OPERATION: OVERLOAD 07 JUNE 2003

BR explains his choice of 1942 ammunition....

Saturday, 10AM, June 7th, 2003:

    Armed with a newly approved Level 2 list, and a training agenda, we didst go forth unto the woods of Shiawassee County, Michigan to be consumed by swarms and swarms of mosquitoes, walk three miles, shoot smaller targets, participate in more training and generally exhaust ourselves. This was a good militia day if ever there was one, yessirree, Bob. (Bob WAS there by the way, from Bay City.)

    The initial surprise of the day was the presence of no less than THREE militia members clad in the new and stupendously cool digital camo, like the marines wear. These included nifty digital boonie hats, too. (Plug time: you can pick up a set of these at GI Surplus in Wayne. Show your militia ID, and tell them Mark H. sent you...)

    After being impressed with this stunning display of coordinated militia fashion, we went into a level One and Two gear check. Several folks were already on hand, either zeroing in a new scope, checking an old rifle's battle sight, or becoming familiar with a newer weapon. These are legitimate reasons for shooting from the bench. They are the only legitimate reasons for shooting from the bench, by the way.

    Compasses (compi??) were checked, as was para-cord, flashlights, radios (check 1,2,3...), poncho and liner, and camo gear. The best way to check camo gear is to wear it. Veils, masks, and even bandanas are acceptable. Paint is hard core, and some of the fellas wouldn't do it any other way.

    A couple of people qualified early with the shooting part. The new Level 2 target is 6.5 inches, but a six inch paper plate will work as well. Lou has printed up some "official" Wayne County Militia Level 2 Targets, and we will use these as we need them. It was great to get some early qualifiers done and out of the way (actually, they are never out of the way, and can serve as coaches or instructors for something else).

    Then it was time for the walk. Level One is two miles in 40 minutes, and Level Two is three miles in 75 minutes. The two mile time was 34 minutes, and the three mile time was 51 minutes. The road was mostly dry and hard, but several muddy spots did slow us down a bit. Still, the time was excellent for a group of folks carrying the gear that we had. It was hot and humid, and everyone should have been keeping an eye out for each other. I was admonished twice by Super Six to drink some water and not overheat. The folks wearing a load-bearing VEST, as opposed to belts and suspenders, suffered a bit more from the heat, and one individual who did his two miles with a flack jacket on just plain had a miserable time. (No, none of you are required to be THAT hard core....)

Heat and mud...we can make bricks!!!

Then we started into a cool off time, which was punctuated by more rifle zeroing and qualifying. A fraudulent 8mm scout rifle did well....A couple of the guys got a bit frustrated, but only briefly. I learned a neat new trick, too. If you are a person over 40, you should not use open notched rear (amended from "blade", see note below) sights, rather. you should use a scope or peep sights. If, however, you happen to only have a notched sight at the time, then fix a piece of black tape to your glasses, and puncture a tiny hole from where you would look through your rifle sight. The hole will act like a peep sight and draw your focus more accurately toward the front sight post. I would not have believed this had I not seen it being done.

This works...                                         Ask Enzo...

NOTE FROM BR:  Actually there's nothing wrong with blade sights, it's the rear open (notch type) sight that can't be focused with older eyeballs. A rear aperture (peep) sight can be as fuzzy as it likes, it's still round, and the human eye can find the center perfectly. Open sights still work pretty well on pistols because (from the eye's viewpoint) they are practically at the same distance, assuming the pistol is held more or less at arm's length.

One more reason why AKs are a poor U.S. militia choice. They are optimized for use by young, ignorant peasants. If my memory doesn't fail me, the last time the U.S. Army adopted a battle rifle with open sights was exactly 100 years ago, and they were using open/peep combinations even with the black powder 45/70 Trapdoor Springfield, before the Spanish American war.  -DC

FURTHER NOTE: Peep sights for AK/SKS rifles, and other military surplus rifles are available at MOJO Sights.


    Plus, FJ brought the grilla from Manilla out and did the burger and bean throw down. Basically, a buck or two in the hat goes toward next month's burgers, so dig in and chip in and we will all be full and happy....

Grilla from Manilla (OK, Westland...)                   Beans, garlic, and onions....yeah....

    While this was going on, the folks who had already shot were constructing their field-expedient shelters in the back. This is not a hard thing to do, but you should practice it a time or two before you ever need it. Basically, ponchos were strung up to block either the wind, rain, or sun, or any combination thereof. (Bunjee cords and lightweight tent stakes would come in handy here...)

