Operation: Matador and the Bull

After nearly a year and a half of operations in Colombia, Matador Security Operations has seen some of the greatest successes in recent PMC history. Through a pervasive street presence and near-constant aerial operations over Mitu, Matador has been credited with one of the least-violent long-term police operations conducted by a PMC. With a vastly lower amount of bloodshed than operations conducted by the Colombian military, Matador is poised to take the reigns as the leading Private Military Company in the world.

All of this, however, is about to change.

During a routine aerial patrol over Mitu, a single Bell 204 helicopter, Matador 11, is engaged by what is presumed to be a DShK mounted gun, tucked away in a small building in the far corner of the city. Though its crewmembers return fire, the rounds from the mounted gun are too much for the aircraft’s light frame, and the helicopter goes down near the middle of the city. The gunfire is the first to be heard by locals in months, and images of times previous rush into their minds. Immediately, local people rush to their homes and hide themselves away.

Inside the downed helicopter are two pilots, both former members and UH-1 pilots of the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division, Combat Aviation Brigade – Doug Blevins and Dustin Griffin. The helicopter also carries four crewmembers, all former members of the 160th SOAR, who operated as crewmembers on MH-60L DAP helicopters in Afghanistan and Iraq. Though the helicopter had no mounted weapons systems, the crewmembers maintained an onboard supply of personal weapons and ammunition, often displayed as a show of force over the city streets of Mitu. Though the status of the helicopter crew is unknown, all members are known to have had extensive Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training throughout their military careers, as well as prior to deployment to Colombia.

With reports of the downed helicopter reaching the Matador base of operations outside the city within minutes, a quick reaction force (QRF) composed of a large element of Matador personnel is notified and prepared for an almost immediate deployment into the city. The primary mission is the extraction of the helicopter crew, with a secondary mission of finding and disabling the reported DShK mounted gun located on the far side of the city. Though hostile presence has been all but eradicated within the city limits of Mitu, the QRF is advised of a higher-than-likely probability of contact during the extraction. From the time the mission Operation Order (OPORD) is issued, the QRF is allotted only minutes to gather their gear and prepare for deployment.

The Matador commander knows the stakes. The pilots of Matador 11 are well aware of the ins and outs of the PMC’s operations. If any information was to be divulged to the FARC it could spell disaster. Thus recovering them is a huge priority. However, the attack could not have come at a worse time. The scheduled shipment of humanitarian aid and supplies must be delivered to the city on time this afternoon, lest the Colombian government cancel Matador’s stern, unwavering contract.

Meanwhile…

It has been a rough two years for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). With the influx of the better-equipped and better-trained security forces from Matador Security Operations into Mitu, day to day operations for the FARC have become nearly impossible. Though there is a near constant street presence and continuous aerial patrols over the city, the less-violent nature of the Matador operators has lent itself more toward an intelligence-gathering opportunity for the local FARC elements. Blending in with the locals, details of Matador’s operations have been recorded and sketched out over the past year and a half, slowly giving the FARC rebels the sleight of hand in their eventual planned attack.

It has been noticed by FARC intelligence-gatherers inside the city that nearly all ground operations conducted by Matador operators tend to remain toward the northern and central portions of Mitu, and while aerial patrols cover the entire city, several minutes may pass between over-flights of a certain area. Moreover, perhaps the greatest fault of Matador’s operations has been the seemingly more scheduled deliveries of humanitarian aid and supplies to the city’s population – each Saturday afternoon.

While Matador operations have provided for the safety and welfare of Mitu’s citizens within the city’s limits, the Colombian government has made the precarious decision to forbid the PMC from conducting operations outside the city limits. This caveat alone has allowed the FARC to establish a fairly steady base of operations on the southern side of Mitu, while at the same time allowing the rebels to keep a tight lid on its presence and plans.

Under the cover of darkness, FARC rebels were able to transport a disassembled DShK machine gun into an abandoned hut near the southernmost edge of Mitu’s city limits. Once arrived in the hut, the DShK was reassembled and positioned behind a covered window, aiming in the general direction of the daily aerial patrol routes. A two-man crew was left in the hut with a small cache of small arms, given the order to take down one of Matador’s helicopters on its first route of the morning.

As day breaks, the two-man team prepares the mounted weapon to unleash automatic fury against Matador’s aerial presence. Soon enough, the crew can hear the distinct sound of the Bell 204’s rotors. As the sound grows stronger, the blanket covering the window in front of the DShK gun is pulled down by one of the men. As the helicopter flies overhead, apparently unaware of its dire situation, the DShK unleashes its constant stream of rounds skyward. As the rounds penetrate the soft skin of the helicopter, the aircrew begins returning fire with their weapons. Their fire proves to be ineffective, however, as the helicopter suffers major damage to its control systems and spirals down into the city streets toward the middle of Mitu. The DShK crew radios back to the FARC leader at the base camp outside the city.

