:rolleyes: after all i hate cqb. And it suck to be a point man.
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:rolleyes: after all i hate cqb. And it suck to be a point man.
Hey guys, I am new here, and this will be my 1st post ever on M4C.net ! I've been quite a long time member on arfcom, or THR, but missed this interesting forum for a too long. It's about to end !
I've been given the link to this thread by a friend of mine who is a member here, and I must admit it was the most interesting and wise thread i've read in years.
I am a Swiss shooter, gun collector and kind of gun right activist from Switzerland..
Also a Swiss Air Force soldier.. (militian actually, like many Swiss males..)
I wanted to personnally thank the OP for what he has written. I am pretty sure it will be more than usefull to all the readers that have the luck to see it, and maybe even save lives for some..
Sure it will change the way I train, and the way I see training. Hopefully, these skills will never be usefull to me, but you know.. "hope for the best..... "
Nice to meet you all.
regards,
Patrick
Oh Tarmiyah, in 2007 I was assigned to 2-8 CAV, we lost 2 soldiers (RIP Sgt. Pedro J. Colon and Spc. Montrel S. Mcarn) in Tarmiyah when a 2000lb VBIED hit our Demon company JSS. Tarmiyah was still the wild west even then and continues to be I believe. (although I have not been there since 2007)
Great post though RetreatHell. So many in conventional units do not seek out additional training and the standard taught by their units is not enough.
Thank you for demonstrating true courage by continuing to fight and train past your handicap.
God Bless you! Thank You for your service and your words. Glad to see you putting rounds downrange!
As a former USMC 0311, the tactics taught to myself and fellow devil dogs have vastly improved. We were taught the combat reload as well as maintaining "the corner". Did you have a fireteam member with you or did I miss it? We all used a drop pouch when it was convenient but it wasn't every time that's for sure. Glad you are back in the saddle again with your trigger finger and wish you the best in the future. OOh to the rah...
I went back over the thread just now and realized for the first time that I never once mentioned that I was with a squad. It does kinda sound like I was all alone in the backyard from the way I wrote and described it, huh? Well, I wasn't. Me and a buddy got separated from our squad towards the beginning of the fight, and so we linked up with another squad who was in the thick of it.
Before I entered the actual backyard of the house I was shot at, I tried and failed to make entry via a side door. While I was doing this, some Marines who just cleared the house right next door were on the second floor and yelled out of the window to us that the bad guys in the house I was trying to make entry into had fled into the backyard. I think the reason they might have done that is because of the SMAW round that was fired into the house, so maybe they thought we were gonna level the whole house or something, I don't know.
Anyhow, roughly 4 Marines went into the backyard before I did and took up positions using the very limited cover that was available. I finally gave up on the door (one of those metal ones that just wouldn't budge) and entered the backyard. I saw that all cover was taken and that they were all engaging the bunker that I describe in my article. Because of this, and since I didn't want to stand out in the open while engaging the bunker, I rounded the corner of the house in search of cover and a better position so that I could engage the enemy on their left flank (well, my left their right).
Just a few feet after I rounded the corner is when I saw the enemy fighter low-crawling away from the bunker at my 11 o'clock and stopped to engage him. None of my other fellow Marines in the backyard could see this bad guy or the entrance to the bunker, because the bunker itself was blocking their view of everything to the left side of it.
Hopefully that helps to clear up any confusion anyone may have had about whether or not I was alone in the backyard or not. I would never have even thought about entering a backyard (or any area) all by myself that I knew for a fact several enemies were in, that's for sure.
Semper Fi!
-Paul
Paul,
Just read your article in the latest issue of SWAT today. Your experiences in Iraq are both extremely moving / motivational and also infuriating. It's shameful that we still don't provide adequate proper firearms training to our Marines and Soldiers that we send into harm's way each and every day. I know Pat Rogers has been hammering this issue pretty good over the last few years; that we should train our people for real-world combat instead of rifle qualifications. Hopefully DoD will continue to make forward progress into realistic training methods and TTPs, so that other Marines and Soldiers may be spared these kind of injuries. Thanks for your service brother!