Chateau-du-Lee '03

    We had a short, very short, talk-through regarding compass use, and a quick demonstration of shelter construction. These are field skills that we might someday have to use. Besides, making a shelter out of a poncho beats carrying a tent around any day.
    We then went downrange for some weak handed around the corner shooting. Some had never shot this way before, but most picked up on it quickly and easily. The pins went down. Hoooo haaahhh!!! The only problems here were folks using bolt action rifles, using the bolt with the "other" hand seemed like a hassle. Lou even got his new CZ52 out and capped the targets with it. That 7.62X25 promises to be a mean handgun round.

Natural left-hand shooter.....                     CZ52 hitting pins at 50 yards...(left-handed)

    There was a brief, aborted attempt at tent recovery. We had the manpower, but the road to this tent was not passable. Yes, a truck got stuck, but only for a few minutes.
    While that went on, we applied a field dressing to an extremity. Things to remember: If the initial dressing does not stop the bleeding, then apply pressure and elevate the wound, if this fails, add ANOTHER dressing on top of the first one, without removing the first one. You need to practice this more than you need to read about it. We also did a brief stretcher test, which gave me some ideas for a twisted fun drill next time....ha ha ha.

Stretcher drill....                                                   How to get into a prone position demonstration...

    The three to five second rush drills were fun. This may be where we are most prone to becoming injured. Some of us, inspired and encouraged by good old gravity, smack the ground rather hard during this drill. This is something that I know I need to practice....

Good position, camo, damn good rifle........       Down behind cover....                Actual running, to include moving fast...

    Some of the good militia people were tired and dehydrated and had blisters, so....
    It was time for some fire team movement drills.   Right side on-line, cover me while I move, left side move out, and other drills capped off an exhausting day.  We have several new level 2 qualified members, and another re-qualified level One. The team movements are starting to look more natural, and people are getting into better positions more instinctively.
    This was another one that I wish we could package and show around, because it was what "militia" is really all about.

    Hopefully, some of our good militia brethren (or sistren) will also write a contribution about the training this day, as so much was going on (both simultaneously AND at the same time), that I am sure to have missed something.

    See you out there next time.   -Lee

Be the first on your block to wear this new digital..............................never mind.......

The last civil defense helmet???                          Woodland camo and digital camo. You call it....

 Turtle Training Day
 (or "Cloud watching on your back is nice unless you're actually supposed to be advancing on an objective").

 by John Pfeiffer


 07 June, 2003
 Camp Stasa, Bancroft, MI

   The day started out fine with the exception of a recently developed cold virus that had decided to take hold in my throat the night before. Although I was feeling a bit fatigued and ill, the wonderful weather was enough to perk me up and just the fact that there were already several other militia people at the Camp when I arrived early made me forget my discomfort.

     I was trying out for the WCMM level 2 classification and was determined to complete it in a single day. Level 1 had taken me 3 different monthly training days (I can make excuses about my rifle scope, mag probs, etc., but there is no excuse for not being prepared), and I was determined not to lounge around, drinking tea and eating crumpets this time. I won't go over all the details of the various components that make up Level 2 training, but I will expound on a few things that I did improperly due to not being in tip top health during the day.

     I knew the 3 mile hike was going to be fairly easy, albeit sweaty. Even with my portly, un-svelte (call me big-boned) 280 lbs., a 3 miler was nothing. Six months before, I had carried my two year old around Orlando on and off for six days without a problem, never slowing (but always complaining), even when being accosted by odd people wearing mouse heads and other bizarre costumes. 3 miles down a muddy dirt road was a walk in the park (not a U.N. Biosphere zoned park however - those you can only look at in photos). During the hike, I learned that my boots were either not the correct size or I had selected the wrong socks to use with them. This hadn't been a problem before, but apparently it was now and it's something that I have to resolve in the near future. Painful blisters can ruin your training day. Get the right footwear. Even cute pink bunny eared comfy tennis shoe type hiking boots are better than grunt boots that hurt your feet.
     Break in notwithstanding, good boots should always be comfortable in any environment (locate previous Militia article by Lee Miracle about boots). Of course, any boot may be a problem after a 60 mile hike. The Militia doesn't do those yet. Level 12 training any one? ^_^

     I had brought my favorite booster food with me (packets of Cliff Shot gel) and had an quickly available energy source if I began to feel fatigue. During the hike, I used 2 packets. They worked great, although later as I became more dehydrated (thought that I was doing fine, but wasn't), they didn't help much as I was so fatigued that nothing short of hydration and rest would help.

   Several times I found my mind wandering even in the middle of a drill. OK, so I had a cold, but my concentration is usually much better than that. I had run out of water in my Camelbak three liter halfway through the day and so used up a couple extra quarts of water that were in the back of my Jeep. Obviously that wasn't enough to sustain my hydration level. Water is essential to maintain physical and mental peak. If you are larger than normal individual and sweat a lot during even light exertion, you will need at least twice your normal intake of water, if not more, for a typical training day. I disregarded my extra need for water (I had never drank that much in one afternoon). I felt that I was doing fine. How wrong I was.

