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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=120 BGCOLOR="#669966" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com" title = "Old Man Militia" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com" title = "O"><U><IMG SRC="18a5c730.jpg" border=0 width="860" height="115" ALT="Old Man Militia and The Young Guns Scenario Paintball Team" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=110 BGCOLOR="#669966" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com" title ="Old Man Militia" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com" title ="Ol"><U><B><IMG SRC="1884a170.gif" border=0 width="74" height="23" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com/creed" title = "OMM Marker's Creed" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com/creed" titl"><U>OMM 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BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>November 1st - 2nd, 2008</B></div> <div> War of the Worlds III - Return of the Synth</div> <div> Splatbrothers and Tommy Hill Production</div> <div> 26-Hour Scenario Event</div> <bR> <div> For all but Migraine, Shadow, and Aegis, this event started very early on the morning of November 1st.  Since Halloween was the night before, most of us decided we'd make the trek the morning of the event.  Even though the sleepies were still in our eyes at the dark hours of the morning drive, at least the traffic was minimal and we all made it down to the Splatbrothers field by 9am, where we were greeted by a ton of avid paintballers for both sides of the battle.</div> <bR> <div> Setup was quick and greetings expedited as <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> readied for battle.  A brief discussion with General RedDevil of Team MERC, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>now had our starting assignment, which was to lead a contingent up the west side tapeline (cinderblock village) and into the woods.  The morning briefing found Spudcrazy continuing his roll of winning a prize drawing at the last 5 events, winning an Empire 68/4500 tank cover.  Would his luck carry to the team?  We would find out very quickly.</div> <bR> <div> At the bird banger, all participating <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>members and guests were accounted for at the Alien CP, ready to take the charge.  G-Man, who had broken his ankle a couple of weeks prior, stepped up and stayed in the game as the Alien radio operator at Spud's request.  However, being the tough guy he is, he left his wheelchair at camp and hobbled all the way to the CP.  We were met at the CP by teams Assault& Battery, Seek & Destroy, Black Widow Company, OFU, and the many walk-on's and other teams (that I failed to get the names of).  Totally pumped up at the sound of the bird banger, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>and SaD sprinted towards the cinderblock village, where we were met with minimal resistance.  After quickly eliminating the opposing players, we proceeded into the woods and setup a stronghold in the village.  This held for at least the first hour.  Upon eliminations, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>regrouped and then proceeded to support the right side flank heading behind Cheeseburger Hill, again, minimal resistance.  We started to scratch our heads and wondered where the opposing forces (the Human's) were on the field.  For the first several hours of the campaign, the main battle was in the towers and trenches field, within 300-500 feet of the Human CP.  Even though the Human's were backed up, the battle was fierce and fun.  Finally, the Human's broke the stranglehold and the real battles began.</div> <bR> <div> During the Human breakout in the trenches, the <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>team medic, Shadow, gave a mad dash, through the trench field, like a gazelle through the Serengeti, picking off opposing players right and left and was recognized by team members of A&B for his cunning and voracity in attacking the trench.  It was a sight to behold.  Another great moment, which planted an evil grin on Spudcrazy's face, was during a fierce battle on the south side of the cinderblock village.  The Human force had total control of the village while a single Capital Offense member (the team captain, no doubt) was holding off an entire platoon of Aliens from behind a bunker at the corner of the SplatTrailer.  Spud told a fellow player that he had enough of the holdup and made a kamikaze run for the bunker.  Through a hail of paintballs, he made it through and eliminated the CO player, much to that players dismay.  The angry reaction of the human player was almost better than the play itself; nevertheless, it was one of the defining moments for Spud.</div> <bR> <div> Spudcrazy had two more moments that he will not soon forget.  One, was on Sunday when Buzzard (Team SaD) and he were stuck in Spearpoint Tower trying to stave off Human forces in the village.  Spud got down to, literally, a handful of paintballs and just enough air to throw the paintballs about 60 feet.  Without saying a word (except to ref Zeylor, to make sure he was not outside the rules), Spud walked up to the opposing player who was holding him and Buzzard down and barrel tagged him, then proceeded to turn around and take the offensive against the remaining OPFOR behind the trailer.  Spud never put his hand up or even took his finger off the trigger; he simply didn't make any aggressive moves as he walked up to the hostile bunker.  Again, an evil smile morphed onto his face.  The other moment was when Spudcrazy and Leg-Man saw an enemy aircraft [pilot] walk up behind a bunch of friendlies and proceeded to land his aircraft to barrel tag one of the players.  At that instant, the light went on above Spudcrazy's head and he said “heck, if he can do it, so can I”, so he went up to the aircraft pilot and barrel tagged him before he had a chance to “lift off” (raise the aircraft prop to indicate he was back in flight).</div> <bR> <div> Migraine found himself playing solo perimeter defense a lot of the time.  However, at one point, he found himself, along with some Assault & Battery players, thinking they were in Ocean City playing “Whack-a-Mole” in the trench field.  As the Human heads would pop up out of the trenches, Migraine would pick `em off one by one.  The only thing missing was the goofy music!!!  LOL.</div> <bR> <div> Five o'clock brought the end of Saturday's daytime battle.  As has been the custom this past year, Vader, of team DeadByDawn, drew upon his culinary skills to whip up a feast of Carolina Pulled Pork, Coleslaw, and green beans.  And oh what a feast it was.</div> <bR> <div> With bellies full, Leg-Man, Sabot Ranger, and Spudcrazy headed out to our CP to prepare it for the night battle.  They would string up no less than 5 halogen work lamps and placed a generator just out of bounds, to light up the entire area around the command post.  This tactic worked well, as it minimized the night vision equipped forces hits on the Alien CP until the last drip of gas had been used.  Before the nighttime bird banger sounded, the remainder of the <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> and their guests, headed to the Alien CP to start the nights battle.  That's right, ALL of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM</B></I></FONT> went out to play at night!!!</div> <bR> <div> During the night battle, the tide turned in favor of the OPFOR's.  The Alien CP was hit three times with two general kills.  Regrettably, Siege's debut as an armband wearing General was short lived, but the real General (Red Devil) was alive and throwing paint at the OPFOR's.  During the last CP hit, the generator, somehow and spontaneously “self-turned off” (located in the out of bounds area) and all went dark.  However, the opposing player that overran the CP swore that the generator “just shut off”, even though he admitted being “near” it, but upon restart the generator, it was found that the gas supply was in fact, physically shut off, and this kind of thing does not happen on it's own.  Oh well!!!  At least one<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> member stayed out on the field for the entire night game.  Surprisingly, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>completed 2 of the 3 night missions handed to them, however, as is usually the case, the night vision players dominated the night, but that was to be expected.</div> <bR> <div> Still with a comfortable lead (as told by the game producer), Sunday mornings' battle started the same way Saturday's had, with a rush to control territory.  Missions cards were handed out at the Alien CP and Young Gun Siege stepped up for his first mission.  His mission was to sniper patrol around the Quar'ts Quarters for 30 minutes.  Going solo, he headed towards his objective; all was quiet, since the humans were busy protecting their CP.  Siege successfully completed his mission, gave the card to the ref who signed it and 100 points were award to Aliens.  Way to go Siege.</div> <bR> <div> Sunday found the playing field a bit more even on the battle front until the final hour and a half of regular play.  During this final play, the Aliens were on the doorsteps of the Human CP, only to get called back every 15 minutes to allow the Human's to safely reinsert.  This proved to be VERY frustrating, as there were many times that the Alien forces, which included Sabot Ranger, Leg-Man, and A&B's own, Trapper, low crawling to within 50 feet of the Human CP, only to get flushed out by the referee staff at the command of BigT.  At the final insertion, the Human's would use their super weapon, which they managed to deal out of the hands of a prime role player, to destroy every living Alien on the Tower field.  I'm not sure what this did for the Human's, but it sure did clear the field.</div> <bR> <div> Once again, the final battle was unique and different.  The object of this battle was to recover 5 golden “team” bricks and place them into a container in the middle of the battle field.  If all the bricks were placed, 3 more bricks would be hidden well within enemy territory for bonus points.  This was a great concept in that it became more than just a paint slinging contest and brought the final battle to the entire field.  </div> <bR> <div> As seemed to be standard operating procedure (SOP), the Aliens went “balls to the wall” and managed to recover and place all five golden bricks in the container within the first half hour of the hour long battle.  It seemed as though we had clearly won the final battle.  With that, the bird banger popped and we set off to break camp and prepare to hear the final outcome. </div> <bR> <div> The awards ceremony started off with the typical prize drawings.  This event, Splatbrothers seemed to outdo themselves, in that they must have had an entire proshop full of giveaways.  They had lots of markers, tanks, tank covers, shirts, hats, beanies, swabs, just about everything a paintballer would need, including some stuff they wouldn't need.  After that, both generals had a chance to address the crowd and hand out their awards.  Devastator, formerly the Captain of Team Anarchy, now a member of SoVA, and the Human general graciously awarded Team<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> OldManMilitia</B></I></FONT> the Most Formidable Opponent award.  Even though we are a small team, we give it our all to be all over the field and in every nook and cranny to disrupt the opposing forces, and for that, Deva recognized us with the <A HREF="awards_mvp___mfo___wow.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Awards"><U>MFO award</U></A>.  Our gratitude and appreciation goes out to the Human general.   Next, was the Alien general, RedDevil, co-captain of Team MERC.  After thanking his players, he proceeded to hand out the honors as well.  Recognizing G-Man's dedication to the Aliens and his own team, RedDevil pointed out that even a broken foot could not stop this old man from giving it his all as the Alien radio operator.  Not only did G-Man run the command radio, he served as general and tactical liaison, and for that, RedDevil awarded G-Man the well deserved <A HREF="awards_mvp___mfo___wow.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Awards"><U>Most Valuable Player</U></A> award.</div> <bR> <div> As a side note, team<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> would like to personally thank RedDevil for allowing <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>to play the game that they wanted to play and for trusting us to lead many of the missions and squadrons that were sent to the battle front.  To both generals, RedDevil and Devastator, to say “thank you” isn't enough for the fun that this game delivered at your leaderships and skills as generals, but THANK YOU.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="31dfc5a0.jpg" border=0 width="252" height="346" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="20" VSPACE="10">After all the prize giveaways and awards were handed out, it was now time for the results.  To say that the Aliens were pumped to hear the final score, expecting a “blow-out” would be understating the enthusiasm, however, when BigT announced that the Human Race had WON the game by 30 points, an immediate dismay and confusion came over the vast majority of the participants, both Aliens and Humans alike.  It turned out that although the Aliens may have outplayed the Humans on the battlefield, the Humans outsmarted and outwitted the Aliens at the game at hand.  Afterall, this was a BigT Alternative Reality Role Playing scenario.  Unfortunately, this author believes that the majority of the players on the field came to sling paint and NOT spend their time role playing or figuring out what was going on in the head of the producer.  I think the picture of the Alien general, RedDevil, to the right, sums it up:</div> <bR> <div> Regardless of the outcome, the competitiveness, sportsmanship, weather, playing conditions and players fielded, made this one of the funnest games that <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> has ever attended.