Operation: BOOMERANG

Camp Stasa, Michigan
Saturday, July 6th, 2002
Sunny, mid 80's

Several militia persons from Wayne, Macomb, Eaton, and Monroe Counties deployed to Camp Stasa to train. The weather was warm and sunny, and the bugs were surprisingly lacking.

Some folks first did some function checks and sighting in, whilst the rest of us geared up and checked our commo. Some folks from Macomb and Eaton Counties pulled a shift of gate guard, to guide in a news crew from Channel 7. Just about any coverage is good coverage, and we showed people from several different units/counties working and training together. Any time that we can display such unity is a good time. It would be splendid if everyone recognized this.

We did a gear and water check, paying special attention to water, as it was getting warm. Most of the folks have the same gear, and it is very easy to see that they are (still) squared away. One dedicated trooper had a new tactical vest, which seemed to distribute the weight of his gear very effectively. These are cool if you can afford them, or if you can find a really good deal for such a rig.

There was really good distance and spacing on the walk, with little "clustering" or "accordion effects". We checked out some construction up by the barn, and on the second leg, we cut out across the field in a couple of wedge-shaped fire teams. Always good to practice this when you
can.

Also, on the walk, we enjoyed the presence of our bicycle scout. Lou chugged ahead on his bike, with full gear, including his CETME in the front basket. He has room to carry more stuff, too. This would make an excellent message runner, or small re-supply vehicle. With the ability to carry two full ammo cans in the rear baskets, he could easily deliver thousands of rounds of .223 (or somewhat less amounts of larger caliber ammo) to a needed area, much more quickly than a dismounted person. Several of us also took a spin on this bike, too. I want one.

Just about everybody was on the paper already, as far as being qualified, so after a short re-hydration and snack break, we jumped on to other drills. A couple of folks did a quick four pin shoot, and then we started in on two-person bounding, just using hand and arm signals. The signals were"cover me while I move", "move forward", "don't move/cover me I am reloading (or some other problem)", and "move back". Sometimes the signal was as simple as a nod, or even just noting that your buddy was indeed in place, and providing cover. The drill was a simple, short movement, bounding up the range as a team, using cover, and then bounding backwards
as a team, again using cover. It was pretty basic stuff, but very necessary. Great to see militia people picking up this stuff, and communicating like this. (Note: there were some pretty impressive gymnastics during this drill. I was impressed, and I'll leave it at that.)

After we worked out the questions and details of this drill (everybody did this, some did it lots), we moved on to the same drill, but with three-person fire teams. (We have kinda decided that three-person teams are just about optimal for militia operations.) To the above mentioned
signals, we added "right/left side on line", and "right/left side move out/fall back". We ran these anyway, despite a minor leg injury to one member, and a near heat injury to maybe more than one person. People were picking these signals up, and understanding why and how they are used, and getting a good feel for how these things are supposed to happen, and why. This drill was ran repeatedly, with people going several times. (Note: The repeated drilling and practicing of these basic things has become known as the "Von Steuben drill" segment of training. Only by
hammering this stuff home through repetition, can we hope to have militia persons use this tactical knowledge instinctively.)

It almost wouldn't be training without the Chuck Wagon, who showed up, did the burger and dog thing, and made the day much more enjoyable.

Then we did a "hey, can I shoot through that?" exercise, in which we tried to determine the ability of various rounds to penetrate a 14 inch diameter log. Some 223 managed to barely go through the log (but sadly, none from my Daewoo, until I shot at a narrower section), some 7.62x39 did fine, of course the .30-06 punched right through, and when Mr. Log met Mr. CETME, it was pulpified. Time permitting, we can try different things, to see what will go through what. This is important to learn, not only for what you can shoot through, but also for what you can seek cover behind.

Following this, there was some more handgun practice, and a couple of militia persons did a patrol through the woods. It seems as if much of the swamp has dried up, which might explain the low amount of mosquitoes. There seems to be a favorable impression of the CZ-52, and the Walther P-99. I didn't personally shoot either, but the folks who did seemed to think well of them.

People started setting up tents and bivvy shelters, not for the weather, but for the bugs. Several of them stayed Saturday night, and I hope they will add to this report.

The training scheduled for July 20th will be an Adopt-A-Highway clean up day with the Macomb County Brigade. Volunteers are needed for this. Please contact Commander Mike Wilks at wilks40acp@juno.com to sign up.

Also, the first weekend in August is shaping up to be an all-weekend event, lasting from Friday until Sunday. Start adjusting your schedules now, as would love to have a camp full of militia persons, from all over Michigan and elsewhere, training and having a good time out there. It
would be nice to get a big turnout for this one.

So we train for its own purpose, and try to improve our abilities for these abilities' sake. You shouldn't even need a reason to train, other than the training itself.

See you next time.

-Lee