Tactical MilSim - 04 2014 by Sensei

Issue 15

NORTHERN

RED POF TRIGGERS

The Tale of Two Triggers

Lil Amazonian

Miroslava Comstock

REVIEW

THE STORY OF MODERN WARFARE

How We Can Benefit from the Lessons Learned

N.O.R.B.

Warrior Trail

Hel-Star 6

$7.50 US $10.00 CAN TACSIM Magazine Issue 15

FEATURES The Story of Modern Warfare by Paul Pawela How we as civilians can benefit from those hard fought lessons Northern Red by Tom Leitner American Warrior Rising

Warrior Trail ESAPI Training Plates by Jordan Gober Train as You Fight 38

REVIEWS Tale of Two Triggers by Gary Williams POFs New Drop in Triggers 18 One of These Bags is not like the Others. by Gary Williams Not Your Ordinary Range Bag

Core Survival Hel-Star 6. by Jordan Gober Illuminating the Competition

Titam Armor Systems MCAP. by Jordan Gober Modular Combat Assault Pack

COLUMNS The Chronicles of Mad Max by MSG (Ret.) Mad Max Mullen Lil Amazonian (Miroslava Comstock)

38 3

TACTICAL

MAGAZINE

MIL SIM

Owner MSG (Ret.) “Mad Max” Mullen MadMax@TacticalMilSim.com Executive Officer Mark Anderson Mark@TacticalMilSim.com Marketing Brion Gluck Brion@TacticalMilSim.com Sales John Mirocky John@TacticalMilSim.com R&D Gary Williams Gary@TacticalMilSim.com Senior Editor Tom Leitner T.Leitner@TacticalMilSim.com Writers Tom Leitner Gary Williams Eddy Bobby Robert Swift Henry Chan www.TacticalMilSim.com To Our Readers: Some of the products that appear in Tactical MilSim Magazine may be illegal to purchase, sell, or transport. Prospective buyers should consult local authorities. The information contained in Tactical MilSim Magazine is based upon personal experiences and research and may vary with your own personal opinions and experiences. Tactical MilSim Magazine is not intended to serve as a manual or procedure in any way. Tactical MilSim Magazine, its officers, employees, and consultants accept no responsibility, liability, injuries, or damages from any attempt to rely on any information contained in this publication. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or part is strictly forbidden.

SIT REP Mentoring The Next Great Leader By Mark Anderson

In every class I have ever taught and every job I have ever had, I have always sought to understand what motivates the people around me. What started off as a social engineering experiment turned in a life’s lesson in leadership. I have served over and under just about every type of leader there is. Most of these people who served in positions of leadership were very uneducated in leadership itself. Our society seems to think that after 10 years or so of being a great engineer qualifies you to take the bosses position when they retire. Nothing has professionally prepared him to be a leader short of putting up with his boss for 10 years. In order to be a great leader you must first be a phenomenal follower. I am always both a leader and a follower to my subordinates. I lead them by example guiding them through every style of leadership from authoritarian to laissez-faire. I follow them by offering support in their journey to success, by insuring that they have the tools, and knowledge they need to complete the task. All too often leaders forget to be a follower to their subordinates. They assign the task and assume the subordinate has what they need only to hold the subordinate responsible for the inevitable failure due to lack of support. Every class I develop regardless of topic embeds the hidden lesson of leadership by establishing the rules of engagement at different stages of the training. I always start of as the authoritarian as I lay down the ground rules. I then progress to a transactional where I barter allegiance and lay the ground work for a two way respect. After establishing a two way respect, I test their resolve through a paternalistic act of disappointment. Then by offering them a chance to recover we reach the transformational phase. By allowing them to achieve on their own they become self-empowered. I am now able to take a democratic approach and allow them to make their own decisions. As they continue I can then take on a laissez-faire approach and evaluate their performance and provide ongoing feedback. This is just a short example of a cycle of leadership. Every relationship you have will most likely progress through these steps. The trick is to only step forward or fall back one style at a time. This is where many leaders fail. They leap from one extreme to another and destroy any respect earned up to that point. Our example of leadership is seen by many and you may never know if your influence has mentored the next great leader.

modern warfare A STORY OF

by Paul Pawela

Lessons learned, and how we as civilians can benefit from those hard fought lessons. A comparison between the fight in Mogadishu and the possibility of lethal encounters of everyday citizens. Author with LTG (Ret) William G. “Jerry” Boykin DELTA FORCE COMMANDER AT MOGADISHU

Definitions Pundit: Hoplogy:

A learned “person“ an authority or critic. Derived from the Greek warriors known as Hoplites. The current definition is “the study of evolution and development of human combative behavior and performance.”

s a professional lifelong student and pundit of Hoplogy, I am always researching and gathering as much credible and useful information on the subject of combatives as I possibly can. If one is a student with the same topic interest as mine, then I wish to recommend Mark Bowden’s classic book Black Hawk Down as required reading in the applications of both modern and urban warfare. With the popularity of the book, and the Academy award blockbuster movie, it depicted the extreme heroic performance under incredible circumstances of how the U.S. Army Rangers, Delta Force and Seal Team Six operators performed bravely in the now famous fight in Mogadishu, Somalia. What I have done is to break down some twenty main points the book makes, and compare them to civilian applications where we just might benefit from those hard fought lessons of Mogadishu. 6

One: “War is ugly and evil, but it was still the way things got done on most of the planet. Civilized states had non violent ways of resolving disputes, but that depended on the willingness of everyone to back down. People don’t back down unless a lot of their own blood flowed. Victory was for those willing to fight and die”.

Americans will be victims of attempted or completed violent crimes during their lives. According to statistics from the Bureau of Justice: • One murder occurs every 34 minutes • One violent crime every five seconds

Comparison: Violence and crime is ugly and evil. Liberals, elitists, and politicians have ways and plans to solve disputes, but in the end it is always solved by a military soldier, police officer, or armed citizen. Victory in dealing with violence and crimes is for those who are willing to deal with it.

• One robbery every 43 seconds • One aggravated assault every 24 seconds • One theft every twelve seconds • One rape/sexual assault occurs every two

Two: “Intellectuals could theorize until minutes they sucked their thumbs right off, people don’t want peace they want victory, they • 172 women are physically and sexually want power, but in the real world power assaulted by an intimate every hour still flows from the barrel of a gun”. Comparison: Liberals and elitists can theorize until they sucked their thumbs right off. People don’t want peace they want power. That’s why the liberals and elitists are surrounded by armed bodyguards and why they own guns themselves.

• Three women and or men become victims of stalking every minute.

• 23% of violent crime victims faced in the armed offender

• 25% of violent crime victims are injured during the crimes.

