Prologue
My name is Dean Wayland, I run the Fight School. I never served, I was struck blind at the age of seven, so instead I became a student of history and war.
Rather than killing, I chose to put my knowledge to use for the entertainment of myself and others. Not everyone is cut out to be a real-world warrior, and those that try often end up regretting it.
I now believe that everyone should at sometime in their younger life take the chance to play a good wargame, preferably one like airsoft, where the BB projectiles sting. It will clearly demonstrate the risk, the joys, and a touch of the sorrows of battle. This applies whether you see yourself as a wanabe warrior, or even if the idea revolts you. For through the experience, you may come to a measure of understanding of those who live, fight, and die in the real-world.
I have many friends who have served, and in truth I do envy them. Like many I would like to know how I would stand the test. But after so many years of study and thought, I am now really glad that I did not, although I would have preferred a different way of opting out!
I have in consequence, one way or another, spent well over fifty years running ''games without frontiers, and wars without tears" —Thank you Peter Gabriel.
Over those years I have amassed a certain eclectic set of pieces of battlefield wisdom, some funny, some useful, and some both funny and useful at the same time.
For the most part these are uniquely mine; anything I know is sourced elsewhere, I have omitted or explained. So, here then is a wee selection of combat related:
Wayland's Words of Wisdom
Please Enjoy...
If you wish to download and use these for your own website, blog, whatever, please go ahead, just acknowledge yours truly as the source, it would be nice of you...
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1. Wayland's (pseudo) Magic Square
This is not a true magic square as it only works left to right and top to bottom. Nor are the individual sayings mine, but I have used these three very well known military acronyms so frequently over the years, when teaching basic battle skills to fun-hunting wannabe weekend warriors, that they feel so.
S
Shoot
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M
Move
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C
Communicate
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O
Overcome
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I
Improvise
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A
Adapt
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S
Speed
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A
Agression
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S
Surprise
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This can be read:
Left to right, top to bottom as: "always Shoot, Move and Communicate; to Overcome, you need to Improvise and Adapt; then use Speed, Agression and Surprise".
Top to bottom, left to right as: "so you do not need to summon the cavalry to Save Our sorry Souls, as we are about to become Missing In Action, or just plain CASualties".
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2. Read Murphy's Laws. You can Google these either as "Murphys laws of combat", "Murpheys laws of battle" or as "Murphys laws of war". Typically there can be over a hundred of them.
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3. "When all other things are equal, the difference between victory and defeat is the ability to create and/or exploit error." Most definitely one of mine. I originated it for use when teaching my students how to fight with a sword long ago.
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4. Remember that buying your weapons and equipment from the cheapest supplier is a false economy. I recommend that you try to sort this out before you get on to the battlefield to avoid disappointment and way more expense. Learn from the mistakes of those who went before.
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5. Practise magazine management, so you can reload and pack away used magazines with ease, and quickly, in a firefight. Otherwise you'll panic, lose them, and make a weapons dealer a richer man, and your team mates a wee bit mift, as you all have to plod about the battlefield in the cold, the dark and the rain, looking for them. Actually 99% of the time folks are happy to help, it happends to us all at some point, but do try to avoid it if you can.
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6. When buying a pouch, test it. If you can wrestle its contents out without actually undoing it, the contents WILL escape to be lost forever, just when you need them most, believe me!
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7. If, when in direct combat, it would take two hands to close a pouch, don't buy it.
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8. And remember, an open pocket or pouch is ALWAYS an empty one. If they are intended to have kit inside them, seal them properly!
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9. Velcro™ isn't silent. It sticks to anything and everything, unless you want it to. And it can freeze shut, just like zips.
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10. Buttons just fall off. Learn to sew.
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11. Comfortable, warm and dry boots are heaven. Goretex is God. (Not that I believe in any kind of deity that is.) Mind you, if the promise of "nano-tech" clothing pans out, then I maybe converted!
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12. Remember in mock combat that your so-called enemy is, in fact, your friend.
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13. Don't forget this is just a game. Be nice to each other, it's not war.
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14. BBs breed, they sting, and they always hit you on the one place you have exposed skin!
