We had a great time at his OP!  One of the best combat locations we've ever been to.

Operation Bulldog is something hard to explain.  You really have to experience it for yourself to truly understand such an amazing experience and complex combat environment.  So many of us are used to playing two-dimensionally with, at most, a few changes in elevation of attack.  But, on a MOUT course (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) with multiple buildings at odd angles, multiple floors per building (one- to four-floors), each with multiple windows and small "Murder Holes" (wall openings the size of one removed cinder block).

I'll get to the official AAR (After Action Report) in a moment.  First I'll give a general overview of our role in the missions.

Mission 1, Day 1:  Shadow Pack was tasked with securing a three-story building in the middle of the course and preventing the enemy from crossing our defensive line.  This was a long, three-hour mission.  Our job was to give our team a secure, advanced location from which to launch the majority of our attacks from.  Shadow Pack held the building so securely and with so much offensive power that, half way through the game, we crushed the opposing teams morale.  In an attempt to restore game balance, staff decided to clear us all out of the building (using the traitorous Hoodistani Provisional Police).  The HPP entered the building posing as our allies, but systematically knife-killed all of Shadow Pack throughout the building.  The idea as to allow the other team an opportunity to push their offensive line and take the building themselves.  Again, Shadow Pack was tasked with clearing out the enemy and retaking the same building, which we accomplished quickly and decisively.  And we held that building to the end!

Personally, my biggest triumph in this mission was taking down an entire squad of nine attempting an aggressive push across our line.  From the building just across a very small street (25-feet wide) the enemy team made the mistake of shouting orders from within their building to form up for a brutal charge across the street and into our building.  I held in the second floor of a building with a large blown-out wall from which I was above and 45-degrees off the side of their heads.  Hearing the preparation orders, I reloaded to a fresh magazine and set up my cover position.  At the 1-2-3-Go count, they burst from behind a door and charged across the street... straight through my line of flying plastic.  The three people who didn't go down immediately, crossed to the building next to me and pressed against the wall, not even knowing I was looking straight at them.  A few more shots to the tops of their heads cleaned up the enemy assault attempt.  Another morale-crushing event which sent the enemy walking back to spawn with their heads down.  After the elation of a successful counter-attack, I did feel bad for the other team to be crushed so.

Mission 2, Day 1:  This is a 2-hour mission where Shadow Pack was given the task of securing a 3-story building with an open roof, where we could set up a mortar and attack the enemy locations.  In the light of the first mission's demoralizing blow, game staff altered every mission, from this one forward, to give the enemy team an advantage over ours.  In this case, instead of each team starting on opposite sides and rushing in to take what buildings we could, the enemy team got to start the mission entrenched into what ever buildings they wanted up to the middle of the field.  So, in coordinated fashion, we pushed up to the first line of resistance, fought through the initial lines, cleared our objective building and held fast.  We had our objective complete within the first 20 minutes.  Along the way, Rio and Gringo had the fortune to come upon the Town Mayor (on of our teams objectives) and thoroughly enjoyed the process of searching him for weapons and escorting him back to our base to remain secured.  Then, with no obvious attacks coming from the enemy, we asked to be reassigned to push the enemy further back into their own spawn points.  Another hour of great building-to-building attacks Shadow Pack helped lead the charge in several key areas, with Rio and Gringo having fun clearing another building on their own, until our team occupied a full 90% of the field, again leaving the enemy team demoralized and many of them just sitting at their spawn point watching the action.

Mission 3, Day 1:  This 1-hour mission was a tough one!  In mob fashion, we were tasked with finding the hidden HPP location and wipe them out.  The enemy were to help defend the HPP once they were located.  But, again game staff modified the mission to give the enemy team an advantage, they put an enemy spawn point just outside the building the HPP were occupying, near the center of town.  So, unknown to us, clearing the building from a distance was not an option.  And, this three-story building was situated such that it was the best defensible building in the town.  In this mission, our team was to assault the town in quick mob fashion.  But, given their defending locations and quick respawns, we were never able to fight our way to the building.  While we did take out several of the HPP via long-range shots through the windows, we never did enter and clear.

Mission 4, Day 1 (Night game):  There were some objectives intended for this game but, due to the defeated attitude of the enemy team, most of them enemy opted out of this game.  At the time of line-up, we outnumbered them 2:1.  So, game staff just made this a 1-hour free-for-all with no objectives.  This game was just for fun.  I had a great time working with Rio and Gringo on some night-time stealth tactics and hasty ambush setups with a flashlight.  We all had a great time and realized how much this type of mission is lacking in our regular gameplay.

Mission 5, Day 2:  This was a difficult 3-hour mission.  Shadow Pack was tasked with holding the Mosque against enemy attack.  This is the largest building on this course (3-stories with an open roof) and we were excited for what we knew would be a total shut-out of the enemy's attempt to take our building, much like Mission 1.  However, staff again stepped in and allowed the enemy team to deploy into whatever buildings they wanted, so we had to take the building from them.  At some point along the way, without our knowledge, staff changed the rule-set and allowed the basement levels (which had been flooded and hazardous) to be occupied and allowed shower-shells to be used indoors (from which I took a chicken-shot right in the crotch.  This culminated into a very frustrating final day.  It took over an hour just to establish a safe avenue to the Mosque and another full hour to get a foothold into the building.  The game ended at a stalemate on the first floor at a convergence of a hallway between the main front room of the building and the stairs down to the basement.