</div> <bR> <div> A huge thanks goes out to Ronn, Don, JesseJames, and the entire Splatbrothers staff for a great field and their hospitality to the players.  To Coyote, the ultimate ref, and his team of refs, not to mention <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM</B></I></FONT>'s own Zeylor, for the quality and ability to be all over the field trying to make sure the game was played fair and safely.  To ALL the players, what a great game.  And finally, to our camping buddies on team DeadByDawn, not the least of which, Vader, for making sure we were well fed, you guys are the best.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>OMM </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >would also like to thank the following for running and gunning with us:  Vincent Young, thanks for all the recon and all the help on the field.  “The Nick's” and Peyton, for playing along side of us and being our support.  Your enthusiasm and constant questions on how to help did not go unnoticed, thanks, you can run with us anytime.  To Aegis, thanks for using your crazy accurate shooting abilities to get us out of jams.  Now if we could only get you out there on that final battle. </FONT></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="september_21st_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>September 21st, 2008</B></div> <div> "Blue vs. Red - System Wars" Scenario Game</div> <div> Outdoor Adventure Paintball, Bowie, MD</div> <bR> <div> <I>An absolute gorgeous morning, starting what was sure to be an awesome battle of Red vs. Blue in the System Wars of the future.</I></div> <bR> <div> Spudcrazy, Sabot Ranger, Leg-Man, Mamba, and Compulsion, along with Young Guns, Mini-Me and Goofa, arrived early to set up the <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OldManMilitia </B></FONT>command post.  It was great to have the Young Guns back out on the field after a long respite, they truly add to the power of the team.  Thanks to Compulsion for the foresight to bring his backup marker, Spudcrazy had to borrow it as his own Etek had gone down and was unfixable at the field.  The game briefing and prize drawing found <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OMM </B></FONT>with their first “prize” of the day; Sabot Ranger won an electric loader.  </div> <bR> <div> <B>OldManMilitia </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >would play BLUE side once again.  However, this time, the BLUE side's HQ was on the north side of the field, this would prove to be a very difficult starting point for the entire day's effort; nevertheless, the changeup was fun.  </FONT><B>OMM </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >took the field and took their first assignment which was to capture and hold the west side tapeline, all the way to the DeathAlley town field.  At the start of the game, and seemingly throughout the day, the REDs were quick to control territory as they gained real estate over the entire playing field.  </FONT><B>OMM </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >encountered heavy resistance at the town field but was able to maintain control of the north wood line for quite some time.  Sabot Ranger and Leg-Man would aide on the northeast side of the field.  After the main contingent of </FONT><B>OMM </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >had been eliminated at the town wood line, a miss communication brought Leg-Man and Sabot Ranger back to the insertion point, rather than the HQ, which brought the </FONT><B>OMM </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >count on the playing field to zero.  This was a bit disheartening as it seemed the entire BLUE team was now waiting at the insertion point with no one to hold any portion of the field.  Upon reinserting, the BLUE side found they couldn't even enter the field without referee intervention.  However, once insertion could be attained, the BLUE rallied and gained some ground to bring the fight back to the RED, but it was a hard fought battle every step of the way.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> After a brief exit for lunch, both sides took to the field.  The RED's had a huge advantage in points at this stage of the fight, but that only motivated the BLUE's to play harder.  The first mission of the afternoon was to recover an ammunition satchel and return it to the HQ so that it could be subsequently used to blow up a bridge.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OldManMilitia </B></FONT>volunteered to escort the engineer to get the satchel.  After successfully recovering the satchel, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OMM </B></FONT>and a contingent of supporting individual players traversed down the east side tapeline to try to flank the back side of the RED HQ.  Led by Leg-Man, this battle raged back and forth for almost an hour resulting in the BLUE staving off any RED advance along that side of the field and holding the small house that exists there, along with controlling the crossroads south of the fort.  Following a quick break for air fills and paint reloading, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OMM </B></FONT>took back to the field and headed back down the west side tape line to DeathAlley.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OldManMilitia </B></FONT>quickly secured DeathAlley and were making their way to the south road leading to the RED HQ.  At this point, Spud had to convince his fellow comrades, Leg-Man and Sabot Ranger, to cross the road and assault the enemy insertion point, but once the easy convincing was accomplished, Sabot Ranger took the lead and dug in right near the insertion path.  Unfortunately, Sabot's position was quickly discovered and the battle commenced, but not before Sabot took out a huge group of OPFOR.  Following, was Spudcrazy and Leg-Man; both also managed quite a few eliminations before being taken out.  The RED commander utilized a bullhorn to address the fielding players back to protect the HQ position.  That, and that alone, is what saved the RED side from a massive annihilation.  This was the only time the BLUE side was within striking distance of the RED HQ all day.</div> <bR> <div> The final battle was to raise and hold the team colors at a fallen helicopter near the fuel depot on the east side of the field.  Mini-Me, Mamba, and Spudcrazy would try to help attack and gain control of the objective, but were quickly eliminated and found little hope in actually seizing the objective.  Meanwhile, Sabot Ranger, Leg-Man, and Goofa, alone, managed a huge recon and push through DeathAlley and to the west side of the fort in the bushes were they took up an over watch and waylaid a boat load of RED's patrolling the area.  They held this area for the entire final battle and when the rest of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OMM </B></FONT>came in for support, managed to advance significantly, but not enough to gain the objective.  Oh, what a few more minutes would have meant!!!!</div> <bR> <div> At the final briefing, it was concluded that the RED side controlled and dominated the morning battles, but the BLUE side pushed back in the afternoon to bring the game within one mission.  However, the final results found the RED on the victorious side of the battle by about 250 points.  It was a great game and was tough all day long.  Not a moment of down time was to be had.</div> <bR> <div> At the prize drawing, once again, Spudcrazy found himself holding a brand new E-Ventz goggle system, much to the amazement and surprise of his teammates.  But the true highlight of the day came as awards were handed out.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OldManMilitia </B></FONT>was once again honored with the<I> </I><A HREF="awards_most_valuable_team___system_wars.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Awards"><U><I>Most Valuable Team</I></U></A><I> </I>award for the BLUE side.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OMM </B></FONT>wishes to thank the BLUE general, all the BLUE participants, OA staff, OA management and the game producer for the nice comments expressed about Team <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OldManMilitia </B></FONT>and the honor bestowed by the acceptance of the<I> </I><A HREF="awards_most_valuable_team___system_wars.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Awards"><U><I>MVT</I></U></A><A HREF="awards_most_valuable_team___system_wars.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Awards"><U> award</U></A>.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OMM </B></FONT>truly enjoys the gaming at the Outdoor Adventures Paintball Park and appreciates the sportsmanship and gamesmanship of all the participants involved.  It was a great time.</div> <bR> <div> A special thanks goes out to Compulsion for lending out his marker to a teammate in need and helping out an opponent with another “fallen” marker.  Also, to the RED players, particularly Zombie and Bill, that came by the <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OMM </B></FONT>camp to engage in friendly banter and war stories, that is what paintball scenario is all about.  Stop by the <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OMM </B></FONT>camp anytime!!!!  Kudos needs to go to the great BBQ caterers.  Man, you really no how to cook up some great grub.  And lastly, to our team, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>OldManMilitia</B></FONT>, for their great teamwork throughout this battle and every battle and their carpooling setup and CP teardown, it was like a fine tuned battle drill.</div> <bR> <div> <I><U>Side note</U></I><I>:  If you live in Virginia, NEVER play paintball where you need to go by Reskins Stadium if a game is letting out within 3 hours of your return.  It took us no less than two hours to get home, which normally takes 50 minutes...  Argh!!!!</I></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="september_7th_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>September 7th, 2008</B></div> <div> "Get Rid of Old Paint Day"</div> <bR> <div> Spudcrazy and Mamba were the only <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> to show up at Pevs@AG to get rid of all the old leftover scenario paint that Spud had.  Despite a hurricane and 6+ inches of rain the day prior, the fields were barely damp and in great shape.  Spudcrazy and Mamba succeeded in slinging a little over 3 cases of paint.  We had a blast.  Mamba kicked some major tail and after Spud's dismal start, finally got his groove on to paint some opponents.  The weather was great, the playing was great, and the field was great, what more could you ask for????</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="august_25th_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>August 25th, 2008</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.pentagonpaintball.com/" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.pentagonpaintball.com/"><U>Pentagon Paintball</U></A> Field Review</div> <bR> <div> <I>Much to my surprise, on my visit to my in-law's house, my wife allowed me to bring my paintball gear, so I did.  Here's my review of Pentagon Paintball, Fairview, PA.</I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.pentagonpaintball.com/" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.pentagonpaintball.com/"><U>Pentagon Paintball</U></A> is about 15 minutes from my in-law's house in Erie, PA.  It is located just off of Rt. 98 in Fairview, PA.  They are very unique in that they have a once a year “insurance” fee, which is really their field fee of $15, then after that, every Sunday walk-on play is FREE.  However, it is a field paint only field and HPA is $1 for every 1000psi.  But again the uniqueness of the field, they offer an HPA card for $39.99 which is also good for the year for unlimited air fills.  If you play often, this is a total screamer of a deal.  Paint prices range from $39.98/case for white box, to about $65.98/case for their premium.  I bought their mid-grade paint, which was about $55/case, however, it was as good as any premium paint I have ever bought.  All paint was a regional brand of JT.</div> <bR> <div> The field itself is relatively small compared to what I am used to, but it plays large.  As far as I know, they only have five, maybe six fields.  One “woods” field (which I will describe later), two X-ball style fields, one air field, and one rather large and elaborate Fort field.  They also have what they call an Arena field, which is a tiny X-ball style field, meant for one-on-one or two-on-two grudge matches; this was quite popular.</div> <bR> <div> The pro-shop and field opens at 11 o'clock and not a minute beforehand.  Registration is quick, especially if you've already played there before, you just buy paint and you're set.  It's a short walk thru the parking lot to the field staging area.  I was quite surprised and a bit concerned that there is no safety briefing or regulated chronoing, however, virtually everyone self-chrono'd and safety didn't seem to be a concern all day.  The rules were strictly enforced and there were large signs indicating barrel condoms and goggle areas.  There was one instance that a player thought another was shooting hot, so the ref had everyone shoot over the chrono before advancing to the next game, those with high markers were forced to re-set and rechrono.</div> <bR> <div> Games moved along very rapidly.  They were played in sets then you returned to the staging area.  When a game was finished, you switched sides and played a second game.  There was NO waiting in between games.  As soon as the first one was called, you switched.  Upon return to the staging area, you had about five minutes to reload then you were off to play another game.  Since the games moved along so quickly, I had no problem sitting out a game or two, to take a break.  </div> <bR> <div> Teams were split as you took the field.  Every other person went to the opposite side.  I found it interesting that no one cared if they were playing against or with their buddies.  It made for a great and diverse day since the teams were NEVER the same.  