Dynamic Combat Carbine 1 After Action Report Camp Blanding , FL January 30-31 2010.
Yes it was cold and rainy, at times miserable. Like warriors we shrugged the hard weather. The dedication and the willingness of students to train hard and learn under any environment, make what I do all worthwhile. This course took place in Camp Blanding Joint Operations Military Base in Starke Florida. I must say that they have excellent training facilities. The fact that the ground we trained in was the same ground that warriors have trained in since the early 1930’s gave me a buzz inside.
This was an unrestricted class which had mixture of personnel including Law Enforcement, Ex Military, Bail Agents, Security and Civilians. The fact that we can all train harmoniously is very satisfying. I always ask everyone to leave their egos at the door and step in with an open mind. You will need it.
As I stated earlier, the cold was upon us and many forecasters were expecting one of the worst storms in a decade. Everyone brought rain gear and were clearly prepared for the worst. As day one commenced the energy began to build and the class began to bond. I am a big believer that the first few hours of a course are crucial.
The Legion Photo team of John and Aaron also showed tremendous warrior spirit by facing the cold, the rain and focusing on the task at hand. These guys are pros all the way. I was able to conduct the course flawlessly without them interfering. They were like ghosts most of the time. You knew they were there but were never in the way.
The first day consisted of covering fundamentals and battle zeroing the irons and red dots. Most of the guys were deploying Eotechs and Aimpoints. We worked on manipulation of the AR 15 platform. As the day went on we covered malfunctions, immediate action tactics, reloading techniques, gear placement and access, tactical movement, Domination Mindset and four tier shooting (positions of shooting ie; belly prone, modified prone, kneeling etc.). Towards the conclusion of the first day I introduced cover and concealment and at that time we split the students up into two man teams.
Day two was the run and gun day. The entire day was spent in covering two man elements while moving under stress. This day is all about solving problems on the move and communicating with your teammate. All operators were asked to fully gear themselves ready for combat. It is important to train as we fight. What you learned the prior day must be applied during movement and under stress in combat. My goal is to push all of the students beyond their self imposed mental and physical limits. In my opinion this is where the retained learning begins.
Towards the end of DCC1 the students had formed a bond and were performing at a much higher level. They were able to apply tactical reloads and speed reloads under stress. Students also showed that they were able to solve problems on the fly specially after ingraining the techniques through repetition. Like I have said many times before, “At the very least if the student retains one technique and one tactic that can someday save his/her life; I have done my job as an instructor”.