Un amigo me mandó información de uno de los últimos cursos realizados en Tactital Response, desde luego la información que vais a encotrar aquí, vale su peso en oro... el que no sepa inglès que use un traductor y el que sepa algo que lo use para estudiar, creo que merece la pena dedicarle un poco de tiempo y leerlo entero... como siempre, para quitarnos el sombrero y para ponernos los dientes largos... antención a una de las últimas frases que aparece....
I will take this class again. I will continue working on improving my conditioning and look forward to my next HRCC class.
y èsto lo dice alguien que lleva formàndose años!!! cuanto nos queda por aprender....
HRCC Direct Action - Camden, TN AAR[/b]
Instructors: Jay and Brian
Students: Alpha 1 – Team Leader – TJ (me)
Alpha 2 – Assist Team Leader – David
Alpha 3 – Commo/ Designated Marksman – Sean
Alpha 4 - Primary Medic/ Machine Gunner – Borat
Alpha 5 – Gear Man/2nd Medic/ Designated Marksman – Tom
Alpha 6 – Hydration/Assist Machine Gunner/Driver – Ryan
Alpha 7 – Vehicle Maint/Assist Machine Gunner/ Clothes Washer!!! – Hunter
Alpha 1,2,6 were virgin HRCC students. All the others had one or more contractor classes under their belts. One current .mil, one cop, several former .mil and some strictly civilians who’s only previous training was with Tactical Response.
Each of us benefitted from this class. Some in different ways then others, but we all got our money’s worth regardless. As with any group of alpha males there were times where some of us wanted to get at each other’s throats, but in the end we were all hugs….
The class was High Risk Civilian Contracting – Direct Action. It was the first time that this class was offered, so I was just as uncertain as to what to expect as everyone else. I carpooled to Camden with a local friend David. We arrived Saturday night. Hung out Sunday and got ourselves amped up for the class. There was some uncertainty to whether or not everyone was there so Team Leader spot wasn’t picked until class began the next day.
Monday D1 0900 - class began in the Gear shop with a lecture. The first thing that was done was the assignment of the Team Leader position. I got blindsided and was selected. I am not sure if it showed at the time or not, but I threw up a little in my mouth when I was selected. A series of four letter words ran through my head. I was nervous. The fat kid got picked to lead. What were these instructors thinking? In the end, I was GRATEFUL to have served the role. But it would take the better part of the week for me to realize this.
I was given 5 minutes after intros to assign a series of duties to all in my team. These initial assignments remained the same throughout the class.
Then we began our lecture for Day 1. It was an introduction to Patrolling, Ambushes and Raids. A large portion of the material was taken and adapted from the Ranger Handbook - something I thought I was familiar with (6 years Army Infantry) but would later learn I wasn’t. More on that later……
We briefly went over moving in formations, both linear and column. We learned that there are two groups of ambushes each with two types. Hasty and Deliberate both of which can be either Linear or L-shaped. We learned about Raids and how they are different from ambushes. We touched on METT Mission, Equipment, Terrain, Troops and how each plays a role in the above.
Then we were off to the range. We began with simple movement drills…walking in different formations, etc. Then we moved into actions at a danger area. This involved the point man calling a halt, everyone taking a knee. I would have to post 2 men on a near side security. I would then select 2 other men to cross the danger area, do a short recon on the other side and signal back all clear. At that point I could move the entire team across the danger area and set up 360 security perimeter.
Next was dealing with being ambushed. In a nutshell, within hand grenade range, your best option is to simply assault through. Trigger time.
We worked on retreating from a danger area. This is something you do if it is not mission critical that you fight through a danger to continue a mission.
Then we began to work on Fire and Maneuver drills when walking into a threat. What happened here was the first half of our element would come in line and begin assaulting the threat. While that was happening the other half of the element would haul ass to flank the bad guys. Once we were in a flanking position signals would be given and the flank team would assault through the threat.
Tuesday D2 0900 hrs - back in the gear shop for lecture. Today we went over Hasty Ambushes in more detail. A hasty ambush is simply defined as an unplanned ambush where we see the enemy before he sees us. Our point man points his rifle towards the threat and signals back to move to concealment. The whole team moves the same way towards their first point of concealment. Here we prone out and wait. In a perfect world, when the first man in the enemy element comes in line with the last man in our element, he opens fire and our whole element does the same, doing a mag dump. (I know, there are several reading this that will cringe at that last statement) After the mag dump, perform a quick reload and assault through in a line. Once through I call a halt, we stay inline, ends pointing out, with alternating direction front and back. Once everyone has topped off, I call a direction and we get going. During a hasty ambush you don’t go digging through enemy pockets. You gotta get going because there could be more bad dudes coming around the corner.
