Saturday, November 1st, 2003

Camp Stasa, Michigan

On this day, good and hearty just people of various and sundry Michigan Militia outfits and such didst hasten unto Camp Stasa for some Level 1 and 2 stuffage. It was surprisingly mild for November.

A good handful of patriots were on hand from Oakland County and Wayne County, and we even had a gentleman from Lenawee County show up.

Going over the gear check for Level 1 and 2, I was impressed with the Oakland guys. They are one hooked up set of fellas. Also going over the first aid kit for the Lenawee representative, we made an administrative decision that a bottle of iodine can serve as an antibiotic. You more medical types might want to discuss this, but if it is disallowed (by vote), we can hook a brotha up with a dollar store tube of actual antibiotic. (Yes, we found this at a dollar store by my house. Yes, we bought them all.)

The walk...okay the Oakland crew was going for the three miles in under 1 hour and 15 minutes. Except, some of them ran the whole way. The fastest two, with gear, gun and pack, finished the three miles in under 40 minutes. Some of us might not be able to do this with running shoes and shorts (but we will see in the spring...). Damn impressive hustle.

Here we can insert a short discussion about how younger militia folks seem to be obsessed with getting a semi-automatic rifle: Okay, there is a write up about rifle selection for new folks elsewhere in this newsletter (or on the web page). However, if instead of spending close to two hundred for an SKS, you spend 60 on a military surplus bolt action rifle, and add a cheap 30 dollar scope and a few bucks for a mount, you will probably, in our estimation, be more of a bad-ass. Increasing your probability of an accurate FIRST hit is worth far more than the chance of a quicker follow-up shot. I do not know of any "seasoned" (that means old) militia people who do not have at least one old bolt-action rifle. Get one first. You can always get a more modern semiauto later.

I gave a walk through to a younger gentleman about maintenance on his AR15, and we need to post a simple list of what should be in your AR15 cleaning kit. Complete kits are available at gun shows, online, and from many mail order suppliers. The AR15 is a damn fine rifle, if you take proper care of it.

The camo and medical part of Level 2 went well. A reminder here that you do not remove old soaked bandages, rather you add a new one on top. Also, if a conscious person has lost a lot of blood, and no IV is available, you may want to try replenishing the person's fluids with something like Gatorade.

Camouflage self and equipment.	Apply a field dressing to an extremity.

                 Right around then, I broke out the homemade hardtack that I had concocted in August. This stuff was hard, but edible. This particular batch had a little cinnamon thrown in (no sugar) to offset the blandness of flour and water. I offered everyone a small piece, and to my surprise, the reaction was positive. Here is a cheap, long lasting field food that you can make at home that people are actually willing to eat. This stuff costs pennies to make, and if you experiment around, you can find something that works for you. So far, I have made several batches with just flour and water (edible, but bland), some with seasoning salt (less bland), cinnamon (at least it smells good), and beef bullion cubes (kind of strong, but workable). So, with some hardtack, homemade jerky, and dehydrated fruit, we should be able to make our own very very inexpensive survival rations. (Note: If the hardtack is too hard, soak it in something. Civil war era soldiers soaked theirs in coffee. Yum.)

After the testing and shooting, we formed up into three fire teams and moved out for a perimeter walk. It was nice having THREE fire teams available. We basically did sort of a rolling bound, with the rearmost team bounding forward past or through the first two. This does not provide for the quickest of movements, but it does provide greater security, as the covering-to-movement ratio is two to three.

Hand and arm signal usage was okay, and radio communications were kept to very minimal bursts. "Charlie set, Alpha moving," and "Go, Bravo" were the short, and more difficult to track transmissions being used. Keep it short, guys.

Emerging from the wooded perimeter, we then spread out and bounded across the large open field, using the same formula of one team moves while two teams cover. Three fire teams easily spread and covered a line several hundred yards wide.

Then we went back and got a report on how our movement looked to an observer (and camcorder). The report went well. It was great to do this with three teams. Similar drills can be conducted in parks and such, minus the firearms as necessary.

Finally, we tested a couple of British-made flares after dark. One sort of dudded out and might have failed to deploy its parachute. The second, however, was too dramatically effective and drew some not necessarily desirable attention. It had a huge illumination area, a long burn time, and was bright as hell. Actually, it was kind of positive to see the neighbors and even local law enforcement respond so quickly to a signal flare. After brief explanations (um, we were testing a flare...), everything seemed cool. This brings to mind the question, "How do you test a flare without really being in distress?" The end determination? Carry two if you can. One might not work well, but if it does, it will bring some serious rocket's red glare down on somebody's noggin.

Good time was had by all....

-Lee