Upon hearing of the successful ambush of the Matador helicopter, the FARC commander prepares his men for the attack into the city. The plan is for the FARC soldiers to fall in on the downed helicopter, taking the pilots back to their base of operations for interrogation. The FARC commander would have all to gain from an intense interrogation of the pilots – the exact location of the Matador base of operations and the exact strength of Matador’s operations, to name a couple. The FARC also knows that while a large contingent of Matador operators may be deployed to retrieve the downed helicopter crew, there is still a scheduled supply convoy later in the afternoon, and missing just one convoy escort would mean the cancellation of Matador’s contract. And even a Revolutionary Socialist knows the end of all things is money. Gaining the intelligence he seeks through the interrogation of the pilots could mean the end of Matador’s presence in the area – whether by the destruction of the convoy or an assault on the PMC’s base of operations. Decisions must be made, but first thing’s first: get to the helicopter.

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This operation is hosted by Bumrush Tactical out of Meridian, Mississippi. The game will be hosted at Bumrush Field (address below). Thus, the required waiver will be the Bumrush Tactical waiver (attached).

Location:
Bumrush Field

Address:
1029 River Road
Stonewall, MS 39363

Cost:
$10

Porta-Potties not provided. Woodlines are.

FPS Limits:
Standard AEG – 400fps/.25
LMG – 450fps/.25
DMR – 500fps/.25
Sniper – 600fps/.25

MEDs:

Standard AEG – 20ft
LMG – 50ft
DMR – 75ft
Sniper – 100ft

Note: MEDs are suggested courtesies. Common sense and sportsmanship is to be used at all times during play. However, firing at the head/face/neck region within the MED for your particular class is expressly forbidden. If a player is accused of committing this act during play, whether intentional or not, he will be required to apologize to the offended player, and this will be the end of it. If accusations continue, the accused player will be removed from play and potentially barred from Bumrush Tactical games in the future. Furthermore, the “Bang!” rule is not in effect as a requirement for engaging within MEDs. If engaging within the MED for your weapon class, a player may 1) play honor and call for the other player’s surrender, or 2) play dishonor and fire within the MED (without firing at the head/face/neck region). A player who has been called to surrender is not required to surrender, and may attempt to flee or return fire. In any case, please remember that firing within the MED is an easy way to earn a bad reputation and an easier way to make enemies in the airsoft community.

Uniform Standards

Matador Security Operations (Including Helicopter (Matador 11) Crew):

Camouflage Shirt/Top*
Tan Pants Not Required – Highly Encouraged/Stressed; Absolutely No Camouflage Pants

*Camouflage permitted: Flecktarn, MARPAT, ACU, ABU, DCU, BDU, Multicam, X-Camo, RealTree

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC):

Civilian Clothes Absolutely No Camouflage (aside from gear).

Registration will begin at 8:00 near the city. Simply follow the signs along the path leading back into the fields. Parking will be provided near the registration booth. Please arrive with waivers on hand. All weapons will be chronographed. Eye protection (ANSI Z87.1-2003) will be evaluated for each player with reference to the Bumrush Tactical waiver.

Game and safety briefing will begin at 9:30 at the registration booth. The safety briefing is a courtesy; those not present will be held accountable for their actions by the Bumrush Tactical waiver.

Gameplay will begin at 10:00 by signal of a bullhorn. MSO forces will begin play at the MSO base of operations, located in “Mordor,” a couple hundred meters from the city. FARC forces will begin from the FARC base of operations, just south of the city. The downed helicopter crewmembers will begin play within the city.

Notes on Gameplay[/b]

Prior to the bullhorn beginning play, MSO forces may not proceed closer than the bridge separating “Mordor” from the city.

The downed pilots will be played by two dummies, weighing in at roughly 100 pounds each. These dummies must be carried or dragged from the crash site to a team’s camp in order to simulate wounded pilots.

The downed helicopter will in fact be a beat up truck.

There will be two “Situation Proxies,” one with each team. The SPs will keep up with the commander of each team and feed him information as the game progresses. At particular moments throughout the game, the SPs will present the team commander with a situation that will force the commander to make a decision concerning his objectives and tactics. Though the SPs will have on gear like other players, he will easily identifiable by some sort of colored markings. The SPs will also not be carrying a weapon. Please refrain from shooting the SPs.

The game will involve a medic rule. During registration, each player will receive a 6-8 inch piece of 550 cord with three (3) loosely tied knots in it. This represents a player’s “bandage”. After being hit, a player must call his hit and place a dead rag on top of his head. He may then call for a medic. Once a medic arrives at the player, the medic must take the player’s piece of 550 cord and untie the three knots and again retie the knots in order to heal the player. After this process is complete, the medic will return the player’s piece of 550 cord and the player may return to play. Medics are the only players who may heal. If a medic is hit, he must call his hit, place a dead rag on top of his head, and sit out of play for two (2) minutes. At the conclusion of the two minutes, the medic may reenter play from where he stands (behind his own lines).

All questions may be directed to ssg [DSA] / sgt [MSA] or Ghost88 [MSA] / Swayzesghost88 [DSA].

NOTE: Waiver will be uploaded as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your patience.