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One Grunt's Opinion: "A New Experience"

Darkhorse

In the shadow of the old Scranton Lace Factory, a group of young and mostly new enthusiastic Milsimers gather. They have gathered for a day of milsim operations and close intense combat. In many ways it looks and feels like any other Airsoft operation with people slinging BBs. But today's event  (OP Lion Pride - Clash of Wolverines, 17 August 2013) has an underlying idea about it that goes beyond just BB wars. It is a day to guide and shape those that come into MilSim with the future in mind.

New players to milsim often get a bad rap in the community. Some players see them as the new guys that have to earn their respect. Others see them as simply the guys that don't know anything. So, these guys may just get pushed aside until veteran players feel their worthiness. Myself and some others see these new guys as full of potential and players that will make Airsoft great.

So, on this day in Scranton, I felt as a veteran player, the responsibility to be the mentor I would have wanted for myself if it was my first op. With that idea governing over everything; I talked to my troops. We gathered in a circle and I could feel their excitement. I wanted them to know how this day of milsim would be different compared to their home field games. It was important for them to know that even being the new guy that may have signed up as an individual, that they were still important to the fight. I wanted them to see that in the MilSim world, each player contributed and came together in a unique fighting unit. If only for one day, they were being counted on by me, their CO and their fellow players.

As a CO it is easy to get a big head and to feel like your top dog. I could not let that happen to me at this event. If I was going to show these guys the right direction then I was going to have to be the guy they could come to. If I was going to ask these guys to follow me, they had to know I valued them as team members. They didn't need a dictator today but a guide that would walk the path with them.

As the troops deployed and staging begun I set myself to the task of molding the kind of MilSimers I would be proud to see again. Orders were issued to other veteran players and new squad leaders to pass on to each of their troops. It was important to keep this first taste of the workings and structure of the chain of command simple. Simple orders and simple responsibilities to those getting ready to go into battle. I wanted those leading and those following to find the strength of a solid chain of command that they could count on. It is a partnership that needs both sides to work, good leaders and good followers.

Now comes first contact, those first moments when a MilSimer realizes that he is no longer back home at the home field. He realizes that now he does not know anything about this battlefield. It is no longer that familiar piece of ground that he knows every inch of that brings him comfort each time he plays there. But that's not all that is unfamiliar at this event. The man to his left and the man to his right are strangers. So, while they may see everything around them the fog of war has introduced itself into their psyche.

Even though these players were getting their first taste of the bigger world of milsim. I witnessed them falling into place which created a fighting unit. As they fought together and archived objectives throughout the day bonds were formed. I saw players learn to trust and count on that stranger to their left and right.
A word about brotherhood: when you bring airsofters together and they fight side by side; when they see their buddy in a fight and decide to go back to stand by them; when they say no one will get you because they got your six, that is brotherhood. This is what was being built and what I wanted to see from once strangers that did not know MilSim.

I watched airsofters stand their ground against overwhelming odds for the greater good. I watched leaders rise to command those less experienced and show them the way. I watched young open minds ready to will themselves to the experience of something greater than any individual. I watched teams that trained hard to prepare for their first big op experience, see their hard work pay off. I watched airsofters become MilSimers.

By the end of the day the missions had been accomplished, the objectives had been reached, and my goal had been achieved. As a CO I had done my small part, just like the refs, the op producers, and the players themselves had done their part to make a successful event. I looked at those under my command and saw their fatigued battle scared faces. They had come a long way from this morning. In them I saw the future we all want for Airsoft. A future of good quality players that I hope to once again have by my side at future ops.

Just one grunt's opinion.

 

Javier "Darkhorse"

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About The Author

Javier "Darkhorse" Franco, formerly from This Week In Airsoft, runs his own Airsoft Blog on Facebook called "One Grunt's Opinion." This article has been posted here with the author's permission.

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