    I found myself weak and a little disoriented around late afternoon when we were conducting rushes and team drills (advancement and retreat from a objective). At least twice I found myself "turtled" (on my back), staring skyward, rocking side to side to continue either way in order to right myself and get on my feet. Never mind the thick backpack filled with level 1 and 2 items, there was no excuse for my leisurely rest. Nice clouds... I saw one that looked like an old M49 troop transport. Yup. Nice clouds. <Sigh>
     Doh-di-doh... What was I talking about? See what I mean? Yes, it was a nice day, but no day for a daydream picnic. Fatigued, dehydrated or not, your best is expected when others are counting on you. Stay hydrated, Stay sharp.

      Turtle Tales...

      Fortunately, during the left hand shooting drill I got to my feet fairly quickly. I was going to rock back and forth a few times until I saw Ken moving toward me. I had told him in jest that if I was stuck during my drop and roll, to come over and just roll me over with his boot. It wasn't the most comforting feeling seeing him heading toward me, so I dug my left boot into the ground, pushed as hard as possible to roll over into a prone position and finished the left hand shoot drill.

    I missed on the the first two shots. A switch to left hand shooting can be a bear because your dominant eye tries to take over when you're a "righty". The next four shots dropped 4 bowling pins in succession which made me feel better about my left handed shooting skills. Still, the turtle imitation that I did en route to the left hand prone position was by no means a good thing. I lost valuable time towards completing my task.

    Don't be a turtle. Use enough force during a maneuver that you can finish the jump, climb, drop, roll or sprint. Don't use so much force that you overexert yourself, but there has to be some initiative to finish up the task. Not that someone will be shooting at you while you're lying there on your back daydreaming! (Uh-huh) ~_^ Just pretend that someone is throwing sandals at you. That works in Iraq I guess. Ask the Republican Guard... if you can find one of them.

    Later, during a forward rush, drop and roll into prone fire position (a Level 2 task), I turtled again. This time, I laughed, then realized that I was in the middle of a forward rush. Not a good time to laugh about being stuck on my back. As I said before, thick backpack or not, I should have exerted more force after the drop. The momentum lost while rocking side to side instead of just one direction slowed my attempt to get to my feet and would have cost me my life (had someone been tossing sandals at me).

    Bottom line: If you aren't feeling well, do your best, but don't try to go past your limits. Don't dehydrate! Better off a learning observer than a failing participant. Next training will see me consuming much more water.  I had a rough day. Lesson learned.

 --------------------------------

 The bowling pin pistol shoot (or "If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger gun").

     A few of us went to the 25 yard mark to shoot bowling pins. I usually go just to see Paul knock them all down with his .45. This time I actually drew my sidearm (my trusty, but not rusty Glock 17), and tried my hand at bowling pin decimation. It had been a long time since I had shot at pins or any other semi-solid object with the Nine. It was usually used for punching holes into paper at the local range. I felt odd without my .45, having switched almost exclusively to 9mm in the mid-nineties. The .45 was great for use on bowling pins and nearly always guaranteed to send a pin flying.

     After the first magazine (17 rounds), I had not knocked down, one, two or three pins, I had knocked down zero! Wha? Ok, load magazine two. Bang, bang - bang, bang-bang. Bang, bang, bang-bang-bang, bang-bang. HUH? OK. BANAGANANBNANGANABANG. BANG! AAAAGHH! BANG! BANGABANG! Not one pin moved. For kripes sake! I'm only 25 yards away! What the????

Zee pins! Zey do not fall! Sacre bleu!!


     I must have heard myself yell "Oh, I suck!" at least 4 times before I realized that the pins probably weren't going over because I was using 9mm hardball. I hadn't had that happen in a while. Then again, the last time I shot pins was in '94 and I was using 200 grain, lead semi-wadcutters in a Springfield 1911A1 (.45 cal). Those don't pass through plastic and wood pins, they impact and either shred them or whack them senseless. Our pins aren't in the best shape, but one would think that a 9mm, 126 grain bullet should do better than bore right through. I burned through 90+ rounds and only one pin moved more than an inch. I go now to gnash my teeth and curse.

    Next month I'll be loading 147 Speer Gold Dot hollow points in the Nine and bustin' a cap in the bowling pins properly (Yo!). A more expensive proposition, but I'd like some reaction out of the pins other than a slight rock fore and  aft when I shoot them.

    -John Pfeiffer