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2018 Legion 9/11 Memorial Run N Gun, Rockcastle Shooting Center, Park City, KY


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OK - someone paying more attention than me pointed out that the scores are correct on Practiscore if you dig deep enough.

 

Go here for the 5k Results:  https://www.practiscore.com/results/html/be846e41-3467-4776-b9e3-b5aeb3a8cbe2

 

And here for the 10k results:  
https://www.practiscore.com/results/html/b14bb2f6-743e-4a7d-8553-7092f148ab6b

 

I'll continue to work on making it easier to find - sorry for the delay and confusion.

 

And then we have two more follow-up items:

1. Please send any photos or videos you're willing to share to legionrungun@gmail.com

2. There were several lost and found items (including a prize table item) left over after everyone had left. Please email the address above if you've lost anything and they'll dig through the pile to see if it's there. Or we may find it still on the course next year (it happens every match!).

 

More to come...

Edited by Matt in TN
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Some stats:

 

We ended up with 144 total competitors. 26 of those were 5SFG (3 ran on both days), 2 were Gold Star Fathers, and 5 were women (1 ran on both days). 3 were kids, and the youngest who ran and shot was 11.

 

Here's the breakdown to show how many people failed to finish each stage (top bar graph), how many people failed at multiple stages (bottom bar graph), and how each day's weight classes filled out. I'm happy to report only one person failed every stage they attempted to shoot. And they kept going and never quit!

 

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Conditions played a HUGE factor, so I wanted to document those too:

 

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And this was totally informal and NOT part of the official match, but we had 11 people who ran both the 5k on Saturday and the 10k on Sunday.  Many of them asked me, just for fun, to combine their scores to see how they stacked up against each other.

 

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Edited by Matt in TN
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Legion Run n’ Gun – September 8-9, 2018

Rock Castle Shooting Center

Park City, KY

 

 

When I was asked to RO at the Legion Run n’ Gun, I had to get the map out to see just where Park City, KY is located. Turns out it's about an 11 hour drive away! My initial thought was that it was too far to drive and I hate flying with all my RnG kit and firearms, so I was going to turn down the invitation. Then I learned the event was sponsored by the Special Forces Association and that the event was held to help honor the soldiers of the 5th Special Forces Group (“The Legion”), so I couldn’t say no. I further learned that the stages were designed by combat veterans of the Legion and that several of them would be there to shoot and help run the match. I told Matt Stennett, the Match Director, to count me in.

 

I served in the Special Forces from 1981 to 1991 and I’m a life member of the Special Forces Association (SFA). The SFA was established by former members of the Special Forces as a charity to help assist current members and their families. It just so happens that the 5th Special  Forces Group is one of the most decorated and busiest of the active duty Special Forces groups with a heritage that dates back to the early days of the Vietnam war.

 

So I marked the dates off the calendar and started making preparations. The Rockcastle Shooting Center is located just North of Park City. It’s a 2,000 acre shooting facility (that also happens to have a golf course) and a nice lodge/hotel located right on the property. It has a variety of shooting bays and ranges. The owners generously host the Legion RnG, donating all the proceeds of the match to the SFA. As is custom, the ROs arrive a day or so early and shoot the match on Friday, with the rest of the match taking place on Saturday and Sunday.

 

A surprising number of familiar faces began arriving on Thursday evening and I learned that many of the ROs were veterans of Pawnee, Lead Farm and other such matches that I had attended. It was a great group of shooters and I was excited to be part of it. As I stated earlier, the stages all had a military flavor and each stage had a story written about a certain event peculiar to the 5th Group.

 

The 5K consisted of 5 stages and the 10K had 7 stages. The 5K match was shot on Saturday, while the 10K match was shot on Sunday. There were a total of 75 5K shooters and 69 10K shooters. Within each match there were 3 divisions, Tier 1, Operator and Lightfighter. Tier 1 competitors had to carry a rucksack (that’s a backpack) that weighed at least 45 pounds. This was exclusive of guns, ammo and other gear. Operators had to wear rifle rated plates and Lightfighters carried whatever they wanted but they tended to carry only the minimal requirements.

