Originally Posted by FirestormX
That's something I want to post about in the airsoft pet peeves thread.
I have sympathy for the people who just got back from a 2 hour engagement, and had a 30 minute walk back to spawn. But first priority should be to prepare yourself to get back onto the field. If there's time to relax, then you can relax after. If command turns you around and sends you right back out, then you head right back out. You'll feel good about yourself if you force yourself right back out.
Last year the squad that I led was coming back from an exhausting engagement, and were really looking forward to getting a good meal and 30 minutes of rest. We talked to command over the radio to arrange it, and everything. We were so glad to be taking a load off, and getting something other than snacks. When we dragged ourselves into spawn, command told us we were losing an important point, and sent us right back out. It sucked balls, but it felt good to be pushed like that.
Part of it, too, is that those who lead, need to be firm. Command should say "I need this point held, and I want you to do it". The squad leader should be able to give an accurate assessment of his squad, and if there is nothing major (eg someone hasn't been hydrating correctly, or they're diabetic, or their asthma is acting up, or they may have frost bite, or what have you - it's only a game), then he should be disciplined enough to lead by example. The squad leader may be exhausted, but he'll need to be firm enough to go back to his guys and get them moving. And none of this airsoft time. If it's been 6 minutes since the squad leader said "we move in 5 mikes", the squad should be 1 minute down the trail. The first time you do that, a few guys may be short some ammo, or not have their snacks properly packed, and need to rely on their team mates. But do that enough times in an OP, and your squad will know that you 5 minutes is 5 minutes, and they'd better be ready in those 5 minutes.
People may look at you as a dick if you just, out of nowhere, start telling people to be ready, or start the squad moving while you're still sitting back trying to get some BBs into an uncooperative mag. Or if you're in command, and you start telling squads they need to be certain places within tight times, or expecting them to be able to run on little rest (that is all contingent on being a good commander, though. You ARE a dick, if you just arbitrarily send an exhausted squad to go running off into a pointless fight for shits and giggles). But if you make it clear to people at the beginning, what you will be expecting of them, people will take orders much better.
My little spiel to the squads I lead are pieced together from what I pick up from others that I've played under. Somewhere in the spiel, you should include what you expect from your squad, and what the squad can expect from you. You can expect the squad to follow your orders, and to respect given times. Your squad can expect that there will be times where you will push them (amongst many other things).
The point that I was leading to, is to repeat what was already said in the thread: that good leadership can go a long way to keeping you going in a milsim. If someone's calling for "volunteers" to go back out and fight, you may think "eh, I'll go next time. I'm comfy here". If command points at you, and says "you, and the rest of your squad, are moving out in 5 mikes. Get your shit ready." you don't have much of a choice but to push yourself past your limits, and come out feeling fucking good about yourself. I have a better story about "turning my squad around and heading right back out instead of having lunch", than I would have been able to tell someone while I was lounging around resting instead.
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