The official AAR which follows shows the enemy team won by one objective point.  However, given the difficulty of our objectives compared to the enemy, with the staff having to step in to give them some clear advantages on all but the very first mission of the series, all of us from Colorado are calling this a well-played victory for the Freedom Fighters.  If the missions had stood where the original plans had set them, the enemy team would have decisively lost every mission.

At our level of play, we always want a well-fought victory.  We try not to quibble about broken rules, changed game parameters and such, but it is very frustrating when the game staff places you at an unfair disadvantage.  However, we also know, from hosting local games, how much more important it is to make sure that everyone is having a good time.  After all, Operation Bulldog is a game set to benefit the US Marines (they were presented with a check for $3000) and Lion Claws Events needs to make sure that people come back to play again and again.  So, while the price of entry was steep and we were continually placed at a disadvantage, this event was thoroughly enjoyable and we highly recommend any airsoft player make an effort to attend this Operation.

National Operations are always a test of not only your endurance, but the quality and sturdiness of your equipment.  Nearly all of Shadow Pack had weapon issues.  That's why we all have back-ups, and even back-ups to the back-ups.  And, in a great stroke of luck, our team won two new AEGs in the ending raffle.  Gringo, who's G36 and SCAR both went down in the first day, won a brand new Classic Army M4 Proline, a $300 value.  Rio came away with the rifle used by our VP, Warlord Miller:  Classic Army M4 Proline with MagPul foregrip, MagPul handle and MagPul retractable stock, along with 8 mags and Miller's signature on the weapon.  This is a $300 rifle with another $300 in MagPul upgrades!

Here follows the official AAR:

Scenario 1: “The Fence”
This scenario consisted of mirrored objectives for both armies and was designed to be particularly grueling and difficult over the course of three hours. In all an army could achieve 23 objectives: they could secure 10 of their own padlocks, deny their enemy access to their 10 padlocks, establish, secure and maintain their FOB. The scenario was not designed with the intent that an army could possibly complete even remotely close to the 23 possible objectives set forth.

We allowed each army to insert one recon team to scout the facility and locate as many locks as possible. As neither team would be provided with any keys to the locks, they would have to effectively note and communicate the location of any locks they discovered. These teams were free to roam the site with one minor exception: The HPP was ordered to fire, in semi-auto only, on the players during their recon effort; they were not to aim to hit any of the players as they left their starting point and began to recon the first building they chose. Unfortunately it seems the confusion this created had a far more impairing effect on the recon teams than was anticipated.

Both armies fought exceptionally well and very hard during the first scenario. Sportsmanship was superb and I, personally, witnessed a number of players complimenting each other for playing and shooting well.

Unfortunately, during this scenario, I made the regrettable and unnecessary decision to remove Freedom Fighters from the mosque in an effort to end the stalemate occurring on the middle line of the facility. As it turned out this had no effect on the situation on the field and did not alter the outcome of the scenario. The decision was wrong, I apologize to everyone for it and assure all players that I will not make such decisions ever again.

Both armies successfully established their forward operating bases within thirty minutes of the scenario’s start and each army held their FOB through the end of the scenario without being displaced or relocated. This earned each army three objectives: FF 3 / ICON 3.

Each army did an outstanding job locating and securing padlocks by bringing them back to their FOB. Better than I anticipated, in fact, I didn’t expect either army to recover more than five padlocks each. In the end the Freedom Fighters secured 7 of their own padlocks at their FOB before the end of the scenario and ICON secured 6 padlocks at their FOB: FF 7 / ICON 6.

In addition to securing locks of their own each army also successfully denied their opponents access to two padlocks: FF 2 / ICON 2.

At the end of the first scenario the Freedom Fighters had completed 12 objectives, for a success rate of 52.17% and the ICON forces had completed 11 objectives for a success rate of 47.83%.

A job well done by both armies!

Scenario 2: “OORAH”

This scenario consisted primarily of capture and evade maneuvers, with the ICON forces expected to locate the Hargrove Mayor and evacuate him from the site to the Marine FOB, while the Freedom Fighters were expected to do the same and protect their first sergeant.

The scenario started with very bold and aggressive maneuvering by the Freedom Fighters which gave them an unquestionable advantage very early on in the scenario. They successfully located the Hargrove Mayor and removed him from the site. Shortly thereafter Sergeant Miller began conducting escape and evade maneuvers, with the Mayor, in the woods around Hargrove.
At the end of the scenario the Freedom Fighter was still in possession of his capture card: FF 1 / ICON 0.

The Hargrove mayor was also under Freedom Fighter control at the end of the scenario: FF 1 / ICON 0.