Three: “Part of American’s false Yet denial is still the key word in superiority, was their own perception of righteous invulnerability, their un- American’s vocabulary next to the phrase “ It willingness to die, and to do any- can’t happen to me” thing to protect each other was couFour: “Soldiering is about fighting, killrageous but sometimes foolhardy”. ing people before they kill you.” Comparison: America’s false superiority, Comparison: Surviving a deadly lethal righteous invulnerability. It just can’t happen in America. Yet an estimated 5/6th of encounter is about survival, whatever will get the job done, will be the ultimate goal. To survive at all costs. Five: “Sometimes lacking sophisticated weapons and tactics were made up for with determination”. Comparison: The famous quote which goes, ”Life’s battles do not always go to the stronger or faster person, but sooner or later the person who win’s, is the person who thinks they can”. In criminology, Gary Kleik’s, now famous study found that hand guns were 7

used in self-defense 2.5 million times between 1988 and 1993 in the United States. Roughly 1.18 million (54%) defensives were used by women. Of interesting note, out of the 2.5 million times a gun was produced in self defense; it was actually fired only 8% of the time, determination is the key in refusing to be a victim. Six: “In combat victory is for those who willing to fight and die”. Comparison: “Conversely, pleading, reasoning or appealing to a rapist’s humanity is not effective. In fact, the latter is universally futile,” notes Dr. Judith Herman, a famous authority on trauma and author of the best selling book “Trauma and Recovery”. Sarah Ullman an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago states “By women not resisting rape, they may be putting themselves at a greater risk.” Professor Ullmans research on resistance strategies concluded that a women’s “level of physical injury is mainly determinate by the offenders use of violence” and initial blows struck, not because she fought back, but having choices and defense skills are critical in the aftermath. Herman wrote “The women who fought to the best of their abilities were not only more likely to be successful in thwarting the rape attempt, but less likely to suffer serve distress symptoms”. By contrast women who submitted without a struggle were more likely to be highly self critical and distressed in the after math. If this says volumes to a woman’s mentality what does it say for a man who is perceived to be the protector? Seven: “Survival depends on proactive soldering (training). Constantly assessing your position and working to improve it”. Comparison: ”To rely on rustics and not prepare is the greatest of crimes, to be prepared before hand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues” -SunTzu, The Art of War. Or “It is the inadequately trained individual who under threat of violence will panic or brandish a weapon or other wise react hastily or in desperation. It may seem odd to assert that knowing one is competent to handle 8

violence helps alert violence, but preparedness and confidence show and have in actual confrontations been sufficient to shut of an attack before it started” -Jeff Cooper, Principles of personal defense. What more can be said: Eight: ”Hard realistic training makes for good soldiers not some feel good attitude epitomized by a Hoo-rah attitude”. Comparison: Ralph Mroz, author of the bestselling book “Defensive Shooting for Real Life Encounters” explains “Suffice to say that you can only develop realistic, stress based workable responses to deadly workable responses to deadly force assault by practicing them full speed, full force, and full stress against a moving thinking human being. Airsoft technology and Fist Suits™ make this entirely possible, and well within the reach of anyone. There is no question any more that realistic force on force training is absolutely necessary”. Bruce Lee said it best: “The best preparation for an event is the event itself”. Bottom line is your training should represent the actual encounter with as much realism as possible. Nine: “You do exactly what you were trained to do”. (In combat as you did in train ing.) Comparison: “Practice does not make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect. If you practice crap for twenty years, all you will be is a Crapmaster. Crapmasters do not win gun fights” -Mac Fleischmann. This

is true with just about every encounter that deals with real life scenarios. Consider these documented cases a police officer who is an experienced grappler, apprehends a suspect, the fight goes to the ground, with the police officer getting the best of the suspect, the suspect taps the shoulder of the officer, instinctively the officer releases a hold of his suspect because the tap out is what was taught in training. Remember the infamous Newhall incident? Four police officers were killed in the line of duty, with one officer dumping his empty brass casings in his pocket, which he reverted to how he was trained on the range? Does it happen in the military? You bet in “Black Hawk Down” an Air Force combat controller went to recover the fast ropes that were released by Black Hawks, under normal circumstances this is what would have been done in normal training, however this was in the middle of the real fire fight, in fact a Navy Seal had to tell the Air Force combat controller to forget the ropes. Can you think

of anything you do in your training that may become a bad habit for a real life situation? Ten: “Do not deviate from your plan, take all necessary equipment”. Comparison: Ok, you are a CCW holder, probably been to at least one shooting school, carry all the necessary components: standard gun with at least one extra spare magazine, sure fire flash light, Clipit knife, the standard gear right! But how about the other important necessities, like spare batteries on hand for your sure fire, or spare bulbs, how about an extra battery pack for your cell phone. How about preventive maintenance on your car, does it have all the necessary fluids, good battery, and good tires, how is the spare? When traveling do you take with you any kind of door sensor or motion detector when staying in a hotel, how about a medical kit bag, what about proper maps, blankets or rain gear in the travel bag? Remember you

things are going their way, once things turned; it was hard to reassert control”.

can never over plan. All though the British SAS’s MOTTO is Who DARES WINS, ask any former operator who served in that unit, they will tell you, their motto should be check, re check and check again! Eleven: “Speed and Authority are critical, it frightens and disorients. Most people will follow stern commands”. Comparison: “Stop! Don’t move!”- When holding a bad guy at bay with a firearm, knife or Protection dog. Strong short verbal commands work best, what you don’t want to get in to as a long verbal barrage of words like “Unpleasant Citizen cease and desist all your unlawful and felonious activity, you are now going to be placed under a Citizen’s arrest…” Remember you can not shoot and talk at the same time, keep the dialog short and strong, like the classic Movie “The good, bad and ugly” pointed out with the famous Eli Wallach as the Ugly character, in the unforgettable bath tub scene, when he shot his opponent while bathing, Ely said: “If you’re going to shoot shoot, don’t talk!” 10

Twelve: “Soldiers fight better when

Comparison: Soldiers, police officers and civilians, if once things don’t go their way, and they lost control, lost the element of surprise, it’s hard for them to regain control. WACO was a typical example of that. Once the Branch Daviadians knew the BATF were coming, surprise was lost and it was no longer a dynamic entry situation. To many times there have been reports of officers in S.W.A.T. situations where a dynamic entry is made, the suspect runs and instead of treating it, as a barricaded suspect, the S.W.A.T. team Pursues with a lot of times, tragic with consequences, because now the suspect has the upper hand because he is now barricaded. He see’s the S.W.A.T. teams flash lights, with smoke from the flash bangs, he now fires his 25 ACP at the police officer, hitting him in the shoulder going through the underarm pit in to the heart, killing the officer. (This really happened!) Or the civilian who wake’s up in the middle of the night, catches the unwelcomed Intruder, when the card carrying good guy does everything right tactically, until the bad guy rabbits out of the house, causing the civilian to fire a warning shot into the ceiling (never do that) and then chases the bad guy around the house to find the bad guy is not alone, no, he has three other friends who gang tackle the good guy, assault him and take his weapon. It get’s worse: he (good guy) gets charged with unlawful discharge of a weapon in the city limit. A person who is very dear to me once told me: Rule number one, if the Indians stole your Gatling gun do not go chasing after them right away. Point being: Always have a contingency plan. If God forbid your first one is not successful a back up plan is always a warm welcome. Thirteen: “The first moments of the engagement you are going to be scared shitless, then you are going to get pissed that they have the balls to fight you”. Comparison: How dare they attack, assault, hit, hurt (pick one) me, but if you insist, I’m retaliating with everything that I have at my disposal, I will not give up, I will not die, I will defeat you, I will survive!

