After a long pandemic separation, Company D got together again vaccinated and ready to drill. With everyone vaccinated it was also time for us to finally break in our new Maine-style walled Sibley tent. We had a great time learning how to set it up and certainly look forward to using it in the future. We were joined in camp by two new recruits who were an absolute pleasure to welcome and spend time with. We certainly hope to see a lot more of them in the future.
We had our usual plans for more involved bivouacing but we heard from the land owner at the last minute about a burn ban. Luckily we were able to adapt pretty quickly but certainly felt the struggles of trying to use tin ware on propane. In honor of the famous chicken story, I had the junior NCOs work with enlisted to cut up and prepare whole chicken with potatoes, onions, and bread. Most had never cut apart or cooked a whole chicken, so their end result was even more impressive. The Captain and I honored another aspect of Maine tradition by steaming lobster tails in our Berdan mess kits which worked out great.
Drill time was focused on a lot of marching, getting used to the Sharps, and supporting our junior NCOs in their training skills. Pvt. Severson drilled the company in manual of arms and Cpl. Soderling drilled the company in skirmish drill for a substantial amount of time. While both performed excellently, Capt. and I were impressed to see Cpl. Soderling train the new recruits in some of our most challenging skirmish maneuvers. The whole team's skirmish work was exceptional!
In addtion to the wonderful time spent reconnecting we shot quite a few new YouTube videos. Speaking of shooting, Cpt. Whitehall brought his Henry for even more late afternoon fun. The pandemic has certainly effected our hobby, but we're busy at work coming up plans for more opportunities for us to live history.
We had our usual plans for more involved bivouacing but we heard from the land owner at the last minute about a burn ban. Luckily we were able to adapt pretty quickly but certainly felt the struggles of trying to use tin ware on propane. In honor of the famous chicken story, I had the junior NCOs work with enlisted to cut up and prepare whole chicken with potatoes, onions, and bread. Most had never cut apart or cooked a whole chicken, so their end result was even more impressive. The Captain and I honored another aspect of Maine tradition by steaming lobster tails in our Berdan mess kits which worked out great.
Drill time was focused on a lot of marching, getting used to the Sharps, and supporting our junior NCOs in their training skills. Pvt. Severson drilled the company in manual of arms and Cpl. Soderling drilled the company in skirmish drill for a substantial amount of time. While both performed excellently, Capt. and I were impressed to see Cpl. Soderling train the new recruits in some of our most challenging skirmish maneuvers. The whole team's skirmish work was exceptional!
In addtion to the wonderful time spent reconnecting we shot quite a few new YouTube videos. Speaking of shooting, Cpt. Whitehall brought his Henry for even more late afternoon fun. The pandemic has certainly effected our hobby, but we're busy at work coming up plans for more opportunities for us to live history.