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@Maj Makowski , You are painfully correct. So much so that I'm not sure that I would be where I am without your mentorship. While trying to suck too many toes here, I wanted to let you know that everything that you've taught me these past few years has been passed down onto those below me, and those below them. Your anal attention to detail, formation, organization and altogether orderliness of an element is what makes Renegade so successful as a Team. The teachings that interpersonal relationships have inside of an Element to further their skills has not been lost on them, and I have always appreciated your counsel, even when I was bleeding angry about it. While you may notice this message of gratitude sure has a lot of ingrained frustration, I think it only further serves notice of how much I appreciated it, even when you could have very well given up on me. PS, I still have Corman's NODs. @SSgt Carter I couldn't have asked for a better TC, or a previous AEL. I wasn't sure of you to begin with, the idea of strapping a new guy to my leg, a new guy recruited by one of the worst CSOs I had ever had, not mentioning that name here, but you turned out to be a total surprise. Your attention to detail and ability to pick up slack without being asked to is admirable. I can see why you carry the reputation in the unit that you do now, and I should have seen it a lot earlier. Luckily I did not skimp in the oppurtunity to put you into the fires as a Team Chief, and I am ever so glad you came with me to the Team HQ level. You've grown from a capable CSO into a fledged and salted Team Chief worthy of honors, and I appreciate everything you do for the unit and for me. Thank you buddy. @2ndLt Wauben Our time as an HQ was short together, but I learned a lot about your personality. You've got this strange comical nature that I can only laugh at from the rear, a nature that I saw the moment you applied for Ops Chief. The way I saw your mold was that you had a lot of administrative skill. You weren't harsh, you melded well with most anyone you came across, and you knew how to resolve conflicts without letting them escalate far enough to become a problem. I respected your coolheadedness, and I still do. I think you're a fine XO, even though we miss you down here in 11, and we all wish you the best in your duties. MSOT 8311 Requests 1x M16A4 for tactical use @LCpl Zietara Keep up what you do. I check in on every recruit through the pipeline, whether its listening to their verbage in a busy channel or watching them in the field. I can safely say you have a place in this unit as a gem wrought from the dirt. You maintain respectful tone even when disagreeing, I don't think I've ever heard you curse out of turn, and your tactical skills are on point. If there would be one thing that I could ever offer you as advice, it would be to exhale once in a while. You're established as part of this unit's family, and you should be proud of that. We're all waiting to see how far you'll go. @Cpl Turk You are a very strange person, and arguably a flavor that this unit needs. The humor you have is something that never fails to strike me in just the right way, and playing with you is always fun, even if i'm not having it. The small bits of roleplay you add, whether groaning as you're being bandaged or screaming as you're being suppressed is all it takes to bring a smile to my face and realize that ArmA is worth playing, and it's worth playing with people like you. Thank you for the smiles, Turk. Keep it up. I know there's a few more people that I appreciate, but I'm sure they already know that. Just wanted to put a few people that really deserved notice. Come on y'all, be a little sappy.