 

Friday started out a little cloudy but the clouds gave way to sun and it heated up very quickly. The start/finish line was located right outside the lobby door of the Lodge. All the ROs geared up and got ready to go. The stages were set around a large loop around the property, with the 5K cutting off sooner and looping back to the Lodge. The first stage was close to the Lodge on sharply downhill grade on the pavement. If would have been given the option of taking a kick square to the nuts and skipping Stage 1, I would have thought seriously about it. Signage pointed the way down a steep rocky descent to the waiting area. This stage was a combination rifle/pistol stage. The shooter started near a large black, sharply downward angled tube. At the start signal, the shooter entered the tube and slide downward to the “mud pits”, where a series of 6 pistol targets awaited. After advancing through the pits and the jungle engaging the pistol targets (4” steel flippers), the shooter emerged out of the creek to engage 4 more pistol targets (more 4” flippers). The shooter then ran around the creek bank to find an injured buddy (a 200lb rescue Randy covered in slippery fake blood). You had to drag your buddy about 20 yards or so to a “helicopter” (a platform suspend on chains), mount the shaky platform and engage a 6-plate rack with your rifle, being careful not to use any part of the frame for support. This stage proved to be the most physically demanding and resulted in the highest failure rate (not completing the stage within the 180 second time limit). To top this off, once you completed the stage, or timed out, you had to drag your buddy back to the start point! Then, you had to climb all the way back out the way you came in. Shooters spent great deal of energy on this stage and hadn’t even made it ¾ of mile and had 4 or 6 more stages to complete!! Out of the 75 5K shooters who started Stage 1, only 16 completed it within the 180 second par time.

 

After climbing out of the hole, you wound your way around the trail to Stage 2. This stage consisted of 5 paper targets, 2 steel targets and a VTAC board. Sitting at the start point was a UTV with a driver. The shooter loaded his carbine and sat in the back seat of the UTV. At the start signal, the UTV took off  and speed along a designated course (at about 10mph), the shooter shot at each paper target as it became visible, shooting each target obtaining at least 3 hits in the C zone. There were 5 such targets set in a row. The distance was about 5-8 yards or so with each target about 10-15 yards apart. At the end of the run, the shooter exited the UTV, ran up to a VTAC board and obtained 4 hits through 4 openings of the VTAC at steel targets about 100 yards or so distance. The paper targets were not visible to the shooter very long and you had to be very quick on the trigger and steady on the sights to get the hits. After you completed this stage, you headed into a heavily wooded area along a marked trail.

 

The trail to stage 3 was steep, heavily wooded and steep (I said steep twice, on purpose). Along the way were several signs (such as “Green Berets are better than SEALs) and you finally came upon a sign that said “Free Candy” with an arrow pointed at a hole in the ground. As you approached the hole in the ground, you saw a wooden ladder that went down the hole. You were instructed to ground your rifle and go down the ladder, navigate your way to an RO waiting on you. The “Cave” as it’s known, is one of the most unique stages in all of RnG. You must have a headlamp or handheld light to navigate your way through the very narrow passages of the Cave. The way requires you to crawl on your hands and knees as the ceiling in a couple places gets pretty low. This is not a stage for the claustrophobic! When you reached the RO, you got your briefing and at the start signal, you advanced through the cave engaging targets. This stage consisted of 5 paper targets, each of which required 5 hits in the A zone to neutralize (pistol only in the Cave). There were friendly targets along the way, in some cases, friendly’s were very close to bad guys requiring very precise shooting. Hitting a friendly was costly as was not shooting a bad guy enough times. Once all the targets were engaged, you made your way back to the cave opening, retrieved your rifle and headed off to stage 4. Most shooters navigated the Cave with a headlamp and engaged targets with a WML. The Cave was very chilly and once you left it your optics and glasses fogged right up. However, in the ever increasing heat of the day, the fog cleared pretty quickly.

 

Leaving the Cave opening, you followed another steep trail (I swear the entire course was uphill) through the woods, eventually finding a gravel road, where you found your way to Stage 4. Stage 4 consisted of a series of rifle and pistol targets, both steel and paper. At the start signal, the shooter engaged a series of paper targets with rifle (3 hits each) on the move, and then came upon a big horse looking apparatus, complete with saddle. Once there, you mounted the “horse” and engaged a series of steel targets from 50 yards to 300 yards. No support was available and you shot these targets unaided by support. Once these targets were engaged, you grounded your rifle and engaged a series of steel pistol targets. This stage proved to be very problematic for many shooters and the 200 and 300 yard targets were small and no support was available. This stage probably resulted in the 2nd most failures (31 of 75 completed within the time limit). After this stage was completed, or not, you ventured off to Stage 5. Once again, I swear the trail was uphill.