PS. You mentioned you worked with AAV's in Tarmiyah when you got into your firefight. Did you work with 2nd AAV Bn. by any chance?
RetreatHell, you sir, have my respect and admiration. I am old enough to be your father but you are definitely an inspiration to all. Keep your head up and watch your six. Semper Fi.
Paul, thank you for sharing your experience. As a LE officer I will certainly take this back to my PD and my team for the guys to read. Several lessons here that I think we can all take learn from . Thanks for your service from one vet to another
Thanks, brother. I'm almost positive it was 2nd AAV's that hauled us all the way from Kuwait to Baghdad, and also into Tarmiyah that day in April '03. My amtrac commander was their company gunny and was pretty ****ing cool because he let us smoke in our trac as long as we policed up our butts and swept out our ashes every night when we'd stop for our nightly 3 hours of sleep to let the blood flow back into our numb and bruised asses.
@Tracker- I appreciate that a lot, man! Thanks!
@thegoat- That's great, brother! I've received quite a few similar emails and PMs and forum posts like yours from LEOs. I hope that my lessons learned will help you guys out and prevent you from making the same mistakes I did.
Take care all and Semper Fi!
-Paul
Paul,
I've read this thread and shared it with my son and his classmates who are studying to become officers. They are shooters and are training on their own time in this stuff. And I've just read your article in SWAT. It was superb. I hope to see you become a regular author in this field.
You are a gift to all current and future American warriors.
Joe
Paul, I read the story last week in SWAT and man it was the best reading I've done in a long time, not just for the story but for the excellent writing too, and of course the very important message. I'm glad to see it show up here so I had a chance to go over it again, which I had promised myself to do.
Thanks for sharing the knowledge and for everything else.
Hey Paul,,
My best wishes are with you. I was wounded in action as well. I was a security contractor though and wounded during an EFP IED.
One aspect of this industry that I've been trying to teach or inform people back in the real world about is the condition of the body when under such duress and how that affects one's ability to do the things we normally do in a controlled environment. It's important to train with an elevated heart rate in hopes of duplicating that. People don't have the slightest idea of what the body does to you and how it changes everything you do or are used to doing in a controlled environment.
You touched on it during your description of what happened during the reload.
Can you describe what your body was doing to you an how that affected the reload and the manipulation of the mags and weapon.
Most don't get to hear it from guys that have been there.
I wish you all the luck in the world. I've been going through a similar situation. I've been recuping for about 3 years now and I'm having surgery again in 2 weeks to replace my whole knee. Keep your chin up.
R.
Thank you for sharing this moving story and thank you for your service to this beautiful country. God bless you, sir.
Wow man, what else can I say? You are stronger than anyone I know. Anytime I think the warrior culture of my beloved USA is diminishing all I have to do is come on here and read inspirational stories like this. The word gratitude doesn't begin express how I feel. I'd also like to add pride, honor, duty, and country because you encapsulate them all. People like you make me proud to be an American. I'm glad for the internet so I could hear your story but god damn I want to shake your hand.
RetreatHell,
I know I am not the first to respond to this post in such a manner, but I still feel an obligation to do so.
First, thank you for your service to this country, as well as your post on this forum. I realize, as a civilian, these comments may not have the same impact as a true brother-in-arms, but know that they are no less genuine.
I applaud the way in which you wrote this story. When you look back on an experience like this, I can only imagine what you must be feeling. For myself, I would have a hard time depressing my anger and hatred towards, well, everything and everyone. By taking apart and analyzing this situation, and posting it online, this may very well educate and save the lives of many. The points that you make are spot on.
Lastly, you are a true inspiration in the way you have rebounded from this experience, and how you have shared it with others. It say's a lot to your integrity and determination.
I'm merely your typical civilian sheepdog. No military service. And I don't want you to think of these words as me putting you up on a pedestal, with a nice little golden halo around your head. I'm not. I just want to point out that in a situation like this, how you've responded....that's how we all hope to respond to such a shitty situation, with that kind of dignity.
On these forums, we'd all like our fellow members to think we're all-business tough guys that take names and kick asses. But this is one of those rare posts that kicks you in the heart.
