Field Report

19 July 2008

By Joe 1ST/3RD

As usual training started at 0800. It was already hot and only got hotter as the day went on. With temps reaching near triple digits hydration was the name of the game. After our opening formation that includes The Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer it was time to get started.

James T. and his wife Pearl (an EMT and LPN respectively) presented a class on first aid/ casualty care that to say the least was incredible. In an actual emergency whether at the family level or something on a larger scale, knowing what to do and how to do it could make the difference between life and death. With this in mind most of us are CPR certified, and as a group we stress first aid training. We have 2-3 classes per year on different types of emergency medical training with this being the 2nd one this year. As always I ended this class with 3 pages of notes and a list of supplies I needed to ad to my personal kit. Thank you, James and Pearl for all the prep time to put together such a thorough and professional class.

Next we broke for lunch and a gear exchange. The gear exchange is something new we came up with recently. It seemed most of us had a lot of gear that we didn’t use anymore so we brought it together, laid it all out and had a free for all of giving away and trading. I got rid of several things that I no longer used and picked up a 2 qt canteen I’d been wanting for awhile.

We finished out the day with a short class on defensive positions that included both classroom time and a couple of hours of time in the field (Oh Yeah!).

It turned out to be a great time despite the heat. It’s always good to get together with a great group of people and learn skills that are applicable to our everyday lives as well as our militia time. Come try it, I guarantee you wont be disappointed!

Squad & Fireteam Live Fire Exercise

Field Report

19 April 2008

Map & Compass Course

By Joe 1ST/3RD

I arrived at the training area at 0800 sharp. It was a beautiful day in the low 50’s but was forecast to reach the low 70’s. The Colonel pulled in right behind me and the rest of the group wasn’t far behind. I was very excited since this was going to be my first time on the compass course. We had done the class last fall but due to family commitments I had missed that training day.

After formation, which consists of the Pledge of Allegiance, Prayer, and the intelligence report on what’s going on around the world it was time to get down to business. We had about half an hour of classroom type work then we were issued a topographical map with the routes to and location of the checkpoints and a list with the bearings and distances from each checkpoint to the next. Then we grabbed our gear and headed out. Since we wouldn’t be carrying weapons (they aren’t allowed at this training area except for licensed concealed carry) some of the guys chose to not carry their normal web gear in favor of a light backpack. I stuck with my web gear but half way through the course I could see the wisdom of traveling light.

LT Sarsfield laid the course out the week before. He is an experienced orienteer and did an excellent job. The course consisted of seven checkpoints each marked with a Wal-Mart bag tied to a small tree. (And yes, the last team to find each checkpoint removed the bags). It proved to be a challenging course with several obstacles that had to be negotiated or circumvented

We split the group into 2 teams with team A going point 1-7 and team B going point 7-1. Our plan was to meet at point 4 for lunch. I was with team A. We had each established our pace count either today or at the last compass class last fall. A pace count is knowing how many steps you take in 100 meters. Mine is 120 steps.This is used to determine how far you have traveled along a compass bearing.

We took turns as compass man and pace man to give everyone multiple chances at each job. After some minor confusion at point 1 where the bag had came off the tree everything went great. By the time we reached point 4 for lunch we were all feeling pretty confident.

According to our units SOP the first team to reach the rally point (point 4) set up 360^Osecurity and waited for the other team. B team got there first and was waiting when we got there a few minutes later. After a lunch of MRE’s we each worked out the back azimuth to each point on our return routes.

The trip back was pretty straightforward with each of us finding the marker for their checkpoint with relative ease. My team arrived first this time so we waited for B team at the start point then returned to the parking area together.

All in all it was a great training. There is a great sense of accomplishment in feeling that you have really learned something at the end of the day. Not to mention the confidence in knowing that you have the skill to find your way around anywhere without street signs or a gas station to ask directions at.

Sound like fun? Come join us next time and see for your self. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Subject:  OPERATION: WINTER FOX

Date: 8-9 March 2008; 2000 – 0400 hrs.