killed because some negligent individual had Fourteen: “Do not shoot before identi- their finger on the trigger when he shouldn’t fying the target”. have. The SAS has had a causality in there kill house training for live fire exercise, as did Comparison: It amazes me that we have famed Seal Team Six. During tactical trainto even cover this again, because it is one ing for civilian by ex-Delta Force and ex-Seal of the most important safety rules in basic Team Six personal sponsored by Tactical Rehunting or shooting courses in the world. Yet sponse Solutions , in the class a civilian who we still have federal officers (Elite guys no had been repeatedly told to watch his finger less) shooting unarmed mothers holding ba- and trigger discipline, ended up shooting himbies in their arms, only to say it was mistake, self in the behind, when he tried to holster his because the sniper thought it was same one gun. If the guns loaded or not, it can not go else, or a US Army Ranger shooting into a bang unless a finger makes it do that, keep building where friendly Delta Force members your finger off your gun trigger until you need were holding up, the Ranger thought the D- your gun to shoot! boy’s were Bad guy’s, or how many civilian hunters end up shooting each other because Sixteen: “The hands tell the whole stothey thought they were deer’s? I am sorry if I ry, make sure the enemy hands are emphurt your feelings for this one, but if you can ty”. not safely identify what your about to shoot than one you are not professional and two Comparison: The eyes are the gateway you should not be any where around firearms. to the soul, maybe but unless some one has comic book powers that can make bolts of Fifteen: “This is my safety” (Delta lighting shoot out of their eyes, then the real Force Operator Hooten raising his index problem is the hands, feet can be used for finger to US Army Ranger Captain Steel af- kicking but as a rule they don’t hold knifes, ter ordering his weapon should be placed clubs or guns, it’s always the hands. If someon safe). one is trying to conceal there hands it’s a problem. Beware of the hands! Comparison: Once again – keep your finger off the trigger unless you absolutely Seventeen: “Sound tactics”. Make all need to make the gun go bang. In all Elite shots count. units at least one person has been shot or

Comparison: There is actually two items to consider: caliber performance and shot placement. First, let’s consider caliber performance. Science will tell us in Physics the bigger the bullet the better off we are in stopping someone. The subject at hand is fighting at extreme close distances at gun fighting ranges thus many factors needed to be added into the equation. Some factors to consider are weight of the weapon in the fight, the portability of the weapon, the recoil of the caliber when shooting it and getting back on target as soon as possible. Is your adversary ducking, dodging, weaving and shooting back at you? Are you ducking dodging, weaving and shooting back at your adversary?

of 9mm on the market are doing the job just fine and both sexes are able to sustain the recoil of the gun allowing them to shoot faster and fire more bullets on target. Former DELTA OPERATOR Dale Comstock shooting M-4 Rifle If we have time to get to our rifles, all though one Delta operator had problems with the green tip ammo in 5.56 shooting from his M-4, Former Delta operator Dale Comstock has no problem with the 5.56 rifle at all and in the United States of America we have more access to M-4 then AK’s. as well as parts.

Next issue is shot placement. Like it or not, In close quarter situations for sheer fire the logic of most shooting programs of today power the top choice winner for both Military can credit their origins to military doctrine, be and Law Enforcement is the 12-gauge pump it Basic Pistol or Rifle, Marksmanship, Close action shotgun utilizing slugs or double 00 Quarter Counterterrorism battle or the Art of buck in most recorded cases no humane has Sniping. All shooting programs are birthed out been able to sustain more than two rounds of of the military, which then is tactically handed either – with regards to pistols, the preferred down to Law Enforcement who tactically wacaliber with any professionals is always go- ter’s down what they learned to civilians. If ing to be 45 ACP. While pistols in general are we are talking about close quarter confrontapoor to rely on, to stop a human being, ask tion situations as most confrontations are for any professional, their choice for handgun the Counter Terrorist Operative who is issued caliber hands down is the 45. Here lies the 100,000 rounds per year to become proficient difference are we talking about a professional with a hand gun, the double tap theory was Delta or Seal Team Six operator or a civilian classed as the most efficient way to put an with a carrying concealed permit? If we are assailant down, with the center mass of the talking civilian carry then the current brands torso as the primary target area, because it 12

is the easiest area to hit and contains almost all body’s organs. The next target area is the head which can be hit at extremely close distances at 10 feet and under. The two in the chest one in the head is not that difficult to accomplish and can be replicated with minimum practice in close distances. With the availability of heavier clothing like leather jackets and even concealable body armor which is easy to purchase now days, double tapping someone in the body is almost a an absolute must. If this plan is not working a backup plan has to be in order. If we are talking about a defensive pistol situation which is normally experienced at arms length anyway as opposed to the standard 15 to 25 yard line which statistic’s bear out, that people are at a greater injury or death at distances of 5 feet or closer and we know from studies that even after being hit by two rounds people still managed to return fire before succumbing. Might I suggest an alternative area – midsection, which includes the stomach, intestines, pelvic girdle and sex organs? I know for those of you so burdened with a Military Regiment, one cannot fathom this but please hear me out: 1. Holding a suspect at gunpoint with a gun pointed at the genital area of the bad guy gives one a certain psychological Edge to the person holding the weapon, over the criminal.

2. Tactically speaking at close range the good guy has a chance to see a bigger picture watching for other nastiests like other bad guys or watching the bad guy’s hands. 3. If one is forced to discharge a large caliber weapon in the midsection area what do you think the chances are of that person wearing a Kevlar Girdle is? 4. What is the ultimate desire of using a firearm in a defensive shooting, is it not the hope of a one shot stop? If one breaks the pelvis girdle the assailant is certainly not going to be advancing toward you any more, while doubled over, and now at half torso this now set’s up to the head shot if need be. Another point to ponder is, in all the classics western movies, what was the most horrible way to be shot? It was the classic gut shot. There was a good reason for it being portrayed that way, because getting shot in the gut is immediately painful, which generally takes the fight right out of “most” people right away and as was pointed out in Mark Bowden’s book “Black Hawk Down” – “Most with gut shot wounds will die.” As seen with one of Delta Force Operator who had been shot under the side belly plate of his body armor. Eighteen (Tactics Continued): “When shooting starts people will drop and move to corners of buildings; keep your back to a wall at all times but beware of walls because bullets follow walls; use proper concealment if available, cover all doors and windows; have a planned escape route. The greatest danger was getting pinned dawn. The most importing thing was to keep moving, one of the hardest things in the world to hit is a moving target.” Comparison: Nothing. What could be more sound tactical advice then that which was given in the book “Black Hawk Down”? All though people may add there own little tid bits, Mark Bowden’s book pretty much covers everything tactically for the solder, police officer or civilian. Nineteen

