May 2009
May was a bit busier than usual. In addition to what everyone has going on in their personal
lives (work, college, etc.), there was also the military vehicle show in Findlay, and the Basic
Infantry Course the following weekend.
Military vehicle Show, Findlay
The vehicle show was fun. We got a chance to see some military vehicles from years past,
as well as meet new and interesting people and hang out with members of others
battalions that we might not get to see normally otherwise. And some of the vendors at the
show had gear that some of us had been wanting. There were also re-enactors there.
American, German, British, and Canadian forces from WWII were represented, as well as
Imperial Germany prior to the first World War, and even a couple guys who'd put together
East German uniforms.
Thank you to all the members of 1st and 3rd battalions who helped make this possible.
Hopefully we see you all again next year, as well as the guys who couldn't make it this time.
Basic Infantry Course
AAR has been posted under "Operations".
April 2009
This month we were back to travelling again. We used a training area in the northeast part
of the state, courtesy of one of the members of 3rd. Thanks again for letting us use that.
We'd used this training area before, but we didn't know where the property lines were.
Thanks to one member's resourcefulness, that has been fixed. First thing we did was walk
the property line, trying to make sure we knew where it was so we could get maximum use
out of the property, without going onto the neighbor's land. Turns out that it's a LOT bigger
than what we initially thought. And as an added bonus, we found a few safe places to
shoot. While we were doing that, one member pointed out various edible plants, as well as
a few that had medicinal value, and others that are good to stay away from. We also
encountered a snake (non-poisonous, just a little garter snake) and found some fairly fresh
bear tracks. The rest of the day was spent in review, giving team leaders a chance to be
team leaders, and giving people a chance to get a feel for what it's like to operate as part of
a fire team. We also did a night patrol, which is pretty standard for us.
March 2009
This month we had access to a place to train that was much closer to all of us than our
usual training areas are. Our thanks to the owner of said property.
A couple new faces were there this month, so we made sure to go over some of the basics
(hand signals, IA drills, patrol formations, that kind of thing). First, though, the owner of the
aforementioned property had a couple things he wanted to teach, so we gave him our
attention for a couple hours.
We began with a vehicle checkpoint. You're probably thinking "What in the world would you
need to do this for?" Well, you never know what the future holds, and it pays to be prepared.
If you are ready for the worst, anything else is a pleasant surprise. So the vehicle
checkpoint is kind of in the "You never know when you might need THIS" vein. Seeing as
how this was completely new to most of those present, we pulled it off fairly well.
Next up was an assortment of knots. Again, one of those "You never know" things. Knowing
how to properly secure things with rope can be a pretty handy skill to have. Much better to
know what you are doing, and use a knot that actually works, than to use what one member
of 3rd BN called a 'crackhead knot' for everything. By the way, crackhead knots are OK for
shoelaces, as long as you never want to take your shoes off, but pretty much useless for
everything else.
After that we familiarized the new people with hand signals and formations, then stepped
out on a brief patrol. Afterwards we shot the AQT, which is always an eye opener. If you've
never shot the AQT, place an order at Fred's M14 Stocks for some.
Once everyone was thoroughly humbled by the AQT, we got a fire going so we could cook
dinner, then waited for the sun to go down and the night to get nice and dark so we could
go on a night patrol. Some bonehead didn't set his field watch forward an hour, so instead
of racking out around 2200, it was a little after 2300 by the time we got our sleeping bags
out. Oops. Beautiful March night, by the way. Warmer than, say, January, but still brisk
enough to remind you that it's March, and you're sleeping outside.
Sunday was our usual, review of what we'd covered. A bit of a light session this time out.
We'll be making up for that in the future, though.
February 2009
"Operation Neutron Solstice". For this exercise, 4th was the aggressor force for 3rd
(NEODF). 3rd had set up a defensive position on a farm in Columbiana County. We probed
their defenses caused their react teams to run around looking for us, then managed to get
a team in their perimeter before they were eliminated by the defenders. Considering we
were outnumbered, on average, by almost 3 to 1, we didn't do too bad (in a real situation,
attacking a defended position with the odds against you that bad would be a very inefficient
form of suicide). We did a LOT of walking, too, when trying to work our way around their
positions and hit them from an angle we though they wouldn't suspect.
After a quick debrief and a chance to eat chow, we settled in for the night. Participants in
this exercise slept in an old barn. 3rd brought cots and a kerosene heater. Rather than
sleep in a little room and suck kerosene fumes all night, and to show just how hard 4th is
(j/k), we slept in a pile of straw right by the open doors. Which wasn't too bad...until the wind
blew snow and rain right on a few of us.