Also, I have NEVER played paintball when there has been such a high level of sportsmanship.  I don't know why, but I was glad to see it; not a single unsportsmanship event all day.  One guy kind of overshot a younger kid during a bunker move.  After shooting him, he went out of his way to apologize and actually called himself out.  I wish there was that kind of sportsmanship everywhere.  One note, since teams were reformed at every game set, there was no armbands to indicate who was on what side.  For the most part this wasn't a problem (all games were elimination except the woods “capture and defend game). Until near the end of the game, especially if you came up on the opposing teams six, then you just had to shoot whoever you saw unless there was NO doubt that the players you were facing were on your side.  However, it was never a problem, because it was just more people to shoot at!!!!</div> <bR> <div> Now on to the playing…  As most fields were of the speedball type, there isn't much to say about them.  However, OMM would have been proud of “this” old man, because I did us proud.  For the most part, I played middle, but when the games got stagnate, I ran for the front (all speed games were elimination).  During one of the airball games, it was 4 of “us” left against 2 of “them”.  “They” were heavy duty speedballers and we only had myself, one speedballer (who, ironically, was playing back barking orders), and two noobs.  After low crawling up through the snake, I managed to take out one of the opponents completely on the other side of the field, which left one guy in the back Aztec holding the rest of us down.  I knew if I put enough paint on the bunker, I could pop out and do a run through.  I gathered my breath and took a run for it.  I got him.  However, he knew I was coming because he could hear all the paint hitting his bunker.  I got him first, but he responded with about a half of pod of paint on me, I expected nothing less.  It was awesome.  </div> <bR> <div> Pentagon Paintballs newest field, the Fort, was reminiscent of Splatbrothers, just a bit.  They had a small trench system, tons of material bunkers, four two-story towers, two small buildings of rooms, and two ground level crow's nests.  As with OMM style, I sat in the back to scope out the situation, then in Spud-style, I took off for the front.  I partnered up with the one and only pump player, that was a clone of Aegis; fast & furious!!!  We would basically own all four games played on this field, with the late exception of one game.  Since they were elimination, two speedballers and about 4 young guns decide to camp out in one of the towers, very rarely ever even shooting their maker.  Needless to say, when we finally rushed their last stronghold, we were outgunned.  No harm, no foul, it was still a blast.</div> <bR> <div> Lastly, I will mention the “woodsball” field that fell into the playing rotation.  Woodsball was just a glorious name for a giant non-prickly thicket.  The field would be set up in a “V” shape, with the legs of the “V” being about 8 foot wide open grass lined with bunkers.  On one side of the “V”, in the alley-way was another three sided crow's nest.  The inner part of the “V” was brush, with the widest part being loose woods with a castle at the back.  This game was an assault & attack, with the flag hanging in the castle.  The defending team started in the castle, while the attack team started at the point of the “V”.  We defended first.  Since the majority of the noobs and young guns wanted to stay in the castle, I decided to B-line it in the thicket.  The attack team immediately took up positions along the alley-way and in the crow's nest.  One attacker started in through the thicket, but I must have scared him out.  Fortunately for me, he didn't bother attacking and just took a position in the crow's nest.  Myself, along with one other guy traversed arms and legs through what appeared to be a varmint track.  We ended up sneaking passed and behind the crow's nest.  Having to keep the guy with me from screaming from excitement, we popped out and took out about 7 OPFOR all at once.  Since we were getting shot at, we immediately headed for the other leg of the “V”, along with some of the defenders that were originally holding off the crow's nest.  Since there was no armband tape, when we got to the other leg there was a bit of confusion about who was who.  All the OPFOR had their backs to us, but then again, the remainder of the defenders that were holding that side of the “V” took us as enemy as well.  Just then, one of the speedballers said, “hey OMM, what do we do?”, with that, I said, shoot anyone that moves until you stop taking paint, so that's precisely what we did.  There were a few holdouts, but they made it a point to scream “WE'RE DEFENDERS”.  With that, we totally won the game.  I was delighted by the kudos; after all, this is what OMM does the best, right?  Be sneaky.</div> <bR> <div> The next game found us attacking the castle.  In fear they would incorporate my plan, I told anyone that was will to crawl, to get into the thicket.  Much to my surprise, the other side sent no one in the bush, so we immediately headed for the flag.  The defenders kept no less than eight defenders in the fort.  We did a one-by-one rush, knowing we would get eliminated, but not before we eliminated one, two, or three of them first.  We figured it would weed them out.  The plan worked.  The four of us that headed through the bush got taken out, but that allowed our side to decimate the remainder of the defenders and take the flag.</div> <bR> <div> All in all, I had a blast.  I went through a case of paint in about 4 hours, however, in those four hours I PLAYED fifteen games and sat out two.  They really move you along.  I feel I did pretty decent at the “speedball” thing, but I was sore as can be for a week and I still need to work on shooting with both hands.</div> <bR> <div> In conclusion, if anyone is up Erie, PA way, God forbid, you definitely should play this field, regardless how you feel about speedball or small fields.  The player sportsmanship was as high as I have ever seen it, and you get to sling a lot of paint…  I will be bringing my paintball gear as part of my regular “in-law” packing, from now on.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="august_23th_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>August 23th, 2008</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.splatbrothers.com/bunkerhill.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.splatbrothers.com/bunkerhill."><U>Bunker Hill:  American Revolution</U></A></div> <div> Splatbrothers 8-Hour R.A.W. Event</div> <div> <I>Perspective by:  Ron "Compulsion" Hockman</I></div> <bR> <div> I arrived at SplatBrothers Paintball PARC in street clothes and 45 minutes late.  I-95 hates me.  I found Sabot Ranger carrying the guidon and listening to the safety briefing (which I'd already managed to miss half).  The most important part of the briefing was the new CP/respawn policy. Touching your CP is now instant respawn.  There is now a 180ft no-entry area surrounding the CP.  Members of the opposite team cannot enter this area under any circumstances.  You have two options to destroy the CP, LAW it from outside the zone or blow an air horn at either of the two "kill points" per CP.  The kill points are two 55gal drums located at the edge of the no-entry zone.  CPs are dead for 15 minutes and there is no respawning while your CP is dead.  Anyone at the CP when the 15 minutes is up is returned to the game, even if the opponent is still in control of a kill point and immediately blow the horn.</div> <bR> <div> SB has an awesome field.  I really wish I was able to see more of it.  As things are, I spend too much of my time in those spools defending my dang CP.</div> <bR> <div> Sabot and I skipped the opening battle on the towers.  From the reports we got, SOVA owned the field.  That was in line with my predictions.  Primarily because SOVA is an experienced team, but also because they fielded about three times more players than the next-largest team present. </div> <bR> <div> Once the game started for real it became immediately apparent that the weather was not going to be in our favor.  We were both huffing and puffing after only a few hills.</div> <bR> <div> We pushed through the house and across the road to we made contact.  We held the left flank against spirited opposition, using ambushes and stealth to offset being outnumbered by a significant margin.  I took the first of many breaks to the mask, while Sabot managed to hold his own until shot in the back by one of our teammates.</div> <bR> <div> We hooked up for a mission carrying sandbags along our right tapeline.  We passed the POW camp without serious incident, but met strong opposition shortly afterwards.  In what was a continuing pattern throughout the day, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> led the way.  Sabot took a forward position in a spool with me giving support from about 25 feet to his 7 o'clock.  Sabot was eliminated from his position, and I moved up to take his place in the spool.  Being smaller than Sabot, I managed to tuck in a bit tighter and had a great deal of success from this position.  A low-crawler got the drop on me and opened fire from about 10 feet away on my 10 o'clock (possibly the same person who eliminated Sabot).  He opened fire a bit prematurely and gave away his position.  He regretted his decision, as I painted that area at my max ROF until I saw his hands go up half a pod later.  For the next few minutes traded paint with player to my 10 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock.  My crowning moment of the day was eliminating a three person push by wrapping around the left side of my bunker and putting half a hopper into the teeth of their charge.  One guy took about 10 of my balls to his face, not overshooting, just “paint in the air”.  It was glorious.  </div> <bR> <div> For quite some time it was just me in that bunker.  A player from Team MERC, Koala, pushed up to support me, but we eventually got taken out.</div> <bR> <div> Sabot and I were separated for a while after that.  I met up with some players from SOVA and ran a mission to assault Maze City.  Due to some poor communication, I thought one of Sabot's "buddies" from Aftermath was a ref and got one on the teeth for my troubles.  A (not-so) quick jaunt back to the CP got me back in the game.  I met back up with SOVA while they defended Maze City.  I got deep into the brush to the point where I was practically invisible.  One of my teammates decided to take a leak on a nearby tree, not realizing I was there.  After making myself known to him, we both dug ourselves in to ambush anyone coming to the crossroads.</div> <bR> <div> A red player with a Phantom wandered directly into my line of fire.  I asked him loudly "are you live?"  Apparently he wasn't, as he tried to run away.  Being the certified genius that I am, I forgot to turn on my gun after having been eliminated earlier.  The pumper would have gotten away just fine if it weren't for my tree-watering buddy, who eliminated him with a "you are now".</div> <bR> <div> I turned my gun on.</div> <bR> <div> After a few more minutes, it was announced that we'd successfully held Maze City, so I continued down the road with five or six players from SOVA.  We spread out into the woods until we arrived at a bridge.  The message came down to hold the bridge.  I took deep cover in the woods several yards up the road from the bridge.  I took out another wandering red player who didn't realize I was there.  Some confusion took place, as we needed to get to the bridge:  an ammo box, an engineer and, after some time had elapsed, a ref.  It ended up taking about 10 minutes longer than it should have.  Shortly after this time, some red players had decided I was interesting and I started taking fire from several directions.  One player in particular (maybe the resurrected wanderer from earlier) REALLY did not like me.  You would think I'd slept with his sister or something, as he IGNORED CLOSER PLAYERS in order to shoot at me.</div> <bR> <div> I retreated a bit, but remained within his range.  I don't think that, in the history of paintball, a player has done a better job of maintaining an opponent's attention than I did.  I was expecting someone to flank him, but that never materialized.  Proving that even the blind squirrel finds a nut eventually, one of his paintballs contacted my hopper and broke.  Since my camelback had dried out half an hour earlier, I figured it was time for lunch.</div> <bR> <div> Om-nomnomnom....</div> <bR> <div> After finishing my hotdogs and water, I found Sabot back at the CP.  Apparently they'd heard <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> was at lunch and figured it was safe to launch an assault.  Red managed to capture both our kill points and apparently had been blowing them repeatedly for some time.  At the next insertion window, Sabot went down the hill and I went through the spools.  The assault petered out in the spools and apparently things didn't go so well in the woods, either.  Just before the insertion window opened up again, I made one run-through through the spools but didn't accomplish much before being eliminated.</div> <bR> <div> This time things were serious, as we stacked the helicopter.  We flew along the left tapeline sowing fear and discord among the players and letting them know that they needed to run.  While they were distracted, the aircraft landed for a split second to let me off.  I tore up the remaining red players in the spools before being eliminated myself.</div> <bR> <div> I got distracted at this point with a "discussion" with some red players.  But apparently the rest of the push worked since we the kill points were cleared shortly thereafter.</div> <bR> <div> Along with Coyote, SHOAL (MERC) and one other player, I flew a disastrous second helicopter mission across the road and deep into red territory.  The less that's mentioned about that mission the better.  Let's just say that you shouldn't horse around trying to figure out where to land the helicopter while behind enemy lines.