Matt in TN

Remember - you will need eye and ear protection to shoot. If you show up at a stage without either, you will not be allowed to shoot and will have to take a zero for that stage. Many people carry extras, because $hit happens and you don't have to run back an extra mile to figure out where you dropped yours. You don't have to wear it when you run if you don't want - but it is mandatory for shooting. You'll also need a stopwatch of some kind to record your wait times if you have any. If you show up at a stage and someone is already there shooting it, the RO will tell you to start your wait time. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to time this and track it accurately - the RO will NOT do it for you. When it's your turn to shoot, the RO will ask for your wait time and it will be subtracted from your net run time. While you are on wait time, you are NOT ALLOWED to eat, drink, sit, meditate, sleep, reload magazines, move gear around, or anything else that could give you an advantage over someone who does not have wait time. It's supposed to simply be a "time out" to not penalize you for back-ups at shooting stages. Just stand there and enjoy the brief rest that the guy in front of you probably didn't get.

Stage 6 (10k only) is in honor of Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Dayton, an LCPO (Leading Chief Petty Officer) of a 4-man EOD Team, who served closely with 5SFG. Senior Chief Dayton was tragically killed in the line of duty in Syria on November 24, 2016. In this stage: defuse a bomb, then fight through an attack when things go wrong. - De Oppresso Liber -

We have several unique terrain-based obstacles this year that will test both your physical skills and your mental toughness. If you have any claustrophobic tendencies, you may want to start learning to face them and power through. As with all of our matches - the 5k has an "easier" version of this obstacle, but the 10k has the "all in" version. Be ready. It's also come to my attention that I should warn everyone they will get wet on this course, so you should dress appropriately. If you're smart and skilled you can minimize this to avoid almost all of the water. If you're neither of those things or just prefer to plow through the depths - that's fine with me too. And of course Mother Nature has a say too. She may decide we ALL get soaked no matter what we do. It has certainly happened before. Be prepared for anything you might encounter in fairly rough/remote terrain in the Southeastern United States. I'm pretty sure there are no alligators onsite - but I'd prefer them to all the ticks and chiggers I can PROMISE you are there. Treat your clothes with Permethrin. Apply Deet liberally. DO NOT wear shorts, no matter how hot it is - especially if you're doing the 10k. You will regret it.

Primitive camping (no hookups, no power, no water) will be available on site at Dead Zero Shooting Park for $10/night. No need to make reservations - just show up and check in at the Pro Shop to pay. If the Pro Shop is closed when you arrived, find a spot out of the way and pay the next day when it opens. We are bringing in extra portapots for this, but you need to plan on bringing everything else you might need with you. There is a Dollar Store about 15 minutes north of here, and a Walmart about 20 minutes south of here if you need supplies. BE SURE to be respectful of their land and leave your campsite in a better condition than you found it. Fires are fine, but keep a close eye on them. If you leave any trash I'm going to put you on garbage patrol for all 2,000 acres of property we are using this weekend.

I am pleased to announce Vortex Optics has signed on as a sponsor, and pledged $2,400.00 in optics for the prize table. Check them out at https://vortexoptics.com/, and be sure to thank them for sponsoring this match!

This incident was a main driver of starting the very first Legion 9/11 Memorial Match in 2017, and was the first stage of that very first match. One of our founders was the XO for these fine young gentleman, and wanted to do something to honor them. I thought it fitting to bring it back for the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, and honor them once again. Stage 5 is in honor of SFC Matthew C. Lewellen, SSG Kevin J. McEnroe, and SSG James F. Moriarty, who were killed in action on November 4, 2016 during an ambush at a vehicle checkpoint in Jordan. In this stage: fight off the enemy from inside a vehicle and use barricades for cover while fighting off an ambush. - De Oppresso Liber -

Scoring & Penalties: Your overall score will be 50% net run time and 50% total shooting score. So you have to both run fast and shoot well to win. If you fail to fully neutralize a target, 10 seconds will be added to your shoot time for that stage. Any targets not designated one hit each during the shooting brief will take THREE rifle hits or FIVE pistol hits to neutralized - and D-zone hits don't count. Remember, 5th Group doesn't just shoot twice and move on - they shoot until the target is no longer a threat. We can't do that in a game, so we use the average number of hits they make on attackers based on their real-world experiences. There will be difficult obstacles along the way. Skipping those obstacles will result in SEVERE penalties added to your run time. I will have staff at each obstacle to keep you honest. Do the obstacles. Embrace the suck. Match DQ's will be issued for the following infractions: 1. Dropping a loaded pistol anywhere on the course. 2. Muzzling anyone (even yourself) with a loaded weapon. 3. Negligent discharge (there is no such thing as "accidental" discharge) of your weapon. 4. Having a loaded rifle anywhere on the course EXCEPT when actively shooting a stage. Legion Veterans: What am I forgetting? Legion Newbies: What scoring/penalty questions do you have that I haven't addressed here?