Since we as a unit get caught up in thinking about and dwelling on what we don't like, and what we have problems with, I thought it would be good to switch gears a bit. Posts and comments expressing gratitude for our fellow members and/or the things they do are only ever really put in discharge and retirement posts. So to make a small change from that the point of this thread is the following: Make a post expressing your gratitude for at least one person in this unit and/or the things they do. If you would like to include more than one person or event then feel more than welcome to do so. Further, I challenge every one in the unit to do this, so pass it along to your friends and subordinates. And if you read this at all, take the 3 minutes to make a quick reply thanking someone for something they have done. The only rule is that it must be members of the unit, past or present, and must be an expression of genuine thanks or appreciation. Everyone here has put in many hours of time and work to this unit and it is rarely appreciated. Show some love to one-another. I'll start at the top and work my way down. (I'm quite bad at compliments and gratitude, so forgive me if some of my wording sounds jankey or I repeat phrases or whatever ) To my fellow CS members: @Maj Makowski @Maj Ray @CW4 Whelan @HMCS (FMF) Parker @SSgt McCelvy Thank you all for being the most driven and truth-focused group of individuals I have ever had the pleasure of working with. The argumentative ability of the five of you is fantastic. They way you all constantly search for the right thing and for what is best, even though we often disagree on those points, is what continues to drive this unit to be a better place. I also love how we can continue to work very well with each-other even when we are are sometimes at each-other's throats every other day. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work besides on CS. Thank you. To my Company Commander: @Maj Makowski Thank you for being an outstanding example of what it means to be a leader. Thank you for leading this unit and putting up with crap that no-one should have to. You are a much stronger man than I; I could not do what you do on a day to day basis. Thank you for the hours and hours of your personal time and energy you dedicate to making the unit a better place. To trying to fix the problems and make it an enjoyable experience for everyone. Thank you for maintaining and striving for a professionalism in this unit that has been sorely lacking for a long time. Even small things like going that extra mile for immersive comments in game go a long way. The unit could not be where it is today, and that is decidedly a good thing, without you. I couldn't ask for a better person to lead us going forward into the future. You are very much appreciated. To my Team Chief: @Sgt DelPercio Thank you for being focused and working hard towards excellence, both in yourself and for the team. You dedicate countless hours of time to be there and have a presence with our guys when I have been unable to. You have taken it upon yourself to embody the professionalism that I have wanted the MSOT to strive towards for a long time. You have stepped into your role and have filled it better than I could have possibly hoped for. You've helped me get back into my role as a Team Leader at a time where I was really starting to fade. I'm in your debt. Also, thanks for hounding me relentlessly about Sniper School. It wouldn't have gotten done without you. Thanks you a ton, and keep up the excellent work. To my Team Ops Chief: @Cpl Wilson Thank you for making yourself an outstanding addition to the HQ element. You have dutifully done the administrative assignments given to you and have demonstrated an excellent prowess in in-game ability in combat and in tactics. I'm very glad to be working alongside you and am excited to get to know you better going forward. To my (Former) Team SARC: @HM2 (FMF) Kakta Thank you for being a fantastic friend and a superb adviser. I've rarely met someone as aware of the reality of situations and able to advise on them, as you. Your insight and suggestions have been invaluable over the time that you've been in the unit. Similar to Del, you have really helped me get back into what I'm doing as a TL and love it again. In Team HQ you stepped up and did more than could be reasonably asked of you, doing administrative work, attending element events, and throwing yourself into the role of wanting to help the MSOT and the individuals in it, as much as you possibly could. You are fantastic Kakta. Good luck with Boot Camp and I hope you're back soon. To my Legion 1 EL: @LCpl Zietara Thank you for being an excellent individual all-around. You have a level of professionalism and charisma with your subordinates, and with your CoC, that I have not witnessed in a long time. Thank you for the energy and time you dedicate to the unit and to your element and MSOT. Legion 1 has made massive strides with you in-charge and you have set us up on a great path going forward. Keep going and keep being awesome. To My Legion 2 EL: @SSgt Edwards Thank you for being a solid beacon of stability and professionalism in the MSOT and in the unit. You have dedicated countless hours to the everyday running of the unit and you have filled your role as an EL exponentially more than required. You have remained in your position for a long time, happily content to keep doing what you are doing, and that attitude has made you one of the best at what you do. You are the epitome of an upstanding, straightforward, and caring man. Thank you for doing what you are doing and for sticking with it. Legion, and the 3d, would not be what it is today without you. To the rest of my team: There's too many of you to list I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to work with. You all have been the most enjoyable group I've had the opportunity to work with since the early days of the 13th and the 506th. Though you all can be rambunctious and unprofessional at times and make me want to pull my hair out , you have all been able to fall in line during official events and have been willing and able to learn. Thank you for listening to me rant about stupid combat basics and whatnot every training. Keep up the great work all of you. To S-1: Thank you for keeping the administrative side of the unit up and running. Those of you (crazy) people who actually enjoy administrative work have my respect. And those of you who don't enjoy it, but keep doing it to keep the unit running have my eternal gratitude. To S-2: Thank you for putting in your time and effort into the deployments. Though we have a long way to go still and people are very frequently critical and ungrateful for all that you do, we could not have a unit without you guys. It can be a fun job, but I'm aware that it is also quite taxing. So thank you for putting in the time and energy, even when people are ungrateful, to keep it going. To S-3: Thank you for taking many many hours out of your week to train the unit through everything from A&S to the FTX cycles. That takes a tremendous amount of time and effort and it is often gone very unnoticed. Thank you for putting in that effort even when it is not all that apparent that the unit cares. To S-4: Thank you for doing the most confusing and difficult job available in the unit. Arma is a pain in the butt and you guys somehow make it work so we can all play this game. You are all outstanding people. Keep it up. To S-5: Thank you for keeping people coming in the door. Marketing and Public Relations are what keep the unit having people to play with. So thank you. To Aviation: @LTC Brueske You guys have a very thankless job; sitting around being bored and watching Netflix during operations. But thank you so much all the same. Our ability to operate in-game would be drastically limited without you all and your endurance, or just sick ability to enjoy doing nothing, is a benefit to the entire unit. Also when you guys blow stuff up it's pretty awesome To @Maj Ray You've been my longest standing friend in the unit. Further, you were the first friend I ever made back in the 506th. I've worked with you for years now and I've never met someone so dedicated. In every position you've held you have inspired those around you and have made that part of the unit a better place. Also, incase you were oblivious to the fact that you have now become and icon and a role model for the entire unit, uh you are one. The unit, and the people in it (especially me) are far better off by your being here. You are one of the most dedicated and caring people I've ever met and I've never seen anyone as able to put up with crap being chucked at his face as you. From your job to your work in the unit you get the short end of the stick and I am sorry. Because if there is one person who deserves to be happy and appreciated for everything you do, its you. Thank you for putting up with my shit the last three years. Thanks for always being there for me. Thank you for being one of the greatest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Keep being awesome. I'll come back and add another reply later because I have to go run some errands and there are plenty of people I have left out who I want to thank. But for now, all of you please follow suite and express your gratitude for at least one other person and what they do in the unit. -Hart