By the way, the 4th Battalion tradition was alive and well. Even though the weather was very
nice during the day, as soon as the sun went down the temperature took a nose dive and
the rain and snow started. 3rd made sure to thank us for that. We're just trying to make sure
they get some good training in. Bad weather makes for good training. Maybe that should be
the 4th BN motto.....
On Sunday we did some shooting drills and a squad-sized attack, as well as reviewing a
SALUTE report and some field first aid. Since we had a long drive home, we left a little after
noon.
Training with 3rd is always a good time. We get good training in, and we enjoy the
experience.
January 2009
Nothing like getting the new year off to a bad start. First we had to reschedule training due
to weather. Yeah, you won't hear that very often from 4th, but there it is. A storm moved in the
day before we were supposed to go to training, dumping quite a bit of snow. Which wouldn't
be a problem, except for how far we needed to drive to get to the training area. If we'd
actually been there when the snow moved in, it would've been great. But no. So we moved
training to the following week.
Unfortunately, this meant that half our members were unavailable due to prior
commitments. And when others got sick and still others had pipes freezing in their homes
the following weekend, combined with vehicle trouble for more, it was enough to halt
January's training altogether. Looks like it just wasn't meant to happen.
Next month we'll be back at it, though. We'll be the aggressor force for 3rd (NEODF), which
means both battalions will get some good training in. We may have missed out this month,
but 2009 is going to be even better than 2008 was.
____________________________________________________________
December 2008
Due to a couple of new people showing up, our original plan of building improvised
shelters was scrapped in favor of basic infantry skills. After working on these for the first
half of the day, a couple people checked the zeros on their rifles, then we did some Failure
to Stop drills, also sometimes called "Mozambique drills" (two shots to the chest, one shot
to the head). We did these with both rifles and pistols. Each relay did two strings of 3 shots
with a time limit of 5 seconds, checking the targets and patching holes after each string.
After the 2nd relay took their shots, the first group stepped up to the line again, only this
time the time limit was shorted to 3 seconds. We'll do this drill again in the future, cutting
the time limit even more and at some point adding a transition from rifle to pistol.
After the shooting drills and some review of the days training, we took a break for chow and
to set up our sleeping area, then went back out for a night patrol. Overall this went very well,
especially considering that there were a few people who were completely new to this, as
well as several who had trained before but not with 4th.
Sunday was basically more review, as well as a daytime patrol.
Special thanks to the member of NEODF who let us use his place to train on, as well as
another member of NEODF who showed up Sunday morning with coffee and donuts, and
who joined us on patrol, both as a member of the patrol and as a cameraman.
___________________________________________________________
November 2008
Rifle qualification and a couple of drills with NEODF.
Since there were so many people qualifying, we broke into two teams. One team qualified
and marked targets for the shooters, while the other went to another range for the "jungle
walk". This consisted of a multitude of targets set at unknown ranges from the shooter, who
had to engage about a half dozen or so bowling pins from the start position, then move
through a draw and engage targets as they became visible to him.
After sunset, we did a night shoot, engaging targets when a flare was fired into the air. The
flares didn't stay up very long, so you only had a few seconds with which to engage targets.
On Sunday the group that hadn't qualified yet got to do so. They also got to fight a
snowstorm (the shooters the previous day had rain to contend with though). Shooting the
AQT at training as often as we have paid off, as several members saw a pretty significant
increase in their ability level from when they first joined the group.
Unfortunately, several of the events that were planned had to be cancelled due to the sheer
number of people who needed to qualify and the fact that it's winter and the sun goes down
so early. Qualifications will be moved to earlier in the year next year.
__________________________________________________________
October 2008
A joint op between us and the Unorganized Militia of Champaign County. Unlike the rest of
our training sessions, this was only a single-day session.
We started with some light hand to hand training. Defense against choke holds and
headlocks, a few strikes, that kind of thing. Even though everyone ended up on the ground
numerous times, there was no complaining. It's hard to learn to fight without ending up on
the ground a lot, and everyone realized that. No one was injured, other than a little
soreness, which is always a good thing.
After lunch, we moved on with some Immediate Action drills for larger units. We did this for
a few hours, and everyone was pretty comfortable with their ability to do things right. As
always, this will require a lot of practice before it becomes ingrained to the point where it
requires no thought.
Once that was done, the range was opened and those who weren't shooting took the
opportunity for conversation with new people. We took our leave around sundown, since we
had quite a bit of driving time ahead of us.
This was a very good session, and we look forward to working with the Champaign County
crew more in the future.
__________________________________________________________
September 2008
Many thanks to a member of 3rd BN, who let us use his family's farm for training this month.