Thank you, sir - we are sure trying hard!

Stage 4 is in honor of SFC Aaron A. Henderson, who died October 2, 2012 of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device attack on September 30 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. In this stage: fight off the enemy from multiple sandbagged positions, drag your wounded teammate to safety, and use a radio to call for medevac and receive your next instructions. - De Oppresso Liber -

I am thrilled to announce Licentia Arms has joined on as a sponsor and pledged a $4,150.00 certificate that will be raffled off Sunday night at the 10k Awards Ceremony. The intent is that this certificate will entitle you to one of their custom PVS14 setups, but they've already mentioned it could be credited toward a dual tube setup if you'd rather go that route. I can't speak for them, of course, but I'd imagine they'd also be willing to credit that amount toward a $40,000 quad tube setup if you REALLY want to go nuts! Licentia Arms builds only the highest quality custom Night Vision Gear using L3 Unfilmed White Phosphor Aviation Spec Tubes. They also have a GREAT website with tons of information for those of us who are overwhelmed just trying to get started in NV. For example, check out their "Night Vision 101" Article here: https://licentiaarmsco.com/night-vision-101/ They will have a demo bay setup Saturday night (starting at 8:30pm and going until we run out of ammo) where you can use much of their equipment under live fire conditions. A single $10 raffle ticket purchase allows you entry to that demo bay, but you can buy as many of those $10 raffle tickets all weekend long if you want to increase your odds of winning. You must finish the race (5k or 10k) to be eligible to buy raffle tickets. You do NOT have to present to win, but if you are not there your tickets must be marked LEGIBLY with your contact information or we'll have no way to contact you. I can't imagine anything more sad than drawing the winning ticket only to find it blank or unreadable - but if that happens I'm going to draw another. As with everything this weekend, all proceeds from the raffle go to the Special Forces Association, Chpt 38. Former 5SFG personnel will be helping to run the demo bay Saturday night so you can pepper them with all the NVG related questions you want, and get great answers bought with the sweat of their real world experiences. Don't miss this unique opportunity. Like them on Facebook at @licentiaarms, follow them on Instagram at @licentia_arms and check out their website at https://licentiaarmsco.com/ - and be sure to tell them you're there because they sponsored the Legion match!

Stage 3 is in honor of SSG Gary R. Harper, Jr., who was killed in action when his reconnaissance mission was attacked by enemy forces near Baghdad, Iraq on October 9, 2005. In this stage, use covering fire while moving to suppress enemy fire during sprints between various points of cover, and engage enemy from behind that cover to fight your way through SSG Harper's reconnaissance mission. - De Oppresso Liber -

I am pleased and not at all surprised to announce Samson Manufacturing has returned as a sponsor this year and pledged $1,200.00 in product to become an Obstacle Sponsor. Bryan Ray was instrumental in helping me put on the very first RNG at Rockcastle Shooting Center in 2017, and through him and Brian Vaught Samson has sponsored every single match I've ever put on. Not only do they support the shooting sports above and beyond any reasonable call, they also make lots of great products. Check them out at: https://www.samson-mfg.com/

Stage 2 is in honor of CPT Michael Y. Tarlavsky, who was fatally wounded in action on August 12, 2004 in Najaf, Iraq. In this stage, react to a grenade attack and move and shoot through a city environment to beat back CPT Tarlavsky's attackers. - De Oppresso Liber -

The post everyone has been waiting for: ROUND COUNT! The MINIMUM required hits are as follows: 5k: 48 rifle and 41 pistol 10k: 68 rifle and 46 pistol The shooting this year will be the most difficult we've done yet, so I highly suggest NOT skimping on the ammo you carry so you don't run out. I personally will carry 150 rds rifle and 105 rds pistol for the 10k when I run it - and I know exactly what is coming. 10k folks in particular could burn up a LOT of pistol ammo quickly if they struggle. Don't run out. And just because I'm a nerd, the pic shows how this year's round count compares to all the other Legion matches over the years. I did keep it a little bit low because of the ammo shortage, but it is NOT the lowest it's ever been. I'm really excited for everyone to see the stages this year. We have a very balanced match with several unique challenges, all based around remembering fallen 5th Special Forces Soldiers. I hope you're ready!