Basically someone is remaking Ace Combat on kickstarter. Playing the hell out of the demo right now, so much fun.

No Hart, thank you. I can say with no doubt in my mind that I would not want anyone else to be my or Legion's team leader. Ever since I came into the unit as a Lance Corporal to where I am now you've been there for me and all of us in Legion. You always made me feel welcomed, and honestly if it weren't for you I don't think I'd be where I am in the unit now. While I know there have been times from me as an Element Leader to now that you've definitely wanted to kill me, but hey, same? The fact that you have stuck here through the thick of your life makes me respect you even more. Like you say "this is an escape", thanks for making it a fun one, and thanks for being a great Team Leader and role model, but most importantly - a great friend. @MSgt Bingham - Thanks for being one of the first friends in the unit that I had. I knew I could always come up to your channel to have a good laugh. Hoping you can find it in you to come back one day so we can run around during ops again. Until then I'll show you 10-6 . Thanks for just being awesome and always a friend.

MSOT 8321 Team Training 14JUL18

Just played around with it for a while, and MAN have they nailed the feel of it. Super hyped now!

Man that trailer gave me chills. Ace combat 4 was probably the first game I ever played all the way through. Thanks for bringing this up Captain!

As the leader in question who apparently is the only one who send something up through the proper channel of the CoC to voice my options and those of my Marines, I was not planning to participate in this thread, until you decided you wanted to drag me through the dirt with this. I never intended my send up to be a "gun to your head" and never tried to imply it as such. Your job, as company, is specifically to hear what your team HQs say and pass them along as needed to solve problems. I never told you to challenge command staff, I explicitly wrote that I myself wanted to challenge command staff. And it wasn't to define milsim, it was what other people in this thread have mentioned: the unit definition of realism is too broad and causes issues like these. You can easily argue the definition of realism outlines both in game tactics, roleplay, etc, but also out of game bureaucracy, fuckfuck games, sweeping motor pools for hours, etc. - And I still challenge them to answer and redefine this. Now publicly. If what I sent to you and Company, you hesitate to send up to CS as fear of "challenging" them, that's on you Major. I issued it as a direct challenge from me to them - not you. I never threatened or implied that more people would quit if you don't cave to our specific opinion - however, as a result of decisions you could make, I cannot say people will or won't leave. This is exactly what Capt Hart was talking about when stating: If anything the send up I gave company is exactly this, yet you come here to a public post and state that I'm somehow holding a gun to your head. Never was the case. I still stand by my opinion that a public competition and now apparently a judgement in a court of public opinion is a bad idea. We had rifts in groups in the unit before this, and I still maintain that public dick waving is an easier way to make matters worse than not. I've seen cliques form on less solid ground than public grades. It was mentioned to me that doing a lot of the grading is to make sure everyone is solid on basics - I'm supportive of making sure people are solid on basics. However if people are constantly fucked up on basics, maybe we need to relook at how we do ITC and initial training, and for existing members, hold their leaders in charge of official fuck ups. One of the arguments was along the lines of that since we are MARSOC, we are held to a higher standard than standard boot Marines - yes. In the real world. In the real world a Marine would be in service for a bit before even applying to MARSOC. But in the realm of internet gaming, anyone with ArmA can apply to join this unit. I made this argument against MARSOC literally from the beginning - if I could pull up the 13th archive to show my wording i would. The jist is that if we want to emulate MARSOC as much as we can, the initial training needs to be more rigorous than maybe it currently is. Kind of side tracked by the public grading there - it is something that I am against (enough that I sent something up the CoC as expected) but it is a symptom of the main problem: The definition of realism to the 3d Marine Raider Battalion Unit is too broad. And because it is not specific enough, people come in and find their