Space Available DEC 14/15 CRCD + Rant

The December 14/15 CRCD class is only half full, in part due to some rescheduling that went on. I am currently sitting at 6 students out of a max of 12. That is fine, the class will run. However, ideally I would have 8 – which is actually a great size for a class.

If there are two of you out there, it’s not too late too book, and that would make a great number.

For the students already booked, bring more ammo if you can, there will be a chance to do more run-throughs on the lanes, if you are up for it.

Takes filter off: of course, with spaces available and not filled on this class, it shows that people are not as serious about getting the training, which is being made available, as they should be. I was just up at the site yesterday hauling wood off the improved parts of the range, and it wasn’t even cold, it was hot. As for the rescheduling, you won’t be able to reschedule the collapse, when you will wish you had got off your ass and trained. 

Oops, did I actually type that, and not just think it?

An an unrelated topic that just came to mind, I received the following review of ‘Contact‘ by a character calling himself ‘The Punisher’ (says it all, right?). Titled: ‘Not for Marines or Army Infantry’:

“If you are a vet you wont find this book of any use. It is a rewrite of a lot of the stuff we practice and conduct on active duty. The only thing I found interesting and the only reason I bought this book was for the counter thermal section. Otherwise just another rewrite of military manuals on patrolling formations and the like.”

OMG. Another ignorant unassailable ego. I mean, I have had recently deployed Marines, even SF, through my CRCD class who benefited from the drills (which are included in ‘Contact‘), either because they had never done drills as conducted in the class, or they needed the practice because it had been a while. They also tell me how poor the Marine infantry is at training these kind of skills. I know how poor the Army is at it. Granted, if you have experience in SOF/SF ‘high speed’ world you will likely have done such small unit break contact drills, but you still need to get out and practice them.

The other thing that really bugs me is calling it a rewrite  of manuals. I have seen this before. The book is a direct result of my real world operational training and experience. Granted, there will be some ‘manual’ in there because I was trained and that training will make its way into my knowledge. That is the ‘good solid basics’. But then there is my security contractor experience, close protection (which translates well to family protection), counter terrorism experience, and even with the basic light infantry stuff there were the years in the Paras where we took those skills, our bread and butter,  to a level far beyond the ‘manual’. It is those kinds of nuggets and diversity and depth of experience that are included in the book.

The review was about the book, not about the class. Clearly if the reviewer is former Marine/Army infantry then there will be commonality of the basics, such as fire and movement and all that. But the book is written for a domestic environment and moves from family tactical defense up through survival/resistance operations with full tactical teams. There is much in the book that comes from close protection, as well as the ‘old school’ infantry tactics included. I can guarantee that there is a lot in the book that he will not have come across before. Even for example, in the sophistication of the squad battle drills, which are a step up from standard FM basics. It appears to me that this is someone who either never read it, or read it without taking it in, because he couldn’t see the wood for his ego.

We are back the the old problem again- EGO. Even considering laziness and lack of physical ability (lack of PT) that stops people showing up for training, EGO is the single biggest problem for successful training and operating as a team. Despite the dysfunction of the military (see this article here on overcoming learned helplessness in the military, which really resonated with me) the one thing it gets right is herding the cats in one direction, however much the actual implementation may be a cluster.

While we are at it, check out Josie the Outlaw. Excellent stuff. Here and Here. Poster spokeswoman of the Restoration!

Live Hard.

Die Free.

Max