Furthermore, the Freedom Fighters managed to successfully identify the location of the Marine FOB: FF 1 / ICON 0.

While the battle raged in the city and the Freedom Fighters focused on extracting the Mayor and their First Sergeant, the Marines successfully established their FOB very rapidly. A pitched battle was fought over the Marine FOB in the last 30 minutes of the scenario, but the Freedom Fighters were unable to overrun the location: FF 0 / ICON 3.

Overall, each army achieved three of six objectives and a success rate of 50%.

Scenario 3: “Breakout of the Battered Bastards”

During this scenario the Freedom Fighters and ICON forces were both to attempt to locate and identify the location of the Hoodistani Provisional Police who had been cut off from HMF by Freedom Fighter maneuvers. Ultimately the Freedom Fighters were to eliminate all of the HPP personnel while the ICON forces were to attempt to help HPP personnel to arrive in HMF’s town hall.

At the beginning of the scenario ICON forces pushed quickly into positions on the north and east fringes of HMF in an effort to deny the Freedom Fighters access to key buildings. A pitched battle was fought on the fringe of the site and served, successfully, as a diversion to allow the HPP units to maneuver around unfriendly forces in an effort to enter the facility. This proved to be a lengthy and hard fought maneuver for the HPP, as they had been cut off from their most direct route into the facility by the Freedom Fighters two spawn points.

Ultimately the HPP maneuvered through the trees around both Freedom Fighter spawn points, past the Marine FOB and along West Range Road to the HMF main entrance. There they linked up with Russian and Marine forces who escorted them into the Town Hall roughly 35 minutes after the scenario started.

Neither ICON forces nor Freedom Fighters successfully identified and reported the location of the HPP unit as it moved around the site. FF 0 / ICON / 0

The HPP commander arrived, alive, at the Town Hall: FF 0 / ICON 1

The HPP began the scenario with 11 active police officers. Of those 11, two were killed before the unit’s arrival at the Town Hall. As a result, more than 50% of the HPP reached the Town Hall: FF 0 / ICON 1

The Freedom Fighters eliminated two HPP officers, preventing 100% of the unit from arriving at the Town Hall: FF 1 / ICON 0

By the end of the scenario the Freedom Fighters had achieved one of four objectives, for a success rate of 25% and the ICON forces had achieved two of four objectives for a success rate of 50%.

Scenario 4: “Anything But A Silent Night”
Extenuating circumstances prevented the night scenario from progressing as desired. However, more than 120 players, in all participated and were allowed to skirmish in the dark of EMF for 60 minutes free of restraints and with the opportunity to enjoy as many respawns as necessary.

No objectives were awarded.

At the end of the day, Saturday, the two armies had fought to a draw and the entire weekend hinged on Sunday morning’s efforts!

Scenario 5: “Massacre”

Each army resorted to extreme measures on Sunday to turn the tide of battle in their favor.

The Freedom Fighters established a location from which to prepare improvised devices to attack their opponents. Approximately one hour into the event the Freedom Fighters convinced a member of the HPP to carry an improvised device into the presence of Sergeant Dobroff. During the second such attempt the Freedom Fighters successfully killed Sergeant Dobroff: FF 1 / ICON 0

Unfortunately for the Freedom Fighters elements of the HPP were “convinced” to share intelligence of the facility’s possible location with ICON forces. ICON forces committed a reconnaissance unit to observe buildings 28 and 29 in EMF and ultimately concluded the improvised device facility was located in building 28 and reported this to staff: FF 0 / ICON 1

Armed with the knowledge of the improvised facility’s location Sergeant Dobroff, working with the HPP, successfully attacked and overran the facility, eliminating the Freedom Fighters’ ability to make additional devices: FF 0 / ICON 1

When the scenario concluded ICON had achieved two of their four objectives, whereas the Freedom Fighters achieved one of four objectives for success rates of 50% and 25%, respectively.


Unfortunately, one or more players saw fit to break the OLCMSS standard rule to use biodegradable BBs, exclusively, during the event. This decision by one or two individuals puts the future of Operation: Bulldog at Fort Hood’s National Guard MOUT facilities at risk. As the player whose lack of integrity could not be identified, both armies were penalized one objective each.

Otherwise no other penalties were necessary.


Overall, Operation Bulldog 4 was a success with players fighting as hard as possible in some of the worst conditions seen at EMF and HMF. In the end, ICON forces won the day, achieving seventeen of thirty seven objectives, for a success rate of 45.95%. Warlord Miller’s Freedom Fighters fought just as hard, achieving 16 of 37 objectives for a success rate of 43.24%. The weekend concluded on the closest margin seen in Bulldog’s history. Congratulations to everyone for fighting as best you can.

The staff and I were witness some excellent examples of sportsmanship and fair play. Some minor issues, as always, came up, but were easily dealt with and did not interfere with the weekend’s proceedings on the whole.

I would like to thank everyone involved for their devotion, dedication and effort despite the rain and circumstances at the facility.