2020 Legion 9/11 Memorial Run N Gun: Sept 12-13, Spencer, TN

[Matt in TN]

Reminder:  You will need eye and ear protection and a stopwatch of some sort in addition to your rifle, pistol, and all your ammo.
 

If you show up at a stage without eye and ear protection you will not be allowed to shoot and will get a zero for the shooting stage.  If you do not have a stopwatch, you will have no way to measure any "wait time" you may receive while waiting for a shooter ahead of you to shoot.  IT IS NOT THE RO's RESPONSIBILITY TO MEASURE YOUR WAIT TIME.  Bring your own watch.

[Matt in TN]

I am pleased to announce Tactical Solutions, Inc. has joined us as an Obstacle Sponsor, and will be providing a TS 10/22 for the prize table.

Be sure to check them out at https://tacticalsol.com/

[Matt in TN]

Stage 3:  MoH Recipient Sergeant First Class Melvin Morris, 5SFG
 

 

Medal of Honor Citation, awarded March 18, 2014:

 

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Staff Sergeant Melvin Morris distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Commander of a Strike Force drawn from Company D, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, during combat operations against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Chi Lang, Republic of Vietnam on September 17, 1969.

 

On that afternoon, Staff Sergeant Morris’ affiliated companies encountered an extensive enemy mine field and were subsequently engaged by a hostile force. Staff Sergeant Morris learned by radio that a fellow team commander had been killed near an enemy bunker and he immediately reorganized his men into an effective assault posture before advancing forward and splitting off with two men to recover the team commander's body. Observing the maneuver, the hostile force concentrated its fire on Staff Sergeant Morris’ three-man element and successfully wounded both men accompanying him. After assisting the two wounded men back to his forces lines, Staff Sergeant Morris charged forward into withering enemy fire with only his men's suppressive fire as cover. While enemy machine gun emplacements continuously directed strafing fusillades against him, Staff Sergeant Morris destroyed the positions with hand grenades and continued his assault, ultimately eliminating four bunkers. Upon reaching the bunker nearest the fallen team commander, Staff Sergeant Morris repulsed the enemy, retrieved his comrade and began the arduous trek back to friendly lines. He was wounded three times as he struggled forward, but ultimately succeeded in returning his fallen comrade to a friendly position.

 

Staff Sergeant Morris’ extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

[Matt in TN]

I am pleased to announce Devil Dog Arms has joined on to sponsor Stage 1.  Not only are they loaning us the pistols that will be used to make this stage more authentic to the original story, but they are donating an $1,149 pistol for the prize table!
 

Check out their website at https://www.devildogarms.com/

 

 

And just to address this head on: the person involved with the Stolen Valor scandal that happened at Devil Dog is no longer affiliated with them in any way, and all new leadership is there now. I had to be absolutely sure of this before I could in good conscious allow them to be involved with the Legion match.  More info here:  https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/01/19/stolen-valor-scandal-gun-company-returns-marines-on-board.html

[Matt in TN]

I cleared up some of the onsite camping confusion while I was there clearing trails today - I know some of you have called and not received a great response on the phone.
 

Onsite camping at Dead Zero Shooting Park will be PRIMITIVE (no power or water hook-ups, only portapots for bathrooms) - basically pitch a tent or park a camper in the grass be self-sufficient.  This will cost $10/night.
 

Please email info@deadzeroshooting.com and let them know which nights you want to stay.  This will help us have some kind of idea how many people to make arrangements for.

[Matt in TN]

Stage 4:  Special Reconnaissance, Operation Desert Storm
[excerpt taken from a Master’s thesis written by Major William M. Johnson]

 

 
The first mission was conducted by a split detachment, comprised of three SF soldiers from 1st Battalion, Detachment A-532, and commanded by Master Sergeant Jeffrey Sims.      The team had wanted more low-level reconnaissance planes to photograph the infiltration sites just prior to D-day but the Air Force had been busy with sorties for the two Army Corps.