I'm thrilled to announce Magpul Industries Corp. signed on as a sponsor today, and pledged to donate $3,500.00 in product to the prize table. Thanks Magpul!!! https://magpul.com/

I am excited to announce that not only will we have CJ Solar donating his time and award-winning talent to entertain us Saturday and Sunday, but he and his guitar player will be COMPETING with us and running the course on Friday with the Staff! Check out his new album Get Away With It, which follows Solar’s critically-acclaimed debut 2016 EP, Hard One toTurn Down. Critics at The Daily Country wrote, “Solar injects a hefty (and welcome) dose of Southern rock into his country, which melds perfectly with hisgravelly vocals.” Country Music Rocks was “immediately captivated by all five songs and hoped that [the EP] obtains the recognition it deserves.” The Rowdy found it “exactly what country fans are looking to savor.” And The Shotgun Seat welcomed Hard One to Turn Down as “the perfect pairing of country storytelling and rocking rhythms, married by his dynamic vocals” and named him one of their “17 to Watch in 17." Learn more about CJ at https://www.cjsolar.com/

I had a great site meeting with my Co-MD this weekend and we have several new exciting developments coming! Today's is that 10k folks need to be prepared to make RIFLE HITS OUT TO 600 YDS. 5k folks will be 300 yds and under. The 600 yd target will be a full-sized torso (not the Jeep!). I saw FALs hit that same target all day long at 600 yds a couple weeks ago. No big deal, right???? Round count coming soon...

I am pleased to announce Foot Solutions Acworth will be providing almost $600 in running gear including Brooks Cascadia Trail Running Shoes, Aetrex Lynco Orthotics, and Thorlo Experia Prolite Running Socks. I am especially excited for this one, as I've solicited several running gear companies over the years and they all shied away when they heard guns were involved. Support those who support us! Check them out at https://footsolutions.com/acworth

This Saturday will be 8 weeks until Match Day. If you haven't already, NOW would be a great time to start a focused training program. If you've never done anything like this before, google "Couch To 5k" and choose one of those programs that looks good to you. If this is not your first time, choose a training program that's more advanced but still within your reach - there are a ton of good free programs out there. Some general guidance: 1. Repeatability is key here. The exact training program you choose doesn't matter nearly as much as COMMITTING to it, and then doing it no matter what. Many studies have shown that doing a physical activity two times per week is just enough to maintain your current level. I've settled on 3x/wk focused training as something that's sustainable for me. 6x/wk will get you even more improvement, but you have a higher risk of injury and/or burnout. You do you. 2. Be sure to increase your nutrition plan and rest plan to go with your harder training. Working harder alone is not enough to improve - your body must have the fuel it needs to do the work, and the focused rest time it needs to rebuild the stressed muscles. Adequate sleep is the most overlooked part of a training plan - don't be that guy! 3. Train no more than once per week with weight. Running in full gear every day sounds like a great way to get stronger (I did it for my first two years!), but it's just too hard on your joints and is unsustainable. Now I focus on speed and endurance during the week with no weight, but do a trail run on the weekend with a 20lb weight vest. That's plenty. Comment here to share what you're doing and give others ideas, or if you have any questions about your own training plan. And get to work!!!

Stage 1: 05 Dec 2001, Afghanistan: In memory of ODA574 Master Sgt Jefferson Donald “Donnie” Davis, Staff Sgt. Brian Cody Prosser, and Sgt 1st Class Daniel H. Petithory. ODA 574, Alpha Company, 3rd Btn, 5th SFG deployed from Karshi-Khanabad Air Base (nicknamed K2 by the Special Forces) just outside of Tarin Kowt on 14 November, accompanied by Pashtun militia leader, Hamid Karzai, who was returning from exile. Twenty members of Karzai’s militia and five other members of ODA 574 and Karzai were also wounded. A JDAM 2,000 lb penetrating warhead was dropped from a B-52 targeting enemy in caves on the other side of a river 2,000 yds away, but due to several issues hit the friendly forces who called in the fire mission. No one in the area had any idea what happened for several minutes afterward, and chaos reigned after the blast with survivors only knowing they’d been attacked, smoke and debris made seeing anything all but impossible, RPG rounds were cooking off (which led them to think the attack was continuing), and the less disciplined militia were firing their AKs into the smoke adding to the confusion and impression of further attack. For more information on this event and much more, read the book The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Forged a New Afghanistan by Eric Blehm. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00338QEUQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 You will be shooting pistol from a confined smoke-filled place from awkward positions in this stage. You MAY want to bring a gas mask if you have respiratory issues (or if you just want to bring it!), but you have to carry the gas mask for the entire match along with your other gear. 5SFG didn't have gas masks and just had to fight through the smoke. Think of them while you're coughing and gagging and trying to see clear static targets that aren't shooting back at you.