(Psychological,

Physiologi13

cal affects of armed conflict trauma): Pretenses of deep dead pan cool mandatory monotone that conveyed everything is under control voices, inflictions rose with surprise and fear. Beware of sensory overload, don’t think you’re a superior force, don’t be in denial, your close to death but never felt so completely alive your hyper alert, colors seem brighter, smells more vivid, the soldiers couldn’t talk fast enough to get their stories out, they remarked again and again how much they felt like they were in the movie, and how they had to remind themselves that the horror, the blood, the deaths were real. They described feeling weirdly out of place as though they did not belong there, fighting feelings of disbelief, anger, and end ill defined betrayal. This cannot be real. “The site of blood totally dismayed them.” Comparison: In armed conflicts people will suffer some form of traumatization one way or another; these are the common trauma effects: Denial response; a life threatening situation which is so far from being normalpeople will not believe what is happening to them. Tachypsychia- the speed of the mind under tremendous stress the mind will speed up its processing time, constants and give the illusion that everything is going in slow motion. Cortical perception- extreme tunnel vision, the increased magnification of points of focus: a small caliber gun in the hands of a robber but the victim swears it was a huge large caliber gun. Mental ability and memory- during deadly encounters, the critical decision process becomes degraded, complex tactics and survival techniques will be forgotten. This is the reason for the KISS principlekeep it simple. Auditory Exclusion- tunnel vision of the ears, under stress the body shuts out what it doesn’t need, loud explosions becomes softer, people shouting at you can not be heard etc, this can work both in positive and negative ways. Psychological Splittingcommonly referred to as Excorporation, the sensation of seeing oneself in another area, the outer body experience under stress the brain tends to overload with the information what the conscious cannot handle the subconscious stores in its data back- the brain is still working after a traumatic event of a trau14

ma. These symptoms will occur. Logorrheaoral diarrhea- a person talks rapidly about the extraordinary events they’ve just been in; the mouth tends to talk faster than the brain can think. In many post shootings people are advised not to make any statements because they will say things out of sequence and it will appear that they are lying. Cognitive Dissonance- Distorted information; things that are out of place or order to the person who has been in the trauma. Survival Euphoriathe realization one has survived a deadly encounter, senses become more alert; a desire to enjoy life to its fullest potential becomes a priority. The symptoms which are common after a traumatic event are nightmares, sleep disturbance, depression, social withdrawal, flashbacks, appetite disturbance, aggression, avoidance, sexual impotence (for both sexes), and family stress. These are common symptoms of people who survive violent encounters. Having said this maybe it can be appreciated; all the way around what military and law enforcement members go through each day, as we’ve tried to better appreciate their positions as well, maybe a little bit more understanding can come from those professionals who have been trained to encounter such horrors, to be a little bit more sympathetic to victims of ordinary people who have not. The last subject which I wish to address is the quote of how the sight of blood totally dismayed the soldiers who fought in Mogadishu. With any endeavor in which the needs for realism needs to the replicated to the actual situations as possible, I do not know why in this country there is such resistance against this. Instructors who teach lifesaving skills to military, law enforcement and even civilians should fully prepare the students of the horror of spilled blood. Medical staff personnel do this all the time with simulated movie type props; they (medical community) have all kinds of excellent props to prepare their staff for real life encounters of medical emergencies. Maybe if those professionals who teach these endeavors would pay less emphasize on shooting thousands of rounds on targets that don’t shoot back, then trying to create a

more realistic combat environment. Maybe people wouldn’t be so psychologically dismayed at the sight of blood and freak out. If that had been included in their training, from the start, then student could handle it better. In many former soviet bloc countries Special Forces soldiers are assigned to medical staff to pick up bodies at accidents sites to harden them for the rigorous of combat. To mentally prepare them for the guresome task’s that they, as soldiers will eventually face. I have yet to hear if any of the current military or law enforcement programs has any similar type of training the one noted exception to the rule would be the F.B.I.’s Hostage Rescue Unit. In the civilian training sector I only know of one instructor who happens to use as much realism as possible in his training programs. That one is Mas Ayoob of Lethal Force Institute. In Mas’s Level four course, he takes his students to a slaughter house where animals are selected for market. At which time the student is dressed in butcher’s clothing and boots (it is after all a slaughterhouse with blood and dead carcasses around) an animal is selected, either a cow or a pig, then the student must face that animal, shoot it with the very ammunition the student uses for every day carry self protection . Most students have certain apprehensions about the

event but go through with the process anyway, while a small percentage of students choose not to do this. I personally believe this is about the most realistic training you can get especially as a civilian. When it matters in life or death situations I can personally tell you there is nothing joyful about discharging a fire arm into a human being, while many people love to “pretend” to shoot humanoid targets because it’s fun, cool and perceived as being Macho, that men love to portray. Or the nonsense espoused by women who carry a gun, shoot targets with a fashion for flare and style, stating they’re in touch with their feminine softer side. Look, just because you wear makeup, dress up all in pretty pink with fingernails to match your pink jacket and pink pants, - don’t forget the stated intended objective of what you’re learning and why you’re learning to shoot in the first place. Which is preserving your life, and in worst case scenarios (as was the case in Mogadishu) shooting someone is neither macho nor is it feminine, it is what is “brutal survival” at best. If you’re going to take the steps in assuring you can defend yourself and your loved ones than it is my opinion you should go all the way, because deadly encounters are for real and usually wind up being very bloody.

Twenty: “Every battle is a drama played out a part from broader issues. Soldiers can not concern themselves with the forces that bring them to a fight or its aftermath. Once the battle is joined they fight to survive as much as to win, to kill before they are killed. The story of combat is timeless, the extreme and terrible nature of war touches something essential about being human and soldiers do not always like what they learn. For those who survive, the victors and the defeated, the battles lives on in their memories and the nightmares and in the dull ache of old wounds. It’s survives as hundreds of searing, private memories, memories of loss and triumphs, shame and pride, struggles each veteran must re-fight every day of his life”. Comparison: Life is the ultimate battle, whose drama plays it out apart from broader issues that is sometimes beyond the comprehension or understanding of human nature. People can not concern themselves with the evil forces of the dark side, which brings them into a Hostile life threatening situation or its aftermath. Once the fight of your life has begun, then you fight to survive, to win at all costs, so many loved ones depend on you, to be there in their lives, they need you, they cherish you, they deeply love you, to kill if you must, protect you will. The story of survival is timeless. 16

The extreme and terrible nature of any violent encounter touches something essential about being human, having a soul is what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom, and yet sometimes as “intellectuals” we do not always like what we learned, it is hard for rational people to fathom or understand that a crazed people can fly Jets into buildings, killing thousands of innocent people, or that one man could be responsible for killing millions of people, or that a person can rape and murder his victims just to satisfy their evil lusts and desires. The Hannibal’s of the world are out there and if they think you’re weak, that you are an easy target, or easy prey, they will hunt you; they will take advantage of your weakness and your fears. You must choose for those who survive, the victors and the defeated, the battle lives on in their memories. For those who did everything in their powers to resist, can feel satisfied, they gave their all to protect the ones they loved, for if they lost their lives in the fight they would not face isolation or shame, no, they will be for ever burned in the memories of someone who they owe their very life to and will forever be remembered as Heroes. The Author wishes to thank Mark Bowden for helping people to be reminded that the Price of the Freedom does not come cheap. This article is dedicated to all people who Protect people who are in harm’s way.