After arriving, we walked around to get a feel for the place, see where we could shoot, see if
there were any hazards we needed to be aware of (such as marshes, old rusty barbed wire
fences hidden in tall grass, that kind of thing). Then we reviewed some of the things we've
been working on the past few months, and gave a new member a chance to get a firm
grasp of the subject matter. This was followed by a daytime patrol, then more practice on
Immediate Action procedures. After dinner and a couple hours of rest while waiting for the
sun to set, we went back out for another night patrol. It never hurts to practice the basics,
especially when there are people who are completely new to this.
Sunday was more of the same. Practice, practice, practice. Immediate Action drills are the
kind of thing that can save your life, but in order to make them "Immediate" you have to
practice them until you do them without thinking. The only way to do that is through a lot of
repetition.
__________________________________________________________
July 2008
We were going to go to Belmont County and aid in the manhunt for an escapee, but
received word that the search had been called off, so instead we went with our original
plan. We made a couple solar stills, as well as the trigger mechanisms for a few traps
and snares. Afterward, we shot the AQT again. Everyone showed some improvement from
last time.
Afterward we did some work on room entry and clearing, had some hot chow, and went
over prisoner searching. Thank you to the member who provided the hot chow (you know
who you are).
___________________________________________________________
May 2008
This time out we did some review of things we'll be doing at the Statewide training next
month. Map reading, diagnosing and treating heat and cold casualties, treating other kinds
of wounds (like a sucking chest wound). We also took a practice shot at the Army
Qualification Test from FredsM14stocks.com, and several of us shot a practice pistol
qualification using the Marine Corps pistol qual course as our course of fire. The AQT is
harder than you'd think, especially when it's been a few months since you've gotten a
decent amount of trigger time. We did another night patrol, this time going into some
heavier vegetation, then racked out. On Sunday we did a patrol with several members of
1st, this time to recon an area.
___________________________________________________________
April 2008
This month's training was both Saturday and Sunday. And, of course, the weather
cooperated and made sure we had good training weather (rain, and more rain).
Saturday involved some instruction on recon, as well as more practice patrolling and giving
a SALUTE report. We also did a little shooting, then went back out on another patrol.
Toward late afternoon we found a suitable place to sleep and set up an improvised shelter
to keep the rain off us, got some chow and a couple hours rest, then did a night patrol.
Watches were established, and we racked out.
Sunday was the day to actually do the recon, since that was 1st BN's training day. We woke
up early, ate, and moved out. During our movement to a hide spot, we saw a couple
members of 1st walking down the bike trail, and heard them talking, so we hit the deck and
froze. They walked right past us (much to our relief). Later, on that same bike trail (but in a
different location), two kids and a dog walked past us while we were hidden.
Finding a spot that would conceal us while allowing us to keep 1st under surveillance was
harder than anticipated, but we finally managed it. We watched them for around 3 hours,
doing various patrol formations, IA drills, and practice assaults. The original plan was for
them to do search & rescue, but plans change. Eventually we had to end the exercise so
we could do an AAR, then gather our gear and head home. We stuck around longer than
anticipated to do some of the drills.
Everything worked out pretty well, and we're considering doing full weekend training
sessions more often, since that way we're not as pressed for time and trying to cram
everything in to one day.
___________________________________________________________
March 2008
Gotta love Ohio weather. The day started off cool and clear, and worked its way up to heavy
snow before going back to cool and clear again. Large flakes meant limited visibility. But
bad weather makes for good training, and that's what we got.
More work on basic infantry skills. Special attention was paid to the basics of team fire and
movement. We did numerous practice assaults, as well as sand table instruction on the
basics of an attack, such as the different elements and their jobs. We also discussed the
schedule for the upcoming statewide training, as well as future training for 4th. After more
fire and movement practice, the range was opened and people with new weapons,
modifications to existing weapons, or new ammo loads tried their stuff out.
___________________________________________________________
February 2008
Another joint op with NEODF. This time the subjects were survival skills and land
navigation, with some small unit tactics for good measure.
We started out by finding a suitable location for a shelter to protect us from both the
elements and hostile eyes. After working on improving our shelters we had two short
classes, one on edible plants that you can survive off of if foraging becomes necessary, the
other on methods of starting fire. No gasoline and matches here; we were using things like
steel wool, a magnesium firestarter, or a magnifying glass.
Afterwards we went back to our shelters and waited for word to move out and search for the
shelters of the other teams. Before long, the sun had set and the temperature took a pretty
steep drop, but the moonlight on the snow provided enough illumination to see by, and this
had been planned for. The exercise continued. Blue Team not only accomplished all their
goals, they also got back to the CP after doing so with more than an hour to spare before
the end of the exercise. Good job guys!
