Headquarters company; 5th Ranger Battalion has at its disposal from time to time an amount of land in central Kentucky that is used for tactical combat maneuvers. The following information outlines events held on the site as they come up. For photos from the tactical battles held there and a schedule of upcoming events that may include a battle on the site, see the Event Photos and Upcoming Events sections respectively. This events are known as "Rager Tactical X" with X being the number of the event in Roman numerals, I being the first event, II being the second, III being the third and so on. For those of you that have been to the evnets there in the past, you've probably come to refter to it simply as "the farm".

Physical Site Details	Pyrotechnics
Tactical Battle Maps	Waiver of Liability/Hold Harmless
Rules of Engagement	Event Costs/Fees
Authenticity Requirements	How to Request an Invitation

 

Site Details: The site is located on an inactive "farm" consisting of about 100 acres of land. The terrain varies from 3 large roughly flat-topped hills on the edge of the property sloping down to the relatively rolling fields on the opposite edge. The hills are wooded with pine and fairly old growth trees and a jeep trail circles the property on 3 sides. It is entirely fenced in and the actual battle area is well removed from the highway. Numerous foxholes, bunkers, and fighting positions have been dug on the rearmost hill/edge of the property with more being added/improved on a regular basis. The main hill, noted as "Hill 100" in the map is dotted with a few positions and circled on its sides by two jeep trails that converge at a T intersection at its top. Digging in and other authentic construction of positions is allowed HOWEVER it is limited to the wooded areas only and NOT permitted in the open fields. More information on this is provided at specific battles and anyone wishing to dig a foxhole or improve a position is welcome to do so but please check with the CO first.

 

Tactical Maps: Below are downloadable/printable maps of the site with most of the basic info needed for either side to navigate the property with basic map reading skills and a compass. For authenticity reasons certain specifics such as foxholes and fighting positions are not marked. Certain positions, objectives, and so on will be pointed out in briefings for each respective side prior to the event and as new intel is gathered as scenarios unfold. Print on a standard piece of 8 1/2 X 11 paper. Map no. 1 (no gridlines): Click here

 

Rules of Engagement: All participants are required to follow all safety rules and regulations at all times. They are as follows: Do not fire ANY weapon directly at anyone closer than 20 feet from the muzzle Do not pick up ANY pyrotechnic grenades that have been thrown Do not throw smoke grenades into an area with a fire hazard Do not remove your helmet if mortars or rifle grenades are being fired by ANYONE Do not engage in hand-to-hand combat if your weapon has a round in the chamber Do not fix bayonets at any time OR engage in hand-to-hand combat with edged weapons Do not leap into a foxhole you are not 100% positive is empty of other occupants Mind your muzzle at ALL times, and be mindful not to get dirt in the bore Pay attention to where you are standing, some of the hills have steep drop offs NO LIVE AMMO IN THE FIELD! PERIOD. USE COMMON SENSE, BE SAFE AND BE COURTEOUS!

 

Authenticity Requirements : Anyone may participate that meets the following requirements. We do not feel these requirements are bias or hard to meet by any stretch. If you have a decent impression and common sense you should meet these guidelines by default just fine. You must: Meet the authenticity requirements of your own unit -If you are not a member of an existing unit but wish to attend, a suitable impression is still requested. Not have any blatantly wrong obvious aspects of your impression -No obvious post war items please. While a post-war rear seam helmet is allowable for example, VietNam issue load bearing gear or fatigues are not. Use your head and be realistic If an item is blatantly wrong for your impression then please don’t bring it out or leave it in the car. This applies to period and non-period items alike.

 

Pyrotechnics: Pyrotechnics are allowed at the event but if new to the event, MUST be demonstrated to Mike Owen and anyone else interested in watching prior to the battle. This includes smoke, hand grenades, mortars, rifle grenades, bazookas, and artillery. Also includes small arms firing wooden tipped blanks, which generally are not allowed due to safety reasons. Any grenades or mortars that have a bursting charge and a filler must be inspected. No fillers of gravel, dirt, sand, kitty litter, rocks, flour, or other potentially harmful substances are allowed. Baking soda is the recommended filler but only in small amounts. Safe rifle grenades are allowed, but must be fired at a high angle and never carried loaded on the weapon, ready to fire, for any distance or length of time. They also must not represent any significant fire hazard. Any incendiary device, be it pyrotechnic or practical in nature (such as a fire starter or a flare) is allowed but only for its intended purpose. Flare guns are not to be carried loaded and ammunition must be of a type that burns up in the air. No parachute or rocket flares, including those launched from a rifle grenade adaptor are allowed. Any weapon of caliber .50 or larger must be demonstrated prior to the battle and shown to be safe and in good operating condition. Weapons of calibers 20mm or 10 gauge and up must be fired indirectly at targets closer than 50 yards. Weapons larger than 37mm must be fired indirectly at targets at all times, with a high elevation. Shotguns are allowed at the event. Since the site hosts only tactical events at this point, certain authenticity issues may be overlooked if you wish to field a WWII combat shotgun however we encourage these to be in the hands of MP's OR left in camp as a perimeter defense weapon and not carried in lieu of a rifle or other weapon. Blanks must have NO wadding of any kind or other projectile that may case harm. Winchester Super X field trial loads are recommended. They contain a filler of loose packed cork. With virtually no mass or weight the cork flakes float to the ground a few feet from the muzzle. Whatever shells you choose to use, they are required to cause no puncture damage to a sheet of newspaper fired at a distance of 15 feet. Regardless, no shotgun may be fired either directly or indirectly at anyone or anything closer than 25 feet. All pyrotechnic items and certain firearms are subject to approval or disapproval by any of the attendees if they have a problem participating at the event with said device and have sound reason for their concern. Please use common sense and obey all federal, state & local laws when building or using any firearm or pyrotechnic device.

 

Waiver of Liability & Hold Harmless Agreement: All participants are required to fill out a waiver of liability and hold harmless agreement. A web-printable PDF version is available here. You may print it out and fill it in accordingly prior to the event to be handed in upon arrival or fill one out on site. We encourage all attendees to fill one out prior to the event and bring it with them. If for some reason you arrive late or after the initial briefings please find an officer or NCO of the 5th Rangers and turn in your waiver PRIOR TO JOINING IN THE BATTLE! NO EXCEPTIONS.

 

Event Costs: The event is basically free. There are no battle fees to attend. At certain battles a meal may be provided and/or water supplied. Such events will be noted as requiring a small fee to attend (usually no more than $5) and this will be noted in the event details of that particular battle on the Upcoming Events page. However; we do ask for a donation at each event. The proceeds from the donations go towards a gift certificate at a local restaurant to be given to the land owner; which he greatly appreciates. Please just give what you feel is appropriate (amounts around 5 or 10 dollars are typical).

 

Request an Invite: Due to the requests of the land owner and the nature of the events we host on the site; attendance is by invite only. Keeping the numbers of attendees set also helps us to better plan each event and make for a more fluid and enjoyable battle. All participants get lots of trigger time. If you or any of your unit's members are within a few hours of the site, we encourage you to contact us; as one of our goals is to build a "local" group of guys that can attend multiple events and get to know the other participants to make for a better experience at the site. For more info or if you are interested in showing up; e-mail Mike Owen.

 

Special thanks to Jerry Styles, Tim & Lisa Torey, West Robeson, and Tom Frost for their contributions contained within this web site.

Contact our Battalion CO Tim Torey or Lisa Torey for 5th RIB R. S. Inc. Information

Contact the Webmaster

RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!