It is the end of August and the notorious Georgia heat has been taking no prisoners for over twelve hours now. We are deep into Operation Sovereign Fury at the Guardian Center. It is roughly midnight and I have made my way to the administration building in the center of town. It will be the first time I've felt air conditioning in over eighteen hours and a chance to feel out how the event is going with the staff. As I talk to staff and take break in come the guys of Raptor1.

Now, by no means am I seeing Raptor1 for the first time. I have seen them at numerous ops and actually always fought against them. They are well known for being the go to team of MSG Mullen and a devastating opponent. They really jumped on the national stage in 2010 and have been blazing a bloody trail through every event they go to. They have redefined violence of action into a doctrine that few teams can stand up to. But, tonight for the first time I was looking at a Raptor1 that was fighting on my side.

Now, I had already said hello to the guys of Raptor1 earlier in the day so that formality was well out of the way. This time I saw Doug Reynolds, their team leader, and started talking about the fight. We were amongst the few troops left in the fight so late in the night. He and the rest of the guys were more than ready to carry on the fight through the night. There was a battle to be won and they were not going to be the guys sleeping while work needed to be done. This is a trait that others at the event should have exhibited as well.

Determined to see the city retaken and put firmly into Russian hands, Raptor1 got organized. With an enemy HVT black bagged they made their way back to the Russian command post. There, they would rally troops and start their push back into a city lightly occupied. There were some Russians in town but the city was hardly buttoned up and in firm Russian control. What proceeded was a determined march by Russian forces into the city with Raptor1 in the lead. As first contact was made a blitzkrieg style assault commenced with elements hitting hard and fast from building to building. The Raptors were now in their element.

These guys are a Band of Brothers first and a team second. Raptor1 is anything but another in the long line of cookie cutter teams thinking about an image or reputation. Here is a group of truly quiet professionals ready to get the job done and bring you into the fold. They know that beyond just being the best on the field, it is more powerful to be a force multiplier. This in many ways embodies the spirit of special operations that many players forget about after achieving the look. Raptor1 takes this to heart as they lead on the battle field.

Now, you see a team like Raptor1 and you imagine a hard training team going through hours of drills. You imagine grueling days of intense training to weed out non-hackers. You see a team looking for only the hardest men to wear the patch. You can only imagine the days of training focused just on the next event with tailored preparations for what they expect to encounter. Well, you would be sadly mistaken in your thinking.

Here is a team that comes with a lot of real world experience, with many members having military backgrounds. But, that is not the secret to their success and smooth fluid nature on the battlefield. What makes them so successful is the brotherhood that unites them into more than a team. This is a family on and off the field that understands that unit cohesion is not built just on the battlefield. It is not just the guy that can shoot the best you want. It is the guy you can count on to bail you out of jail at 3am, even if it means driving across the state.

I spent less than 24 hours with them and I was given a glimpse into a world I thought was long lost. It is a world of professionals that strike hard, care for each other and bring out the best in one another. Their tactics threw back to the fundamentals of warfare that many forget in exchange for high speed, trendy training. Violence of action, simple fire and maneuver, along with constant communication. The simple principles executed with the right guys are always more powerful over the ridged and rehearsed template of the same robotic drills.

There are a lot of players in Airsoft community confused about what makes a great team. They see infamous high profile teams with cutting edge looking techniques and think that cookie cutter formula is all it takes. Teams work methodically through the same drills, perfect the same high speed look and move slowly in a form that appears professional. But, what is missing is an understanding of training concepts that do not apply in the same rigged manor once on the battlefield. A team that can take those skills but find a fluid and adaptable nature to their actions will be much more effective.

Raptor1 has perfected this formula of simple tactics and brotherhood that will continue to drive them to success. Their team leader conveyed a image to me of someone who was humble and the rest of Raptor1 acts the same. You can clear buildings all day and run over every team you face but, somewhere along the line you will get that gut check from a team that is just ready for you. They will remind you that you are not invincible and you need that to keep you hungry.

Thank you Raptor1, you made this grunt feel like he was back in and amongst brothers.

Just one grunt's opinion,

Javier "Darkhorse"

-------------------------------------------------

About The Author

Javier "Darkhorse" Franco, formerly from This Week In Airsoft, runs his own Airsoft Blog on Facebook called "One Grunt's Opinion." This article has been posted here with the author's permission.