The night operation that the 1st Battalion accomplished on the night of March 8-9 can only be described on many levels as a success of the modern Militia/Minute Men system and proper training!  A detachment of the unit consisting of roughly 20 highly motivated and trained personnel undertook the training exercise to practice and further hone small unit tactical skills while operating in the field at night.  The foundation of any excellent infantry unit is its ability to effectively maneuver, engage/destroy the OpFor and communicate.  The drill on this night would be no different and would test the foundation of the Missouri 1st/3rd’s preparation and training activities.  What was evidenced was no less then stunning by military training accounts especially for a semi-proffesional unit such as the Missourit 1st/3rd!

The exercise began with a very detailed and professional 2 hour briefing from the Patrol Leader (PL) in which every member of the team, regardless of position or function on the operation, was informed in detail of every aspect of the mission.  Every team member knew exactly what the responsibility and function of every soldier in the field and off the field was to be that night and exactly how the operation was to be carried out.  The briefing consisted of expertly crafted sand tables, communications reports, reconnaissance reports, maps of the Area of Operations (AO), terrain, weather, OpFor disposition/readiness and finally the mission objective and execution.  No detail was lacking and by the end of the 2 hour briefing the unit was moving forward as a well oiled machine.

Before the unit took to the field to conduct the training exercise a few details still needed to be covered: exiting a moving vehicle for insertion and equipment checks.  The insertion practices were not only an adrenaline booster to get the men moving in the right direction but was a needed essential and went well with only a few minor faults before they were perfected.  After the insertion practices the men and their equipment were inspected and made to conform to light and noise discipline, ensured that they had all necessary equipment and were ready to conduct a successful combat training operation.  The unit noticed a couple areas where some attention is needed in these areas but overall was absolutely locked on and motivated.

The unit was able to insert all field personnel on the desired location in less then 15 seconds due to excellent insertion field proficiency!  The insertion was such a success that there were no injuries or equipment failures or losses and the control and command of the unit from this point forward was secured.  The platoon proceeded to their assembly area and the march formation was decided upon and the men moved out.  The progress was slow and tedious but that was because the men had to pay close attention to detail and constantly study and observe their environment.  The communication was kept at a minimal for good COMSEC and to make sure that distractions were also kept to a minimal.  The night was cold but the slight edginess produced by the adrenaline kept the team very comfortable and moving as a unified unit.  The unit proceeded to the first Rally Point (RP) and observed the immediate area to ensure that a correct observation was conducted before crossing over the first natural boundary – a creek.  The men moved across in 2’s and 3’s in order to secure the crossing and provide quick reaction if it were needed.  The going went a little rough at first with a couple slips and falls but the men recovered quickly and went onto their respective security positions to ensure that the crossing could not be opposed without resistance from our soldiers.  At the first RP the unit split into two squads and assumed a Traveling Overwatch formation in which each squad was able to cover the other squad if problems were to arise or any sort of trouble or changes in plans occurred.  As everyone knew from the briefing – plans can and do change unexpectedly and we must all be flexible to adapt to the situation and overcome.

Both squads proceeded overland by the most concealed and least detectable routes that the plan allowed for.  At one time the detachment I was in had to cross open terrain!  Something that is to be avoided whenever possible.  The troopers made their way across the field at a dead run with full equipment (30 lbs.) for about 400 yards!  This got the blood and adrenaline moving quickly.  The men moved across in 2’s and 3’s and were able to cover the distance rapidly and easily.  This would prevent the squad from being observed or located easily in the open.  The teams proceeded to the second RP by their separate routes and the standard challenges and security were carried out when the RP was secured.  The second team secured the RP while the first team later joined them.  When the first team passed the security perimeter they were allowed to approach.  At all times the men were arrayed to observe the whole area and their environment so that no one could approach the position without being observed.  Both squads reformed into a platoon and continued on to the 3RD RP. 

