AAR RECON 10-18-2014

[Chris Kalish]

This is the third RECON op to be held. Following the tradition, it was held at a different AO, this one being just outside Nevada City.

Let me start by thanking everyone who helped me with the op:

Jensen and Duck: Thank you for bringing out your quads. They were the reason that everything made it out onto the field before the game started.

Bill and Jensen: Thank you for providing a hot meal before the game for everyone. I know that the rest of OPCOM appreciated it and am sure that the players did too. Your dedication in sitting alone out at the artillery is also appreciated. I was hoping for there to be more company for you out there. Maybe next time.

Peter, Laura and Joe: Thank you for your help with your respective roles in the op. Radios went smoothly from our end. The VIP was available on schedule (although no rescue attempts were made). and the HK squads were very effective in instilling fear in even our most seasoned RECON operators.

Komissar: Thank you for lending your trailer for the transport of one of the quads and a large quantity of the props. Having the right props makes for a much better op.

Everyone else who helped with various setup, teardown and transportation of equipment: Thank you. I appreciate all the help that was provided to me in making this op a success.

Setup began at 0900 with OPCOM arriving and getting the props and equipment unloaded. We got the OPCOM area set up with a couple of ez-ups (a big thanks to Jensen and JF for providing those) and began to have the quads shuttle the various props out to the field. All went well with setting up the props with the exception of one lost waypoint that was never located after being placed. Operators started arriving just before Noon and began setting up their camps for the night. Briefings began at 1620 and HK were set loose to check out the field and make their way to their first base around 1700. RECON briefings followed with them being escorted to their insertion points a bit before dusk. Game on was called right around 1815.

After game on, my scope was very limited. I listened in and occasionally helped with the radios and also checked out the cannon. Sitreps ranged from "all green" to "Location: unknown, 2 down, ammo: green" to "we are all dead". The HK squad was the only company that the artillery crew had for the night due to the RECON teams being positioned too far away to make the trek to the cannon desirable. Likewise the VIP was never rescued, likely for similar reasons.

While RECON teams confronting the HK squad was not typically the goal of this op, one RECON team member (Scramble) was able to pull a tag from a HK operator successfully, and one RECON tag was stolen by another RECON team (Blazed pulled Komissar's tag). The only RECON team to return with any tags was team Late Bloomers, returning short just one of their tags (Tank).

The HK squad was particularly aggressive this year, most likely due to having a large number of operators and more seasoned operators compared to previous years. They successfully recovered 7 dog tags from RECON operators earning them 2 shots with the cannon, taking out 2 of the objectives that the RECON teams were trying to accomplish. They also took the artillery when the RECON teams did not make their designated artillery strike time which allowed them to take a third objective off the map.

Nearing midnight I was starting to wonder if there was too much stacked against the RECON teams but the final list of what the teams accomplished showed that they were busy, just not able to move freely enough to make the special missions worth the effort to get to. Overall it seems that everyone had a good time.

Feel free to add your own AAR.

PS: There were a couple of items found out on the field that people may want back. If you lost something at this op, let me know, I may have it.