 

Upon arrival at Stage 5, the shooter was given a briefing about retrieving some site sensitive material and shooting a HVT (high value target). However, along the trail somewhere, you should have noticed a Garden Gnome with a colored hat. The color of the Gnome’s hat corresponded with a door color (stage 5 was located in a pistol bay). Several different door colors were available. On the start signal, the shooter entered the house, engaged all the bad guy targets, especially the HVT, retrieved the site sensitive material and exited the house. If you didn’t get the right door, you were confronted with a bunch more bad guys that you had to shoot (3 if rifle, 5 if pistol), leave that house, go to the next house, and find the HVT. Once cleared you left stage 5 and headed for home. If you got the right door, you could engage the HVT (and his accomplices) and leave, if not, it forced you to enter another room and engage targets. You needed to pay attention along the entire course (you were advised to in the shooter meeting to gather intel along the way).

 

Finally, you got a little downhill to the finish line, where a crowd enthusiastically welcomed you home. This match was scored with the new Practiscore system set up just for Run n’ Guns, except that it didn’t quite work out as hoped. Each stage had an IPad and wait time, stage time and FTN’s were all recorded. One issue was that the run time wasn’t calculated by the program. Matt had to compute the final scores by another method, but he got it worked out good enough to find the top placers in each category.

 

Overall the match went very well. Friday, got pretty hot for the ROs to run their matches, Saturday wasn’t bad as the temps didn’t get quite as high and there was heavy cloud cover. Sunday, however, started with heavy rain and it rained all day. Making many of the stages not only tricky to shoot, but to maintain and score as well.

 

I especially enjoyed hanging out and visiting with some of my much younger SF brethren. These young guys are literally the tip of the spear in the fight against our enemies today. All of them had multiple combat deployments around the world. Seeing them shoot and make their way around the course was awe-inspiring. They are physical specimens and hard chargers. Its no wonder our Army Special  Forces are the most feared fighters in the world. Thanks to Matt Stennett for inviting me to this match and all the other ROs and competitors for making this a very challenging and enjoyable match.

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23 minutes ago, Nick710 said:

If would have been given the option of taking a kick square to the nuts and skipping Stage 1, I would have thought seriously about it.

 

Hahahaha!   I'm sure everyone who shot on Sunday and half of those on Saturday would have agreed with you - thanks for taking the time to write all that up!

 

The only edit I'd add is that there were 6 paper targets on stage 2.  But they were going by so fast it's no wonder you only counted five!

Thanks again for making the long trek and working so hard all weekend.  We couldn't have done it without you.

Edited by Matt in TN
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Nick- Thank you for your service to our country, your service to this match, and for providing such a detailed and accurate write-up of the match.  Reading it was like I was doing 1/2 of it all over.  

 

Yes, I'd gladly take the kick in the nuts over going down to stage 1 and back.  I figure the pain would wear off before I got to stage 2 that way.

 

 

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Official match pictures are up at:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/163548466@N06/sets/72157699713389221
 

As I mentioned at the match, please use them however you'd like, but give Lisa Stennett a photo credit if you do.  If you see any pictures of yourself you'd like to be removed, simply send me a message and we'll take them down ASAP.
 

It's hilarious that Flickr chose to use the horse as the cover photo. ?

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There's no way a video can do justice to the spirit, comaraderie, catharsis, horrible and amazing weather conditions, explosions and 50 cal simulators, and demonstrations of sheer willpower and skill we saw last weekend. But here's six minutes in which I try to capture just a TASTE of all that.

 

Thank you to everyone for helping me to pull this off and making it an extremely successful weekend from every single angle: from sharing 5th Group stories, to honoring their fallen and Gold Star Fathers, to raising a ton of money for the Special Forces Association, Chapter 38 - and welcoming the guys themselves into our awesome Run N Gun Family while testing ourselves against the hardest course I've seen yet. I couldn't have done it without each and every one of you.

 

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And because these stories NEED to be told, I'm going to reprint the portions of the match books explaining the events behind each stage. 

 

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Stage 1: BRONCO DOWN

 

MACV-SOG, or Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation Group, was a joint service unconventional warfare task force engaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast Asia. The 5th Special Forces channeled personnel into MACV-SOG under secret orders. These teams performed deep penetration missions of strategic reconnaissance and interdiction, such as the "Shining Brass" or "Prairie Fire" missions in 1971. When the Special Forces began operations in Vietnam, it didn’t take long to for the OV10, “Bronco” aircraft to earn its reputation as one of the most feared weapon in the US arsenal by the Viet Cong, NVA and Pathet Lao. The enemy knew the Bronco meant an air strike would certainly follow.