For the second half of the day we began setting up deliberate ambushes. The order of events here was as follows:
We move into the ORP (objective rally point)
Establish Security
Leaders Recon to ID the site
Confirm Plan + Signals
Base of Fire sets up.
Assault Team moves out.
Execute
Exploit
Regroup.
Without pictures or diagrams these may be hard to explain….The base of fire would setup on a berm or some form of cover/concealment from the objective. They would have eyes on the intended targets. The assault team would have to sneak into a hidden flanking position and lay in wait. Once the ambush was underway, the Base of Fire would open fire from their position. This is an aggressive “laying of hate” after an adequate amount of fire was put down, a cease fire was given and the BoF would stop shooting. I was radio or signal the assault element and they would assault through the targets we just ambushed cleaning up anything we missed. Once through, they would reload, and begin searching for intel and gathering any found supplies. Once they began moving back the BoF would setup security at the ORP and wait for the assault team to return. Then we would move out as a team.
Wednesday D3 0900 hrs – gear shop lecture about vehicle ambushes. Big guns go at the 1st and last vehicle. Little guns go in the middle. Hit them in a natural slow down point. Assault team in place to get them once they dismount.
At the range we set up vehicle ambushes. The order of the ambush was the same as day 2 except for now the Base of Fire doesn’t cease fire anymore. Instead we shift our fire as the assault team comes through. That way any bad dudes still alive will hear our high volume of fire and stay disoriented, etc while the assault team comes through.
Wednesday was also our night shoot day. It started with another vehicle ambush. They vehicles were identified with blacked out headlights (chemlights). The assault was the same only the assault team had to use their flashlights to ID targets while coming through….that was cool. Then when we moved out from the vehicle ambush we went right into a Hasty ambush in the dark.
Thursday D4 – 0900 hrs. Short lecture continuing on shift fire and maneuver. Then off to the range to practice it. We refined our signals, incorporated a designated marksman and added a second shift of fire to keep on keeping on the bad guys while our assault team did what they had to do. We learned a lot about communication both verbal and visual at distances over 100 yards today. We used VS-17 air panels to signal between teams as radio communications were hard to have under fire.
Friday D5 -0900 gear store. Final Exercise. We were given our mission as follows: On order Alpha Team will conduct an amush against any enemy forces traveling through the intersection of Bakalakadaka Street and Dirka Dirka Ave. Extraction to the west.
We spent a few minutes coming up with a primary and backup plan. Almost instantly everyone bombarded me and wanted to change up everything. I had been warned of this. I had to cut it off and drive on.
We got to the range and reached our insert location and stepped off. For those who have been to the Camden range, we inserted at the trailers. From there we were instructed we had to move down the road that immediately crosses the creek (there goes primary plan). We stepped off. Almost immediately, we had to cross a danger area (the creek). We got through that and drove on down the woodline. Came to another danger area (the field) so we stepped further into the woods and skirted the edge of the field. When we reached the far end of the berm (NE corner of the range) I pulled the team into a 360 security halt. I took Alpha 3, my DM, and we went up the berm to get eyes on our objective. We moved back down and continued down the road to our ORP. From there we set up a leaders recon. After the 2nd recon, I set up my base of fire element, went over plans and signals with my ATL who would lead the assault element and set up my designated marksman who was to initiate the ambush with a head shot on the driver of the lead vehicle.
Once in, the assault team had walked down the creek for concealment and was in place we laid in wait for a vehicle convoy to attack. Once the convoy rolled in, my designated marksman initiated the ambush with a head shot to the lead vehicle. In this case, the head was a suspended bag of tannerite. Cool way to start off the ambush! Base of Fire initiated contact. After stopping the convoy, we shifted our fire so the assault team could fight through the convoy. On cue we shifted fire once again so the assault team could finish assaulting through and head down Dirka Dirka Ave back to the ORP.