From the 2nd RP to the 3rd , the going was a little rough and intense.  The men not only had to ensure silence and good discipline while observing their environment but had to cross a series of natural and man-made obstacles that presented quite a few challenges.  The way a unit proceeds across any obstacle is imperative and means the difference between life and death on the battlefield!  How the unit breeches the obstacle, in what order, with what difficulty and how close the enemy is to their position and what room they have to maneuver in the event that something happens will determine if their meeting with the OpFor is successful or disastrous.  The unit negotiated the obstacles and got everyone safely across to the 3rd RP which also happened to be the 1st Objective Rally Point (ORP).  From this point the plan called for the 2nd squad to detach on a reconnaissance mission to observe an OpFor position.  The OpFor position had potential reinforcements and resources that could easily be deployed to other positions in the AO and this posed a potential problem to the team if these elements were to engage the unit when the actual combat started at ORP 2!  The 2nd squad was moving into position while 1st squad held the ORP and maintained security.  The 2nd squad was almost into position while crossing an obstacle between the ORP and the recon point when the PL was forced to pull the whole team back to the ORP!  Activity by local civilians or possibly OpFor personnel put the 1st ORP in a dangerous position of possibly being compromised and thus potentially ruining the whole mission!  Hence the PL did the only thing he could have done under the circumstances and got the whole team out of there in short order.  The team evacuated the area rapidly.

The unit had to re-cross ALL of the obstacles back to RP #2 and prepare to move to ORP #2 for the assault portion of the exercise.  The team was not compromised and extra vigilance was employed on the movement toward this position to keep from having to abort the mission due to possibly heightened awareness of the OpFor.  The unit proceeded stealthily and the reconnaissance of the previous days paid off in revealing an insertion point which allowed the team to get into position at the 2nd ORP and prepare for the assault.  The PL along with his security detail and RATELO went forward and observed the objective.  He made sure that nothing had changed that would throw a wrench in the plan and get a lot of soldiers unnecessarily killed!  Always think of your men!  The PL observed the objective for about a half hour and after he was convinced that the unit’s presence was NOT detected and that the situation had not changed he moved the unit’s elements into their positions.

The men silently and carefully crawled into their assigned positions which they knew intimately from the briefing.  They all knew it came down to this moment and being able to perform the jobs correctly!  The assault team moved into its staging position with the PL in the center while the left and right security detachments moved into position on the flanks.  The PL looked the situation over one more time and made sure things were in order…… it was now GO TIME!  The right side security detachment rang out the first shot and neutralized the simulated sentry. 

The assault team quickly moved to their pre-entry staging area right outside the OpFor building.  When in position they moved in as one creature intent on complete destruction of the enemy.  The moment was tense as the unit watched the assault team expertly file into the building and wipe out all (simulated) resistance they encountered in deafening reports.  The security elements kept watch over the complete battle field and engaged any stragglers or any reinforcements that were moving toward the objective.  When the assault team gave the all clear the unit moved through the objective and cleared it of any remaining resistance.  It was at this point that one of the men in the unit realized they were hit and were a casualty.  The PL and the med personnel coolly handled the wounded man’s injuries while calling the situation into the operations base and requesting an immediate extraction of the entire team.  The team then had to carry the wounded man 600 yards as fast as they could move while maintaining rear security to ensure the OpFor didn’t rally and try to pursue the team.  The 600 yards was long and grueling especially after being in the field for 6 hours non-stop, carrying a wounded man in shifts and all at a slow jog as the men displaced in orderly “leap-frog” fashion.  Mission Complete! 

The exercise gave the men a real taste of what would be expected from them if engaged in real combat and showed them that with proper planning and training, very hard and exhausting tasks can be managed and actually successfully accomplished – BUT only with good team work!  In the end the team was successful because every man put themselves aside and put the unit first and accomplished the mission!  The Modern Militia and Minute Men are alive and well and carrying out their forefather’s wishes everyday with training and vigilance to secure for our posterity   “…. a Nation of the People, by the People and for the People….”

SAT. 16, FEB, 2008

REPORT BY: JAMES

Arrived at the range slightly before the 1000hrs start time to find several folks waiting in their trucks for things to get going on the day’s FTX:  Pistol training.  The forecast was for a mild day in the 40s, but with overcast skies, we were lucky if it got to 35F.  Two tables had already been set up and were covered in materials and props for our safety and range education portion of the FTX.  Most everyone was gathered and making introductions by about 1015hrs.  We were pleased to have several guests wanting to check the group out.  Then the Colonel called us into formation and as always we began with Pledge of Allegiance, then a prayer of thanks and a blessing of safety.  (In my opinion, this simple act is what makes our group great.  As Alexis de Tocqueville stated, “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”  As the militia goes, so goes the country.)

