AAR: TC3/RMP & CRCD 2-4 May: Rick
May 2nd RMP/TC3
May 3rd and 4th CRCD
Rick Smith – Suspect1 MVT Forum
This was my 2nd time through the CRCD program that MVT offers, my first go round having been October ’13. Not having been prior military, LEO, or mujahedeen, I had no prior reference on how to prepare, or what to expect that weekend. I showed up rifle in hand, brand spanking new AR-500 armor and PC (truly not knowing what to expect, I did not want to be around strangers with guns without some sort of protection), Fobus Paddle Hoster and an open mind. I stepped up to take a drink from a water fountain and was hit in the face with a fire hose. If I did not have the help of one of those strangers with guns, who had taken part in CRCD previously, then I’m not sure if I would have made it through the class. As an aside, based on my two CRCD weekends and the time I spend on the MVT Forum, Max, his brand, and the AI’s must be a magnet for quality individuals. The 22 other strangers with guns with whom I have trained at MVT may not have been high speed super heroes (there was at least one killer spider monkey though), but I have seen no quit in any of those lanes, injuries, age, or equipment malfunction has not stopped any of the folks, and to all that I have met through MVT, here is a tip of the hat. I came away from my first visit knowing I needed to rethink my “kit”, with some idea as to an overall “theory of gear” that may work for my needs, also that you need to bring your best “command voice” the drills are loud and there is confusion at points but you must be able to be heard for the safety of you and your training buddies (MV: Howard Leight Impact Pro electronic ear pro, works wonders). Last but not least, my first visit to MVT convinced me that even though I do physical labor to put bread on the table, and am no stranger to hard work or sport, that gun fighting is in a world all its own, the only thing I can personally compare it to is collegiate style wrestling, a few minutes of fighting for your life, a short breather, back to the fight. In the intervening months I exercised every other day, some weights, moderate cardio, and rep after rep of push-ups, pull-ups, and burpees. I also knew I would be back, that this was far and away better than any class or militia FTX that I had participated in before.
I procrastinated (don’t do that) and by the time I decided to lay down the days wages for a deposit, it would be 6 months at minimum before I could attend my 2nd CRCD. What if the SHTF before then? Bundy, Ukraine, OAS, Ebola, f#*k I’m a dead man. I’m only half joking, as a full blown member in the tin foil hat club, these are some of the reasons I prepare, boiled down to a single word. I know that the world is much more nuanced than just these flashpoints, that we humans have built a very robust yet extremely fragile system of systems, stacked upon one another…..but f#*k man 6 months did you hear me say Ebola, hemorrhagic fever, dogs and cats sleeping together…puppykittens, but now I know that with a low basic reproduction number, my chances of contracting Ebola are quite low, thanks MVT forum moderator.
In short Max and Aaron are now offering the RMP/TC3 before CRCD, so in the process of adding this to my CRCD 6 months in the future, I saw an opening on a previously full CRCD with the RMP/TC3 on continuous days, my birthday weekend no less. The Creator does smile down on occasion. On a serious note, these classes are filling up, the free market does work, and Max offers something that you CANNOT get but in a few other places, so, unless you sign a contract with Uncle Sam, or join the French Foreign Legion, you better hop to hop sing, and send in a deposit. Oh, oh, oh, Aaron is offering a new MVT class, you’re in luck, CRM (Combat Rifle Manipulation) MVT’s answer “driving” your AR, or the free market answer to “Tacticool”, sign up now!
May 2nd 2014
TC3
This is a basic outline of what you will need to do if a buddy, team member, family member or complete stranger is wounded……in a gun fight. Remember that. It is not Red Cross first aide, there are no chest compressions, no defibrillators. Your first responsibility to the wounded is to win the fight or hit the enemy hard enough to create the space needed to help the wounded. The class covers proper use of a tourniquet, Israeli Battle Dressing, Nasal Pharyngeal Tube and chest decompression needles. The idea is that you will follow specific steps to identify wounds, take actions that will prevent the wounds from causing immediate loss of life, and arrange for the wounded to be transported to a more secure location for treatment. Being seriously behind the curve on the first aide side of preparedness this class has stoked the fire to learn more, take a Red Cross course, invest in knowledge, I have the tools in my preps, but lack the skill to use them. I will be fixing that soon. Remember though, this TC3 instruction is 4 hours long, on a topic in which professionals train for a lifetime. The class is a good start, it is up to you from there.