 

The infiltration, conducted on the evening before G-Day, 23 February, by MH-60 from the 160th SOAR, crossed the Iraqi border at 2100 hours and was in position north of the Euphrates River and less than 100 miles from Baghdad.  Upon touchdown at their pre-designated position at 2200 hours that night, they would have roughly five hours to prepare their hide site.  The helicopter had landed in a freshly plowed field, its furrows almost three feet deep.  Boots sank into the loose dirt.  They were greeted by the eerie and unwanted sound of dogs barking from somewhere nearby.  No one owning the dogs was apparently interested in their midnight howling.  In eight hours, the XVIII Airborne Corps and the VII Corps would cross the border. 

 

By first light, after hours of hiking to their position and digging their hide site, MSG Sims and his fellow operators were in position.  During the night, a 50-car train rolled closely by and MSG Sims SATCOM communicated this information directly to the XVIII Airborne Corps.

 

As soon as the sun shone, people came out.  Farmers and sheep herders began walking within hundreds of yards of the hide- site.  For the next eight hours, the team sweated out discovery as people passed by their position.  No one had expected so much foot traffic.  One sheep herder walked in front of the hide-site within a foot of the peephole. Miraculously, the herder did not notice the hide-site and walked on.   Another shepherd, this one with a dog, strolled dangerously near.  At roughly 1400 hours the team's luck got worse.    A small girl and her grandfather stood frozen, staring in the direction of the hide* site.  They slowly made their way to the hole.    The old man tried to look inconspicuous, but inched closer to the hide-site.  Then the girl bolted toward the hide-site.  The old man, who appeared to be in his sixties, followed closely behind.  Slowly, she lifted the lid and gazed wide-eyed at the three Green Berets.  The three men aimed their 9-mm pistols, equipped with silencers, right at the girl's head.  The team was already compromised and shooting the two civilians would serve no purpose.  The old man started screaming at the other shepherds now wandering several hundred yards away "Americans are here!  Americans are here!”  The old man and the little girl scrambled to their feet and ran away.  Sims let them go.  Meanwhile, the team radioed for extraction due to their compromised position.

 

After running to another ditch, some 500 meters away, Sims knew they'd simply have to find another hole from which to make a stand.  Within 30 minutes, Iraqi troops began arriving by truck along the highway.  The team began sniping the enemy soldiers, knocking them down one by one.  The killing was methodical.  No rifles were set on automatic.  That would waste precious ammunition.  Then two busloads of soldiers arrived, increasing the odds against the team's survival.  Armed civilians began sneaking across the right and left flanks.

 

Several village men stood on an old masonry wall surrounding a stone house nearby and waived their hands to direct the soldiers to Sim's position.  The Green Berets picked off one of them.  But the precious firing could not protect them forever.    Villagers and soldiers crept up along the irrigation ditches.    The team would gun down several and the squads would retreat.  But not for good.  More buses carrying soldiers came.

 

Finally, one and one-half hours after they had been compromised, an F-16 Eagle roared overhead. At Sims direction, the plane dropped cluster bombs and thousand-pounders into ditches just 300 yards from Sims' position.

 

ODA 532 was rescued by a single MH-60 flown by CWO Randy Stephens and CWO John Crisufulli.  It was the only daylight hot extraction carried out during DESERT STORM, with over 240 nautical miles covered by the 160th SOAR crew across enemy territory in broad daylight.  The extraction itself was one of intense fire-fight, as MSG Sims element all survived and got aboard the aircraft.    It was a successful extraction.

[Matt in TN]

I am pleased to announce Timney Triggers has signed on as an Obstacle Sponsor and pledged $1,000 in product for the prize table.
 

Please check them out at https://timneytriggers.com/ for all your trigger needs.  Better yet, buy one from Alan's Arsenal LLC (http://alansarsenal.3dcartstores.com/), who is a Timney dealer!