</div> <bR> <div> Sabot and I met up again to do some more stealthy kills, however, at this time it seemed that blue owned most of the field.  We wandered through the POW camp, through the maze, across the bridge and all the way to Hamburger Hill before meeting resistance.  I was at the base of Hamburger Hill and Sabot was several yards in front of me.  While Sabot Ranger fixed their attention, I charged up the hill and rained down fire from above securing two eliminations.  Unfortunately, both players were blue.  They'd opened fire on Sabot before realizing he was one of their own.  They were both on SOVA, though, and took it in good humor, even going so far as to compliment our move.  I told them "I really, really wish you'd been red."  It was a beautiful flank, and would have been my Move of the Day(tm) if not for the fact that they were my allies.</div> <bR> <div> This put us at Hamburger Hill and the Towers, which were currently under our control.  Red was milling about the road and taking their sweet time about assaulting the towers.  I wasn't about to let them take the bunkers and pallets without a fight, so I took one along the left side while Sabot took the trench in the middle.  Sabot came up the middle before having a bit of a confrontation with some players who didn't understand the rules.  I harassed the red players and took a few out before succumbing to the inevitable flank from the woods.  It really was just me and Sabot holding off about 10 guys at this point.</div> <bR> <div> Since both Sabot and I were eliminated right after one another, it was as good a stopping point as any.  We headed back to the parking lot, had a beverage to celebrate then headed home.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="august_3rd_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>August 3rd, 2008</B></div> <div> "Wild, Wild West" Scenario Game</div> <div> Outdoor Adventure Paintball, Bowie, MD</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT><I> made our first en masse appearance at an </I><A HREF="http://oapaintball.com" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://oapaintball.com"><U><I>Outdoor Adventures</I></U></A><I> Scenario at their Bowie, MD field Sunday, 3 August.  The scenario pitted cowboys and homesteaders in an old west fight for land and water.  </I></div> <bR> <div> This event really started the evening before with a pre-game party and safety sleepover at Sabot Ranger's headquarters in Crofton, MD, for carbo-stuffing and the sharing of strategies.  Translated; steaks, potato salad, and beer was eaten and drank before crashing for the evening.  The only attendee's that could make it were Sabot Ranger (of course), LegMan and G-Man.  Thanks to LegMan's vociferous discussions on religion, medicine, and family, the old men didn't hit the sack until 1:00 am in the morning.  With a wakeup time of 7:00 am, they ate JimmyDean biscuits, drank their coffee, and eventually linked up around 8:45 am with Spud, Zeylor, and Mamba (who arrived at the field at an hour earlier to set up the CP).  Special thanks go to Sabot's lovely wife for her hospitality, hosting and putting up with these grungy ranchers.</div> <bR> <div> After the obligatory safety briefing, handing of prizes, and storyline synopsis, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> headed for the field in support of the blue side.  Zeylor was turned back because he was wearing shorts and apparently OA Paintball has a vague rule that no shorts are allowed on the field, so after a little bit of discussion, Zeylor was given a pair of camo, MC Hammer style pants and he was on his way.</div> <bR> <div> This game was in OA's "Beat-the-Heat" format, meaning each mission set was to be one hour long with a ½ hour break in between for hydration and cooling off.  This format proved to be popular with <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> and almost all other players.  A 60 minute mission is about right for players to carry enough paint and air and provide for heated battles.  The 5 minute warning to return to the field for the next mission was missing in the first couple of missions but OA quickly adjusted and provided sufficient warning to hit the field.</div> <bR> <div> Mission #1 was simple, whichever side had their flag color raised in the fort at the end of the hour, won the full points for that mission.  It was a race to the fort.  FlyingAce, of team Grim Reapers, took charge of getting all the young guns to sprint to the fort, while the slower, older `ballers would defend.  Surprisingly enough, Spud and Compulsion were among the first to arrive and Spud expeditiously raised the BLUE flag.  Compulsion held watch at the top of the fort while the remaining BLUE's fought off the constant attack of the REDs.  For this mission, Spud led the aggression forward of the fort and managed to slide into a bunker already occupied by an unknowing RED.  Spud proceeded to put his barrel into the RED players' upper thigh and offered a surrender or very painful hit, he took the surrender.  BLUE handedly won the first mission.</div> <bR> <div> Mission #2 was a two part mission filled with action.  First, a fallen cowboy (dummy) was to be found and brought back to the team's drop off location by the end of the 60 minutes.  The second mission was to hold and raise team flags in key locations.  Whichever team had the majority of three flags hanging with their team colors, took the points.  The 3-flag portion of this mission found Aegis running like a madman through a hail of paintballs to allow or hang all three flags.  This was done with lightening speed which allowed the BLUE side to concentrate on holding the REDs off the flags and advancing to find the fallen cowboy.  G-Man and Sabot Ranger, supported by Zeylor and another BLUE player, out in an observation post (OP), lay down near the northern berms and road to form an ambush line just waiting for the REDs.  About 20-25 REDs inserted together and were lollygagging down the road looking at their feet.  They were bunched up trying to walk the tapeline, all markers pointing down, and not looking around.  Once they got close enough to ensure that all barrel covers were off the ambushers could hear them talking about skirting the tapeline confirming their hostile intent.  Somehow without command, G-Man, Sabot, and Zeylor all opened up nearly simultaneously.  The REDs had no idea where <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> and company were hidden.  It was like a Civil War battlefield.  The entire front and side ranks looked up in shock, raised their markers, and just started falling back to the rear.  Danged if the second and third ranks didn't walk right up to the front and try to spray paint everywhere, only to suffer the fate of the first ranks.  Within about 10 seconds, the entire group was wiped out and making the walk of shame still having no idea where they were hit from.  Unfortunately, Sabot Ranger did take a hit, but not from a RED, but from a YELLOW, that is, a yellow jacket bee, right to the butt.  True to Sabot's nature, he continued to stay in the game until the very end.</div> <bR> <div> Mission #3 found the RED side finally bringing their "A" game.  The two sides were to blowup the stagecoach (PB tank) and then retrieve the cash trunks that were to be blown out of the damage.  Apparently, the BLUE side didn't have a qualified person manning the launcher, as he wasn't carrying any ammo, nor did he know how to fire the LAW when he got within range.  The RED side took the mission.  However, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>, as a group, pushed up the left side through the village, almost totally unopposed and secured the tape line all the way to the RED insert point.  Spud and Sabot pushed forward on point with Zeylor on the tape and G-Man and LegMan in the middle, followed by Mamba, Compulsion, and his buddy on the right.  Spud and Sabot held fire as long as was safe then finally opened fire wiping out 5-10 unsuspecting REDs.  More REDs tried to push to the middle where LegMan and G-Man whacked them.  Spud was hit.  Sabot pulled back to G-Man.  REDs pushed the tape line whereupon Zeylor proceeded to give them a shellacking.  G-Man was hit and LegMan pulled back so Zeylor and Sabot withdrew as well.  It was a valiant effort.  Zeylor moved back to the fort where he successfully executed a blind barrel tag on an unsuspecting RED players' family jewels.  The player called himself out IMMEDIATELY.</div> <bR> <div> On the final mission, after securing the objective house, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> pushed left into the spool fields once again and proceeded to wipe out the REDs all the way across the berm and within 45 yards of their insertion point.  LegMan, Mamba, and G-Man were covering the part of the spools closest to the Castle.  REDs were continuing to "waltz" into their field of fire, while LegMan, Mamba, and G-Man would wait until about two or three would feel nice and cozy behind cover, then when they would make their approach to storm the Castle, the <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>members and rest of the BLUEs would open up on them and take them out.  Flanking by the REDs through the spool field was not an option. Anxious to break into the spool field, Zeylor and Spud decided to re-enact Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, only this time, neither Butch Cassidy nor Sundance got eliminated.  This opened up the spools for the BLUE taking.  Sabot would then advance to the far side berm and pop out from behind his cover like Whack-a-Mole, appearing out of different spots along the berm keeping the REDs off balance, eliminating 1 or 2 each time he popped up.  Mamba would slide over into the spool field and whack or suppress troublesome RED bunkers.  Just seconds before the final bird banger, Mamba pinned a 5 man red bunker while Sabot ran behind them.  They were so fixated on Mamba that they didn't hear or see Sabot until the first round eliminated a red player.  They all turned around and 2 of them assumed the fetal position when the bird banger sounded.</div> <bR> <div> The end of the game marked the beginning of some much needed downtime and rest but the fun and fortune did not stop there.  At the awards and prize ceremony, Spud won a much needed new mask, which just so happened to be an EXACT replacement for his current olive Ventz Avatars.  However, the best was yet to come.  As the awards for MVP, Producers Award, and MVT were announced,<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> Team Old Man Militia </B></I></FONT>was conferred the award of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="awards_most_valuable_team___oa___wild_wild_west.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Awards"><U><I><B>Most Valuable Team</B></I></U></A></FONT><A HREF="awards_most_valuable_team___oa___wild_wild_west.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Awards"><U> </U></A>for the Blue side for their impressive tactical skill and ability to achieve strategic advantage despite their relatively small number.  All the guys on <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> are honored by the accolade.  </div> <bR> <div> Upon leaving the park, Sabot Ranger, once again, offered up his hospitality and invited his fellow teammates to his home for refreshments and refueling.  Compulsion, LegMan, and G-Man accepted his invitation while Spud, Zeylor, and Mamba had to retreat back to their own homes.  It was a great day and the weather was perfect.  Once again fun was had by all.  A special thanks goes out to Compulsion's buddies, Billy and Zombie, for their efforts and skill which undoubtedly helped us to achieve the MVT award.  Final score for the day:  Blue - 2000, Red - 1800!!!!</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM</B></I></FONT><I><B> Attendees</B></I>:  Spudcrazy, Sabot Ranger, LegMan, G-Man, Compulsion, Mamba, Zeylor, and Aegis</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="june_13th_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>June 13th, 2008</B></div> <div> Special Engagement</div> <div> <A HREF="http://oldmanmilitia.com/Press/SoundoffFullSpread.jpg" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://oldmanmilitia.com/Press/SoundoffF"><U>APAC Field Training Exercise</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >              </FONT>We are pleased to announce two new members of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>.  The first is Zeylor, who is also a member of Dead By Dawn.  Typically, we wouldn't recruit a member of another team, but Zeylor comes to us not as a recruit but as the mentor that led <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I> </FONT>to its <A HREF="about.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U>very first scenario</U></A>.  He is still very much a part and member of Dead By Dawn and holds them as his primary team, but because of his dedication, friendship, and contribution to our humbled team, we have asked and he has graciously accepted that he wear the colors of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> whenever he wants and whenever he is not obligated to his primary team.  We are proud to call him a teammate and friend of the team and we look forward to continuing to sling paint with him.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >              </FONT>Our second new member is Mamba.  Not only is he new to <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> but he is new to paintball as well.  Before he started playing as a guest of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>at the <A HREF="#april_19_2008" TITLE="Latest News"><U>Pev's outing</U></A> and the <A HREF="#april_4th_6th_2008" TITLE="Latest News"><U>Day of the Immortal's 26-hour Event</U></A>, he had only played paintball once or twice.  You would have never known that if you watch him play.  Mamba has the heart and willingness to command any attack he faces.  