of position, but I wanted him to CHECK for that a bit more....). He made a
good use of combat rolls and stayed low to the ground a lot. This enhanced the snow
camo. A word about crawling: Do it. Go crawl around somewhere with your gear
on. Just a little bit. See how tired you get....Also, somebody's rifle got clogged with
snow/ice a few times. Might be a good idea to keep one of them barrel caps on until you
need to shoot. You don't know this stuff until you do it. If time had allowed, we might
have encouraged more crawling and more resting. We will next time. 
Good route selection, good shooting position, and nice shooting took care of the targets. The fall-back from the objective was orderly and provided good cover and movement. All in all, the drill was good. This type of drill is very important and meaningful. We will do much more of these, and hope you come and do them, too. One of the team members fell somewhat ill after the drill. It turns out that he felt bad at the beginning, but drove on anyway, because, as he said, "You just have to DO this." People, this is good dedication. We never want anyone to become ill or injured at the range, but this should be inspiring to all of us. However, to avoid this type of thing: Make sure that you eat something, at least in the morning before training. Carry some snacks with you. Drink more fluids than you think you need to, trying to avoid caffeine and drinks containing a lot of processed sugar (unless you need to keep your glucose levels up...).
Lastly, if you don't feel well: rest, eat, and drink something while someone else runs on the exercise. You can go next. There was a fire back in the rear, to warm up your feet and your vittles, and Mike expended more energy than I want to think about playing with the kids. The snow made it kind of wet and sloppy at times, but if we were worried only about comfort, we would have just stayed home. See you next time. -Lee