“RIFLEMANSHIP”
The
state that the Nation is in right now with its deep-seated government
corruption, immigration and economic problems, threats of terrorist
attacks; both foreign and domestic along with the ever-present
possibility of war with Iran, China, Korea, Russia and probably a
half dozen others, has had me thinking about the following topic
quite a bit lately. I talked about it extensively on my radio show a
few days ago so I thought I'd share my thoughts with you here as
well.
Let's
talk about something I like to call "Riflemanship". Its kind of hard to find a good definition for the word since i just invented it. "Isn't it the same as marksmanship?", you ask. Well, no, no its not.
Not at all. Riflemanship entails much, much more than marksmanship.
Marksmanship really doesn't mean much more than you're a pretty good
shot and generally under fairly favorable conditions. Let's get into
this a little deeper...
The
Marines Corps was on to something when they came up with the saying,
"Every Marine a rifleman". Along the same lines, the United
States Army likes to say that everyone's primary MOS (Military
Occupational Specialty) is 11B, infantry, regardless of what your
actual MOS is. In a nutshell they are both referring to the fact that
first and foremost, the fighting men and women of the U.S. Armed
Forces are Ground Pounders. When/if all else fails, we must be
prepared to grab our rifles and gear and defend life and liberty as
riflemen. Regardless of the advances in modern technology, the
rifleman/infantryman will always be the backbone of any fighting
force.
So
what is a rifleman, exactly?
By
military standards, it simply means an individual that can take their
personal weapon and perform the very most basic of tasks like
loading, unloading, clearing malfunctions and cleaning and be
qualified to hit a man-sized target a certain number of times at
designated distances. The Army usually qualifies with iron sights out
to 300 meters, the Marines do the same thing at 500. (Rumor has it
that the Air Force still uses paintball guns at the length of the NCO
club.) So let's say we accept the military's version of "Rifleman"
as the first level. The lowest and most basic level. A level which
most high school kids and conscripts can achieve through the
cheapest, fastest and most minimal amount of training.
Is
that good enough?
It
may be good enough when you have a company or battalion sized unit
out on a battlefield squared off against an equal or smaller sized
unit and probably good enough for personal defense scenarios in most
cases. But what if you have a platoon against a company or a company
against a battalion? Can the smaller unit still prevail? Yes, they
can and they have. But generally not if the smaller units are cooks,
mechanics or truck drivers. Not to disparage cooks, mechanics and
truck drivers but generally speaking, their rifle and tactics
training ended with boot camp and the field exercises and
qualifications that they do a couple of times a year don't really
keep them tuned up. Maybe not even if they are 11 Bang-Bangs. But if
the smaller force is dedicated, determined and well-trained they have
a chance. They have a much better chance if the riflemen are at the
next level up from the most basic. Those that have spent more time
with their weapon in varied terrains and environments. Those that can
quickly and instinctively perform an emergency reload or clear a
malfunction and engage that target at unknown distances out to at
least the same ranges that they qualified at.
But
what about a squad or just a handful of soldiers, just a few, against
a much larger force, say, platoon or company size, maybe even larger?
They may call the warfighters in that smaller force guerrillas or
even militia in some places. Unconventional warfare. This is where
the Rangers, Green Beanies, SEALS, Force Recon, et al really shine.
This is their territory and no one else wants it.
Now,
we are stepping up to the ultimate and final level of "Riflemanship"
as it pertains to engaging other human beings in mortal combat. These
men are intimately familiar with a host of weapons, not just their
own. Weapons not just from their country but from others. They can
push that weapon platform to it's very limit as far as range goes
with virtually any sighting system. They understand the concept and
the internal workings of weapons in general and make impromptu
repairs in the field. They, too, can perform reloads and clear malfs
quickly and instinctively but they can do it just as fast and surely
in the dark, in the mud and maybe while wounded. They understand the
Art of the Rifle, as Jeff Cooper called it. Yes, they are
certainly marksmen in their own right but they are riflemen to the
Nth degree.
It
takes years to achieve this level of proficiency and much dedication
is required but considering the shaky future that many of us see
right now, I think that's a goal that we should all work towards. We
won't have anybody to call for help. There won't be any
reinforcements coming from the rear. If we can't do what needs done,
it simply won't get done...and it MUST!
I think
we should all ponder on this long and hard while we still have time!
In Liberty, Cope Reynolds (Desertscout)
Southwest Shooting Authority of Arizona
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