March Greetings

Today I audited a ccw with 34 attendees mostly from my church. Many new shooters who've never held a gun before. 

The instructor was top notch though heavily partial to philosophy of, "Glock is King" and XD's are bought for the accessories. He was jesting with a commander of mine who borrowed my XDm for shooting Fri. I know someone with 38+ years of Army Ranger SF and police work who carries a Keltec. So there are other options besides a Glock .40S&W. 

The shooting was offered Fri, lecture today and shooting, and more shooting Tues for other people. 

The NRA instructor really liked the flyer I made and the ccw no-business cards I printed up for everyone to take for times they encounter businesses who forbid carrying firearms. On the back I put the Ohio reciprocity map and included links to all adjacent county sheriff's office plus info on Utah certification. I need to get signed up for the Utah class April 6. 

This class was definitely much than the one I paid $120 for in 2012. The instructor then was a cop.  NRA does a better job and supplies several useful resource books in addition to the A/G ccw booklet. 

The instructor said he would teach boys smallbore, shotgun, and and muzzleloader safety courses!

Congratulations.

Treat him well. It looks like you may have found a real asset for the Outpost.

RRCmdrBennett wrote: I know someone with 38+ years of Army Ranger SF and police work who carries a Keltec.

I don't have a Ranger Tab.

Just a "Special Forces" Tab and Master Parachutist Badge.

So you're a "green beret"... What's the main difference between Army Special Forces and Army Rangers?

Either way your experience is well respected and shows Glocks aren't the only viable choice for carry.

Phillip Gross wrote:So you're a "green beret"... What's the main difference between Army Special Forces and Army Rangers?

Rangers are "Super Infantry".  They are trained for Direct-Action Missions (Storming Cliffs on D-Day, Taking Airfields during Desert Storm, Saving Hostages in Grenada, etc.).

In 1972, an older Sergeant in Special Forces said, "We're an Overglorified Peace Corps, teaching little Barefoot Brown Natives how to Grow Beans."

That's a simplification, but there is truth there.  Rangers operate in units under a "conventional" structure (Platoon, Company, Battalion).  S.F. operates in individual "Teams" or "Detachments" that are designed to assimilate with an Indigenous Force and train & increase their effectiveness; hence a primary mission of S.F. is to be a "Force Multiplier".

A "Ranger" is like the guy in High School Football who is the Star Defensive Player.  Nothing can stop him, he always gets through, and he is devastating to his target.

Special Forces like the guy who takes the "Big, Slow Kid" aside to tutor him, so that his grades are good enough so that he can get on the Football Team.

If you ever hear of American Soldiers who are wearing long robes, riding camels, and working with the Native Resistance in the Middle East, you can kind-of figure that they're S.F.

(By the way, being trained to make a cohesive unit of unwashed barefoot Third-World Natives and working with a bunch of hyper 8-to-12 year-olds are not terribly dissimilar.)

Claymore wrote:
(By the way, being trained to make a cohesive unit of unwashed barefoot Third-World Natives and working with a bunch of hyper 8-to-12 year-olds are not terribly dissimilar.)

I was thinking that as I read your post. The biggest difference probably being that Third-World natives haven't been infected with the "you're so wonderful and the world owes you everything" disease that many of our young people have in this country...   

Does the army consider Rangers as SF or just Green Berets are SF?  They sound like they qualify as something special.  All this time I thought your sigline meant you were a Ranger. Is Rangers training as difficult as Green Berets?  I once saw a reality documentary on the grueling ordeal they go through. 

When you were a force multiplier did you train teens?  

I found out for all that Glock-only talk the instructor owns two Springfield 1911's!

Rangers used to be just part of the Regular Army.  They fell under Infantry Combat Brigades.  Special Forces have always been separated from the "Regular" Army, with its headquarters at the Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg.

However, in/about the late 1980's, the "Special Operations Command" was formed.  Now Special Forces, Rangers, Navy Seals, and an Air Force Special Operations Unit falls under their control.

So Rangers are now "Special Operations".

Hence we get the Playstation game line of Socom. 

Does Marine Recon fall under Socom?  What is the relationship berween Socom and Delta Force?

The Marines originally "Opted-Out" of SOCOM.

There are several reasons for it.  Part esprit-de-corps, part bullheadedness, probably greatly financial.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140203/NEWS/302030009/MARSOC-recon-Does-Corps-need-both-

I have great respect for the Marines, but I am going to relate a phrase that was told to me by a Marine,

"United States Marine Corps.  250 years of Tradition, and Progress hasn't hampered it a bit."

