Comment

Comment by cbp on July 18, 2012 at 12:12pm

SO, I am  new memebr and very interested in doing some good. How does this work, is there ranking in this militia and how does this work, do we have responsibilities or jobs. Do we get together form time to time and how do we stay in touch? I live in King county and really new to the area. I have some past Military experiance with the National Guard but really like the idea of a state militia, considering on how the nation is going now, but would like some information on how all of this works. Thanks.

Comment by Rogue Mongo-TAD So. AZ til 04/13 on July 3, 2012 at 5:57pm

One last item and then I'll STFU. Time. If there's anything militia members must commit to, it is T.I.M.E. Time to train, time to work, and become comfortable with sacrificing time to be an active player. Sure, most have family obligations, but using those obligations as a reason to not keep one's word is weak dick.

Set aside time, preferably in sync with others in your unit. Keep your word to be there...ask me how big a pain in the ass that one can be.

Remember, the Founding Fathers sacrificed more than just time to establish this nation. We may have to do likewise in the coming days, in order to keep our nation intact.

Damn. My soapbox just imploded. All right, well I'll STFU now.

Semper Fi! Happy Independence Day!

Mongo

Comment by Rogue Mongo-TAD So. AZ til 04/13 on July 3, 2012 at 5:51pm

I'm in agreement with the need for order and standardization. Having spent the better part of the last year in southern Arizona (the badlands), I have seen proof of where a lack of either can debilitate a group working in the field. I have also seen what comes out of an organization that has their kit in one bag, and operates with good leadership. Believe me when I say one left me terrified, while I'd go straight into the depths of hell with the other.

Allow me some observations here, please.

1. Rank is pertinent to some extent, but should never be assumed by any individual. I see Capt. affixed to a cuppla three monikers here and have a question. Were they Captains, or higher, in the Armed Forces, or did they assume the rank for themselves?

If the former, fine.The value of such experience will benefit the militias greatly, and I personally welcome it. Senior NCO's? Same thing. Been there, done that, and got the battle scars to prove it. Those are the kind of bonafide leaders we can rely on.

Now, as for the latter, I have to ask what gives them the right? Look, being a leader in the militia requires knowledge and experience. I worry about anyone taking rank upon themselves without understanding the scope of personal responsibility that goes with it. Do such leaders have the training and the mentoring to capably lead a force in the field? How will they respond under pressure?

I'll leave it with this: Who died and made anyone God Captain?

2. While we may not have the resources of DoD or the State, we do have their organization on paper and can emulate it to a degree. Within the Battalion and Company structures, which we seem to refer to frequently, the Army and the Marine Corps differ somewhat. Within the Company organization at the squad level, there are manpower differences designed to cover different needs. Without elaborating on those needs or differences, let's look at the basic Squads:

Army: Nine man squad, often mounted in three Stryker vehicles. No, we don't have Strykers, but we do have vehicles. In an emergency situation having three men in a vehicle with a driver makes for a much more mobile situation, while a larger element can give the impression of an armed mob; bad thing in SHTF.

Marines: Thirteen man squad, occasionally mounted in multiple vehicles, with four man fire teams. splitting the squad into fire teams can be useful, and will offer more coverage than a three man fire team. Sometimes, and I emphasize sometimes, more is better. Other times, not so.

Each scenario has its benefits. Sometimes manpower dictates how a squad is built up. In the case of the militia, perhaps a six man squad is all that can be mustered. Again, the basic structure has already been outlined. We simply need to uniformly modify existing structure, and avoid reinventing the wheel.

Here in SoAZ, we often work in six to eight man teams (that's all that may show up on a given day), and we work with a Mission Commander and a Squad Leader. If a three or four man squad assembles, then that's who rolls and does te job. Some days a group will be split into two squads with two squad leaders and a Mission Commander overseeing the day's operation. That's really all the rank structure there is, and that's all we need; KISS principle exemplified.

Beyond that, BDU and equipment uniformity is good. Small unit training is essential, and must be the same throughout the organization. Here again, the Army and Marine Corps have manuals available online with tried and true training curricula. Both Services are the subject matter experts in small unit tactics, so take to heart what they have to offer.

Comment by kelsey palaniuk on July 2, 2012 at 11:42am

 Hello from the Palaniuks, A family for freedom. We live in stanwood,wa.

