Student Course Review, Brushbeater’s Scout Course, 4 – 6 September 2020, by SharpShooter

The following review was generously sent in by SharpShooter, one of the students from last weekend’s Scout Course. -NCS
I had the privilege of attending NC Scout’s Scout Course this last weekend.  It was hot, sticky, tiring, and great.
Some of the areas covered were individual & team marksmanship, camouflage, individual & team movements, introduction to NODs, reactions to contact, patrolling formations and signaling, conducting an ambush, reacting to an ambush, and several patrolling scenarios (involving OPFOR) using/coordinating multiple teams to achieve a given mission.  All of this and more can be seen on Brushbeater’s website.
NC Scout has a cadre of instructors that both work with the students and perform OPFOR duties as required.  These gentlemen are highly trained, highly skilled, and are wealth of information.  Listen to what they say, not only while in the field but also around the campfire.  You’ll pickup many valuable nuggets from them.
A couple of points from the class:
1) At the beginning of each training scenario it would be asked who was going to be the student leader.  For the next twenty to thirty seconds it was nothing but crickets as everyone looked around to see who would do it.  Someone would step up of course and we’d be on our way.  This hesitancy is understandable.  No one wants to be the guy who messes up and wastes the valuable training time of the other students and the instructors.  Also, the fact is that most of the students aren’t Subject Matter Experts on what they’ll be doing and don’t want to display that.
This is a chance to learn/practice leadership.  In today’s society leadership roles aren’t as common as supervisor roles.  There’s a difference.  If you’re motivated enough to be taking one of these classes, there’s a good chance that you may end up in some sort of leadership role.  Step up and learn how now, not after things have started to go sideways.  The consequences of mistakes will be much higher then.  When it’s your turn to lead, lead.
A number of people stepped up and they did a good job.  I was proud of them.  Were they perfect?  Nope.  Did they make mistakes?  Yep.  The same could also be said of every other student out there, myself included.  That’s the real world, people make mistakes.  Learn from them, make a mid-course correction, and press on.  Now’s the time to learn these skills.
2) NC Scout is always saying that you should gain familiarity with weapons systems other than what you normally run.  Well guess what?  During the final scenario my weapon went down.  Down hard.  As in it’s not gonna fixed out here in the woods hard.  My only option?  Pick up an AK that a now deceased OPFOR no longer had a need for.  I’m not intimately familiar with the AK, but I know how to aim it and make it go bang.  So I carried that for the final portion of the scenario.
Most of us probably can’t go out and buy weapons just to become familiar with them.  But if you have a buddy who has one offer to buy the ammo if he’ll give you a short checkout on it.  If you see one at the range talk to the owner and ask him to talk you through its’ usage.  Better to figure it out now than when someone hands you one at a critical point.
There’s a big she-ite storm on the horizon and it’s headed this way.  Get into one of NC Scouts’ classes if you can.  You won’t regret it.
SharpShooter
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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

4 Comments

  1. DVM September 8, 2020 at 10:23

    Sharpshooter, thanks for your AAR. It was an HONOR and PRIVILEGE to be there. You are the best people in the world.

  2. Anonymous September 8, 2020 at 11:02

    5

  3. Patriotman September 8, 2020 at 11:26

    It was an absolute pleasure working as your OpFor. Your class killed it!

    • Matt September 11, 2020 at 15:39

      @DVM and @Patriotman,

      There was a gentleman at the class that sells night vision gear. Would either of you two happen to have his contact information? Thanks,

      Matt

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