We've had some questions about armor details for Operator Class, and all the great options on the market now make this more difficult than ever. The guiding principle should be: "WOULD YOU WEAR THIS TO WAR???" Rifle rated armor plates (front and back) must be worn at a minimum. Smaller 9x9 "CCW" plates do NOT qualify. I totally get their purpose and even think they're kind of cool, but you'd never (hopefully) wear those if you were going to a place you were likely to be shot with a rifle. You need full coverage. Use your body as a guide, but I'd guess 8x10 plates would be a minimum. If you're a big dude, you need bigger plates. If you're a 4'9" woman weighing less than 100 lbs, something smaller than 8x10 may work - but don't push it! I'm not picking on Freeman here - just using their ad as an example in the pic below. There are several CCW armor makers now. Their stuff is cool, but this is not the place for it.

I am excited to announce that the mighty Sean Murphy with will be donating twelve hours of his time to both help you get better at RNG and raise money for SFA! The theory here is that if you're signed up for the 5k, you come a day early and pay Sean $100 for 6 hours of "RNG tune up" training on Friday, then go out and crush your run on Saturday. Similarly, if you're signed up for the 10k, show up a day early for 6 hours of training on Saturday, then crush your 10k run on Sunday. All proceeds from the classes go to SFA. Sean also has an option to buy ammo for the class at his cost if you're having trouble finding enough in this crazy market - if you have plenty, bring your own, but if you want to buy it he can supply it. Be sure to register and pay for the correct class to lock in your slot ASAP - there are very limited spaces and they'll sell out quick! Click here to register for the 5k Training Class on Friday, September 10th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rng-skills-class-fri-sept-10-legion-rng-event-dead-zero-shooting-park-tickets-158310179007 Click here to register for the 10k Training Class on Saturday, September 11th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rng-skills-class-sat-sept-11-legion-rng-event-dead-zero-shooting-park-tickets-158291984587 And for anyone who doesn't know Sean - he's a national level top ranked competitor in several different disciplines, highly skilled, and a helluva nice guy to boot. Here's just a few of his wins from last year alone: 2020 Mammoth Sniper Challenge - 1st Place, Toughman Bushnell Elite Tactical Sniper Challenge - 1st Place, LRRP Competition Dynamics Team Rifle/Carbine Challenge - 1st Place Legion 9/11 Memorial Run-n-Gun 10k - 1st Place 17 South Sweat N’ Bullets Run-n-Gun 5k - 1st Place The Gun Run-Clinton House Run-n-Gun 5k - 1st Place Panteo DMR Match - 1st Place $100 is a STEAL for ONE HOUR of training time with him. For six hours this is laughable. Jump on it now before someone beats you to it!

Registration will open at 10:00am (Central Time) on Saturday, June 12th. This will leave you 90 days to train up after you know you're in - don't waste that time! This match always sells out in a few minutes, so be sure to be near a computer when it opens or you won't get in. If you don't get in, get on the waitlist as soon as you can. We always have cancellations, and I'm holding several slots for 5th Group that I will give to civilians if they can't come. I'm going to mandate again this year that you choose only ONE match so we can get as many different people to attend as possible. Sorry - no 15k option. Here's the 5k registration link: https://practiscore.com/5k-legion-9-11-memorial-run-n-gun-2021/register?fbclid=IwAR2t4Cxkkd-eSy3ioieq6RzslSFkf09xFXTXb5_H20TluS7a4FUbAhqj6C0 Here's the 10k registration link: https://practiscore.com/10k-legion-9-11-memorial-run-n-gun-2021/register?fbclid=IwAR0tzCT25pDCMx4kPHr4rwCf-pnVtz2m1d1hEWjKgYG2bG69pkyGETe7RYo There will be no online payment option - we're only doing cash at the door again to make the SFA donation as straightforward as possible. Just out of curiosity - how much would you pay (knowing the money goes to SFA, of course) to shoot out of a Little Bird piloted by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (the Night Stalkers)???

Registration for the Sunday, June 20th 3-Gun Match at Dead Zero Shooting Park in Spencer, TN is now open! Please pre-register here if you even THINK you might attend: https://practiscore.com/dead-zero-may-3gun-match-sunday-june-20/register?fbclid=IwAR3jLhz31fMXGbcGjvYT6sTO7lJzKUA0j9DkQFlxmTl7RvtHfycorT1tLBI Walk-ons are always welcome, but pre-registering makes our lives easier. We have yet another new shooting location in the works for this month to keep things new and exciting. We'll keep the overall round count low because of the stupid ammo shortage, but keep raising the "awesome challenging stages" level enough to make up for it. Old School Outlaw Natural Terrain 3-Gun FTW! 2-gunners are welcome if you hate shotgun - just bring your rifle and pistol and whatever loadout you want to train in and join us!

For the most up-to-date information and to be in on all the discussion and smack-talk, be sure to click "Interested" or "Going" to the Event Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/2870563023163635/?active_tab=discussion I will try to cross post anything I think is important here for all you non-FBers, but it's hard to keep up with everything.