Aside from a too-close encounter with one of our furry woodland friends, the night was cold
yet uneventful. Until the early morning hours, when we got more of that lovely Ohio weather:
freezing rain. Always fun, that.
After breakfast (and coffee for the zombies among us), we got in some more hand to hand
training, including several excellent disarms for use when confronted by an attacker armed
with a firearm.
Then it was time to kill and clean chickens. I'm certain that our instructor made it look a lot
easier than it really is. The chickens were roasted on the fire and, combined with food that
members brought, made a good lunch. Definitely a good skill to have. Being able to skin a
bird, as well as clean a fish, could turn a desperate food situation into a comfortable one in
some kind of emergency.
___________________________________________________________
January 2008
This month we went over infantry skills and tactics. First off came patrol formations and
hand signals. We worked on that for a while, then some immediate action drills. After lunch
we put these skills to use and went on a short patrol so that everyone could practice the
signals and formations, as well as gain an appreciation for walking point. After the patrol
we did more work on immediate action drills, running a few of them several times.
___________________________________________________________
October 2007:
Another joint session with 3rd BN (NEODF). This month we got in some time on the rifle
range, then did some convoy operations. Since we could only run so many people through
the shooting portion of this training session at a time, we divided into two groups. While the
first group was doing a 2 mile hike, the other group was doing the shooting portion of the
day's training, which was practice for next month's rifle qualification. Some people shot
better than they had expected, some worse, but we all got some idea of how much practice
we need. After the shooters were finished, the two groups switched.
After a break for lunch, we started on Convoy Operations. Our mission was laid out, the
route was shown, and we got our equipment squared away. Luckily there were a few extra
paintball guns to be had, since not everyone had one (this is another thing that everyone
should work on getting). *Please note, we USE paintball as a training aid, we DO NOT
'play paintball'.* The OpFor ('Opposition Force' for those who didn't already know) moved
out while the rest of the group was getting ready, and we gave them about 15 or 20 minutes
to get into position. Then we mounted up and headed out.
Our scout vehicle did a good job of passing word back to the other vehicles about possible
ambush sites, turns in the road, depressions, hill tops, approaching vehicles, and
generally anything suspicious or that we should pay attention to.
When we got to the spot the OpFor had picked for the ambush, two vehicles pushed on
through, while the other two were supposed to stop and drop off their gunners. We ended
up just pushing on through with all vehicles when it looked like the OpFor was moving in
toward the stopped rear vehicles (though it was probably just gunners from the first
vehicles, mistaken as OpFor). As it turned out, this worked well for us, as only two hits were
achieved on the convoy, both of which were taken on the same vehicle, and neither of which
were serious. But if the OpFor had estimated the lead necessary to hit a moving vehicle
with the weapons they were using just a little bit better, they would have gotten a kill on the
vehicle they hit. Good job OpFor! And everyone else, too. This was a good training session.
___________________________________________________________
September 2007: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the training with both 3rd and 1st did
not go as planned. However, we did manage to get a few things done, including working
out the planning on some improvements to the training areas. 1st also got some tasks
done around their area that needed done, and got prepped for the White Cottage festival.
Regular training resumes next month, come Hell or high water.
___________________________________________________________
August 2007: We trained with one of the other ODF battalions, NEODF (3rd Battalion).
Members who were at the last training session teamed up with those who weren't to
construct an improvised ghillie. Then those who were there last month went into the bush
and set up an ambush, while those who weren't went looking for them. They got to within a
few meters, and still hadn't seen us, when one of the ambushers, figuring they'd seen him
for sure, opened up on them. Even after the ambush was halted and the ambushers stood
up to reveal their locations, the ambushees had trouble spotting them when they got back
into position. Pretty good for something that uses natural materials and a bit of twine, and
takes maybe 15 to 30 minutes to construct, huh?
We also got on some hand to hand training before breaking for lunch. After lunch, we did
some drills on exiting a vehicle and engaging bad guys, and evacuating a wounded person
into a vehicle.
____________________________________________________________
July 2007: We learned how to make an improvised ghillie suit, how to use natural
materials (plants, mud) to camouflage our bodies and clothing, how to make and set
snares, and how to stalk on a variety of surfaces, including in water. We also learned the
hard way to pay constant attention to what we were doing, since
our instructor was kind enough to set boobytraps around the area where he was
instructing, which we dutifully found, often by accident ('the hard way'), whenever we
returned from practicing the skills we were learning.
____________________________________________________________
May was a bit busier than usual. In addition to what everyone has going on in their personal
lives (work, college, etc.), there was also the military vehicle show in Findlay, and the Basic
Infantry Course the following weekend.