He's aggressive, yet patient and quite as a mouse, but he is dedicated to the team and loves the challenge of a good battle. <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >              </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia </B></I></FONT>looks forward to a future with both of these great players on the field and seeing them wear the colors of the old men that have the distinction, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#669900" FACE="Arial" ><B>Aim-Eliminate-Take.A.Nap</B></FONT>.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="june_8th_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>June 8th, 2008</B></div> <div> Normandy Landing</div> <div> A Hogback Mountain</div> <div> Big Game Event</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >              </FONT>We knew it was gonna be a hot one when we woke up the morning of June 8th, 2008 and found that at 0730 hrs, the temperature was already at 83<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Courier New" >°</FONT>F and the humidity was 75%.  However, that wasn't gonna stop <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> from attending the Hogback Mountain Normandy Landing Big Game.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >              </FONT>In attendance for this event was old men Spudcrazy, Leg-Man, Zeylor, G-Man, Migraine, Compulsion, and Mamba, and young guns Shadow and Siege.  Accompanying us were several friends of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>, including Rabbit.  OMM set up camp in our usual spot, however, this time Spudcrazy used a generator to supply electricity for no less than four fans to keep us cool; this was a Godsend.  With tons of liquid to keep us hydrated and after the obligatory safety briefing and splitting of teams,<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> (Allies) headed up the mountain to the Allied safety area.  Spudcrazy would prove his place on the team as he headed up the hill without the most important piece of equipment, his paintball marker.  Thanks to the rest of the team, he didn't get far before he was made aware of his senility.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >              </FONT>With the Allies in their landing craft, which was located on the back side of the Mountain field, and the German's posted on the beachhead, the game started a bit late, but with a roar of excitement.  Our fearless field commander, Larry (Team Alptraum), held <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia </B></I></FONT>and a few other players back in order to perform a parachute drop behind enemy lines.  This proved to be a bit futile as some of the eliminated German's saw our setup position and probably relayed it back to the fighting forces as they reinserted.  Most of the paratroopers (<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM</B></I></FONT>) were eliminated almost immediately.  However, the tactic achieved its goal of distraction and after several minutes, the Allies were able to break out of the beachhead and push the German's back.   Since the Allies cleared the Mountain field of all German forces, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> decided we would try to flank the Valley field and come up to attack the Fort.  This was a struggle but a fun fought battle.  Leg-Man and Zeylor managed to allow three Germans to walk right up on their position before taking all three of them out for the easy elimination.  Compulsion then used his lightening fast trigger finger to poke around the Valley netted area to pick off OPFOR in the heavy pine woods of the Fort field.</div> <div>               <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >G-Man and Shadow where extremely successful in flushing out snipers dug in to the Jungle field.  These German snipers were cool, calculated, and surprisingly patient.  They definitely caused headaches for the Allied forces trying to cross the outer banks of the Jungle field, but nevertheless, the old man and young gun cleared the way.</FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >              </FONT>Most of the day found the Allies advancing all over the field with relative ease.  Several times, the Allies were told to hold their line and not advance in order to give the German forces a fighting chance and to keep the fun in the game.  Although frustrating at times, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM</B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT>agreed these were the right decisions, otherwise it would have been too one-sided and players would have walked off the field not only due to heat exhaustion but in frustration as well.  The heat overwhelmed many, many players, both old and young.  As a matter of fact, Rabbit fell victim to the heat and exhaustion and spent much of the lunch break bringing up his breakfast.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>has now dubbed him UpChucker!!!!  Lunch also marked quitting time for several <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>players as well.  Migraine, Shadow, G-Man, and Siege wisely took R&R due to their aggressive efforts and the overwhelming heat and humidity.  Compulsion found his way to his car shortly after the afternoon battle started back up.  Heat can be a killer and safety is of paramount importance to OMM.  The afternoon heat and humidity grew even more oppressive.  He who hydrates and rests today lives to fight another day.  Leg-Man, Zeylor, Mamba, and Spudcrazy managed to avoid any symptoms or ramifications of the heat, stayed well hydrated and fueled to make it through the entire battle.  Even UpChucker (Rabbit) stayed in the fight, although we didn't think that a wise choice!!!</div> <div>               <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >The afternoons' battle, with fewer players due to so many departing, was more of the same; constant battles all over the field, and the Allied forces finding it easy to maneuver at will.  For his efforts, Spudcrazy succeeded in one personal achievement and one game changing charge.  For the personal achievement, he and one other player managed to successfully tag in to the German respawn barrel without being shot and with no air left in their tank.  At one point, about six respawning German's saw and engaged them, but after only “tossing” some paintballs their way, they retreated allowing for free movement to the barrel.  The game changing charge involved Spudcrazy single handedly taking out a wicked cool double Invert Mini, full auto machine gun nest behind enemy territory.  After taking out the two gunners, he proceeded to take out about 30 OPFOR in the back with their own machine gun, before finally getting discovered and eliminated.  It was quite comical when the Germans (red players) were yelling up to him that they were “red” and him yelling back “cool, because I'm blue”.  All this was a blast, but the final nail in the proverbial German coffin was after the machine gun nest was rendered insignificant, Leg-Man and Zeylor swept behind enemy line and once and for all, completely surrounded the German forces and took control of the Fort field.  At that point, it seemed as though the fight was out of the German forces and without being eliminated Leg-Man, Zeylor, Mamba, and Spudcrazy departed the playing field and headed back to camp for the compulsory nap. </FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >              </FONT>Although extremely hot, the day of play was extremely fun and exciting.  Hogback still has some work to do on these big games, such as getting them started on time and making sure the referees don't give away player positions.  However, John Greeley has gone a long way in improving the organization and fun of the games.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> would like to thank him and the rest of the Hogback staff for their hospitality and loyalty to player fun.  From our standpoint, this was one of the most standup games <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>has ever attended in regards to sportsmanship and camaraderie.  Not a single problem with players, paint, or equipment.  As always, we are proud to call Hogback our home field.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="april_19_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>April 19, 2008</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.pevs.com/parks.asp?h=p" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.pevs.com/parks.asp?h=p"><U>Pev's</U></A> Field Review</div> <div> <B>              </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Joined by associate member Zeylor and Mamba, Spudcrazy ventured off to try yet another Virginia paintball field.  Variety always being an ingredient in the game of fun, Pev's @ AG was the next logical field to test out, besides the fact that it was only 6.2 miles from where my (Spudcrazy's) wife was attending a bridal shower...</FONT></div> <div>                  Driving to the field had it's typical rock and gravel entry road, with lots of ruts to spare, but no different from every other field that paintball players have ever been to, this field was no exception.  Upon arrival, we were surprised at how crowded it was for a regular walk-on day, however, parking was absolutely no problem.  The flat, well groomed, fairly decently organized gravel parking lot had space for atleast 100 vehicles, if not more.  The registration building also served as HPA fill station and pro-shop, as well as having an adjoining covered picnic area with hot dogs and food, along with the CO2 station.  There was easily room for a couple of 100 players to sit at a lunchroom type picnic table organization.  Registration was easy as it has been at every field.  I should note, though, that had it been a rainy day, I don't think mud would be a problem like it is at our home field, Hogback.  Gravel and mulch covered the roads and walking areas and the staff that drove the ATV's made it a point NOT to drive were customers would have to be walking.  This is a HUGE issue at Hogback Mountain that needs to be addressed before the ATV's erode more of the trail leading up to the playing fields.</div> <div>                  Chronoing consisted of the average of three shots under 290fps.  Since I never go over 280fps, this was none eventful.  A sticker "dot" placed on your hopper lid indicated chrono completion.  One thing that was particularly different from other fields is that they announced the safety briefing over a PA system, so that there was no question when and where it was to be held.  Safety briefing was typical and on time.  Also, spots checks of chrono and ramping was done with great frequency on the field, much to my delight.</div> <div>                   Playing started with an announcement on the PA for all walk-on's to meet at the staging area and then we would be escorted to the first field of play.  There was no less than 75 players, however, we had plenty of ref's joining our group, about 7 refs.  Much to my surprise, the three head refs were all adults of atleast 25 years of age.  They all held radios for communication and were extremely attentive to the game.  Each field played was briefed and the refs gave tips and strategy for wins.  We typically played flag type games.  The only problem I saw with the reffing is that they did not enforce the penalties that they dictated for rule violation, they only restated the rules after witnessing a violation.  This lack of enforcement did nothing to alleviate the few problem players that were found as they knew the could keep playing that way.  However, all in all, the reffing was fantastic.  You never had to ask twice for a paint check on yourself or an OPFOR, because there was plenty of refs covering the field.  Also, the games ran consistently with little wait time in between.  Never did I see refs just hanging around chatting between games.  When a game ended, they hustled up to start a new game.  Having said that, I would say the reffing staff and AG staff were great and well organized.</div> <div>                  On to the fields....  This review speaks strictly from the viewpoint of a woodsballer/scenarioballer.  AG has plenty of variety of fields, from heavily wooded, to woods with structures, to airball, and X-ball.  Walk-on's typically play a woodsball rotation.  All the fields are relatively flat, however, hiding spaces are very, very limited.  Bunkers are generally made up of open-gapped pallets.  Most of the woods there are pines or cedars, so there is very few trees wide enough to hide behind.  However, with lots of brush and low cut pine and cedar trees, longballing was almost none existent.  Hogback and Splatbrothers have the woodsball field all over Pev's@AG, lots more hiding spaces and natural bunkers, unlike AG.</div> <div>                 Even though I thoroughly enjoyed myself, the play was not as good as I usually see.  Since Pevs@AG caters to speedballers, most of the game was spray-n-pray.  Also, due to the limited hiding spaces, tactics weren't that effective against the heavy gunners.  Mainly, who ever could throw the most paint at the same time would carry the game and since we had no experience with the field, we couldn't strategize at all.  The addition of a hopperball day would be excellent for this park, but I don't see that happening here.  However, Zeylor, Mamba, and myself were able to rally our side into a few rushes that were quite successful and fun.  Also, there is no 20' rule and I can assure you, I became victim to a short ranged paintball to the noggin', however, no fuss, I actually like this in that you can bunker players without having to backup and you can sneak up on a player without a ref giving your position away when telling you to back up.</div> <div>               All in all, I liked Pevs@AG.  I didn't witness any of the problems I have heard about, other than the normal stuff that is at every field.  It's a great alternative and will start playing there more often.  However, for OMM and myself in particular, I still prefer the woods fields at Hogback Mountain and will still call Hogback Mountain the <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> home field.  Hogback Mountain is definitely a lot more "beginner" and woodsball friendly.  