Training Day and I Got Lit Up...

...as in shot but that is okay because I got the drop on em first. We had a Simunitions training day today covering different sorts of entries. I will not go into the details, cannot go into the details, but can say it was a good learning experience. As a matter of fact, I am hopeful that not only the 'students' got something out of it today but that the instructors did so too. You see, at the end of the day the instructors decided to show us how they would clear one of the same training houses we had worked on today. I immediately volunteered to be an armed roll player. Some of them remembered me from last time I was here and they should have immediately guessed I had something up my sleeve; heck just my volunteering as fast as I did should have given it away. When they almost decided to do it as an unarmed role play my heart was heavy. When they again announced it would be with Simunitions I was perked up again. This was not because I wanted to make someone go ouch, but rather because if my nefarious plan worked then I would, as a bad guy, impart something to some one that could help them survive a similar real life scenario. The sting of a Simunitions round makes for a very definitive and positive learning experience that one does not soon forget when you remember it could have been a real bad guy with a real live round.

Well anyway, they did their entry, and they were clearing the rooms as they would normally do, and I opened up on one of them with at least three shots from a Sig 229 with Simunitions - all three were hits. I am not going to tell you where I was hiding, if only because I don't ever want to be surprised, or have another officer surprised, by someone in that same spot (although I always check that spot myself) because I gave out the info on it. What I can say is this: After I shot the agent three times, I heard him yell out:

"Shit - there is one in the -----" (not even the correct number of dashes was just given to match the number of letters in the word, or was it the correct amount). At that point, I was discovered and I was shot at least 5 and maybe 6 times with Simunitions. One got me in the knuckle of the right index finger and I will readily admit it smarted, another got a knuckle on my left hand, a few hit protected areas. I think the instructors were somewhat surprised by my hiding spot, one even tried to say no one would ever have time to hide thee is a raid was underway, but I beg to differ having once found a guy in the very same spot. Not common to be sued as a hiding spot but definitely a spot that needs to be checked.

I was not trying to be a wise ass, although I'll admit I knew I was going beyond the norm in my selection of spots. I was trying to make this a learning experience for all involved, though to tell the truth I thought for sure I would be found out before I could shoot. The reason I figured I would be found out before being able to shoot was because as a roll player I had to do a 2 one thousand count (okay to shoot after 2 one thousand) with someone in my sights, who was unaware of me, before I could shoot. Heck I went all the way to 3 one thousand before shooting. I just thought for sure someone would see me before then. Why the time? After all this was a training exercise not the real deal and the goal is to get LEOs to learn not to just bushwhack them. Despite and extra one one thousand count though, I got off at least three, maybe 4 shots before I was shot several times, yanked from my hiding spot (with more force than I think was supposed to have been used - but folks do get fired up even when shot with only Simunitions) and brought to the floor pretty hard.

I know that from now on I am a marked man at any future training sessions with these same guys. That is okay by me if even one person learned anything from what I did, where I hid, and how I got the drop on at least one of the good guys in the exercise. If anyone learned a lesson today from it, it may just go to save that person's life somewhere down the road. Never go in thinking you know it all, or like it is routine, or even like it is just an exercise cause if you do, you are sure to be bitten in the ass or worse.

The only other thing I would say about the Simunitions is that when those rounds hit bare flesh they sure can sting. Ouch my aching knuckles.

Great group of folks, great team members, great instructors, great training, all in all an excellent day.

The only possible downside to the whole day is that my team is on call until much later tonight. Sort of ruins what amounts to our Friday night, but this is a long weekend so we will have plenty of time for fun,

All the best,
Glenn B