AAR #5: Dec 14/15 CRCD – MTP

It was a great weekend, spent in the company of good men. There are physical demands, though they dovetail beneficially with the training. As it should. They become a natural aspect and are real time backdrop to the overall scope of tactical movement, understanding cover, use of covering fire, coordinating with your buddy, working in elements, understanding fields of fire. Max starts out with the most basic tactics of one guy, how to react to fire, return fire, gain cover, movement, then we worked through doing those most essential tactics in buddy pairs. You learn how to react to fire again with two men who can multiply the effect of force in conjunction with using covering fire/movement of the basic foundation of tactics learned singly. Then we went by pairs, 2 elements of 2 men each, though it becomes a bit more complex in regards to angles of fire put on the enemy as 2 elements maneuver using the tactics of covering fire, peeling and getting on line, how and when to rally, and a hasty ambush position to be prepared for further possible enemy contact. After each section, Max immediately provided critique and support on the field to us individually/pairs, sometimes stopping us in the act to provide guidance, (or in my case tell me I’m a crazy bastard.)  Before, and after each exercise we all gathered under the training pavilion and Max walked us through that particular cycle. The training is brilliantly condensed into the time constraint of 2 days. Giving my undivided attention was critical. In light of using a high volume of live rounds per training section, there is a certain gravity of seriousness you find sobering and exhilarating that carries throughout the weekend.

I learned so much and experienced so many new concepts, it is difficult to decide where to begin in writing this.
If I could sum taking Max’s CCRD up in one sentence, it is an embarrassment of basic sound tactical riches.
A veritable banquet of the hardcore necessary essential ingredients required to fight and win. You learn this stuff, you can fight to win. There is not any other way to do this kind of thing and live to fight another day. It is that simple. You need this training. Doing so makes the gear and knowledge you posses work like it’s supposed to. I have a tremendous amount of things I still need to know and practice, but it is these basics of warfare that make me a fighter now. Max wiped away the imponderables, and I can share my new found knowledge with my fellow patriots, we can train up right, and God forbid if it is required, we can take the fight to the enemy.
And that is the real tacticool.

There is no fluff or dissimulation in Max’s training. It is direct, to the point, distillation of the basics and basis of combat.
It became apparent immediately upon the start of training I came to the right place.

It is difficult to convey in words what combat training, the essentials of small infantry tactics, is like. Same as for combat I’d guess. Nobody can tell you. You have to see it for yourself.
I can maybe best sum it up, as a fellow of over a half century, of having been a woodsman and rural gentleman all my life, an accomplished hunter, trapper, and bushman, nothing in my life could substitute for the training I received from Max and the experience of training with like minded patriots in arms.

If what I knew previously to Max, I had idea’s I knew what it takes, that I had the gear and the tactical concepts down and without having formal training from Max or others of his caliber, I could wing it and learn on the fly. Man oh man was I fucking bullshitting myself! My learning curve if the shit hits the fan went from surviving a few minutes by luck and stupidity, to surviving, and with more practice and training, thriving. My confidence has increased by an order of magnitude. I am grateful and humbled because of Max and the fighting chance he has provided me.

Max is a wicked cool guy. The real deal. Here is a fellow who has served under arms in many capacities for two countries, traveled the world, moved to the US, became a patriotic American citizen, written 3 outstanding manuals of arms and self published them, purchased a huge tract of rural land, built a training school and it’s infrastructure on it, devised live fire courses simulating combat scenarios, runs a website, has a family, and best of all took it upon himself to do this training because he cares about what matters most. And he makes it fun and entertaining to boot. This is a guy with a plan and his shit together.
And he brings this to the table for you to learn.
How good is that?

A great extra Max set up for us was a crash course on battlefield medical care taught by one hell of a serious patriot and teaching trauma Doctor. A hope if it drops in the pot is there to keep you alive Doctor.
This was an outstanding class. Doc gave it to us straight, no frills or pulling any punches. The down and dirty nuts and bolts of care under fire.
And oh boy was it an eye opener. The use and application of methods and tools to stop bleeding of wounds, (the most critical thing), treating wounds to the lungs, battle field do’s and dont’s, the imperative that you have to kill or suppress the enemy first before you can treat fellow wounded fighters, (how the solder himself must administer care to himself and get back in the fight by all means possible), or you become a casualty too and now you have 2 wounded guys.
It was 1st rate info and techniques, serious have to know stuff, from a true blue American.

The conclusion of our 2 days was a team assault on an enemy bunker complex, complete with a element providing a base support of fire with a maneuver element assaulting along a terrain feature using movement, covering fire and cover, and shifting fire of the fire support element onto a secondary target, ending up with a direct right up in your face posting of a grenade, (smoke) into the gun aperture of a bunker. All under live fire. It was a great event, proof positive small unit infantry tactics work. All the basic ingredients Max had up to this exercise trained us for came into play. Seeing my fellow class mates, we all go at it alone is worth whatever you have to do to get to Max’s CCRD’s. To say it was exciting is the understatement of the whole class.
I can not exemplify the need for fellow patriots to get this training under our belts enough.
Put aside what you think you know, sign up, give it all you got, learn to fight the right way.

Got to meet a great bunch of guys. Everyone had something important to say or experience/advice to share. I learned a lot just from my fellow trainees. It is quite the thing to meet up with total strangers, and work through this inherently deadly process, discover from the start everyone was focused and mission orientated.
Thanks all you guys!
It was an honor to train with everyone.
How Max makes this work is remarkable in it’s self. And he is gracious and patient in how he takes the time to help you grasp the nuances of things. He makes you feel a part of it all through respect and the taking time to listen to you. Awesome.

Can’t wait to take another CCRD.

MTP