Tom was recognized and honored for his hard work on the NMVM website, missourimilitia.com.  His web skills and efforts bring a tremendous sense of professionalism to the group which he rightly deserves.  Brian was nominated and sustained as the interim XO and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant.

After dismissing from formation, Joe gave a great safety class with several handouts.  A few range rules were spelled out in addition to the normal (four) firearms safety rules.  Bill followed up with some discussion on ammunition examples, reloading, and CCP issues, citing the number one error CCP holders make:  failure to carry.  Folks, take CCP seriously.  It is no small matter to responsibly exercise our constitutional rights, let alone gamble that today won’t be the day you need your weapon.

When we’d finished talking the talk, it was time to walk the walk.  First up on the range was a simple triple target, double tap drill.  I say simple, because things later got more complicated.  After several of us had run the drill, I noted the importance of being familiar with your sidearm.  Know how it works, know what ammo works best, know what is the mostly likely cause of a FTF (failure to fire), know how to remediate the FTF, and practice, practice, practice.  Practice dryfiring, practice target acquisition, practice front sight focus, practice stance.  If I hadn’t noted it then, I would have after the next two drills which increasingly tested all these things in combination.

Next, a figure 8 walk around two barrels with the RSO calling out a letter designating a particular target A through E (laid out in reverse order, right to left instead of left to right).  Sidearm vertical in front of the face or chest as we walked the pattern, it was a challenge to safely, swiftly, and accurately engaged the proper target.  As you may have read or heard before from a wise shooter, Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast.  Trying to push the shot will only waste your bullets, time and maybe your life.  Do it right, do it once.

To finish the day, which was growing slowly colder and windier, we stepped through and shot a course engaging several targets in specific order but adding a magazine change just to humble us (we’ll I was humbled anyway).  Biggest thing I took away from that course was I’m glad I don’t carry a single stack magazine type sidearm.  No offense to the single stack mag shooters out there by any means, but it is really comforting to know that my gun allowed me to double tap 3 targets twice (12 rounds) and one target once before having to change magazines.  A single stack mag left all four targets double tapped only once (which ought to be enough don’t get me wrong!) or any combo therein before having to change mags two more times to get the 16 shots needed to double tap 4 targets twice.

Just for fun, a few guys took shotguns through the same course.  Let me just say the ‘wow’ factor goes up a notch or two comparing sidearm holes to shotgun holes.

We started clean up about 1430 as several folks had to leave by 1500.  Right as we started to pull out, down came the rain.  Perfect.

If you’ve been on the fence about the militia, you missed a great day of friendship and learning.  Yeah, there are a lot of things you can do for the good of our country, our state, your county, but I put training with these guys at the top of the list.  It is comforting to know I’ve got a ‘band of brothers’ at my side; that I’m not alone in the desire for this country to remain the great country it is and that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. 

See you at the next FTX!

Operation: Helping Hand #2

Date: January 12, 2008, 1000 – 1200 hrs.

It was again that time of year when the unit would meet and try to do our best to give back to our community.  All of the members had been ‘chomping at the bit’ to be able to get out and support our community for sometime.  One of the most reassuring virtues to see in other patriotic people and members of the unit is their sincere and dedicated efforts to selflessly give their time to better other’s lives.

Again, the 1ST/3RD met at the Kansas City Union Mission to volunteer our time and service to our neighbors who are decidedly less fortunate than we are in many respects.  The majority of the team (Randy, Brian, Marlin, and Bill) met at the Mission at 1000 hrs. and immediately threw themselves into whatever the store manager (Rick) and his assistants (Brian and Sears) needed done.  Rick was not bashful and immediately said he needed the greatest amount of help in the basement area to help organize the donations and provide some desperately needed movement of goods.

The team jumped in whole heartedly and started to clear a path through the main floor that was confined with large amounts of clothing and furniture that had been donated to the Mission.  Our first task was to remove all non-essential items and from under the stairs and clean this area so that all the boxes of clothing could be neatly stacked to open up the floor area.  This task took no time at all and in about 15 minutes Bill, Randy and Marlin had the stairs cleared, boxes restacked in an orderly fashion and ready to go back for more.

