Hello from the Ghost Pirate

[Ghost]

I would like to say Hello and introduce myself. I'm Matthew 'Ghost Pirate' Timoszyk. I just turned 44 yesterday and I live in Yuba City with my wife Robin and my teenage daughter Serena. I am former USAF - Desert Shield/Desert Storm Veteran. I am the Executive Chef at Hillcrest Catering at the Plaza Room.

I may be new to airsoft but I have a deep background in WWII reenacting. As my profile states I have fought in 1st Infantry Division 'Big Red 1', 101 Airborne, 7th Infantry Division and 9th SS Panzer Division. While I was in the 1st I.D. (my primary unit) I earned the rank of Sergeant. I have fought in numerous types of terrain to include urban at the former Army post Fort Ord in Monterey. I have used many type of WWII weapons powered by blank ammunition from M1 Garand all the way up to 50 cal. MG. My primary weapons were the M3 'Grease Gun' and a 1911 .45 or a 9mm P38.

As you can see by my profile I do own two springer rifles and one CO2 pistol. I still believe that I can be an effective Operator with a single action rifle and a semi-automatic pistol. As my budget allows I will be adding an AEG to my arsenal.

As I am starting anew with airsoft I look forward to learning from the veteran operators, learning new skills and most importantly having fun. Any tips, advice or things you would like to share I greatly appreciate it.

[Komissar]

Eye protection, and face protection, are an important factor in Airsoft. The use of proper eye protection I cannot stress enough. A few operators still trust ballistic sunglass style eye wear. Rarely do these lenses seal the eyes completely.

Hard lenses, including paintball style masks, often will fog. This is not only frustrating to the operator, but lends to a poor habit. Once fogged, the operators tend to remove their eye protection during the game to wipe the lenses clean leaving their eyes exposed. Even if removed only for a moment, this is dangerous and foolish behavior.

One last point. Tinted lenses are great, however operators are likely to be in areas of low light and shadow. Duel canopy and heavy foliage, even building clearing will often be in very low light conditions. In these conditions tinted lenses would need to be removed to allow the operator the best opportunity to perceive an enemy. As removing your eye protection is not an option, this could leave the operator nearly blind in the darker areas.

My recommendation is to purchase mesh full-seal type eye protection.

See you on the field.