niche inside its broad reach. And then they debate and debate and argue policy over how they want to unit to be ran. That is not necessarily a bad thing, however that means people need to be open about their expectations being challenged - at all levels. And then they have to be able to debate as to what may make the unit better. If we can't take any of these criticisms fairly, whether in public or respectfully in a unit wide thread, then maybe the solution is redefine policy to be way more precise. The more precise it is, the less room for assumption, and the less you will be challenged when you make changes. As for my definition of realism, it is realism in game, tactics, strategy, and role. I want to be on the ground, in a game I love like Arma. I want to feel like a Marine clearing a building in some shit hole town, as a rifleman, or a team leader, or whatever that role is. I love that in spite of the bureaucracy set around it, not because of. I don't mind doing some reports, maintaining a simple roster, the smaller things. But the more we add shit around, outside the game of Arma - it reaches a point it becomes less fun, instead of more. Even if that shit added is real military shit. I feel like 90% of all drama and bullshit that happens in every milsim unit is directly because of out of game actions, not in game actions. And as I have seen that be the case in my experience, I will always push back on added out of game shenanigans. While grading may happen in game, all I can see is the effect it will have on the majority of the time we are out of game. "Oh they are the shit team, I don't want to fill in with them." This shit already has happened, even in the lifetime of this unit in the past, and that was before you wanted to blast grades publicly. The fact you had to specifically point this out in the post you announced the FTX means you are entirely aware of this issue, yet you still push it forward. I'll admit it may be entirely possible that everyone comes together and sings kumbaya when the report cards come out. The elitist mentality many never show up, and even if it does, it will be behind closed doors - which it is entirely possible is already happening. However public grades brings this to a forefront that I feel we don't need. The potential cons outweigh the pros, what little i see over past FTX structure where we could be evaluated by a member of company, and then given feedback during debrief. Then you file that feedback in a report. It's not a grade, but it tracks performance too. Either way, to say that nothing proper was sent up about this is entirely misleading. Respectfully, apparently the man holding a gun to Mako's head over a proper CoC send up, 1stLt Bazarnicki

I Agree and also disagree with Captain Hart and I agree with Cole both of you have great and valid points. I have done milsim since 2013, i do it cus i like it and it brings back some good memories. Now the big reason for why i do milsim is beacuse its fun to play under some structural and tactics either if its under SF or regular combined arms, also i use milsim and gaming as my escape from IRL. So spending couples of hours or a day doing milsim to escape from what ever your profession is or what you do in life to have some fun under structur and tactics. I also understand that CS, Company, Team HQ's cant and will never be perfect, the main thing we are here is to have fun right?? Now to the latest topic here the FTX cycle. So by adding classroom ftx, being judge and graded on a game is pushing it towards doing realism more over fun. as some one That is a chef and that get judge on everything you do and make is really stressful, and the coming home to play something i think is fun and my escape from being judge 12/5 every week and then comes home and see that you are now being put in a class and graded in a game is rubbing me the wrong way. Yes this i my opinion on it. Im not leaving only because of this FTX/announcment. SInce i came back their have been issues here and there, some have been handled great and some i disagree with. I the reason im leaving is mostly burnt out of milsim and most likly have to find something else fun. I still believe this unit is great and will continue to be great the future, but it might not be for me any more. There will allways be disagreements, conflict, drama and thats how it is. Im Putting my retirement on hold because i 100% agree with @CW2 Waller and wait until i get a response for what i have sent up COC. T. Braathen

When people get high and mighty over a Military LARP clan on the internet, and want to grade fucking adults like they are in preschool for their hobbies in their free time: Or