Comment by kelsey palaniuk on July 2, 2012 at 11:39am

Comment by Patrick Pepper on June 21, 2012 at 9:26pm

Sounding off from Kitsap county, bainbridge island.

Comment by Kelev'ooiim on May 6, 2012 at 9:46pm

I agree with Capt. Olson %100. Rank order and uniformity must be established .For starters it will be a great method of damage control. I wonder why nobody ever thought of this before? Oh uh,wait a minute, military commanders addressed this one hundreds of years ago. Why hav'nt we?

Comment by Warrior 9 on May 6, 2012 at 4:05am

Hey all,

I have to agree with Capt Olson about standardization. Leaders need to start communicating with each other about standardizing Comms, tactics, training, activation, among many other things. I was commo in the active army and I can tell you a uniform set of commo SOPs can go a long way in helping with operational readiness and will save a lot of confusion should we be activated for whatever purpose.

Guys start communicating and evaluating your readiness now.

Comment by Chalk Leader Olson [46th SOC] on May 3, 2012 at 9:38pm

Here is a discussion that affects the whole militia. Standardization. Its one we all dread because everyone wants to do things their way. Here is a possible solution

basic infrastructure, i.e. ranking, discipline, ect. can and should be uniform. After all we are first a military organization. Not to say that we don't get involved with other community events. 

Lets take a look at what has been going on so far in this state and decide on what do about it. From what I have seen most units operate well but we lack uniformity. To be honest to other states and those that might join this limits our credibility. After all if the us military had different ranking from one base to the next in the same branch the whole system would fall apart. Some where along the line the leaders of the military had to sit down and compromise on what their structure would be like. They didn't say that base commanders couldn't have a choice in how they conducted themselves but that there needed to be at the very least some organization. That is the difference between us and other units around the country. the states that are successful are the ones that are uniform. They don't have to operate from a cookie cutter point of view regarding county to county business but they do find common ground on the important stuff. This ensures that if the SHTF that it wouldn't be total chaos. Which honestly we are headed for unless we all sit down and hash this much out. Rank, Acceptable comms and comm sec, event planning and communication, audits on who is active in each unit and helping those that need it. Making an event calender for the site so that every unit in the state can see what is going on where for training. this could be accessable via a passcode only given to members or commanders for sec purposes. What will activate the WSM, ie natural disasters, civil unrest, assualt on the constitution and when its time to act. The answers to these questions are what is going to take us from a bunch of independent counties to a unified state that can respond accordingly. There are those that will say that some of this info that would be discussed shouldnt be discussed due to its sensitive nature. What happens if we dont discuss it.... the same stuff that has and is happening now. To my knowledge when i assumed command of the Skagit unit no regs, sop's, ranking, com sec regs, were given or offered. We own it to ourselves to handle the issues that ever military organization must face appropriately and responsibly. The time for "being afraid to say anything because big brother is watching is over". honestly that is exactly how the hutaree group was broken. Secrets sink ships and it would break my heart to see something of real importance happen and the WSM have no clue on how to handle it because of confusion. I would imagine this is true for everyone. 

We all know that this is a risky business. You would have to when you sign up. you have already faced that fact and accepted it. Now lets face another fact. Are we ready to respond to what nature or tyrants have to throw at us right now if it we were called? Honestly I would say no. Lets fix that. I am very willing to adopt any practical functional policy that enhances our cause, frees up recruiting, and organizes us because to me being ready is more important that doing things my way. It is an attitude that must be adopted when you join the service, it should be the attitude we have in this service. The sooner we start acting unified the sooner we will be treated that way. 

all commanders please set a date that we can skype for the less sensitive stuff and we will meet in person this summer for the rest. If you have any questions or comments my contact info is

skagitcountymilitia@gmail.com

or 360-540-1997. text or call. 

Respectfully

Capt Falcon

Comment by Capt K. (Co Commander. 46th SOC) on April 29, 2012 at 12:11pm

IF ANYONE HERE IS INTERESTED IN INDOOR DRY FIRE WEAPONS TRAINING, WITH INSTRUCTION FROM US MARINE COMBAT MARKSMANSHIP INSTRUCTORS, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT WRKILLA89@HUSHMAIL.COM OR VIA WSM EMAIL.

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