Military vehicle Show, Findlay
The vehicle show was fun. We got a chance to see some military vehicles from years past,
as well as meet new and interesting people and hang out with members of others
battalions that we might not get to see normally otherwise. And some of the vendors at the
show had gear that some of us had been wanting. There were also re-enactors there.
American, German, British, and Canadian forces from WWII were represented, as well as
Imperial Germany prior to the first World War, and even a couple guys who'd put together
East German uniforms.
Thank you to all the members of 1st and 3rd battalions who helped make this possible.
Hopefully we see you all again next year, as well as the guys who couldn't make it this time.
Basic Infantry Course
AAR has been posted under "Operations".
April 2009
This month we were back to travelling again. We used a training area in the northeast part
of the state, courtesy of one of the members of 3rd. Thanks again for letting us use that.
We'd used this training area before, but we didn't know where the property lines were.
Thanks to one member's resourcefulness, that has been fixed. First thing we did was walk
the property line, trying to make sure we knew where it was so we could get maximum use
out of the property, without going onto the neighbor's land. Turns out that it's a LOT bigger
than what we initially thought. And as an added bonus, we found a few safe places to
shoot. While we were doing that, one member pointed out various edible plants, as well as
a few that had medicinal value, and others that are good to stay away from. We also
encountered a snake (non-poisonous, just a little garter snake) and found some fairly fresh
bear tracks. The rest of the day was spent in review, giving team leaders a chance to be
team leaders, and giving people a chance to get a feel for what it's like to operate as part of
a fire team. We also did a night patrol, which is pretty standard for us.
March 2009
This month we had access to a place to train that was much closer to all of us than our
usual training areas are. Our thanks to the owner of said property.
A couple new faces were there this month, so we made sure to go over some of the basics
(hand signals, IA drills, patrol formations, that kind of thing). First, though, the owner of the
aforementioned property had a couple things he wanted to teach, so we gave him our
attention for a couple hours.
We began with a vehicle checkpoint. You're probably thinking "What in the world would you
need to do this for?" Well, you never know what the future holds, and it pays to be prepared.
If you are ready for the worst, anything else is a pleasant surprise. So the vehicle
checkpoint is kind of in the "You never know when you might need THIS" vein. Seeing as
how this was completely new to most of those present, we pulled it off fairly well.
Next up was an assortment of knots. Again, one of those "You never know" things. Knowing
how to properly secure things with rope can be a pretty handy skill to have. Much better to
know what you are doing, and use a knot that actually works, than to use what one member
of 3rd BN called a 'crackhead knot' for everything. By the way, crackhead knots are OK for
shoelaces, as long as you never want to take your shoes off, but pretty much useless for
everything else.
After that we familiarized the new people with hand signals and formations, then stepped
out on a brief patrol. Afterwards we shot the AQT, which is always an eye opener. If you've
never shot the AQT, place an order at Fred's M14 Stocks for some.
Once everyone was thoroughly humbled by the AQT, we got a fire going so we could cook
dinner, then waited for the sun to go down and the night to get nice and dark so we could
go on a night patrol. Some bonehead didn't set his field watch forward an hour, so instead
of racking out around 2200, it was a little after 2300 by the time we got our sleeping bags
out. Oops. Beautiful March night, by the way. Warmer than, say, January, but still brisk
enough to remind you that it's March, and you're sleeping outside.
Sunday was our usual, review of what we'd covered. A bit of a light session this time out.
We'll be making up for that in the future, though.
February 2009
"Operation Neutron Solstice". For this exercise, 4th was the aggressor force for 3rd
(NEODF). 3rd had set up a defensive position on a farm in Columbiana County. We probed
their defenses caused their react teams to run around looking for us, then managed to get
a team in their perimeter before they were eliminated by the defenders. Considering we
were outnumbered, on average, by almost 3 to 1, we didn't do too bad (in a real situation,
attacking a defended position with the odds against you that bad would be a very inefficient
form of suicide). We did a LOT of walking, too, when trying to work our way around their
positions and hit them from an angle we though they wouldn't suspect.
After a quick debrief and a chance to eat chow, we settled in for the night. Participants in
this exercise slept in an old barn. 3rd brought cots and a kerosene heater. Rather than
sleep in a little room and suck kerosene fumes all night, and to show just how hard 4th is
(j/k), we slept in a pile of straw right by the open doors. Which wasn't too bad...until the wind
blew snow and rain right on a few of us.
By the way, the 4th Battalion tradition was alive and well. Even though the weather was very
nice during the day, as soon as the sun went down the temperature took a nose dive and
the rain and snow started. 3rd made sure to thank us for that. We're just trying to make sure
they get some good training in. Bad weather makes for good training. Maybe that should be
the 4th BN motto.....