RMP
I added the Rifle Manipulation Primer to my CRCD weekend thinking it would just be extra trigger time, and it was that and so much more. As a group it gave us time to coalesce, to make introductions, chat during down time, all things that people will do anyway, but being at a much more relaxed pace and separate from the main thrust of CRCD it kept these things from interfering with training. As individuals it seems to have given a chance to blow the cobwebs out, to settle nerves. There was a marked difference at which this CRCD gelled compared to my last visit. Aaron focused the class on firing under pressure, diagnosing and clearing malfunctions, and magazine changes. All things that the students have done before, yet not one complained, this in large part was due to Aaron as an instructor. Aaron had command presence, confidence, and impressed his knowledge on the class in a manner that engaged all. I knew the skills that were covered, but now I know the how and the why. I now know how to induce malfunctions giving me a firm grasp on how to diagnose and clear them, not just the tap, rack, bang that was previously in my tool box. Even if not technically required before CRCD, I would have to say that the TC3/RMP day is essential to attend before CRCD. Also, if RMP is just a taste of what Aaron will cover in CRM, then I have no doubt that I will walk away from CRM a better gunfighter.
May 3rd and 4th
CRCD
I cannot add much to the many AAR’s written by others both more knowledgeable and verbose than I am. I will expound on two almost off-handed comments that Max made this weekend and both struck me at the time, stuck in my craw the remainder of the weekend, and brought me to tears (you see, I love the ideals that this country stands for and it rips me apart to watch it die) as I unloaded my “war gear” from my truck Monday morning. #1. “This is my revolution!” Teaching patriotic Americans SUT. Preparing a menagerie of fruits and nuts for the possible realities of a very uncertain future. #2. “I know you’re tired but do you want to push on…….this is what selection classes are about, not the biggest or toughest person, but those who won’t give up when things get hard………life will be hard when the SHTF but you won’t be able to go back to camp for a hot meal and sleep, you will either push on or give up, and if you give up, well you, your family, or your group may die” (this second quote is not word for word but is close enough for purposes of discussion here). Max is right, and you probably will not be reading this AAR if you don’t feel some version of the same. I was struck by the simplicity of those comments though, let’s face it, no matter what the obstacle in your life, you either push on, or you give up. The people you meet at a CRCD are the kind who will push on, strive to make the best of it, whatever “it” is. They will not willingly hand over their liberty to anyone, much less a government who will lord over them. These are the progeny of the men and women, who at the tipping point that was the founding of this country, chose to push on, into an uncertain future rather than release their sovereignty to the will of others (in this case a monarch, thousands of miles away). If this is his revolution, then other patriots need to do what they have to, to ensure that they can make it to a class. Join with Max and revolt. Revolt against the status quo that says civilians do not need to train in SUT. Revolt against the perception of what the militia is. It is my understanding that the militia is “the whole of the people” and it is time that the average “everyman” (or woman) lay claim to the title of minuteman, because we all know that with the right stimuli, society could collapse any minute. It is your responsibility to make sure that you are competent to protect you and yours, and without someone like Max (and his cadre) who are willing to put their necks in the chopping block to ensure that there is a place for you to train, then how do you get the training? What the hell, sign up already, did I forget to say that dumping 150+ rounds in 2-3 minutes is about as much fun as you can have with clothes on? You’ll have your chance.
P.S. – Before coming to West Virginia, do yourself a favor, since ammo isn’t cheap and the classes themselves aren’t free, make a list of goals, things to accomplish, questions to ask. Focus on the task at hand, this isn’t adventure camp with guns, if that is what you want, there are other trainers out there. This is a deadly serious business, treat it as such. If you feel your training getting away from you, revisit your list, double down and focus, it is what you make it…………push on always!
Rick Smith – Suspect1 on MVT Forum