HEROSFOREVER Medal of Honor Winners Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon and Tim “Griz” Martin Matt Rierson

Daniel Busch

A Tale of Two Triggers by Gary Williams

ack in June of 2012, Mark Anderson and I went to Patriot Ordnance Factoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new location to meet with them and see the layout of their new location. We met up with some of POFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff and they showed us around their new factory. During our tour, we happened onto not only their new new Drop-In Single Stage Non-Adjustable Trigger Systems, but their Enhanced Finger Placement System too! They had just got the first run for evaluation, and we got one of both to try out! Normally we do an initial review of a product and then after a few hundred rounds and tossing them around a bit, do another to show how well a product fairs long term. But the 18

was barely holding on, and it stopped when I instinctively grabbed a bit more securely, so about the same as a stock AR trigger set. So what was different?... the crispness of the trigger!

Enhanced Finger Placement Trigger System was still hush-hush, so instead, we waited for the longevity review. We even removed the trigger from pictures from our Secret Squirel Stuff at the Range Day! So in the year and a half, both triggers have seen a lot of time and rounds from several of our people! The non-enhanced trigger went into my old school POF SBR from the 2005 era. I had installed a different manufacturers drop-in trigger assembly once before and had to reinstall the stock trigger assembly because of excessive bump fire. Although it was kind of fun, I really didn’t like having select fire without being able to select single fire. So I was a bit concerned using POF’s drop-in based on my other experiences, to say the least. But I was pleasently surprised that the 4 lbs pull did not exhibit the same problem. Even when trying, I wasn’t able to make it bump fire. I was only able to get a few two round bursts. But that

Single Stage triggers have to bear the entire hammer retention on one stage. The trigger pull weight can not be so light that the mass of the trigger can initiate a fire sequence from the rifle being dropped, and the retention mechanism for the hammer can’t fail either. It’s difficult to get a proper mechanical mix between making sure you don’t get an inadvertent discharge, but still have a hammer that breaks (in the good sense) cleanly. After installing the trigger, I banged the heck out of the rifle and did not see an inadvertant hammer fall at all. I did far more trigger/hammer drills than a normal human would have done and had no problems. So I felt we were safe and ready to go to the range! The first few rounds that I shot, I took a lot of time and wanted to get the real feel of the new trigger. What was immediately noticed, besides the crispness of the trigger, was its reset. On a stock trigger, you really release to get that toggle feel so you can pull the trigger again. With POF’s trigger, I barely moved and felt it reset. This was really cool! During my safety tests, I couldn’t feel the reset or probably wasn’t appreciating it as I was now that I was shooting. The travel for shooting and resetting was not much. I’ll have to figure out how to measure that effectively, but have not seen that as a specification before on triggers. One of the remaining parameters of trigger assemblies is the Lock Time. My definition of Lock Time is the amount of time after the trigger breaks with 19

the hammer and the firing pin hits the primer. Basically it comes down to, how fast your hammer is falling. Excessive hammer weight and any friction the hammer incurrs slows the hammer speed, while a higher spring force will accelerate the hammer quicker. Again, a mechanical mix must be found that the hammer has enough mass to properly initiate the firing pin when it strikes, while not having to accelerate it with so much force that introduces unwanted movements before the round has left the barrel or damage to the rifle. I have not the time nor the equipment to test this parameter, but since it is hard to keep a weapon perfectly still when fired, a poor Lock Time should show itself on a target grouping.

gers and putting a lot of lead downrange. Everyone was rockin the Enhanced trigger and loving it! I had a few great comments on how they liked the placement of the finger hold to use more of the leverage to smooth out the trigger pull. It was a great day of testing and the POF triggers got a real workout and a big thumbs up by everyone. In todays manufacturing world, our CNC machines can produce high quality products repeatedly. Engineering, materials and workmanship seems to be the criteria that makes products like drop-in triggers either stand out or fall short. The designs of single stage drop-in triggers have not changed much over the last few years and it seems that innovations are hard to come by. POF’s Enhanced Finger Placement System is a great little innovation that takes a great drop-in trigger and makes it that much better. We’ve put a lot of rounds downrange using these triggers and they’ve held up nicely and are still as crisp and strong as they were when I dropped them in.

I installed POF’s Enhanced Trigger in my 18” POF rifle, also of 2005 vintage. After similar testing for safety it was ready to be taken out to the range too. I usually shoot the 18” at the 300 meter targets and rocks, but to test the abilities of the new trigger I did some 100 meter paper. The scope is not the best and I was shooting surplus ammunition but still was able to turn in some great groupings. At 300 meters, with or without the YHM sup- POF’s website: http://www.pof-usa.com pressor, I can repeatedly hit quarter size rocks, so the trigger is not introducing any problems at all. The new trigger design forces you to use the bottom portion of the trigger and when you use your fingertip it feels more natural than a stock trigger design. At our TacSim pre-2013 SHOT Show Range Day, we had a Ranger, a Marine, two TACPs and a few other military types out for a great day of shooting. We even had a olympic greko roman wrestler. Although we had many weapons out there, the POF rifles seemed to always have someone behind them pulling the trig20

Lil Amazonian

Miroslava

Many people go through their lives shooting their firearms and thinking that shooting paper or steel prepares them to defend themselves or others when the time comes to pull the trigger... By Thomas C. Leitner

hile nothing can truly prepare you if that day ever comes, everyone has a responsibility to train and train hard. But training by yourself will only reinforce bad habits, and make you become more of a liability than an asset. The other mistake many people make is thinking that they can buy a DVD or watch a video online and think that its good enough to teach them what to do and how to do it. In the martial arts community about twenty years ago, there was an influx of what we like to call paperback warriors; people that think they can learn martial arts and then teach it to others under the guise of being an expert. Today we have an evolution of that type of person, something I like to call a keyboard cowboy or YouTube hero. That said, I am no â&#x20AC;&#x153;expertâ&#x20AC;? by my standards, and as such seeking out professional training is something of a challenge at times considering what I look for in an instructor or school. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get me wrong, there are plenty of great schools and instructors out there, but looking for the right school is something that takes a lot of research and time. Then it comes down to timing and value for the money. During my search I have gone to a few schools and found a few that may not be too well known to the ci24

vilian sector, but eclipse most all in the field with their experience and skill with teaching their students. One such school that raises that bar is Northern Red. Northern Red doesn’t approach training the same way I’ve experienced in the past with various other schools. They don’t just give you a set pattern and drill and have you run it. A good portion of their classes involve explaining techniques and the reasons for their implementation. This isn’t given in a manner that resembles a lecture, but more in the way of a light hearted but still serious nature that for me made it stick a lot more than just being lectured too. While still maintaining an air of professionalism, JD kept the lessons engaging and explained the the-

for that matter. I can only guess that they didn’t want to drive away their students by showing them how inaccurate they are. Northern Red has a different philosophy however, they want to show you where you are and then at the end, show you how far you have come from the beginning. And let me tell you, it really brings home the lessons learned. Although this was an advanced carbine and pistol course, everything was broken down detail by detail. Not in the way you might expect a beginners course. At this course, it’s expected that you already have a firm foundation and understanding of all the intricacies of how to fire your platform, and everyone who showed up did. There was no

ories behind them that had helped to de- waiting around for others to catch up, velop the skillsets needed to walk away everyone was already prepared for this from a real world gun fight. class (as well they should have.) The client base that an instructor brings in We started off our first day with some- tells you a lot about that company. Most thing I was not prepared for initially, of the students that were there have the 25 yard evaluation. Through all the previously taken other courses. But the other schools I had been too, none of ones that were new to Northern Red had them tried the 25 yard eval, or any eval just as much understanding as the rest. 25