On Sunday we did some shooting drills and a squad-sized attack, as well as reviewing a
SALUTE report and some field first aid. Since we had a long drive home, we left a little after
noon.
Training with 3rd is always a good time. We get good training in, and we enjoy the
experience.
January 2009
Nothing like getting the new year off to a bad start. First we had to reschedule training due
to weather. Yeah, you won't hear that very often from 4th, but there it is. A storm moved in the
day before we were supposed to go to training, dumping quite a bit of snow. Which wouldn't
be a problem, except for how far we needed to drive to get to the training area. If we'd
actually been there when the snow moved in, it would've been great. But no. So we moved
training to the following week.
Unfortunately, this meant that half our members were unavailable due to prior
commitments. And when others got sick and still others had pipes freezing in their homes
the following weekend, combined with vehicle trouble for more, it was enough to halt
January's training altogether. Looks like it just wasn't meant to happen.
Next month we'll be back at it, though. We'll be the aggressor force for 3rd (NEODF), which
means both battalions will get some good training in. We may have missed out this month,
but 2009 is going to be even better than 2008 was.
____________________________________________________________
December 2008
Due to a couple of new people showing up, our original plan of building improvised
shelters was scrapped in favor of basic infantry skills. After working on these for the first
half of the day, a couple people checked the zeros on their rifles, then we did some Failure
to Stop drills, also sometimes called "Mozambique drills" (two shots to the chest, one shot
to the head). We did these with both rifles and pistols. Each relay did two strings of 3 shots
with a time limit of 5 seconds, checking the targets and patching holes after each string.
After the 2nd relay took their shots, the first group stepped up to the line again, only this
time the time limit was shorted to 3 seconds. We'll do this drill again in the future, cutting
the time limit even more and at some point adding a transition from rifle to pistol.
After the shooting drills and some review of the days training, we took a break for chow and
to set up our sleeping area, then went back out for a night patrol. Overall this went very well,
especially considering that there were a few people who were completely new to this, as
well as several who had trained before but not with 4th.
Sunday was basically more review, as well as a daytime patrol.
Special thanks to the member of NEODF who let us use his place to train on, as well as
another member of NEODF who showed up Sunday morning with coffee and donuts, and
who joined us on patrol, both as a member of the patrol and as a cameraman.
___________________________________________________________
November 2008
Rifle qualification and a couple of drills with NEODF.
Since there were so many people qualifying, we broke into two teams. One team qualified
and marked targets for the shooters, while the other went to another range for the "jungle
walk". This consisted of a multitude of targets set at unknown ranges from the shooter, who
had to engage about a half dozen or so bowling pins from the start position, then move
through a draw and engage targets as they became visible to him.
After sunset, we did a night shoot, engaging targets when a flare was fired into the air. The
flares didn't stay up very long, so you only had a few seconds with which to engage targets.
On Sunday the group that hadn't qualified yet got to do so. They also got to fight a
snowstorm (the shooters the previous day had rain to contend with though). Shooting the
AQT at training as often as we have paid off, as several members saw a pretty significant
increase in their ability level from when they first joined the group.
Unfortunately, several of the events that were planned had to be cancelled due to the sheer
number of people who needed to qualify and the fact that it's winter and the sun goes down
so early. Qualifications will be moved to earlier in the year next year.
__________________________________________________________
October 2008
A joint op between us and the Unorganized Militia of Champaign County. Unlike the rest of
our training sessions, this was only a single-day session.
We started with some light hand to hand training. Defense against choke holds and
headlocks, a few strikes, that kind of thing. Even though everyone ended up on the ground
numerous times, there was no complaining. It's hard to learn to fight without ending up on
the ground a lot, and everyone realized that. No one was injured, other than a little
soreness, which is always a good thing.
After lunch, we moved on with some Immediate Action drills for larger units. We did this for
a few hours, and everyone was pretty comfortable with their ability to do things right. As
always, this will require a lot of practice before it becomes ingrained to the point where it
requires no thought.
Once that was done, the range was opened and those who weren't shooting took the
opportunity for conversation with new people. We took our leave around sundown, since we
had quite a bit of driving time ahead of us.
This was a very good session, and we look forward to working with the Champaign County
crew more in the future.
__________________________________________________________
September 2008
Many thanks to a member of 3rd BN, who let us use his family's farm for training this month.
