What You’re Doing Counts, by NC Scout

Social media is a toxic phenomenon and sadly one that is not going away anytime soon. Elon Musk claims that it in and of itself is a projection of us as a society and he’s certainly not wrong. There’s no filter and no barrier to gentility. Along that same line we must recognize that it, along with all domains, are a front in the larger cold civil war. Therein manifests a unique problem and one that is frequently lamented, rather loudly, by many: the problem of recruiting then organizing people for purpose. With that problem stated there also develops a strong dichotomy I’ve borne witness over the years and that’s the often strained relationship between Veterans and those who abstained from the twenty plus years of conflict.

Combat experience is a requirement for competent combat training in the tactical implementation of fire and maneuver. This is a statement that elicits a strong reaction, particularly by those who have none but are otherwise well meaning. You must be able to answer the question of why. That experience is not, however, the lone qualifier for good training. Before anyone shuts down at that statement, and I know a few will, I must point out that through the trauma of combat – it is absolute terror, in case anyone is wondering, bearing zero similarities to its glorification in media and video games – we put theories to the test. All of our distilled knowledge over the years, what we call Small Unit Tactics, have come from being tested in combat. We keep what works and through natural selection we typically dump what’s bad. With that, what was the right answer once upon a time may not be in the near future. For example, peel maneuvers for breaking contact anywhere but the densest of vegetation or tight urban terrain is idiotic. And yet, some still teach it as Gospel. In their experience it may have worked. Quantifying that experience however illustrates the limited point of view. Tightly bound formations absolutely do not work as demonstrated in the killing fields of Ukraine and what we thought we knew coming out of the GWOT proved lethal to ourselves in many such cases. It may have been competent training, but was certainly not good training.

In that regard, original, outside the box thinking matters and quite a bit. Combat experience, as I stated, is the requirement for competent training. The theory is recognized, the theory is understood, the theory has been thus put to the test. But it is not the sole qualifier for good training. The benchmark of defining good training is focusing on underlying principles and focusing upon competence on those goals. For that, combat experience is not only not a requirement, it sometimes, and often enough, becomes a detriment. I’ve heard the mental crutch over and over – I know what we did in Iraq, I’m good to go – as a substitute for demonstrating and refining that knowledge. Once upon a time a training buddy who’s since fizzled off into the ether, smoked two packs of Marlboros a day, drank like a fish, paid no attention to his own competence in literally anything, but talked the talk, wore the bro-Vet shirts, drank the BRCC cool aid, shit on lower tier rifles, optics and equipment, and always defaulted to his time as a hard charging bad motherfucker in Iraq where he did in fact do some excellent work. But that was once upon a time, and the further removed from that time the longer he rested upon that laurel, plateauing, never going further than what he did in that brief moment. I’ll never forget one training exercise we ran. A simple infiltration and stalking lane encompassing individual movement, camoflage and concealment, marksmanship and communications. Move a few hundred meters through dense vegetation, identify the target, call up a SALUTE report, engage the threat. It is a simple, yet highly effective drill that demonstrates individual competence in a variety of skills. I structured that training event to demonstrate that skill. It was both competent and good training. He struggled with his equipment, having fallen prey to the good idea fairy one too many times, struggled with his fitness, forgot what was a basic skill level task and then could not accurately hit his target. We make the most mistakes when tired and in pain, combat experience be damned. He didn’t make it to the night version. For all that poking fun of me, my bottom tier AR-15 at the time and a 1-8x Primary Arms scope I could barely afford, I completed my own training goal and simply said no more. I was dirt poor, not long out of the Army, unemployed, in school and living off credit cards and the GI Bill. But I could hit my targets.

This brings us to the question of people. All too often I bear witness to the bickering and fruitlessness back and forth between many in the Veteran crowd and the motivated hard chargers of the young shooting generation. As a bit of self awareness I fully recognize my place in the former while being extremely happy towards the latter. I must point out that the modern shooting generation of late teen to twenty somethings of today are the future of America and that future is very bright indeed. They are universally outside the box thinkers who’re quick to embrace new technology in innovative and adaptive ways. Their thirst for training is nearly unquenchable. I’d take ten of them any day over one of the bro-Vets that I described above. But at the same time I refuse to discount the experience on a case-by-case basis that they have, and certainly will never deride those accomplishments that they made. Its very much to the contrary. As a fixture of the former group I recognize my role is to foster both competent and good training in the latter, however I can. Our task is being a resource and an example, not a hindrance. The way I view the current American shooting populace is the exact same as I viewed new junior soldiers or our local national partners in both Iraq and Afghanistan – those I must bring up to my level in the hopes that they’ll surpass me in skill. Their competence is my responsibility and and their failures are mine to bear upon my shoulders. Along with that view is the recognition that I am an ambassador rather than a source of constant derision. As I was once told in an NCO professional development session that the difference between corrective training and hazing is the training goal involved. They should come away with a level of respect earned towards their leader rather than resentment. I’ve come across more people in training courses with no time in combat but are every bit the Warriors I want to take to war. I thank God everyday that they exist, fully recognizing my role in being at least one avenue in training and equipping them. And while they’re consumers of annoying media that often times I consider to be counterproductive, my job is not to build resentment but rather introduce better in practice. To explain why that’s bad rather than simply resign myself to mocking and alienating behaviors. The answer is never to simply say “my CIB says so” instead of explaining why a video of shooting IPSC targets off a roof and not clearing corners is not only retarded but should be derided. And for that reason I rarely engage in it unless what’s being presented is literally so toxic it must be addressed (like advocating airsoft lasers on a go-to-war weapon…that’s an instant no-go at this station, stud).

At the end of the day what you’re doing very much counts. Training must be both competent and good in order to be effective. It does not, however, have to be complicated. Simple rucking with your gear. Getting out and doing rather than casting stones. In fact keeping it simple, no matter the task, is far and away better for everyone. Maintaining a positive attitude as a mentor and an example is far and away better, in the long run, than looking down your nose. Maybe that younger generation didn’t get the opportunities you did or better yet, saw the later days of the GWOT for what it was, leaving a legacy of broken men chasing fruitless endeavors for nothing more than profit margins for the MIC. A large part of the current recruiting crisis for the Empire’s legion is largely due to this built in resentment. Foster it and train these studs. And I’m willing to bet that by just getting out there, you’ll find the right people that everyone loudly wishes they had. At least I know I have. – NCS