Still, everything from your proper fighting position to the importance of grip and control were laid out in fine detail, but with added emphasis on understanding why we are suppose to do what is being taught instead of just doing what you were told. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what was most important during this class, not just running through the numbers, but actually understanding what and why we were doing what we were doing. Our foundations are built upon and reinforced, providing a strong platform for which we can grow. Once this has been taken care of, we can improve our skills to prepare for engagements. While building your foundational understanding of using your carbine and pistol, another aspect of the Northern Red philosophy is slowly integrated as you go on. The idea that training should be opposition based, meaning that when training you should work to end the fight as quickly and efficiently as possible. There is no action sequence, no stunt doubles

to call. The longer you are in an engagement, the higher the chances of injury or death. Get in, get it done, and get out. Understanding what variables you can use to your advantage (such as your training, proper cover and concealment, identifying threats and non-threats) and what to do to turn the tables in your favor are just as important as what platform to implement and when. One of the most effective drills we ran was a variant on the numbers drill. It was essentially a shoot/no shoot drill that force us to work faster and identify threats or friendlies. Instead of just shooting on instinct, we were forced to think critically, and not just to engage, but how much to engage before we moved on. Some targets would get two rounds, others would get 6. Still some would get none and passed over. Even with all of this, you were forced to shoot only in the A-Zone. This was because natural human instinct is to attack what you are focused on, meaning that the

vast majority of the time most people will shoot the perceived weapon instead of the person holding it. This causes many issues, the largest being that you wont necessarily stop your opponent even if you do hit the perceived weapon. This drill seemed to work a lot better than any of the other drills Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done before that forced you to critically think about your actions, as it worked with your cognition, intended shot placement, and reasoning skills more than just threat assessment.

and brothers. Never once did anyone ever disappoint, nor did we ever fall behind. At the end of the class we had a walk back competition, which guaranteed bragging rights and was a great time. For the first time I had witnessed something I had only heard of, a 125 yard, first shot, 9mm impact. And this was from a very unassuming lawyer who started his training with Northern Red, and his skills showed it. The difference between your average range nut and someone who takes their training seriously is clearly evident in him, and that is something we can all learn from. If we are indeed carrying for the purpose of self-defense and the defense of others, then we should all invest in proper professional training instead of just sitting on the computer or watching tv.

Each time we went to the firing line, we were expected to perform better each time, and if there was something holding you back the instructors were right there when you needed them, and not before. This was one of the nicer aspects of the course, they never jumped the gun or ignored anyone in the class, they were For more information on Northern Red right there when and only when you and their courses, go to their website at: needed them. Each morning we zeroed out and did our eval. Each day we progressed further and took on more complex tasks. Each day we grew together as friends

http://www.northernred.com

One of these bags is not like the others. By Gary Williams

he Not an Ordinary Range Bag or N.O.R.B. is just that… Not very ordinary! Most range bags are made for men and are either of a tactical or giant container in nature, with little thought to functionality. We like large compartments and many side pockets to put all of our range things in. They might be black or maybe tan. Plastic, cloth, or maybe leather, but not something that can be considered a fashion statement! All we really care about is how much of our stuff can we cram into one bag. NORB was created by a woman shooter for women shooters. Instead of a dreary, plain façade, it sports a stylistic Krypek exterior and brushed aluminum hardware, and it’s all business. A bungie carrying strap helps to keep itself in place without biting into your shoulder. And unlike some woman’s handbags, NORB was designed to stand up while accessing the interior. 28

is wide and deep enough to carry ammunition, ear and eye protection, a small tool bag and room for more. A thin lined compartment is sectioned into two partitions, enabling two handguns to be carried safely. There are stretch retention straps or pockets to hold two magazines. And to hold your range ID, keys, phone and other assundries, there are two mesh pockets. One pocket has a very unique ambidextrous zipper that runs from across the top and around to almost half way down one side. I found this much easier to get things in and out of and made it very functional. Speaking of functional, the The main compartment inside of the flap is made of

The design didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop at just the looks. The NORB was built with functionality in mind. A zippered access on the top of the flap turns the range bag into a discreet concealed carry bag. The highly functional bungie carrying strap also allows the NORB to help absorb the shock of the weight. It even allows for the bag to be moved down for better positioning when accessing your weapon through the zippered top. And instead of giant, gaping caverns of openess, the NORB has well thoughtout functional compartments, sections, pockets and even retention straps for your magazines.

a kind of rubbery material that is ideal for using it as a gun rug when on a lane at the range. The NORB was made to be used at the range and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not designed to be put on the dirty floor and kicked to the side. The basic setup, after removing the contents, is to lay the NORB on its back and use the flap for a gun rug. The mesh pockets can house a smartphone displaying the time of day or the countdown timer/ Alarm for those lunchtime trips to the range. The extra magazines can be kept in their straps until they are needed, reducing the clutter on the firing line. Less clutter means safer conditions

and that’s always a good thing! When it’s time to go, the NORB can be stood up while all the compartments are repopulated with all the range gear.

showing off her new, great looking range bag gets her out to the range more, I’m all for it. If she’s more comfortable with the NORB for concealed carrying than her purse, I’m all for it! And I also found that the most optimum part about the NORB is her ability to discreetly conceal carry without calling attention to herself. The NORB is designed by and for women shooters, and best of all, it’s ‘Made in the USA’!

As a man, I had to step back and take a look from way outside. I had to get a lot of input from some of the women shooters I know. But thinking about how this fits into my life, I’m a man that wants his wife or significant other to be well trained and protected. For more information on Some women may be put off by the “military” or “man- the NORB, go to Off Hand ly” look of most range bags, Gear’s website at so the NORB gives them a more feminine and styled http://www.offhandgear.com alternative. This innovative range bag is not only functional and helps her to better carry the load, but looking great while doing it! If

Core Survival Hel-Star 6 By Jordan Gober

“We are the place where ideas and needs can be brought – with the confidence that they will be heard and acted on quickly and effectively. Our products are designed with one aim….to help exceptional people – by making their jobs a little easier and a whole lot safer.”