After arriving, we walked around to get a feel for the place, see where we could shoot, see if
there were any hazards we needed to be aware of (such as marshes, old rusty barbed wire
fences hidden in tall grass, that kind of thing). Then we reviewed some of the things we've
been working on the past few months, and gave a new member a chance to get a firm
grasp of the subject matter. This was followed by a daytime patrol, then more practice on
Immediate Action procedures. After dinner and a couple hours of rest while waiting for the
sun to set, we went back out for another night patrol. It never hurts to practice the basics,
especially when there are people who are completely new to this.
Sunday was more of the same. Practice, practice, practice. Immediate Action drills are the
kind of thing that can save your life, but in order to make them "Immediate" you have to
practice them until you do them without thinking. The only way to do that is through a lot of
repetition.
__________________________________________________________
July 2008
We were going to go to Belmont County and aid in the manhunt for an escapee, but
received word that the search had been called off, so instead we went with our original
plan. We made a couple solar stills, as well as the trigger mechanisms for a few traps
and snares. Afterward, we shot the AQT again. Everyone showed some improvement from
last time.
Afterward we did some work on room entry and clearing, had some hot chow, and went
over prisoner searching. Thank you to the member who provided the hot chow (you know
who you are).
___________________________________________________________
May 2008
This time out we did some review of things we'll be doing at the Statewide training next
month. Map reading, diagnosing and treating heat and cold casualties, treating other kinds
of wounds (like a sucking chest wound). We also took a practice shot at the Army
Qualification Test from FredsM14stocks.com, and several of us shot a practice pistol
qualification using the Marine Corps pistol qual course as our course of fire. The AQT is
harder than you'd think, especially when it's been a few months since you've gotten a
decent amount of trigger time. We did another night patrol, this time going into some
heavier vegetation, then racked out. On Sunday we did a patrol with several members of
1st, this time to recon an area.
___________________________________________________________
April 2008
This month's training was both Saturday and Sunday. And, of course, the weather
cooperated and made sure we had good training weather (rain, and more rain).
Saturday involved some instruction on recon, as well as more practice patrolling and giving
a SALUTE report. We also did a little shooting, then went back out on another patrol.
Toward late afternoon we found a suitable place to sleep and set up an improvised shelter
to keep the rain off us, got some chow and a couple hours rest, then did a night patrol.
Watches were established, and we racked out.
Sunday was the day to actually do the recon, since that was 1st BN's training day. We woke
up early, ate, and moved out. During our movement to a hide spot, we saw a couple
members of 1st walking down the bike trail, and heard them talking, so we hit the deck and
froze. They walked right past us (much to our relief). Later, on that same bike trail (but in a
different location), two kids and a dog walked past us while we were hidden.
Finding a spot that would conceal us while allowing us to keep 1st under surveillance was
harder than anticipated, but we finally managed it. We watched them for around 3 hours,
doing various patrol formations, IA drills, and practice assaults. The original plan was for
them to do search & rescue, but plans change. Eventually we had to end the exercise so
we could do an AAR, then gather our gear and head home. We stuck around longer than
anticipated to do some of the drills.
Everything worked out pretty well, and we're considering doing full weekend training
sessions more often, since that way we're not as pressed for time and trying to cram
everything in to one day.
___________________________________________________________
March 2008
Gotta love Ohio weather. The day started off cool and clear, and worked its way up to heavy
snow before going back to cool and clear again. Large flakes meant limited visibility. But
bad weather makes for good training, and that's what we got.
More work on basic infantry skills. Special attention was paid to the basics of team fire and
movement. We did numerous practice assaults, as well as sand table instruction on the
basics of an attack, such as the different elements and their jobs. We also discussed the
schedule for the upcoming statewide training, as well as future training for 4th. After more
fire and movement practice, the range was opened and people with new weapons,
modifications to existing weapons, or new ammo loads tried their stuff out.
___________________________________________________________
February 2008
Another joint op with NEODF. This time the subjects were survival skills and land
navigation, with some small unit tactics for good measure.
We started out by finding a suitable location for a shelter to protect us from both the
elements and hostile eyes. After working on improving our shelters we had two short
classes, one on edible plants that you can survive off of if foraging becomes necessary, the
other on methods of starting fire. No gasoline and matches here; we were using things like
steel wool, a magnesium firestarter, or a magnifying glass.
Afterwards we went back to our shelters and waited for word to move out and search for the
shelters of the other teams. Before long, the sun had set and the temperature took a pretty
steep drop, but the moonlight on the snow provided enough illumination to see by, and this
had been planned for. The exercise continued. Blue Team not only accomplished all their
goals, they also got back to the CP after doing so with more than an hour to spare before
the end of the exercise. Good job guys!
Aside from a too-close encounter with one of our furry woodland friends, the night was cold
yet uneventful. Until the early morning hours, when we got more of that lovely Ohio weather:
freezing rain. Always fun, that.