Thank you,
CMiller
RetreatHell -
All I can say is "WOW!"
Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.
Stay safe.
Paul, I ordered a subscription to SWAT just to get your article. Semper Fi, brother! :)
I mentioned in another thread that "weaponcraft" the instant manipulations to keep your rifle or pistol or mg running that can be done without thinking is where the military is not training well enough-at least that was my experience prior to my OIF then OEF deployments- they may be alot better now than in 2001 but still have a long way to go.
Just got a copy of SWAT, nice to see you got in it man. I gotta read into this M14 article though lol.
Hey guys, here's an interesting video I found on YouTube today of Larry Vickers (from the show, Tactical Impact) going over some Training Scars, which in this case involves retaining an empty magazine during a reload while in the heat of a gunfight.
Larry Vickers Training Scars -Reloading
The above video is a pretty good visual representation of the same mistake I made of retaining my empty magazine during the gunfight that I was severely wounded in (covered in more detail on Page 1 of this thread).
Semper Fi,
-Paul
Paul, thank you for your service, your sacrifices, and your excellent article. It is a wake-up call.
In the first 10 seconds of the video above, notice how there is absolutely no movement when he fired on the empty revolver chamber. I suppose that's clearly why he is so highly regarded in the industry.
We were fortunate back then in - our battalion gunner and several of our SNCOs had an backgrounds in Security Forces. The Gunner actually introduced the Enhanced Marksmanship Program, so our guys were practicing tactical and speed reloads in the hangar bay all the way to Kuwait in 2003. Fortunately it has caught on Marine Corps wide, although my concern now is that we tend to neglect unknown distance shooting beyond 50m.
Paul, God bless you man, and words can never be enough to express my gratitude and awe regarding what you did out there in the bad lands.
I recently came across this podcast from proarms. The first part is Mas Ayoob interviewing Ed Brown, but the second part (starting at 33:10) is an interview with Jared Reston, a police officer that was involved in a fatal shooting with a suspect. I hope that this is the right thread to place this in, but I'm sure that there are some lessons to be drawn from that altercation, especially for LEO's.
Officer Jared Reston shootout
(scroll down, the player is at the bottom of the page; starts at 33:10)
Paul,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us and for your sevice to us in the marines; it is VERY much appreciated!
Holy crap, I couldn't stop reading and my wife is yelling at me to get downstairs!
1st, thanks for fighting for me and my family. we appreciate you and the freedom you bought us.
2nd, great insights on combat and training habits.
God speed to you Paul.
I copied and pasted sans pics to www.hoosiergunclub.com.
It's been well-received!
Keep up the fight!
Inspirational and profound, thank you for your service.
Paul,
From one 03 Grunt to another, thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Your story is a "must read" for anyone who goes in harm's way.
God bless, and welcome home brother.
Semper Fi,
SRT
Paul, I'll be home from Iraq in mid-Sept and planning on taking a Paul Howe course in mid Nov with some of my boys. I would really like to meet you and hang out and see if you want to come along.
Nick
To everyone else, once again thank you all for the very kind words, they are VERY much appreciated and will not ever be forgotten.
Take care all and Semper Fi!
Thanks for educating and inspiring us, Paul.
Paul I'm really glad that you liked the interview. Mas Ayoob is a controversial figure for a variety of reasons, and he certainly has his detractors, but he is a good interviewer and I think he did a great service bringing Officer Reston's OIS story to the shooting community.
God Bless
I just read this whole post and first would like to say THANK YOU for your service and sacrifice. I'm prior service, Army, but I've been out since the end of 89. Yesterday I signed up for my first carbine class and can't wait to get started. Unfortunately it isn't until Nov. However, after reading this post I've learned a good bit. This seems like something very simple but I wouldn't have thought to store my empty mags in the cargo pocket of my pants. I would have dropped them and let them lie or tried to stuff them back in to the mag pouch also.
Great read!!
Paul,
Thanks for your service and sharing your story with us.
Thank you sir for your service and for helping all of us with the posting of your story......
Strength and Honor to you sir....