ore Survival perfectly summarizes their vision in this statement. This company is pushing the limits with their precisely constructed MIL/LE IFF helmet mounted lights and is producing some incredible products for the SOF community. We at TacSim recently got our hands on the Hel-Star 6 640-03 and 640-04 strobe lights and were completely blown away. The -03 model functions consist of constant green, constant green with white strobe, as well as constant IR and strobe IR functions. The -04 model has similar functions, with the exception of a red LED constant instead of the green with white strobe function. Despite our constant play and abuse, these lights continue to shine as bright as the day we received them. The strobe is 3 ¼ “ long, 2 ¼“ wide, and 1 ¼“ tall, making it a bit larger than some other helmet mounted strobes, however its large number of settings com32

pensate for its size. The Hel-Star 6 runs on of a single CR123A battery, and requires a flathead screwdriver or a dime to replace; however judging from our experience so far, the batteries will last for a while. I have personally put around 15 hours on mine thus far, and havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had to change the batteries. The HelStar 6 also has hook-side Velcro on the contoured

under wet conditions and kit ensures that one way are large enough to easily or another, the Hel-Star 6 manipulate with gloves. is compatible with every major helmet on the marYou can mount the Hel- ket. Star 6 two different ways with Velcro: you can diThus far, the strobe light rectly attach it to the Velcro has been able to handle on the helmet, or use the a considerable amount provided Velcro mounting of punishment, showing pad with two-band elas- some signs of wear but tic bungee to strap on the no functional faults. One Hel-Star. On the bottom of our guys actually took of the mounting pad is a head-first tumble (unhook-side Velcro; on the intentionally) down a ra-

bottom for easy, secure attachment. The models we received also feature two switches; the one at the rear has three firmly locking positions: Off, 1, and 2. At the front of the light is a two position switch that changes the strobe from visible to IR light. The switches have a staircase-texturing that insures firm control even

top is a loop that mates with the bottom of the strobe itself. Also on the mounting pad is a length of 550 cord, which is used to tie the mount and light to the helmet. If there is no Velcro on your helmet, fear not! Also included is another pad which has a sticky surface on one side and soft-side Velcro on the other. This whole

vine at Camp Shelby, MS, knocking the strobe off of the helmet. To my surprise, there were no visible signs of damage apart from some light scratches on the top of the case. The strobe accompanied us through the tunnels of the Camp Shelby facility; despite repeatedly knocking the light 33

off the helmet, none of the damage or wear has compromised the functionality of the strobe. So far we have used Hel-Star in conditions ranging from 20 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit without noticing any performance variability, but we will be testing them from -10, up to 110

Fahrenheit in the near 130-foot mark to the test future. Unfortunately, we as well. havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been able to formally depth test them, but Core Survival reports that the lights are waterproof down to 130 feet. My current SCUBA certification restricts me to 100 feet, but hopefully in the future we will be able to put that

Titan Armor Systems MCAP By: Jordan Gober

few of us at TACSIM Magazine have, over the past few months, gotten to beat up some Titan Armor Systems Modular Compact Assault Packs (MCAP), and to say the very least we’ve been very pleased with them thus far. 100% Made in the U.S. from U.S. materials, they’ve shown to meet if not exceed expectations in every environment, and being priced in the ballpark $150, they’re very affordable.

Their construction consists of 1000D Cordura in Multicam, Ranger Green, Coyote Brown, AOR1, and AOR2. All of these packs feature covered YKK zippers to prevent debris from jamming it up, and are stitched entirely with threading that has a break point of almost 1000lbs. The two buckles on top of the major and minor compartment also assist in dramatically reducing pack sway when moving. The overall dimensions of the

main compartment are: 8.5” x 15” x 3.5”, and the cargo pocket being: 8.5” x 7.5” x 2.75”. The Pack sports three hydro access points (One on the top, left, and right sides) depending on your preference, and each port is covered with elastic, further aiding in preventing debris making its way into the pack. Simply cut where the fabric is stitched together under the elastic, and 35

run your hydro or airline how you see fit. Each pack also has one piece of loop side Velcro. As AOR1 and AOR2 Velcro are not available at this time, they will come with Tan or Olive Velcro, unlike the Multicam pack, which includes Multicam Velcro. On the sides of the pack are 3 rows of 2-loop Molle for the attachment of a radio or single magazine pouch. I personally keep my multitool pouch there. Another nice addition to each pack is the elastic mounting loop for a hydro located at the top of the pack directly beneath the top hydro port, which prevents the notorious â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bag-Sagâ&#x20AC;? of the hydro bladder, and gives the pack a more balanced feel. Both the major and minor compartments of the pack are separated into two smaller mess pockets via a mesh divider. At the bottom of the larger pouch inside of the hydro-bladder divider is a single drain grommet in the event of bladder breakage/leakage. There is no drain grommet on the smaller pouch, making the smaller pouch more water resistant and ideal for more sensitive items. The pack takes up about 4 strips wide of Molle on a plate carrier, making it very 36

low profile and versatile, even on a smaller plate carrier system. The pack is also over two and a half inches

shorter than other popular MAP packs, eliminating the overhang of the pack beneath the plate carrier, and

decreasing impingement between low-lying things in the map compartments, and a combat belt/lumbar IFAK. There is virtually no sway with this map pack if it is compressed all the way using the buckles.

found myself being pulled to one side or the other due to shifting of items inside the pack. The shorter overall length of the pack allowed me to use a lumbar IFAK without the IFAK and pack rubbing at all.

there has been no sign of stitching coming loose or tearing. My only complaint with the pack so far has been how shiny the buckles are, but I will be taking care of that with some brown spray paint.

Personal Experience:

As the pack is made of 1000D Cordura, it has more stability and less flexibility than 500D, which I find to be an attributing factor in how little sway this pack actually has. I ran my Hydro line out of the right hydro port on the pack, my Airline out of the left, and everything worked flawlessly. The pack is very easy to gain access to, whether trying to get into the larger or smaller compartments, even in stressful situations (such as trying to get the buddy mags I had placed in my smaller compartment).

Coming from someone with experience regarding various assault packs from companies like LBT, EAGLE, and TYR, I really canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recommend these packs enough. All of the packs are made in Atlanta Georgia, and at the price point, durability, sizing, and weight, these really are an outstanding buy for people looking at a good assault pack to attach to their plate carriers without breaking the bank.

My most recent experience with the Titan Armor Systems Modular Compact Assault Pack was at Camp Shelby at the Blacksheep Milsim event in late January 2014. It was a 24 hour straight event, and I quickly forgot about the pack due to the lightweight nature of the pack. In my pack was a 2.5L water bladder, 48CI air tank, shemagh, two buddy mags, 2700 rounds, and two speed Check out Titan Armor loaders, and A GoPro CamSystems on Facebook and era as well as a Canon G12 tell them that TACSIM Magacamera. Even with all of this, there was quite literally After continually using zine sent you! no sway in the pack. I never this pack for several months,

Warrior Trail 38

Esapi Training Plates By Jordan Gober

was looking for a way to increase realism when attending Milsim Events, and had wanted to use real steel Sapi plates but was hesitant due to the risk of damaging the plates. That’s when a good friend of mine introduced me to the Warrior Trail Training Esapi plates. I had looked at other manufacturers but was turned off due to the materials used or was simply unable to acquire some due to my needing size large plates. This wasn’t a problem with Warrior Trail, and the price point simply couldn’t be beaten. $160 (The prices do vary per size of plate) and 7 days later they were at my door. I have been attending Military Simulations and smaller games for the better part of six months now using these warrior trail Esapi Training plates, and to say the very least, I’m very happy with them. My first impressions were that I had actually gotten the wrong style of plate due to the cut of the plate. They more resembled Swimmers Cut plates, but when I emailed Warrior Trail inquiring about whether or not I had ordered Swimmers plates by mistake, they informed me that the manufacturing of the size large plates caused that cut, and that the plate was still the correct weight of a Large Esapi. This is only an issue with the size large

plates. Mediums are the correct weight and dimensions. All of the plates are non-ballistic, and are not flexible at all, unlike other training plates on the market. Both front and back plates combined weigh 12.5lbs, and the side plates weigh in at a combined 5lbs. Thus far I have seen absolutely no wear and tear on the plates. No chipping, cracking, wearing, or anything. They are quite literally in the same condition as when I received them, despite the heavy amount of use. I weigh 210lbs at 6’3”, I have fallen on the plates, dived onto my stomach on the plates, dropped them on concrete, everything short of shooting them with real steel, and the plates show quite literally no sign of wear at all.

