Before I get into the event, I want to give a little bit of a background. I started with AirRattle.com on the Monday after the 4th of July weekend earlier this year. I was hired by my internet technology savvy, not my airsoft knowledge. I had never been to an airsoft event, and didn’t own any airsoft guns or tactical gear. I was diving face first into learning what I could with no practical experience, but between my coworkers, the internet, and some other friends, I was soaking in a lot. But still, I have always learned best by doing, not by reading or listening.
As I was walking through the office, I was asked by one of my coworkers, “Are you in for the weekend of August 15th?” My response was simple, “Sure!” I had no idea what I was in for. Later that day I was sent a link for the event we’d be attending, without doing any in-depth reading I figured I’d read it all later. Then later came, and I started reading. This was going to be a 24-hour military simulation event by Blacksheep MilSim, at Camp Grayling, Michigan.
First things first, I have no gear, so it’s time to go shopping. Between gear, guns, BBs, and everything else, I spent…well…more than I had anticipated spending in my first month of the world of airsoft. After much deliberation, I opted for the G&G Raider CQB, and a Green Gas Desert Eagle for my sidearm. I got a chance to play with both before the event, to make sure I had an idea of what I was doing.
Within a few weeks before the event, I heard rumors about the office about some of the guys wanting to do conditioning before the event. Mind you, I’m out of shape and out of condition. I was in the Air Force, but have been out since 1999. Even while I was in, as a satellite communications guy, my job consisted mostly of playing various card games and dominos. Add 15 years of inactivity and do the math.
On the day of the initial briefing, Friday, August 15th, our gear is all in the trailer, and we begin our 6+ hour trip to Grayling, Michigan, from Centerburg, Ohio. We were five-deep into the boss’s truck, which has a good sized back seat, so didn’t have too much issue with lack of comfort. This allowed me to sleep most of the way up, but as we got closer, I got antsier. I was ready to do this!
Without going into too much detail, that first day was really good. We got to talk with some of the other vendors there, and they all seemed like some really good guys. I got a lower metal mesh face mask, some smoke grenades, and a lot of good advice.
Too be continued…