When Sears and the other assistant, Brian, saw how quickly and professionally all the clothing was reorganized, the astonishment and gratitude on their faces was evident and could not be hidden.  Overjoyed with such quick success from their motivated helpers, the Mission staff had the 1^st/3^rd tear into the furniture and other donated items which were haphazardly distributed throughout the basement.  At this time the other ‘portion’ of our team showed up (Tom and his friend Jason)  The team also hit this one with full force and with the additional reinforcements of 2 more troops we were able to move couches, chairs, mattresses, bed frames, mirrors, lamps, tables and all the other useful donated items into planned areas.  The team also took it upon themselves to help with separating useful items from those who had seen better days.  About 1.5 hours into the operation the team had successfully and completely restructured the downstairs storage area and collected a massive pile of garbage that needed moved outside to the street.

Hence, in great military fashion a fire line was quickly assembled and the whole pile of useless items were outside on the curb in roughly 5 minutes!  That’s team work for you!  When it was all said and done the Mission staff was overjoyed and absolutely astounded of what 6 motivated genuine people can do in such a short span of time.  In the end Tom, Randy, Marlin, Bill, Jason and myself were able to provide a greatly needed service in our own small way to our community.  These operations are at the heart of the Militia and serve to remind us that we serve with and for our fellow citizens and that we are at their disposal not matter what the task and no matter how hard the job is.

3 NOV 2007

Compass and Map Course 0800 hrs

Monkey Mountain, Monkey Mountain?

Sounds like a kid’s ride at a local amusement park doesn’t it? Well here in western Missouri and specifically in the KC area, it’s a large conservation park located on the eastern side of Jackson County. And it is well suited for a Compass and Map course. With rolling hills and some open grass covered fields, and also some very thick secondary growth that limits vision to just a few dozen meters, sometimes less. A few deep gullies and of course a very tall hill called Monkey Mountain. For our days training nine people showed up, including a brand new potential recruit and a recruit on his second training session. After a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, Private Sarsfield, was the instructor for the day. He gave about an hour class covering the basics of reading a compass, map and magnetic declination, how to calculate a back azimuth, read map features (how to tell a hill from a valley etc). the days call signs, radio freq, and how to handle any injuries during training. The temperature was normal for a November morning around 29 degrees with a nice frost covering the ground. So as we all slowly got colder we listened to the very necessary class and instructions. When he had finished we grabbed our LBEs and divided into two groups, one of four men and one of five, and headed up to the start point. This was only about four hundred meters away, but up a very steep hill that was maybe just a hair over 100 meters in height.  (It seemed higher.) There were three marked waypoints for each group to cover before lunch, so off we went. #3 was the mid-way meeting point. Our group CM 1 had the two new recruits so I decided to show them how to take the compass bearing to the first waypoint 53 degrees magnetic and 2100 feet away; and being mostly open ground for the first part, showed them how to pick a distant tree and head toward it. Bill was our pace man, (he has ranger beads attached to his patrol vest, sure beats carrying rocks and moving one from your right pocket to your left each time you reach your pace for one hundred meters. Bills pace is 120 to 125 steps for 100 meters. A little over halfway there we were in the woods, but we were able to still pick out a tree that was fifty or so meters away and by doing this several times we went to our pace count distance, and started looking around for the marker, and we were close 20 or so meters to our right front was the marker. We figured that our pace had shortened a little once we got into the trees and having to walk left or right around the trees had thrown our sightings off. Changing positions one of the new guys took over on the compass and we head on the new bearing of 336 and 2150 ft. away. After two hundred meters we hit some very thick new growth that was fifteen to twenty ft. high and our visibility dropped to 10 meters or so. Now comes the fun part of trying to take have a man move forward (me) take the bearing move left or right to line up and then the rest come up to me. Eventually we couldn’t do that as there was no way to get through the thick secondary growth so now it’s ten or so paces right, ten or fifteen forward. And the next time ten or so paces left if possible and then forward again. Picking a way through a blackberry patch and some wild roses sure is a test of trying to stay on a true bearing.When we got to our pace count we started looking around first in a small circle then a larger and then an even larger one. Reading the map we knew we were close but after thirty minutes of looking we couldn’t find the marker and so we took a bearing to our meeting place and the lunch spot.312 degrees M and 2790 feet away, Bill took over on compass and I became the count man. The woods were older and a little more open and we made good time after reaching our pace count we did a map comparison of where we were and where the RV point was. Walking another fifty meters NNW we found the marker and waited. Ten minuets later the other team CM 2 arrived and we had our MRE’s, talked about the lovely weather, it was now close to sixty degrees and a very nice fall day.After forty minuets or so everyone was finished eating and off we headed out we took the route back that CM2 had used coming in and they headed back down our route in. But this time the men on the compass had to figure out the back azimuth (it’s easy either add or subtract 180 degrees depending on which side of the 360/0 degrees in a circle your on)As we made each waypoint we continued to trade off compass and pace count positions so every one could get some experience at each job. It took about the same amount of time going back as coming in and since this side was a little longer our group got back to the start point ten minuets or so after CM2.Back down the hill for a good debrief, comments, Gatorade and a little bull session and we were finished for the day and it was only a little after 1540.I had fun and everyone else said the same, Yes GPS is a very good tool to have, but a lot of people don’t have a unit so knowing how to use your compass and read a map are invaluable and will come in handy if we are every called out to help with a search and rescue. And you’re expanding your mind by working it, not relaying on a set of batteries that might fail you, when you need them the most.