Oh, by the way.  The Phrase that I use, "Rangers Lead the Way" is the Motto of the U.S. Army Rangers.  I borrowed it, and it is our Outpost Motto.  

In fact, whenever the boys are called to Attention, they stand up and shout, "Rangers Lead the Way!".

(Since the motto belongs to the Government, they can't copyright it.  So some S.F. Puke stole the Rangers' Motto for his kids at Church.)


[However, stealing the "Ballad of the Green Berets" and using it to promote that nasty blue Lilly-Pad that they gave us at NTC is Sacrilegious!]

Chuckle at lily pad reference. 

What was wrong with the beret?

I think only two groups have ever worn the beret in a manner that makes them look manly. The Green Berets, obviously, and also the French Foreign Legion.

When I went through the uniform inspection was a joke.   Mike Laliberty did teach us how to wear the beret properly. He was a former Army drill sgt. He said he had a difficult time when they selected him for DI cause he just got saved!

I remember our NTC DI. During our first 15 minutes in the parking lot, he made two grown men cry and several others wanted to quit. I was smiling, but he didn't single me out. In the end, everyone made it through.

After it was all over, we went down the mountain and some of us stopped at the first McDonalds in sight. With minimal patches on our khakis, beard growth (and probably odor), we got a few looks.  

Mark can tell ya some stories of how he got NTC to change its style.

Go, Bighorns! Our local hockey team is 50-1-1, and will likely wrap up the conference title tomorrow night. They were national champions two years ago and hope to bring home another trophy.

Heading out with a group of 5 youth tonight. Over night backpacking trip. They all have new gear and want to give it a go.

Erbie, Ark Trail head to Thundering Canyon Falls and visit the opening of Fitton Cave as well. All a GPS cord..no real trails to these places from the river.

My 20 year old son is leading this expedition. I am just a shaparone. He even got my grub sack together and he's driving and leading us to these places... ..."Willingly" Wow!


Mark Jones

Awesome!

Was told Wed my DR cmdr who is filling in for the RK cmdr is leaving us after June when we shut down for summer. Only hope is RK cmdr will return in Fall.

Had a really good time this morning in P&W. Everything seemed to click together pretty well with the band. Vocals were good, and my son Seth was really on with his drumming. Even practice went really well without any frustration. It was just one of those days that went super smooth, which is nice to have!

Had a good outpost meeting tonight. Next Sunday is our COA, so we spent time this evening making sure that boys could finish merit requirements off that needed to.

We did firecraft with flint and steel and magnifying glasses last night. Wore all cotton clothing to class with military camo and asked the boys am I ready for a survival class...
Cotton Socks.
BDU 100 Cotton ripstop
outpost tshirt cotton
underwear cotton..
Even after 2 meetings on cotton they are still asking questions on cotton..GRIN.

I told them to prove a point I think we will go on a night hike through the middle of the pond chest high so you can watch the guys that have cotton on shiver and shake from the cold the rest of the night...GRIN!

(I won't but don't tell them that..) A few incoming water balloons would do the trick though...GRIN!

These guys got pretty good at using a metal match and a cotton ball to go up. It took them practicing for 30 minutes to get the hang of it.... (harbor freight is 2.99 each compared to walmarts 7.00 each.)

Mark Jones

Last weigh-in today I was 278.2 lbs.  I've lost over 20 lbs in 7 weeks. End goal for 2014 is 175-180. Today is first time I can feel the difference. My inlaws said they can tell in my face too.  Workout today I hit the bike, treadmill,  elliptical (least favorite), arc trainer, and various lower & upper body machines. I gotta work on gettig my left arm in shape. Left arm is definitely much weaker than the other. I think it has to do with the rollover accident.

I just load the boys up and go backpacking and hiking for the weekend. A win win. They get outdoors experience, exercise, camping and leadership skills and I keep my weight down and get a work out besides all the fun.
Went out this last weekend with my son and 3 of his friends. WE did 8.5 miles. Had a flat at the trail head but we got through that challenge. A perfect Friday night Saturday trip.

http://readyrangers.tzo.com/2014ThunderingCanyonFalls/2014thunderingcanyonfalls.htm

Mark Jones

This next 6 weeks are going to be awesome.
1. Div Ranger Derby Race this weekend also camping out sat night at op 97 camp Brovo
2. Survival Campout 2nd weekend
3. Commanders Conference 3rd weekend.
4. Buffalo River Backpack and day float 4th weekend
5. BB gun and Airsoft wars campout 5th weekend.

Dude I can't wait.
One night campouts are the best. Not long enough to get totally worn out and cranky.

Mark Jones