[Matt in TN]

Stage 5:  Maquis, WWII
 

The Jedburgh Teams and Operational Groups from the OSS worked closely with the Maquis (French resistance fighters) in WWII to organize, equip, and lead them against the Germans.  The OSS is usually talked about as the “precursor to the CIA”, but in many ways it very much foreshadowed missions typical of the Army Special Forces.
 

Heavily armed members of the French Resistance to the Nazi occupiers, these Maquis are typical of the irregular soldiers who inflicted heavy losses on the Germans and kept thousands of them from the front lines. OSS often cooperated with the Maquis and provided leadership and organization to their ranks.
 

Known as Paul, this physician from Corsica killed three Germans with a pistol during a Maquis patrol.
 

Along with the difficulties of finding, communicating with, organizing, and equipping the Maquis, OSS struggled with just identifying friend vs. foe and were frequently double-crossed in the field.
 

[pictures from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2016/08/18/oss-bugatti-fighting-alongside-the-maquis/]

[Matt in TN]

I am pleased to announce Nightforce Optics is donating two 50% off certificates to the prize table.  These are good for one scope and a "reasonable" amount of accessories to allow toolkits, rings, bases, etc.  Their most expensive scope is $4,400 - so these things have some serious value!
 

Be sure to check them out at https://www.nightforceoptics.com/ if you're in need of super rugged optics of the highest quality.
 

[Matt in TN]

Emails just went out to all approved competitors with your final details.  If you didn't get one but think you should have, check your spam filters first then let me know and we'll track down the problem.  Read it ALL and come prepared!
 

And no, you can't swap run times with anyone.  I hate it for you if you're last (or not where you want to be).  Blame Excel's random number generator and your general bad luck in life!
 

And on the WTF? side of things, what's going on with the stellar weather forecast???  I'll believe it when I see it - I'm still waiting for a hurricane, heat wave, and snowstorm all in the same weekend.
 

[Matt in TN]

We’re a little less than a week from match day. I’m guessing several of you are second-guessing yourselves right now. Maybe you didn’t get in as much training as you’d hoped. Maybe you trained you’re a$$ off and didn’t see the results you wanted to. Maybe you’ve seen all of these crazy hints and promises about what’s to come, and are intimidated as hell about trying to do all of this while 30-ish bada$$ Special Forces soldiers and even more Run N Gun regulars stand by and watch you.
 

Don’t be. If you signed up and just SHOW UP to start this race, you’re already better than 90% of the shooters out there who stayed home on the couch on match day. If you FINISH, no matter how long it takes you, you’ve won. Trust me – you’ll feel it just as soon as you cross that finish line – and for many days (months?) thereafter.

At some point in the course, you will ask yourself: “Why on earth am I here? I’m not ready for this. I don’t belong here.” The dirty little secret I can promise you: EVERYONE asks themselves that at some point. You DO belong here.
 

The satisfaction and self-image you will get from just finishing this course will stay with you forever, and is something no one can ever take away from you. Many people have found matches like these to be a turning point in their lives, and in a year or two you may not even recognize the person you have become. Just remember - for every person you see pass you, there is someone behind you wishing they could keep up with you. Look behind you every so often just to acknowledge how far you’ve come.

And before ANYONE judges anyone else as being "too slow, too fat, or too lazy" - bite your tongue and listen to their story first. Across the country at matches like these we've had people recovering from recent strokes, heart attacks, cancer, pregnancy, amputations, and any other issue you can think of; just because "F#$K CANCER", that's why! Give them an encouraging word when you pass them - it really makes a difference.
 

Even better - if you pass someone really struggling on the course: finish your race, set down your gear, and run back out to find that person. You can run beside them and offer them all the words of support and encouragement that you can think of - you just can't physically help them in any way.
 

Let's do this.
 

[Matt in TN]

I'd like to take a minute to publicly thank Innovative Targets for helping me once again with targets for this year's match. If you're in need of high quality and, well, innovative designs - look no farther than Innovative Targets. ESPECIALLY if you're in Middle Tennessee!
 