After breakfast (and coffee for the zombies among us), we got in some more hand to hand
training, including several excellent disarms for use when confronted by an attacker armed
with a firearm.
Then it was time to kill and clean chickens. I'm certain that our instructor made it look a lot
easier than it really is. The chickens were roasted on the fire and, combined with food that
members brought, made a good lunch. Definitely a good skill to have. Being able to skin a
bird, as well as clean a fish, could turn a desperate food situation into a comfortable one in
some kind of emergency.
___________________________________________________________
January 2008
This month we went over infantry skills and tactics. First off came patrol formations and
hand signals. We worked on that for a while, then some immediate action drills. After lunch
we put these skills to use and went on a short patrol so that everyone could practice the
signals and formations, as well as gain an appreciation for walking point. After the patrol
we did more work on immediate action drills, running a few of them several times.
___________________________________________________________
October 2007:
Another joint session with 3rd BN (NEODF). This month we got in some time on the rifle
range, then did some convoy operations. Since we could only run so many people through
the shooting portion of this training session at a time, we divided into two groups. While the
first group was doing a 2 mile hike, the other group was doing the shooting portion of the
day's training, which was practice for next month's rifle qualification. Some people shot
better than they had expected, some worse, but we all got some idea of how much practice
we need. After the shooters were finished, the two groups switched.
After a break for lunch, we started on Convoy Operations. Our mission was laid out, the
route was shown, and we got our equipment squared away. Luckily there were a few extra
paintball guns to be had, since not everyone had one (this is another thing that everyone
should work on getting). *Please note, we USE paintball as a training aid, we DO NOT
'play paintball'.* The OpFor ('Opposition Force' for those who didn't already know) moved
out while the rest of the group was getting ready, and we gave them about 15 or 20 minutes
to get into position. Then we mounted up and headed out.
Our scout vehicle did a good job of passing word back to the other vehicles about possible
ambush sites, turns in the road, depressions, hill tops, approaching vehicles, and
generally anything suspicious or that we should pay attention to.
When we got to the spot the OpFor had picked for the ambush, two vehicles pushed on
through, while the other two were supposed to stop and drop off their gunners. We ended
up just pushing on through with all vehicles when it looked like the OpFor was moving in
toward the stopped rear vehicles (though it was probably just gunners from the first
vehicles, mistaken as OpFor). As it turned out, this worked well for us, as only two hits were
achieved on the convoy, both of which were taken on the same vehicle, and neither of which
were serious. But if the OpFor had estimated the lead necessary to hit a moving vehicle
with the weapons they were using just a little bit better, they would have gotten a kill on the
vehicle they hit. Good job OpFor! And everyone else, too. This was a good training session.
___________________________________________________________
September 2007: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the training with both 3rd and 1st did
not go as planned. However, we did manage to get a few things done, including working
out the planning on some improvements to the training areas. 1st also got some tasks
done around their area that needed done, and got prepped for the White Cottage festival.
Regular training resumes next month, come Hell or high water.
___________________________________________________________
August 2007: We trained with one of the other ODF battalions, NEODF (3rd Battalion).
Members who were at the last training session teamed up with those who weren't to
construct an improvised ghillie. Then those who were there last month went into the bush
and set up an ambush, while those who weren't went looking for them. They got to within a
few meters, and still hadn't seen us, when one of the ambushers, figuring they'd seen him
for sure, opened up on them. Even after the ambush was halted and the ambushers stood
up to reveal their locations, the ambushees had trouble spotting them when they got back
into position. Pretty good for something that uses natural materials and a bit of twine, and
takes maybe 15 to 30 minutes to construct, huh?
We also got on some hand to hand training before breaking for lunch. After lunch, we did
some drills on exiting a vehicle and engaging bad guys, and evacuating a wounded person
into a vehicle.
____________________________________________________________
July 2007: We learned how to make an improvised ghillie suit, how to use natural
materials (plants, mud) to camouflage our bodies and clothing, how to make and set
snares, and how to stalk on a variety of surfaces, including in water. We also learned the
hard way to pay constant attention to what we were doing, since
our instructor was kind enough to set boobytraps around the area where he was
instructing, which we dutifully found, often by accident ('the hard way'), whenever we
returned from practicing the skills we were learning.
____________________________________________________________
| Training AAR's (After Action Reports) |
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| Northwest Ohio Defense Force |
| ODF 4th Battalion |
| Amendment IX The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Amendment X The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. |
| Above: A couple of pics taken while on patrol. (Nov 2007) Below: During the attack. The size of the picture makes it rather hard to see, but you can just barely make out a target on the far left. (Nov 2007) |
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