 

On 6 July 1971, US Army Special Forces Capt. Donald G. "Butch" Carr, crewed a Bronco to find, fix, and support suppression of enemy forces. MAJ Carr was the Deputy Commander of the MACV-SOG element at Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. His Bronco, Nail 48 assailed one of the major arteries of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. Its mission was to target this border road used by the Communists to transport weapons, supplies and troops from North Vietnam into South Vietnam, until his aircraft disappeared after reports of enemy activity.

 

After his disappearance, there were wild and varied reports of a “crazy American,” who had survived the crash. Donald Carr was among nearly 600 Americans who disappeared in Laos. While it is not known exactly what unfolded when MAJ Carr and his partner crash landed, numerous reports indicated multiple Enemy Killed in Action at or around the crash site. We do know MAJ Carr’s body was found decades later, far from the site. MAJ Carr was recovered and his remains returned to his family this year.

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Stage 2: AT TANF, “DE-CONFLICTION ZONE”

 

In 2017, American Green Berets manned and operated an austere outpost in the Syria-Iraq-Jordanian “Tri-Border Region,” to disrupt enemy forces and target ISIS or “Da’esh” militants as they attempted to escape the killing grounds of the Middle Euphrates Valley. The Green Berets were highly trained in preparing local ground forces for combat. Despite the austerity of their location, they remained vigilant for the opportunity to engage Da’esh as they fled toward the US Partner-Country of Jordan. In the past year, At Tanf has seen multiple engagements and remains a hot bed of enemy and international activity.

 

During a security patrol, two separate Green Beret elements made contact with and interdicted a small, hostile smuggling force. When engaged by the enemy, elements in contact made radio contact with adjacent units for support. The two teams quickly adjusted their activity to move to the location of the firefight and engage the enemy. One team had to hastily mount their gun trucks, and upon positively identifying suicide vests on multiple combatants began engaging and neutralizing the enemy immediately.

 

That day resulted in numerous Da’esh enemy killed in action, and zero wounded or injured Green Berets. The action sent a clear message to Da’esh attempting to flee that American forces were waiting, and willing to interdict.

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Stage 3:  RAQQAH RUMBLE

 

Currently Special Forces from sister services are operating together collectively to combat our Nation’s enemies.  Elite Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Operator, Chief Kenton Stacy was critically wounded in November as one of the few elite Navy EOD operators assigned to a Special Forces unit tasked with clearing areas which had been held by ISIS fighters.  While his team was clearing improvised explosive devices from the second floor of a hospital that had been rigged with booby traps, one of the devices detonated within just a few feet of Kenton, injuring his spinal cord and forever changing his life.  Stacy endured the brunt of the blast, saving many of his teammates.  His team reacted and sprang into action to speed him to critical care facilities.  The teams continued work to clear the hospital, wrecked buildings and tunnel systems for months to come.  Special Forces and EOD experts must face uncertain environments such as tunnels, cave systems, and wreckage in the current operating environment.

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Stage 4 (10k only):  THE MANBIJ POCKET

 

In 2016, the reach and control the Islamic State had established in Northern Syria was staggering.  It would take US Special Forces and their partners numerous operations and countless munitions to stem IS’s spread and retake key terrain, to turn the fight against IS.  The Manbij Offensive, code-named Operation Martyr by the Syrian Democratic Forces was a 2016 military offensive to finally break through IS lines—at the time this was a small, critical pocket IS forces had established in Manbij city.  Surrounding the "Manbij Pocket" in the northern Aleppo Governorate, Special Forces and the SDF saw the opportunity to cut off IS's last smuggling and supply routes from Turkey and shorten the battle.  During the first 5 days of the offensive, the US-led coalition conducted over 55 airstrikes to support friendly maneuver.  Desperate IS fighters used suicide attacks, improvised “mad max” vehicles, and drones to attempt counterattacks.  After capturing Manbij city on 12 August, the SDF announced that the offensive would continue east from Manbij to crush IS.

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Stage 5 (10k only):  THE MIND IS THE BEST WEAPON

 

Nicknamed "Texas 12", a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha designated “SFOD-A 574” was a 12-man team of U.S Green Berets.  They worked side-by-side with irregular militia led by Hamid Karza, to capture the Islamic spiritual center in the city of Kandahar, and thus win over a critical center of gravity within the population of Afghanistan.  The 12 Americans of ODA 574, assisted by U.S. close air support and 35 Afghans, successfully defended Tarin Kowt against 1,000 Taliban insurgents delivered by 100 trucks.  Assisting the local militia, they helped to defeat the Taliban further along the Arghandab River and at Shawali Kowt and Sayyd Alma Kalay. These victories were the key to the Kandahar Campaign, ending when Kandahar was occupied by Marine Expeditionary Units.