Check them out at https://innovativetargets.net/
 

[Matt in TN]

Sorry for the delays, but I'm just now getting home and back to internet service after spending all day cleaning up the course. Scores are posted:
 

5k Scores: https://www.practiscore.com/results/html/285b1124-15fd-4ba5-9e4c-3f6bdc8c8c1d
10k Scores: https://www.practiscore.com/results/html/92225121-8cf4-4462-a7cc-1d76c5076a5b

Now for a shower and bed. Much more to come as we unpack and process pics and video. Thanks everyone!!!

[Matt in TN]

Scott Berger not only shot well, but was the luckiest man of the weekend when his new best friend pulled his name out of the bucket to win the Barrett MRAD.  Rumor has it he's going 338 Lapua.
 

Big thanks to Barrett Firearms (https://barrett.net/) for the donation!  If you didn't shoot that M22 in 300 Normal Mag, you really missed out.  Amazing piece of machinery that you just have to experience to understand.
 

[Matt in TN]

Official photos are up!  There are two folders this year as she was shooting two cameras (her "pistol" and her "rifle"!).  As always, feel free to use these however you wish, but PLEASE give photo credit to Lisa Stennett if you do.  That's all she asks in return for all her hard work.  Commercial use must have permission first.
 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lstennett/albums/72157716046502433?fbclid=IwAR1JuPqP6QEiEoaGZDqJBj1Oa61mYOLrVv2T-SOIeYgiAfQhGqDwt-allhk
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lstennett/albums/72157716046700958?fbclid=IwAR0JUz9svTPjuAYTHkLBZE32YcMBvgjeBLLiBGBNF-LAkxvX3tvlMPiQasU

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by Matt in TN

[Matt in TN]

Here's a great blog entry about the match from Two Blue Screws: https://www.twobluescrews.com/blog/2020-legion-911-memorial-run-amp-gun

[pastorjohnd]

On 8/16/2020 at 6:11 AM, Bryan 45 said:

 

Registration sold out in seconds.  And many of the competitors have shot it before.

 

I've shot a lot of organized competition over the last 20+ years all over the country.  The crew at this match is second to none.  Range nazis don't work it, range lawyers don't shoot it.  Makes for a nice environment.  

I’m feeling late to the conversation, but I’ve got to echo Brian’s post. 
 

This match pulls off the hat trick of being incredibly fun, challenging, and well run every year. Add in the fact that it’s all for a good cause & you’ve got an amazing match. I’ve shot it for four years and my son has shot it for three. Every time we get done with this match we immediately start looking forward to next years match. 

[Matt in TN]

On 10/10/2020 at 2:50 PM, pastorjohnd said:

I’m feeling late to the conversation, but I’ve got to echo Brian’s post. 
 

This match pulls off the hat trick of being incredibly fun, challenging, and well run every year. Add in the fact that it’s all for a good cause & you’ve got an amazing match. I’ve shot it for four years and my son has shot it for three. Every time we get done with this match we immediately start looking forward to next years match. 

 

Wow - thank you for the kind words, John!

[Matt in TN]

My 5SFG counterpart arranged for anyone who attended to receive a match t-shirt as part of the match fee you've already paid.  I just sent all attendees an email with instructions on how to claim that shirt.
 

I'm posting here as well as we always have problems with spam filters and/or incorrect email addresses.  If you didn't receive an email today from me, let me know and we'll figure it out.
 

Here are this year's shirts:

[Matt in TN]

I had some people ask about buying additional t-shirts, so Pipe Hitters Union set up an order page here:  https://www.pipehittersunion.com/products/legion-9-11-memorial-run-gun/
 

Full disclosure: None of this money goes to SFA if you buy a shirt. It's just a way for people to buy shirts if they want one, and for PHU to profit a little in return for helping us out this year.