RJ.

PS: Monkey Mountain Park is used by a lot of people who ride their horses, and is crisscrossed with a lot of horse trails, except in the thick woods of course, if you ever use the park watch out for the piles of horse manure that are scattered around like land mines.

Even with this added hazard it sure beats staying inside, rain or shine. So get out there and train.

Field Report

22 SEPT 2007

Report by JOE 1^st/3^rd

We arrived at training at 8:00 and were greeted by Bill at the entry point of the training area. I say “we” because I had a friend and potential new member Rick with me. He was one of two visitors who came out to see what we are all about. I can’t speak for the other guy, Mike, but Rick was very impressed with both the training and the people and is planning to come back.

Training began as usual with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Next came some PT that ended with a roughly one mile run. This was a fairly physical beginning to what turned out to be a very physical day.

We had noticed on arrival that a crawling obstacle course had been setup complete with soda cans with pebbles inside to let us know if anyone bumped a wire. We each made three trips through the course, once with no equipment, once with just our weapons, and finally with our weapons and LBE gear. The third trip was really tough because there wasn’t enough clearance to wear your gear so you had to drag or push it along, all the time staying low enough to clear the wires that ranged from 24 inches down to 12 inches off the ground. It took a lot of concentration to not touch any wires. Slow and steady was absolutely the name of the game. Everyone did a great job with wires only being rattled a couple of times. This was a great learning experience as it gave us a chance to see how difficult crawling a long distance can be. We also learned how to size up an obstacle and figure out how to get through it.

Our next exercise was a fence crossing. We performed the crossing fairly well and then were told to do it again. The second time was considerably better. We maintained better noise discipline and kept our buddy teams together. This goes to show that practice makes perfect.

After lunch we tackled the most challenging task of the day. Our objective was to cross about 200 yards of ground covered by knee high to waist high grass. Needless to say this involved covering a lot of ground on our bellies. We had split into two teams and started from different places. Unfortunately, the team I was on got spotted about twenty yards from our objective. The other team however completed the mission perfectly. My team had finished first and even with us trying to locate them they avoided detection until they had reached their target.

Next was weapons class where the two visitors were shown how to field strip and reassemble the rifles used by different members of our unit. This gives all of us a chance to familiarize ourselves with the other weapons we might encounter.

By now it was getting time for me to call it a day. Due to obligations at church on Sunday I wasn’t staying the night. So Rick and I packed up, said our good-byes and headed for home. As always it was rewarding to spend time with some great friends and hone our field skills.