 

The battle and the overall defeat of the Taliban came at a heavy price.  Master Sgt. Jefferson Donald "Donnie" Davis, Staff Sgt. Brian Cody Prosser, and SFC Daniel H. Petithory and twenty members of Karzai’s militia were killed.  Five other members of ODA 574 and Karzai were wounded.  Despite this incredible loss, members of SFOD-A 586 soldiers from Bravo Company, 3rd BN, 5th SFG, with reinforcements from adjacent units, were able to usher Karzai and new leadership into the center of power at Kandahar.  President Karzai was able to negotiate the surrender of Taliban forces around Kandahar, drastically shortening the length of the war.

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Stage 4 (5k)/Stage 6 (10k):  HORSE SOLDIERS

 

In the days following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Defense Department sent two teams of Army Special Forces soldiers to Afghanistan to bring down the Taliban.  SFODA 595, the “Horse Soldiers,” went on missions that were extended for weeks and months.  They did it all without body armor or tactical vehicles, living with Afghan partners and following an Afghan plan—often using horses and pack animals.  595 was charged with leading the Northern Alliance and the men of former (assassinated) Ahmed Shah Massoud to unite Afghanistan against Taliban rule.  These Green Berets were among the first to deploy to Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Some of them rode into battle on horseback alongside fighters from the Northern Alliance.  There were no guarantees that General Dostum of the Afghan Northern Alliance would safeguard the team, and many members had never ridden horseback before.  The team found itself uniquely postured to react to the Nation’s call to duty after the 9/11 attacks.

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Stage 5 (5k)/Stage 7 (10k):  HIGH VALUE TARGET

 

As early as January in eastern Syria, one of two operations in less than a month, Coalition forces targeted senior IS leaders in the Hajin region in Syria's eastern Deir Az Zor province near the Iraqi border.  Included among those killed was the messenger for IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to the Iraqi government official release.  Three houses linked by an underground tunnel were also destroyed, the statement said.  The Iraqi press release added that the air raid was carried out based on "intelligence" and at the request of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.  Hajin, located about 50km from Iraq's border, is the largest populated hub still under IS control in Syria.  Coalition forces rely on each other and common goals to share actionable information quickly—some of the most important details to one element may seem inconsequential to another.  

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Final Run:  NO GREATER LOVE

 

Ayman Taha was born in Sudan, into an academically accomplished international family. Both his parents hold doctorates—after secondary school in England, Ayman received a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a master's in economics from the University of Massachusetts, where he was working toward a PhD.  Athletic, a speaker of many languages, and a friend to all who met him, he had only to write his dissertation to earn his PhD, before he decided to serve in the Special Forces.  

 

On his second deployment to Iraq, Taha was hastily preparing a cache of munitions for demolition in the town of Balad when the explosives he found detonated and he was killed.  The intense firefights faced by his teammates indicate the explosives, if not destroyed, would have been used by enemy combatants to target American soldiers.  His teammates were able to recover his remains only under pressure from enemy attack.

 

Ayman "lived in many cultures," his father said, was Muslim, and spoke English, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese.  More important than his formidable intellect or ability, were his personality and character. "If he has a five-minute conversation with you, that would be the beginning of a lifetime relationship." Ayman Taha demonstrates the character and integrity crucial to service in the Special Forces, and a love far greater and more important than any single combat-skill.

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Legion Run n’ Gun – September 8-9, 2018

Rock Castle Shooting Center

Park City, KY

 

 

When I was asked to RO at the Legion Run n’ Gun, I had to get the map out to see just where Park City, KY is located. Turns out it's about an 11 hour drive away! My initial thought was that it was too far to drive and I hate flying with all my RnG kit and firearms, so I was going to turn down the invitation. Then I learned the event was sponsored by the Special Forces Association and that the event was held to help honor the soldiers of the 5th Special Forces Group (“The Legion”), so I couldn’t say no. I further learned that the stages were designed by combat veterans of the Legion and that several of them would be there to shoot and help run the match. I told Matt Stennett, the Match Director, to count me in.

 

I served in the Special Forces from 1981 to 1991 and I’m a life member of the Special Forces Association (SFA). The SFA was established by former members of the Special Forces as a charity to help assist current members and their families. It just so happens that the 5th Special  Forces Group is one of the most decorated and busiest of the active duty Special Forces groups with a heritage that dates back to the early days of the Vietnam war.



Thank you so much for coming out and helping work the match. Hopefully you'll mark it down for next year too! DOL

Sent from my SM-G900FD using Tapatalk

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