With their unique hopperball day and there great terrain for woodsball, Hogback is still the field of choice, but Pevs@AG is a great alternative for something different.</div> <div>             Prices: $18 walk-on fee, BYOP, and $13 all day air or $3 for a 3000 fill and $5 for a 4500 fill.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="april_4th_6th_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>April 4th-6th, 2008</B></div> <div> Day of the Immortals</div> <div> Splatbrothers and Tommy Hill Production</div> <div> 26-Hour Scenario Event</div> <bR> <div> <I>It is now time for the Gathering, when </I><I>all the Immortals will gather in one place to battle among themselves to see who will be “the one”.   The EVIL IMMORTALS, "The Chosen", are here to fight the mortal friendly "Elite", and build a machine that will release a toxin into the air that will render the entire human race into mindless drones.  And so the story begins....</I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> T</B></I><I><B>eam Old Man Militia</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > set out once again to Hopewell, VA to do battle at Splatbrothers Paintball PARC. This outing took OMM into the fantasy battle of good versus evil in the Day of The Immortals 26 hour scenario based on a popular science fiction television series. Having repeatedly learned our lesson on traffic, Alzheimer's you know, we departed Friday after dinner to avoid the D.C. metro and I95-I64 rush hour.  This plan proved prudent, and we actually got there without fighting stop and go traffic the whole trip.  The first to arrive about 7 p.m. and begin establishing the OMM Command Post and rest area were Migraine, and our new team medic, Shadow.  Spudcrazy, Mini-Me, Alvaro, and Brandon reached the rendezvous about 9 p.m.  and Sabot Ranger, Leg-Man, and Aegis linked up around 10pm.  Also, guest Mamba and his buddy showed up for only their third time playing paintball.  (I gotta say, as only their third time playing, these two guys are gonna be a force to reckon with very, very soon.)  As soon as we started to unload our gear, the gods decided to pour rain on our campsite, along with every other diehard paintballer at Splatbrothers. Despite the intermittent deluges OMM remained hard corps, and cheap as always, as we quickly, with practiced precision and teamwork established the CP. Partnered with DeadByDawn in our camping spot we battened the hatches for the night and conducted rehydration and chow operations. Thanks to Ronn and Don's excellent camping area markings. And special thanks for the porta-potty option. OMM supports and personally endorses the porta-potty!</FONT></div> <div>                   With the CP established we began discussing the weekend's battle.  Coastie, or should I say General Katanal, stopped by camp but gave us his battle planning and strategy consisting of, “Have fun.” In the Chosen planning forum, (ssshhh, it's a secret) Sabot Ranger given his extensive field experience and numerous scenarios under his belt had offered and been asked to serve as field commander for Coastie. The fit seemed perfect. The position was not to come into play as Katanal opted out of field commanders and apparently using an XO as well. Later, Corndog, captain of OFU stopped by with some very valuable planning of his own.  He asked <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> to be the Chosen's far side tapeline attack, defend and counter attack platoon, which we graciously accepted.   Sleepy time commenced and all was quite, EXCEPT for the Anarchy generator!!!!  OMM don't need no stinkin' air conditioner…or to be dry... or warm… or fed…” Sniff…sniff…”  We drifted off to sleep to the sound of rain beating on our tents, tarps, cars, mud and those `ballers who had not yet perfected the “establish CP” battle drill.</div> <div>                  Saturday mornings' weather was no better than Friday evening. However, right at the start of the game briefing, the rain subsided.  Spudcrazy volunteered to tape The Chosen players since he knows all too well from his generaling days the power of deception.  He was vigilant that a deceiver would not sneak through any cracks.</div> <div>                  At 11o'clock, the bird banger sounded.  Both sides of the playing field were equally loaded with great players and teams.  The Elites had some of our favorite teams to play with and against including; Capital Offense, Assault & Battery, Anarchy, MERCs, Black Wolf Core, SoVa, and many more.  It was hard for us to oppose these teams, but we knew that integrity and fair play would be paramount among them.  Also, on the Elites were the powerful BeBop, RATS, and some Team Krisis players.  The Chosen would have their work cut out for us.  OMM on the Chosen, were accompanied by Seek&Destroy, PubCrawling, Smoke&Mirrors, SouthSideKillaz, OutlawCrew, IHW, and others.  We knew that the Elites would have their work cut out for them, too.</div> <div>                   The opening plan was for the two powerhouse teams, SaD and PubCrawling to attack the enemy CP right off the get-go, -easier said than done!  The Elite put up a superb defense and most of Saturday's battles never crossed the '50' with many `bloody' skirmishes on the flanks.  This would be a fun game.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> only took a few missions, but managed to accomplish every one of them, including a personal mission by Sabot Ranger and a recon that Spudcrazy supported by OMM friends Mamba and his buddy, took deep into OPFOR territory.  A 30-minute recon of Cheeseburger Hill made it within 3 minutes of mission complete when the Elite, this time led by team Anarchy, with the support of the MERCs, decimated our small recon division.</div> <div>                   By producers default, Shadow was handed a MEDIC card, but in <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>fashion, he took on the responsibility and we are proud to say that he is now our official team medic.</div> <div>                   The day was met with many back and forth battles.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>, although we didn't get the recognition, led quite a few raids and were usually one of the first to cross the `50' in order to push the Elites back to their base.  Sabot got into the Elite trenches, with Goofa and Mini-me in support. Leg-man got across the `50' and led an attack through the barn to flank the trench line while Alvaro and Mamba pushed through the chicken coup slinging paint on the Elite reinforcements. All in all it was a great battle. Surprisingly enough,<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> suffered our fewest numbers of trips to the dead zone than ever before.  Fortunately or unfortunately, we rarely encountered the teams or players we most like to run with, Anarchy, Assault&Battery, and the MERCs.  However, we did get to battle our other ally team, Capital Offense, quite a few times, one of which found Mini-Me taking out a sliding captain, David Thompson.  The mud sucks!!! hehehe...  Of note, was one particular fight were Spudcrazy was the only Chosen hold up on the Elite side of the village.  He managed to stay in position, picking off Elites for upwards of 15 minutes.  During that time, the Elite had an insertion window which drew RedDevil (MERC) out of the deadzone, only to see Spud's position.  "Oh no!!!"  Spudcrazy knew what was in store.  Within minutes, a rain of back and forth paint between Spud and RedDevil finished both players off, but not before laughs and hi-fives between the two were given.  That's what paintball is all about!!!</div> <div>                    For the first time in quite awhile, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> decided to take the field at night.  Rest is important to us! Sabot Ranger, Leg-Man, Spudcrazy, Alvaro, and Brandon took to the dark field.  For more than an hour, we managed to walk around and hold off some of the Elite.  Leg Man used Coastie's thermal imager and detected an early push by Capitol Offense. Spudcrazy was forced to general for about 45 minutes while General Katanal was out in the staging area sword fighting for his life. Capitol Offense deftly used their night vision and after a hail of paint between OMM and CO we proceeded to get nearly decimated.  Led by Leg Man with a mission card we headed out to patrol and defend the speed ravine. Another encounter with CO and night vision ended with another hailstorm of paint and our mission nearly complete.  It was late and time we headed back to recharge the batteries and share camp life with our compatriots, so we left the field and headed back to camp to hang with the coolest team around, DeadByDawn!!!</div> <div>                    With the game neck-in-neck, Sundays play was more of the same....rain, rain, rain.  However, the Chosen managed to push the Elite so far into their own territory on Sunday that the Chosen had to stand-down until the Elite could regroup.  This was partly due to the incorporation of the new "no Hot Insertion" rule.   If the Elite had been granted a hot insert, the game may have been much different and could have given the Elite their night time point lead back and it may have even changed the dynamic of the game.  </div> <div>                    All in all, a fun weekend of paintball, but very rainy.  What do you expect in Virginia in April? The weekend ended with a hard fought final battle that found the Chosen, once again, on the offensive and victorious.  The Chosen had won the battle and the game.</div> <div>                    This game found many new and different twists.  There were personal missions, random OS cards, and off field "nerfie" sword fights that delved into the theme of the game.  Rules were different and some confusion went to the Elites as far as personal missions went, which found the Elites losing on day one by a huge amount, only to figure out how to regain their points later.  Role players abounded and the spirit of the game was definitely in play.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>OMM </B></I></FONT>shot paint against teams that they usually side with, but found that to be only an asset to the game since those teams integrity never had to be questioned.  As always, despite any conditions<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> had a blast.</div> <div>                   However, this AAR can NOT be concluded without some words of recognition; DeadByDawn, in particular, Zeylor, Kali, Vader, Shadow, Zox, Swampy, HudsonHawk, and Coyote (Ultimate Ref), as always, thank you for your camaraderie, friendship, and hospitality.  Your company at camp and on the field is most definitely the highlight of our paintball scenario outings.  And what can I say to <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#6633FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Vader</B></FONT>, the camp "Kitchen Bitch", you are awesome.  You not only feed us with your wisdom, but with your cholesterol and cholesterol filled yummies....  For everyone on <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>, thanks a bunch.  You are a welcomed improvement to our camp fire (and generator) anytime... </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="march_9th_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>March 9th, 2008</B></div> <div> Ia Drang Campaign:  Vietnam Conflict</div> <div> A Hogback Mountain</div> <div> Big Game Event</div> <bR> <div> <I>The battle of Ia Drang Valley sees the Americans surrounded by numerically superior Viet Cong. It is the first significant engagement between the two forces.</I></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>                  </B></I></FONT><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > arrived in force at the Hogback Big Game, on a crisp Sunday morn, March 9th, 2008.  The weather decided to cooperate, the rain stopped, clouds parted, and the sun shined through, but the wind and the cold temps remained throughout the day.  Sabot Rangers' previous night meal provided the team with an abundance of methane gas causing anybody or anything to lay waste within a 10' perimeter.  </FONT><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > set up base camp and team member’s (Spudcrazy, Sabot Ranger, Migraine, Shadow, Leg-man, Goofa, Mini-Me and G-Man) checked in as blue team (Americans).  Compulsion was unable to attend due to a bazaar gardening accident, and Siege absent due to being sick, but both were there in full spirit.</FONT></div> <div>                     Once the big game safety briefing was complete and sides were balanced, both teams sloshed through the mud to their respective safety/command bases.  The American safety zone was on the Mountain field, however our 'headquarters' where in the Fort, go figure!!!  This was not a scenario in the conventional sense.  There was no set command post from which all missions, tactical descisions, and reinsertions were made, instead, instant regeneration was the play of the day, and this happened by touching any one of two different, dynamic respawn barrels.  This proved to be tricky, as the barrels could and would be moved from time to time, hence <I>dynamic</I>.<IMG SRC="2f2f4d20.jpg" border=0 width="244" height="210" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>                     It was decided OMM would support Aegis in attacking jungle and protecting the fuel depot.  Upon initially entering the Jungle, heavy concentrations of Viet Cong were located just beyond and around the fuel depot.  With good team communication and the quick tactical assessment skill of Sabot Ranger, OMM led the drive to force the Viet Cong back to their respawn barrel.  Viet Cong tried flanking, kamikaze runs, long balling, wiping, all without success.  Well over a half an hour the team held the Jungle position.  The jungle was owned by <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> & Americans; no Viet Cong could enter without meeting an American paintball.  At the request of the refs, OMM & the rest of the American force, halted their forward movement and were requested to retreat from their position to give the opposition a fighting chance.  In the meantime the Fort was in danger of being overrun.  