Field Report

14 July, 2007

Report By: Tom Mullins, NMVM

I arrived at the training area at 0800, weather started off warm in the mid 80’s but later reaching the mid - upper 90’s. High humidity made the air thick. I was fortunate enough to be given a single point sling to try out which was made by our very own, Joe. After a full day of use I had no problems with it at all. Good stitching, quick release clip, Blackhawks got nothing on this. We started off with a quick prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. We then went through some current events and geared up for the day. We moved off in a column formation and made our way across the clearing until we encountered our first obstacle. In this case, a barb wire fence running parallel to some railroad tracks.

We found a spot where a strand was broken and moved through the fence one by one. Upon securing the other side, we crossed the LDA in a two man blast technique and moved off into the woods.

At this point we sent a two man recce team ahead to occupy some hasty fighting positions which had been dug during the last training. After they were in position, we moved off to see if we could spot them. Upon reaching the end of the lane, not one of us had seen them. Their positions were less than 10 feet off the trail, at near eye level!

After a quick inspection of their position, we moved off into another clearing for some assault drills. This is my bread and butter. We started off doing two men bounding assaults, followed by four men and eight men. After a few rounds of this we moved on to a simulated raid on an enemy OP. We patrolled into where the OP was and sent Bravo Team on a flanking maneuver. Once they were in position, we put down a base of fire so that they could assault through the target. We had good communication through this allowing us to shift fire ahead of our assault group. For safety purposes this was of course a dry run though there should be a live fire replay next month. After a few more runs we broke for lunch. I brought along one of my discount MRE entrees which was terrible to say the least. I no longer have questions as to why it was discounted. If you see a deal on the chopped and formed pork in noodles with Jamaican seasoning, PASS! I will definitely stick to the beef steak with mushroom gravy. After an overview of IAD’s and ambushes, we prepared to patrol out. This time we used a blast from file to cross our LDA. Upon reaching the other side, we again passed through the fence and patrolled back to the staging area. After an AAR it was concluded that our noise discipline was quite good, but that more PT was in order for everyone.

Operation: Helping Hand

16 December, 2006

Report by: R.J. Sumpter

Even though all of us have problems in this rough and tumble world, it is a necessity to remember that there are others who are less fortunate than we are. We asked City Union Mission if we could lend a hand at Christmas time, they accepted and assigned us to work at one of the local thrift stores. Four men were able to make it and showed up at 9 AM. Including a new man (Beau) who wanted to find out more about our group. We met the store manager Rick who was a little skeptical at first about having the Militia lending a hand. When he asked us what we could do, our simple answer took care of any concerns he had. "We are here to work, whatever job you have we will do our best to complete. What do you need done." Rick quickly showed us around the store, then we took some shopping carts and headed outside to clean up a sizable pile of donations, (these had been dropped off in the night by someone who wished to remain anonymous.) This small task took just a few minutes, and we brought them inside to be weighed in, and then carried them back to a storage area and piled them on top of a semi-load pile of more bags. (All to be sorted later.) Rick then pointed to a row of 50-gallon fiber barrels stacked two high, two deep and at least thirty-barrels long against a wall. He asked us to take the clothes out and place them on hangers, then hang them on a Z-rack and distribute them through the store in the appropriate location We responded with a "Can-Do", and set to our task. Now just to let you know these are four guys who don’t hate shopping, but a stick in the eye is less painful. Trying to figure out the different sizes was a task in itself. Anyway, we were there to help and with good humor dug in to the appointed task. We broke into two teams, one team working at one end of the line and one team at the other end. Now the storage area where we were working was extremely cramped with barely enough room for the barrels and a narrow aisle to walk down.

Aisle Space

The plastic coat hangers are also stored in barrels and you can’t reach in for just one and pull it out, so if you wanted one you might get a dozen. And this is the fun part of the job. Besides unloading cars and bringing in donations, we also moved out furniture to be loaded.

Bill Bringing In The Donations

Anyway, six hours later, there were 11 empty barrels of clothes and 2 empty hanger barrels, and no places left to hang anymore clothes in the store. We filled up the last two z-racks and called this a successful mission. Lending a helping hand is a job the Militia can do, and one we perform with pride.

