It was a real treat for me to be out there, running with you all. Good AO, good op, good sportsmanship. Well worth the 16 hour round trip drive. And the snow was a super bonus!
I'd like to take a moment to honor a particular person. When I go to ops as an AEX rep, I usually like to point someone out who really caught my attention, and I like to reward that person with an "AEX honorable mention".
Not to take away from anyone else that day- everyone fought hard and with integrity, but in this particular case, I was VERY impressed with the level of sportsmanship displayed by Beans. Near the end of the day, as the Chechens pushed on the comm site, Beans was hunkered deep down behind thick foilage- in fact, he was damn near invisible. At extreme long range (about 180 feet or so) and against strong crosswinds, I took a few potshots at him (not knowing who it was). With such bad circumstances against me, I never expected to hit him, nor would've known if I did hit him or not. I could've missed horribly or he could very easily have ignored any lucky shot I might have made. As it was, after about 6 shots (using extreme Kentucky windage), I see a hand pop up and he called out "hit!" Pure luck, I assure you, but the honesty and integrity he displayed floored me. Sad to say, but I've been airsofting long enough to know that a number of people might not have called that particular shot. It was too far-fetched and lucky. But this kind of honesty is what airsoft is all about, and I'd like to applaud Beans for his superb sportsmanship. =D>
Over the last couple years, I've developed a healthy respect and friendship for the Hawks and CT, and Beans' action that day really reinforced the respect I have for Arizona players. You guys are all top-notch!
Beans, I sent you a PM.