The call went out to team <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> to assist in pushing back the Viet Cong.   Team OMM rallied and headed toward Fort.  At Fort, OMM met the impenetrable Hogback “tank” (a tank that cannot be destroyed by LAWs, grenades, or paintballs.).  Once again, Team OMM was meet with heavy concentration of Viet Cong in and around the Fort, including the tank.  Spudcrazy took a one man sniper position above the Fort field, leading into the pines.  From this position, Spudcrazy was able to take out numerous Viet Cong until his position was given away by an over-aggresive American platoon.  UpDog was able to navigate Pines while low crawling and took out numerous Viet Cong with the support of Shadow as his wing man.  Through good team work and communication, team OMM drove the Viet Cong back to radio tower and over ran yet another of their respawn barrels.  During the heavy battle, the Viet Cong tank ran out of air and was disabled.  At that point, the refs requested we hold position or pull back, to give the Viet Cong another fighting chance.  The entire day was dominated by the Americans and was a bit one-sided since <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Milita</B></I></FONT> was seemingly able to advance where ever they wanted.</div> <div> <I><B>                  </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Spudcrazy’s solution to the VOX problem worked, but numerous “Sabot … where are you?” is the only remaining kink to be overcome in communications.  </FONT></div> <div>                      <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> would like to thank John Greeley for inviting us to play at their big game  In addition, we would like to thank the Hogback Mountain ref staff, and to all those involved in field improvements, we are very impressed, and the field is improving by leaps and bounds. Finally, a big shout out to Aegis, an associate member of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team OMM</B></I></FONT>, for leading the American team to victory!  We look forward to playing another Hogback Mountain Big Game in the near future.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="february_15th_17th_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>February 15th-17th, 2008</B></div> <div> MXS 26-hour Scenario Event</div> <div> Siege of Stormwynd</div> <div> Camp Blanding CTF  Starke, FL</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>                  </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >The planning for this trip started in the early weeks of January, with details about transportation, registration, paint, directions, and what to expect at the Blanding facility.  Special thanks goes out to Hudson Hawk, of DeadByDawn, for coming to our meeting and cluing us in on what to expect for this game.</FONT><I><B>              </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>                 </B></I>After weeks of planning, the trip started on Thursday evening with the packing of the 12-passenger Ford Econoline rental van.  Believe me, this was probably one of the hardest missions of the entire trip; packing all of our equipment and leaving enough room to spread out during the 12-hour haul to Florida.  Nevertheless, Sabot Ranger arrived at Spudcrazy's house around 2000 hours and put the final touches on the packing.  All was well.  </div> <div>                  Wakeup call was at 0230 sharp and G-Man and Siege arrived at Spud's doorstep at 0255, right on schedule.  We loaded into the van and proceeded to pick up the anxiously waiting Goofa and Mini-Me, who spent the entire evening playing video games.  We were on I-95 heading south at 0330, precisely on time.  The trip down was uneventful as the old men did the driving and the young guns did the napping.  Spudcrazy, Sabot Ranger, G-Man, Siege, Mini-Me, and Goofa arrived at the Camp Blanding facility was 1530, Friday, February 15th.  Compulsion would make his arrival the next morning.</div> <div>                   After setting up camp (thanks to DeadByDawn for saving prime real estate right next to the Horde insertion point), <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> (with the absence of Compulsion) conducted a tactical site survey of the facility and Sabot Ranger led us on some MOUT exercises for clearing rooms, hallways, and stairwells.  The anticipation of the battle was killing us.  The rest of the evening found most of the team on a grocery run, while Spudcrazy held down the OMM and DeadByDawn campsites.  </div> <div>                   Saturday morning finally arrived and so did Compulsion.  We attended the mandatory players briefing and got setup to do battle.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> missed the first insertion, but was ready to do battle 15 minutes after the start of the game.  Our first task was to make our way into the city and start seizing buildings.  The opposition, the Alliance, had their CP based in a perimeter building within the city, while our CP, the Horde, was some 100 yards inside the woods.  We were at a distinct disadvantage.  However, that didn't stop OMM from pushing against all odds.  Our first push found the seven OMM members alone, running into a hail of paintballs, trying to get to the center of the city.  This was futile due to the absence of support.  We were all immediately eliminated.  The very next insertion found us getting right back in the thick of things and making our way into the heart of the city.  Make no mistake, this was tricky and sometimes extremely close combat.  After running into a smallish shop, Sabot Ranger got taken out by an OPFOR that was low crawling on the outside of the building and shot through a murder-hole one cinderblock up from the floor.  However, this gave away the opposition's strategy and the rest of OMM, along with Sickboy, from Assault&Battery were able to thwart their remaining assaults.</div> <div>                     The remainder of the day was much like any other scenario, with battles brewing everywhere, but little to no room-to-room combat like we were hoping for.  Mini-Me, Goofa, Spudcrazy, Coyote (DBD), and RedDevil (MERCs), lead numerous raids in the thin woods on the boundary of the city, which pushed back some 30 Alliance members, from our 6 or so Horde members.  In the meantime, Sabot Ranger, Compulsion, and G-Man lead missions inside and elsewhere around the facility.  Siege spent the majority of his time as a gunner on the DeadByDawn tank.</div> <div>                       Saturday night's stand-down had the Horde up by a small margin.  However, it was a bigger victory considering our disadvantage of real estate.  As is typical, OMM did not play the night game.  This proved to be a wise decision, as our general was lackluster and the Horde got summarily squashed.  Base overruns were mainstay for the evening.  The rest of the evening was mostly uneventful with the exception of a few idiots who, at 0300, decided to shoot of Bomb Bags in everyone's camp and the fact that Goofa, once again, spewed his dinner all over camp!!!</div> <div>                       Sunday was much the same as Saturday, the Horde retaking the city time and time again, but the Alliance picking up valuable props and gaining “style” points.</div> <div>                       The final battle found the majority of the facility closed off.  This was a true bummer as it ended up being a paint slinging fest with no real tactics to be able to be used to meet the final objective, which was no more than a mobile bunker in the middle of a courtyard.  However, the conclusion found the Horde occupying the objective with a push in the final seconds of the game.</div> <div>                         The post game briefing was typical.  Fortunately for Spudcrazy, he won a PCS Tactical vest in the random drawing.  OMM was thanked, along with the numerous teams that sided with the Horde, but special thanks was given to Mini-Me for his exemplary advances on the Alliance strongholds.  </div> <div>                          The final score was a margin of only 13 points, with the Alliance on top.  In my honest opinion, that is a win for the Horde, considering our disadvantage in CP location, and our non-participating General.  All in all, it was a fun experience, but this Old Man Militia member will not soon be traveling a 12-hour distance in the near future for a paintball game.</div> <div>                           Another deduction was that Sabot Ranger's lessons on tactics and communication has really paid off.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> played as a unified squad and was quite effective in advancing the Horde army.  It was not uncommon to hear both Horde and Alliance members commenting on <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia's</B></I></FONT> effectiveness and playing ability.  This was quite a compliment to us, considering we were only a squad of seven, when many of the other teams were much larger.  Thanks to all who noticed and recognized us, we appreciate the compliments.</div> <div>                           Many thanks to be given to team DeadByDawn and the ShangGang for feeding us and putting up with us at camp.  And to all the great Splatbrothers teams, in particular, Assault&Battery, MERCs, Splatbrothers Bozo's, Krisis, RATs, OMEN, and everyone else, thanks once again for a great time.</div> <bR> <div> <I>In attendance for</I> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>:  Spudcrazy, Sabot Ranger, Goofa, Mini-Me, G-Man, Siege, Compulsion.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="january_26th_2007"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>January 26th, 2008</B></div> <div> Battle of Inchon:  Korean Conflict</div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com/inchon" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com/inchon"><U><I>After Action Report</I></U></A></div> <div> Written by:  Sabot Ranger</div> <div> <I> The North Korean army, led by general Shrub of OFU has pushed the South Korean army back far past Seoul. The battered, demoralized, and under-equipped South Koreans cannot hold off the NKPA's advances even with American reinforcements.</I></div> <div>                Responding to the call, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia </B></I></FONT>once again headed south from our home turf of northern Virginia and DC to fight for the forces of freedom and democracy.  Supporting General Ricky “SickBoy” Wilson of Assault & Battery, commanding all US landing forces, OMM members; Sabot Ranger, Migraine, G-Man, Compulsion, Young Guns; Shadow and Siege, associate member; Aegis, and OMM friends Mr. Waternoose, (Brian Kaye) and friend, with Sabot's niece Brittany and her boyfriend, Matt, made a formidable assault force.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >               </FONT>Following a brief and unpleasant encounter with the Virginia Highway patrol, Sabot rallied with Aegis and then executed a perfect in-stride linkup at the intersection of I-295 and I-64 with G-Man's van of fellow patriots.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> arrived at Splatbrothers PARC at 0830, set up base and established comms with fellow teams<I>, Anarchy, SOVA, Corn Dog (OFU), Li'l John (DBD),and  Chowda (Assault & Battery). </I></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >               </FONT>Sabot led the OMM contingent for this particular conflict while Spud fought the evil lines at the land of Yemick Soume.  After linking up with SickBoy to solidify the marine and OMM strategy, he conducted a quick team brief.  At SickBoy's special request, Shadow was detailed to be aide de camp to the Commanding General.  His duties were much the same as General Lee's aides; conduct specified reconnaissance, be prepared to take the generals plan (armband) into hiding when required and protect the general.  Shadows commitment to duty and performance was rewarded with the team's first ever <A HREF="awards.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Awards"><U><I><B>YOUNG GUNS MVP: Shadow</B></I></U></A>.  Thank you, SickBoy, for the honor.</div> <div>                <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Much like the original battle, the day opened with the Americans pushed back on their heels at the landing point.  Shrub's forces continued to try to push the landing forces off the beach and into the ocean.  In response, Team Anarchy conducted a flanking assault while OMM reconnoitered the enemy reinforcement position.  After identifying the enemy strong point and leading a spoiling attack, OMM reinserted and SickBoy ordered us to “Take the Towers of Power and supporting trenches.” </FONT></div> <div>                <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >OMM, with partners from SOVA, several skilled walk-ons, and Assault&Battery, swept to the trenches while SickBoy brought the heavy guns up from the beach.  This action proved to be the highlight of OMM's day and the turning of the tide to favor the beleaguered landing force.  With the additional firepower, the North Koreans were pushed out of the western tower and OMM successfully led another assault to take the tower in its entirety.  Needing our requisite nap, OMM continued to hold the towers and resupply as needed until retaking the offensive some time later.</FONT></div> <div>                <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >In the final battle, OMM played key roles in denying the North Koreans the towers and objectives and assaulting the newly developed objectives.  Despite the effective and deliberate offensives of the US forces after establishing and expanding the beachhead Shrub's army had accumulated more points. </FONT></div> <div>                <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Overall, Inchon was a nicely done experience.  Though the initial crushing offensive of the overwhelming North Korean's numbers made for a rather one sided first half, the battle back at the end was worthy of the scenario.  The refs were uniformly helpful and attentive.  The paint seemed to be thin and brittle and was rather problematic.