It does take someone of a rather masochistic mindset to run weighted training plates. I most recently used them at the Blacksheep Milsim game in Shelby Mississippi for 24 hours straight, and my trapezius muscles and back were on fire for the next three days, but for people aspiring for the real military feel, or even intending to enlist/join the services, these plates are a must-have. Warrior Trails company slogan is to “Train Like You Fight,” And these are another step closer to bringing military simulation to life. You can find more information and products at www.warriortrail.com and even their facebook page! Make sure to drop them a like and tell them that TacSim Magazine sent you!

CHRONICLES OF

MAD MAX

the jungle with none of the security and comforts of the civilized world.

Her days began at 3:30 AM where she alongside her brothers and sisters trekked barefoot through the jungle to school. The walk over the jungle floor was muddy and dangerous. The dreaded Bushmaster bit her sister and brothMSG (Ret.) “Mad Max” Mullen ers more than once. It is one of the most venomous snakes in the world, commonly referred to by soldiers as the “two-step,” because as lore would have it you will walk two-steps before you fall over and begin the process of dying. Over time, they became tolerant and immune to the toxins; but not withorn in the jungles of Panama along out much pain and discomfort. the Chagres River, a baby girl of Panamanian, Chinese, and Kuna IndiWhen Miroslava was ten years old, an decent was born into a family that her father had two horses: a mare and ultimately consisted of twelve brothers her colt. When the colt was full-grown and sisters. Their life was austere and she asked her father to let her have the bordered on the primitive side on most horse, a stallion. Reluctantly, he said days. yes but she was responsible for taking care of it and breaking the horse so that Her brothers, father, and Miroslava he can be ridden. Eagerly she accepted hunted for their food and most days the terms and began the incredible task were able to feed their family. On many of taming a 1000-pound Stallion. She nights she went to bed on an empty led the horse to the river and walked stomach because the day’s hunt yield- him in until he was belly deep. She then ed nothing. She was raised in a land mounted the horse bareback. He would where she alongside her brothers and buck her off and she would repeat the sister slept on the floor of their bohio, procedure until he was too tired to buck. side-by-side, to remain warm. Often After a half day of this she ultimately they would awake with bloody ankles emerged out of the river on her horse from the nightly onslaught of vampire “Potro” (“Mustang”) and reached presbats that would feast on a blood meal tigious acclaim throughout the region from their bodies. Life is tough for most for her amazing feat. She and her horse people; it’s tougher when you live off would race cars down the jungle roads

Lil Amazonian

for fun. She and her horse were inseparable. This amazing young girl in the Panamanian jungle became known far and wide as the Little Amazonian. Miroslava learned to hunt with her father’s shotgun, Bow and Arrow, traps, and even spears. She used to dive into the Chagres River that was populated by Caimans, with spear in hand to skewer fish that swam in the deep. Her skills to hunt and use weapons were not always limited to wildlife. The schoolyard often was the battleground for social skirmishes that were settled with armas blancas (white weapons). These weapons tend to be edged weapons, ice picks, screw-

drivers, shanks, and anything else that one could hide on their person. Miroslava earned her rights of passage by becoming a fearsome fighter that wielded a knife as good as any. Her first knife fight left her opponent with a knife wound from her cheek down to her shoulder after Miroslava was stabbed over her eyebrow with a screwdriver from a rival classmate. One could characterize her childhood and early teenage years as an era that resembled the primitive life of the Indians portrayed in the movie “Apocalypto” with the savagery of urban violence. When Miroslava was fourteen, she moved to the city with other girls her age and shared a one-bedroom apartment, with a communal bathroom. She found some jobs working at hair salons sweeping and cleaning. The pay was minimal, but enough to buy bread and some fruit to eat. Although she was independent, she still managed to stay in school earning honors until she graduated. It was during this period of time that she was introduced to another savage world where the predators were every bit as dangerous as the alligators, Jaguars, and Bushmasters that roamed her jungle home. These predators came in the form of evil men. Men that were ruthless, cruel, and powerful. These were men that were part of the Noriega regime and were protected by rich families that sanctioned and cloaked them behind a corrupt government. These men were as evil as Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusay. They drove the

city streets selecting young women at random, kidnapping them, and ultimately raping and murdering these helpless young girls for pure pleasure. Miroslava, escaped with her life more than once and found her way to the United States via Japan. After arriving in Florida and a failed marriage, she met the love of her life. The one man that became her husband and team mate for life was a man by the name of Dale Comstock. Dale was a former Delta Force operator, Green Beret, and Government Agency paramilitary operative. After they met, Dale discovered that Miroslava had a benign brain tumor that

was the result of a head injury she suffered when she was a child and fell out of a tree in the jungle while retrieving fruit. She was in a coma for 72 hours, before she finally regained her senses. It was from that point on that the tumor began to grow. In her early twenties the tumor had reached critical mass until she fell unconscious bleeding from her ears and nose. She laid in a coma for a month the first time and two months the second time after surgeons removed part of the tumor that was not enmeshed in her brain, leaving the rest to continue its growth. She went on to live her life but with some difficulties. Her hypothalamus was not functioning properly and she was always over heating even in the dead of winter. She suffered intermittent 43

high blood pressure, which aggravated the tumor, which reciprocally would affect the blood pressure. On many occasions she would faint for ten to twenty seconds at the dinner table. As tiny and beautiful as she was, her sickness was evident and was only overshadowed by her smile and constant zest for life. Dale has a postgraduate education in alternative medicine and natural health. He loved this woman as soon as he laid eyes on her, but he also knew that her days left on earth were not many. He was at a crossroad as to whether to stay or leave, to share his life with someone that may be with him briefly. He decided that even one week with her was worth a lifetime and that he would marry her some day; and, he would help to cure her somehow. So it began, and through the administration of a regime of vitamins, herbs, and antioxidants, Miroslava became tumor free in less than a year. It was from this point on that her life turned where she entered the sport of competitive bodybuilding.

edge to make her a worthy opponent of any evildoer. The Little Amazonian came legally to America and through her own hard work and determination has realized and achieved the American Dream. She is an American Success story that has few stories in this country that rival hers. She has embarked on a mission to inspire others, especially young ladies and women, to break paradigms, constrained thinking, and to become all that their potential allows.

Ultimately, she had daughter from her marriage to Dale, earned a master of Science Degree in Human Resources, became a certified personal trainer, and learned the dark arts of combat from Dale. She had experienced a total transformation from an innocent jungle girl to a formidable woman with skills, know-how, and the grit to be any manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Miroslavaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book will be published in nightmare that dares to transgress her the Spring of 2014 and she can be folliberty. Her mind, body, and spirit are lowed on Facebook.com/The LilAmazonow tempered with skills and knowl- nian. 44

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