As we regrouped at the ORP I began ACE reports and confirming everyone had sufficient equipment to move out to our extraction site. Just as we started, we came under indirect fire. We would have to roll out with what we had…..so we got going West towards our extraction site. Just before hitting the turn in the road my point man saw more enemy forces coming towards us. We were undetected, so we broke for the treeline and setup a hasty ambush. The hasty ambush went textbook – except for the RPK that got dropped! While in our halt after the hasty ambush, Alpha 4 took shrapnel to his thigh from the indirect fire. I called my primary medic who got all over it. This is when the stress of the exercise took over and stuff started going to hell in a handbasket. There was confusion about who was doing what. I became target fixated on a backpack that I couldn’t secure on my back. The medic got the medic bag and through it over his back and then couldn’t find the litter (it was strapped to the medic bag on his back) Everyone kept telling me we needed to move the casualty, but no one was making decisive actions to make that happen. This specific part of the week is when I learned more about leading than any other time. In the end, we got our man off the battle field and made it to our extraction site.
That is it for the summation of the class.
GEAR:
As is custom, this weeks class and weather put me and my gear to the test. Here is how I rolled…..
Belleville Boots (thanks Stanley_white), 5.11 style pants (5.11, Blackhawk, LA Police Gear) and t-shirts. The boots were GREAT. Waterproof until completely submerged. Then they did a wonderful job of holding the water in the boot.
I ran a Yugo fixed stock AK w/ UtimAK Rail, AK Lightning Bolt, Streamlight Supertac Light, XS Big Dots and Aimpoint H1 sight. On Tuesday I had to pull the red dot off the rail. I had so much condensation on the inside of both lenses that I had to pull it off because I couldn’t effectively see through it anymore. Sometime Tuesday I also had the nut on the backside of the sliding button thing used to hold the spring in place and top cover come off. Everything still worked, so I let it go and kept my eyes on it. The Supertac is BRIGHT! I think I dominated the night with it. The AKLB ran like a top as it has since I got it from Anthony. The rifle ran like an AK….flawlessly. I through some extra grease on it each night and pulled the boresnake through it once and that was it.
I started the class with an Eagle Industries AK chest rig. On Tuesday I ditched that for an OSOE Improved Micro Rig. The one I purchased was the 308 version but worked perfect, holding 4 AK mags, a VOK, flashlight, TK4 and added an smoke pouch to the side of it.
In addition to that I had a OSOE Cobra Belt holding up a OSOE Rallyman Sub Load and a Safariland 6004 holster. I was having problems with the Rallyman SL sliding around and getting in front of my thigh. John Willis was onsite to show me that I had the hanger on the belt wrong. Flipped it over, the Velcro caught, problem solved.
It was so wet that I didn’t bother with rain gear. Other dudes had Gortex, but like I said, it was SO wet, that I think they ended up just as wet and cold as I was.
There were lots of other interesting Gear in this class, I will let each team member comment on their own stuff. But there were Piston AR’s, .22 converted AR’s, FA Mac10’s with cans, Boom sticks, RPK’s, etc etc etc….
OTHER POINTS:
I am not too proud to admit this class was hard on me. Both mentally and physically. Being in a team leader position is hard but extremely rewarding. For the first two days I was relying on the experience of other members of our team, mainly Alpha 3. The instructors caught on to this and corrected it. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. It forced me to lead, and it was then that I felt like I started doing my job and leading my team.
I learned that opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and most are one. I had to see past people “offering” me there advice and decide to do what I wanted to have done. I got more comfortable with leading as the class went on and feel that because I was in the leadership position I learned more than anyone else in the class. It is like getting a free leadership class on top of the HRCC class.
Physically speaking….yes, I was the fat kid. It is something I have been working on since my first class with Tactical Response 2 years ago. Jay said during class that he has never heard someone say that they were in TOO good of shape. So, as with everyone else, get in shape if you want to take this class. It wasn’t fun being the one in the most pain at night and then having to get up early to make sure everyone else was ready to rock and roll. However, I made it, and it felt great. Stronger legs and more lungs would have made it easier on me though.
This class taught me great things. I want to point out that I had been exposed to this material before in the Army. However, in the army we would spend week’s dry running the same drill over and over and over again. We dry fired our drills once and then did it live. What I am trying to say is that I learned more in this 1 week than I did in 6 years with the Army.
The only thing I left wishing for more of was exposure to some sort of dirty guerilla tactics lectures. I have been thinking ever since I left Camden what I else I wanted and that is the best way I could come up with to describe the only things I thought this class may have been better with to include.
I will take this class again. I will continue working on improving my conditioning and look forward to my next HRCC class.
I want to thank Jay and Brian. You guys taught me more than I ever imagined possible. Both about the material and myself.
I want to thank my team. What a great group of guys. I wouldn’t have made it without the support each of you gave me.
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