</FONT></div> <div>                <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >The weather was fantastic. By the afternoon it was great playing temperature. Just cool enough to keep you from overheating.  OMM helped out some of our newer compatriots with their gear.  Teaching, mentoring and sharing with new players is enjoyable and we received many thanks.</FONT></div> <div>                <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >For our friends that played with us, it was an entirely enjoyable day.  One player, Brittany was most memorable.  As Aegis said, “Rarely have I seen so bloodthirsty a new player.”  We hope our new friends will join us whenever we are at Splatbrothers.</FONT></div> <div>                <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Everything pretty much ran on time with rules and prizes at 0900 hrs, game starting at 1030 hrs, break at 1530 and final battle at 1600 hrs. Ronn and Don's prize package seemed to have grown significantly for this game.  The full tally of OMM winnings in addition to new friends, fun, fatigue and a few bruises was: </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A new electric marker, akin to a mini for Migraine,</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A Proto 98c Aluminum .690 Barrel </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A Proto cocker Aluminum .690 Barrel </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A Pair of Dye Gloves </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A Battle Swab </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A RAP4 Barrel Bag</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="january_10th_2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>January 10th, 2008</B></div> <div> <I><B>                Team Old Man Militia</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >  is pleased to announce the newest members of the group.  G-Man and Compulsion have joined the ranks of the old men (although Compulsion is stretching the younger limits), and Siege (G-Man's son) has integrated into the ranks of the Young Guns.  All three of the gentlemen have played numerous walk-on's and attended scenarios as guests and associate members of </FONT><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >.  Compulsion brings the speed of the younger "old men" along with his fast trigger finger but total willingness to wait for the prime target before making the elimination in complete covertness.  G-Man and Siege are a father-son team that can traverse and creep through the terrain to take out enemy opposition with minimal recognition to their location.  </FONT><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > welcomes them to the group and looks forward to many OPFOR eliminations in the near future.  Welcome aboard G-Man, Compulsion, and Siege.</FONT></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="december_2nd_2007"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>December 2nd, 2007</B></div> <div> <I><B>               </B></I><I><B> </B></I><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > conducted another tactical team practice. John Greeley, the manager of Hogback Mountain Paintball, was generous enough to let us use fields for exclusive practice and tactical training. Most all of </FONT><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > was in attendance, along with newly appointed associate members, Compulsion, G-Man, and Siege, and guests, Aegis and Nicodemous.</FONT></div> <div>                  The practice began at the staging area with a brief review of our November 1st meeting and a general walk-thru of squad position and responsibilities for basic individual and buddy team movement. This was soon followed by a trek up to the Mini-Bunkers field where we practiced these skill in force on force mini-battles. We included squad and buddy team drills. From there we progressed to the Jungle field where we worked on more combined team and squad maneuver and communications against an impressive OPFOR comprised of Compulsion, Aegis, and Nicodemus. This proved to be extremely helpful as Leg-man and G-Man maneuvered their teams in support of each other. We then reversed roles on maneuver and defend before breaking for a “fun fight” on Castle field where we practiced buddy team maneuver against each other before breaking for lunch and the rain settled in. Thanks to Migraine for reffing despite his walking pneumonia!  What dedication to the team.</div> <div>                   Yet another paintballer has been named as an associate member of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>.  Aegis, a member of Spec4 at Hogback Mountain Paintball, brings with him energy and enthusiasm that will leave the OpFor running for cover.  He is a faithful old-school paintballer, toting around his Palmer Pursuit Pump and Tac8 pistols.  Even though he isn't shooting an electro marker, Aegis is never afraid to get in the thick of things and go for the run thru.  We hope, like all of our associates, that he becomes a full member as he will be a great addition to our squad.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="november_4th_2007"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>November 4th, 2007</B></div> <div>                   Sabot Ranger and guests (Compulsion, Aegis, Sandbox, MAJ David Gercken, and son, Nick) attended OA Paintball's 8-Hour scenario, Operation: Angry Serpent, a scenario with a Star Wars theme.  This was <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>'s first time attending a scenario at the Bowie, MD, OA Paintball field, although not the first for Compulsion.  All stated that the weather was absolutely gorgeous and made for a great day of slinging paintballs.  Overall, they were satisfied with the level of play and theme of the scenario.  OA Paintball scenarios will be put on the 2008 schedule for sure.  Of special note was Compulsion's generosity in lending Sabot Rangers buddy, a complete gear setup, including marker, tank, and other gear, without hesitation.  Thanks a bunch Compulsion!!!          </div> <div>                   We are pleased to announce that Compulsion has become our newest associate member of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>.  Compulsion has played paintball with us at Hogback Mountain, VA, Operation Cobra, 8-Hour scenario at Splatbrothers PARC, VA, and most recently at Operation: Angry Serpeant, 8-Hour scenario at Outdoor Adventure, Bowie, MD.  He is extremely skilled and experienced and is not afraid to get into the action.  OMM is looking forward to playing future events with him and hopes to soon make him a full member of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="november_1st_2007"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>November 1st, 2007</B></div> <div> <I><B>                  Team Old Man Militia</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > held it's first ever "team" meeting at Spudcrazy's house.  We had a successful lesson on team tactics, lead by Sabot Ranger, an ex-Army Ranger in his previous life.  It was extremely constructive and we look forward to putting some of the ideas and tactics that were discussed, into practice.  Hopefully, this will be the first of many regularly schedule meetings.</FONT></div> <div>                    In addition, G-Man and his son, Siege, has become the latest to join the rank of associate members of Old Man Militia.  G-Man has played many rec-ball days with us, as well as attended the 8-hour R.A.W. Series scenario, Operation Cobra, at Splatbrothers in Hopewell, VA.  Siege is a young, enthusiastic gunner, who will fall under the watchful eye of his fellow YoungGuns, led by Mini-Me.  Siege has also participated with OMM at Operation Cobra, but has played fewer rec-ball days than his father, but nevertheless, we are excited to have them try out our team.  They both will be accompanying OMM at the Splatbrothers Charity Game, Santa vs. Grinch, on December 16th, and plan to attend the MXS Blanding game in Florida, in February, 2008.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>November, 2007</B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>                  Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> is featured in the November 2007 issue of Paintball2Xtremes paintball magazine.  <A HREF="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com/Press/PB2X_OMM.pdf" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com/Press/PB2X_"><U>(click - NJ-NAM Article)</U></A>  Bill "Migraine" Wood led the brigade for the 2007 NJ-NAM scenario in Williamstown, NJ back in June of this year.  With him was OMM-YoungGun, Shadow, and OMM guests, Nicodemus, Kathleen, and Gorilla.  Way to go for representing <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> in our first national paintball magazine...</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="october_13th_14th_2007"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>October 13th-14th, 2007</B></div> <div>                   Due to various reasons, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> was not able to attend as players at the MXS 26-Hour Scenario, "Village of the Damned".  However, the captains of the team, Spudcrazy, and YoungGuns prelim-Captain, Mini-Me, attended the event in a refereeing capacity. Spudcrazy was tasked with being the Human side base ref, while Mini-Me was a field ref and during the night portion, was the Seedling side base ref. The response from Ronn, Don, Mother, Trips (MXS Ultimate Ref), and RickM (SB Ultimate Ref) were that both Spudcrazy and Mini-Me did an outstanding job.  Ronn Stern couldn't complement Mini-Me enough for his vigilence and ability to stand up to players and his williness to "punch" player cards when the need arose.  Although prefering to play, refereeing enabled both to see a whole new perspective of the game (along with being able to witness the entire night time play).</div> <div>                   Representing <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT> in a refereeing capacity, Spudcrazy was surprised to be awarded a <A HREF="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com/awards" title = "Awards" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.oldmanmilitia.com/awards" tit"><U>Sportsmanship award</U></A> from the Human General, Sir CornDog (OFU), with concurrence from the Seedling General, Jet (BeBop), and MXS's Mother, for his positive attitude, williness to be part of the event when playing was out of the question, and for maintaining a fair but fun atmosphere with respect to both reffing responsibilities and gamesmanship.  Spudcrazy is especially grateful, as this is an award not normally given to a referee, rather to a player in the game; he is truly honored to be selected for the award.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="september_22_2007"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>September 22, 2007</B></div> <div> Old Man Militia has officially welcomed Shadow to the<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> Old Man Militia - Young Guns</B></I></FONT> chapter.  Shadow, the son of Migraine, has played with the team at multiple walk-on outings as well as many of the Splatbrothers R.A.W. Series 8-hour scenarios and the MXS 26-Hour scenario, Dark Angel.  He is extremely enthusiastic and takes direction well.  As an associate member of the team, Shadow has been quite an asset in gunner support as well as taken to a demolitions role at the last R.A.W. scenario, <A HREF="http://www.splatbrothers.com/cobra.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.splatbrothers.com/cobra.htm"><U><I><U>Operation: Cobra, American Break-Out</U></I></U></A> .  We are happy and proud to have another father-son duo on the team.  They will compliment the original duo of Leg-Man and Goofa, perfectly.  Welcome aboard, Shadow...</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="september_15th_2007"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>September 15th, 2007</B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >               </FONT>The fifth and final installment of the Splatbrothers Real American War (R.A.W.) Series - 2007, <A HREF="http://www.splatbrothers.com/cobra.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.splatbrothers.com/cobra.htm"><U><I><U>Operation: Cobra, American Break-Out</U></I></U></A>  found Anarchy member, <I>Farva</I>, commanding the German Army against <I>Mars </I> of Team BeBop, General of the American forces.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >               </FONT>The weekend started on Friday afternoon, with Migraine, Shadow, Sabot Ranger, Mini-Me, and Spudcrazy, of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Team Old Man Militia</B></I></FONT>, setting up camp with the aide of G-Man and his son, Siege.  Other guests of OMM in attendance were Nick Sr. & Jr., Rabbit, Pwned8p, and Compulsion.  UpDog arrived early Saturday morning.  Friday night was plagued by heavy rain all night long; however that didn't stop the camaraderie of fellow paintballers to stop by our camp.  At about 2200hrs, a meeting was called by our general (Farva), to discuss tactics.  Based on the new complexities of the opening battle, Sickboy (Assault&Battery) and Spudcrazy (with the aide of Sabot Ranger) devised a plan to successfully complete the opening battle mission.  This plan proved to be sound.  Following the meeting, we all retired to our sleeping quarters, only to be witness to a flood in Migraine and Shadow's tent (along with their two uninvited frog guests).</div> <div>                <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Saturday started around 0700hrs, with the sky threatening rain.  The players briefing was accompanied by a light drizzle, but no less for the weary.  The opening battle was explained, followed by the standard rules and prize giveaways.  Reminiscent of the actual Operation: Cobra, the opening battle was to be fought from the Towers of Power field in a scenario that would mimic the Americans being held up in the Hedge Groves of France.  The German forces were to hold and defend two flags located on the back of the towers field for fourty-five minutes.  Only a touch