6/11/05 TEARS Op Swamp Heat

Mission T.E.A.R.S
Operation Swamp Heat

On 6/11/05 Kapowwe was invited to participate in Operation Swamp Heat with the Texas Elite Airsoft Rangers (T.E.A.R.S.). It was an honor to skirmish with such a skilled, dedicated, and at the same time fun group of players. If you ever get an invite from this crew, do not hesitate! You will have a great time.

This is a very dedicated group of players. One member flew in from Amarillo Texas (Near Oklahoma), several drove in from Abilene Texas (North Texas), one from Dickinson Texas (near Galveston), one player just finished working a night shift, several had to attend a wedding later that day, and unfortunately one member had a funeral to attend. BUT they were all ready to skirmish. When this group organizes an operation, not much is going to get in their way.

 

 

Timeline Of Events:
Prior to the mission, we were emailed intel for the upcoming operation. Overview, maps, directions, and loadout list. This was a huge help in preparing for the upcoming events.

We met up with TEARS Saturday morning 6/11/05 6:30AM at the McDonalds in Willis Texas. It's funny... you would think there would be some "reaction" from people as 9 guys in military BDUs, boots, and black tee shirts comes walking into a McDonalds restaurant looking like they are going to war... but no, folks do not offer much more than a quick glance here in Texas...I'm loving it...

We quickly ate breakfast and headed out to the rally point. After unloading and gearing up, we were ready for our mission.

There was a fairly diverse range of airsoft weaponry. Several Classic Army M15 A4 Carbines w/custom paint, CA M15 RIS w/ M203 and C-magazine, Marui MP5 RAS, ICS MP5-A4, an APS sniper rifle, and I was using an ICS M4 w/ M203 & CA BB shower; however, the rifle went dead during inspection so I switched to my backup CA M15 Carbine. I later discovered it was simply a blown fuse caused by a short in the wire. Most if not all rifles that day had been upgraded to shoot a little below 400 FPS. This was clearly needed to shoot through the thick brush. Side arms included G26c, an M9, and a KWA USP Compact.

The teams were broken up into 2 groups. Green (wearing woodland camo) and the Tans (wearing desert camo).

 

Each group was handed a sealed envelope containing the mission plans. We said a word of prayer for safety and then each team departed into the battlefield in different directions.

Willis Texas is in the thick Piney Woods region of Texas. Our battlefield consisted of over 200+ acres of native untouched land. That's right 200+ acres! It was a pristine pine tree forest with massive 100+ foot pine trees, blackberry bushes, holly thickets, and every other plant found in East Texas... very green... very thick. This was an ideal woodland environment for the ensuing airsoft battle.

Several of the members had cut trails last winter establishing base camps along the way. We found our trail's entry into the forest and made our way to base camps 1 through 4.

Once at Base Camp 4 our mission plans were opened and read allowed. We were to defend Base Camp 4 from the Green team. At this point we became a bit worried, having a concern that the Green team was already in the area monitoring our movements.

The area we were to defend was a peninsula, 2 deep dry creek beds came together and formed this 3/4 acre peninsula.

Not knowing what direction the Green team would be approaching, we quickly established a perimeter around the area of land we were to defend. Approximately 20 minutes later slight movements in the forest could be heard. The first few Green Team scouts showed and the battle was on! The battle was intense at times with many bursts of automatic fire back and forth. The Green Team's sniper was very effective. Just as we thought our positions might be secure, we hear the "thunk" from the spring action rifle.

I was having such a good time and caught up in the moment that I lost all sense of time. The battle was probably a good 1-2 hours long.

After the battle was over, we all got together and discussed the events.

 

We talked about having another mission, but concluded that it would have to be another day.

         

The hike out of the forest was a lot of fun. This is a close group of friends so everyone was cracking jokes, cutting up, and telling past battle stories.

 

After reaching the base camp we gathered up our gear, ate some lunch, and discussed airsoft weaponry.

 

Okay.... another good reason why you do not commit a crime in Texas! Mike is a Texas prison guard in Huntsville Texas. He actually made all the medieval gear you see in the photos. Mike belongs to a unique group of folks that compete in the sport of hand to hand combat using medieval weaonry and armor.  I was given the chance to take a few swings with the wooden sword/bat at his shield and helmet..... even swinging with all my might did not phase him in the slightest.

   

Several of the TEARS members had custom woodland camo painted rifles. This was an obvious advantage as these rifles did not standout in the forest environment like the black rifles. Even when the rifles were closely inspected the paint job was very detailed and impressive. We found out that a TEARS team member was doing the work. If you are looking to camo your rifle, and want it done right, we strongly suggest you check out the TEARS website.... you will not be disappointed.

If you are seeking a skilled and at the same time fun group of airsoft players to compete with or against, we suggest you take a look at TEARS. Simply sign-up on their forum and say hello. We look forward to the next opportunity to skirmish with this group!

 




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