Friends at City Union Mission, (not pictured: Randy and Beau)

Wishing all of our friends who read our web site

From all of our Families here at the 1^st Battalion/ 3^rd Brigade Missouri Militia to all of you. Christ is the reason for the season.

FIELD REPORT

2 DECEMBER, 2006

REPORT BY: JOE, 1ST/3RD

I arrived at the training area at 1000 sharp. Because of the weather- temperature around 20 deg. F' and the staffing of the table at the gun show, turnout was a little low. But this training was proof that success can’t be measured solely by a head count.

The day started with some review of our basic first aid training. We had an in depth discussion on how to deal with traumatic injuries. Topics included how to apply a pressure dressing, how to splint a fracture, and how to treat for shock. We also discussed our basic first aid kit and whether it was sufficient for treating these types of injuries. This was followed by a weather appropriate refresher look at how to recognize, treat, and avoid frostbite and hypothermia.

We finished up our first aid time with some hands on training on how to transport the wounded. Some of the best times at training are when we actually put what we learn into practice and that was certainly the case here. As tends to be the case, things look easier on paper than they are in practice. We quickly learned how difficult it really is to pick up an unconscious (simulated of course) person single handedly. We got a chance to practice the fireman’s carry on each other and found this to be a great way to move someone. If done in relays, an injured person could be transported a long way very quickly without physically exhausting the people doing the carrying. We rounded out this training by constructing an improvised stretcher from two of our BDU shirts and a couple of long pieces of deadfall we found lying around and taking turns testing it out. We found that we could easily carry our heaviest member who is over 220lbs. Going up and down hills or over obstacles would take some effort but that’s what teamwork is all about!

Next we retired to our militia support vehicle (Tom’s SUV!) for some hot tea or cocoa and granola bars and some more classroom type work.

Tom gave an interesting class titled "The Cerebral Dynamics of Combat" that was very informative and thought provoking. We don’t focus on the psychological aspect of training very often so I personally learned a lot from it.

Since we had covered our agenda for the day it was decided to end training early and head to town for a hot meal and some light hearted conversation before we all headed home. All in all this was a very effective and successful training.

FIELD REPORT

12 AUGUST, 2006

REPORT BY: TOM MULLINS, NMVM

I arrived at the training area at 1030 hours, weather was mild with heavy cloud cover in the low - mid 80's. I met the newest member of our group, James. I was given the Intel brief and the training schedule for the day. There was already a class on communications in progress. We went over the operation and maintenance of our radios, and then moved on to a very brief hand signals class. We then geared up and checked weapons. Everyone loaded a blank in the chamber for ND control and we prepared the patrol. We broke into buddy teams and were given our radio callsigns and then we were off. I was on point as we moved off to the west side of the clearing. We moved into some high grass and brush until we encountered our first patrol obstacle. In this case a creek bed. After a quick discussion with the patrol sergeant, we decided to contour around. While moving through the brush, everyone did an exemplary job with noise discipline and keeping a low impact on the environment. (As in not trampling down the grass, breaking limbs or leaving much, if any trail.) We began to get into thicker brush, so we moved out towards the clearing. I happened to notice the Colonel disappear and figured he might be up to something. As we started into the edge of the clearing, I heard a noise in the woods in front of us. I signaled a halt and everyone went to ground. Most of the patrol were still in the high brush and were not visible at all. (James and I must've done well not moving, because even though we were in the open, we didn't alarm a deer moving parallel across the field that looked right at us several times.) I called for the recon team and explained the situation. They moved up and conducted a thorough sweep of each side of the woods. They reported they found animal trails going down into the creek but no human tracks. We cautiously continued north along the edge of the clearing.

SEARCHING FOR THE ENEMY

Shortly after designating our second rally point, I noticed a dirt trail descending into the creek. As I began to inspect it, I noticed the Colonel lying on the bank. When he realized that I had discovered him, he told me to keep moving to see how many others would find him. All totaled, 3 of us saw him. He was pretty well hidden, virtually invisible until he moved. We continued on until we found a place to rest in a dry, shallow, creek bed with lots over cover and concealment. We put up 360' security until we were ready to move.

360 SECURITY<