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15. Big guns maybe cool, but if you can't hack it, don't pack it. It is better to travel light than not to travel at all!
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16. The universe really is held together with string. Carry a sharp knife to go with yours. Still applies even if you live next door where gaffa tape is king.
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17. Your previously charged batteries, aren't. Discharge, and re-charge them all, close enough in time to your event. ALWAYS carry spares in the field.
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18. If you feel thirsty, it's already too late! Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate...
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19. Check your weapon's muzzle for dirt or that its safety plug has been removed, it might explain why the enemy isn't dead yet.
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20. No, the enemy can't hear your heart thumping, your heavy breathing, or indeed that really useful fan that is stopping your mask from fogging up. Just don't walk on the crispy leaves and twigs....
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21. Pretty kit is inspiring kit.
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22. Implausable kit is just an embarrassment.
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23. Too much kit is just a pain - for everyone!
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24. When it's dark, you can't see shit, nor can the enemy.
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25. White light is good, falling down a rabbit hole in the dark is bad. Besides you don't want to upset the killer bunny within.
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26. Helmet good, low flying branches bad.
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27. Gloves good, nettles bad, BBs up close and personal really bad, thorns even worse.
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28. Night-sights are no substitute for listening.
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29. Think.
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30. Ask.
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31. Listen.
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32. Consult and communicate
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33. That watch you never bought, or never wear, would have told you hours ago that everyone else had gone in for tea.
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34. Definition of ignominy: squad found slain by man with a fifteen dollar spring pistol.
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35. Definition of smugness: being the proud owner of a fifteen dollar spring pistol.
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36. IQ is inversely proportional to firepower.
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37. A radio is only a good idea if someone else has one.
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38. Tactics are NOT a kind of mint candy.
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39. A map and compass are not a sign of weakness.
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40. The object of war is to make the other guy lose before you do.
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41. War is the management of chaos.
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42. Hurry up and wait is just the way people are in groups.
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43. NEVER re-enforce failure!
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44. On the battlefield, learn to be patient.
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45. Real snipers don't fight their own private wars. Those that do are referred to by other snipers as "Air Soft Snipers". Be a sniper not an "ASS".
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46. "FUCK OFF I'M DEAD ALREADY!" is the final version of a polite and penultimate request for you to cease fire.
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47. The dead make convenient cover, at least until the game is over, when they will want to have words...
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48. If you have the gall to keep quoting the motto "Who Dares Wins", the word "assault" is a verb, not a noun, so don't hide in the bushes trying to snipe your way to victory, get off your butt and keep attacking!
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49. Warfare is a team game, don't be a hero. Unless you don't mind explaining to the rest of your unit why they got killed, because you thought it was such a great idea to wander off and flank the enemy on your own without mentioning it.
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50. If you are on your own on a battlefield, be very, very quiet.
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51. If they are shooting at you, there is no need to be quiet.
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52. Never under-estimate the melevolence of inanimate objects, especially the ones you depend on!
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53. There is absolutely nothing wrong with running away...
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54. ...and remember, always panic with dignity.
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55. And finally, the real heroes aren't to be found here.
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And that's the end of my combat related words of wisdom, now for a change of tone...
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Epilogue
The following is somewhat of a change in tone, but I feel that they belong in a piece about combat, reflecting as they do a little of my own philosophy of life:
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(a) Only what is really true is important. Without evidence, nothing. Science is our candle in the dark. The universe isn't capable of caring about you or anyone else on this little ball of horrors and beauty.
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(b) A study of all history teaches that without peace, love for ALL living things, and freedom from fear, ignorance, and suffering —misery, pain and death will be the only winners here.
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(c) Unless you haven't noticed, the Earth is a really tiny little planet. So play nicely in the sandpit, and do not break the other children's toys, or try to steal them, it will go badly for everybody in the end - after which, just silence...
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Okay I am getting off my soap box now...
Yours
Dean, in hope and a bit of joy...
LAUGHTER AND JOY
IS THE HERITAGE OF ALL LIVING THINGS!
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END OF DOCUMENT
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