Combat Missions, Episode 10: Grudge Match

“Charlie brown, Charlie brown, he's a clown, that Charlie Brown. He's gonna get caught just you wait and see! Why's everybody always pickin' on me?” -The Coasters

Sad to say, but that's it in a nutshell.

This week Charlie competes against Delta. There is a personal conflict between Charlie's Cade Courtley and Delta's Scott Helvenston. During the camp meeting at the Snake Pit in Evolution 7, Cade Courtley, among others, had stated that he was embarrassed by Helvenston's behavior. As a result Helvenston has been nursing a grudge against Cade and the others. The Camp Commander, Rudy Boesch, addressed the fact that one of the men on Delta squad wanted to make the competition personal but that he should keep it on the battlefield.

Courtley and Helvenston talk about each other behind their backs for a while early on in the program. Cade can't wait to kick Delta's butt, and Scott talks about Cade's goatee and how it makes him look like a "Pierre." I wonder if Helvenston actually sees Cade with a beret and an artist's smock. Excuse me while I stifle a giggle. Alright, I'm better now.

How in the world could Cade think that Charlie could suddenly come together and work as a cohesive unit? They've had to go to the Discharge room and Dossier room so many times that they all have windburn from the doors opening and closing so much. While Delta and Bravo have had the opportunity to form relationships and loyalties, Charlie, and to a lesser extent Alpha, have had so many revolving teammates that they couldn't possibly be able to develop the same kind of relationships.

Helvenston also continues to talk and talk and talk about how people who talk all the time about what they can do usually don't have anything to back up their words. Then he tells the camera that he wants "Pierre" to back up his words. Scott would like to settle his problem with Cade in a one-on-one obstacle course competition, double or nothing for 100 points to the winner's team. Scott is a world-class pentathelete, so he would probably be able to beat Cade even though Cade is in excellent shape. Either way it's irrelevant because the competition doesn't happen. At least not a one-on-one.

The first Training competition is the Obstacle Course. Here is Combat Mission's official description of the obstacle course: "A grueling course which features various imposing obstacles, including a wall climb/rope decent; a series of high and low log hurdles; a run up a steep, rocky slope; a 20 foot rope climb; a stair climb with a 20 foot jump off the top; a water obstacle featuring cold, waist-deep water; and a cargo net climb/circus net decent." OUCH! Scott Helvenston flies through the course with little problem. His teammate Garth Estadt was unfortunately not so lucky. He caught his foot in the cargo net and his ankle was hurt pretty badly. He needed two of his teammates to help him get across the finish line. Ossie Crenshaw slowed Charlie squad up considerably. He definitely was trying, but unfortunately was unable to put on much speed. Delta won the competition and the 50 points.

The next Training competition is the Transition Drill. Garth Estadt sits out of this one. This is a shooting competition where 4 men each get an M4 rifle loaded with one round. The fifth man gets an M9 pistol loaded with a full magazine. The first team to hit all five targets in order from front to back wins the 25 points. This time Charlie was able to focus and fire faster than Delta and they won the 25 points. It was really good to see them succeed.

Of course, now that the training exercises are over, Scott has to continue expressing his deep admiration for Cade, stating that officers like Cade Courtley are exactly the reason he left the SEALs. You know, there are officers who shouldn't be in the military. They are self-impressed and obnoxious. There are also enlisted people who fit the same description. Hmmm, which of these two men seems to fit that description?

Now they start to focus on the injured Garth Estadt. He has a very touching conversation with his wife and son, and pictures of his family are also shown. We get to know a bit about Garth, and see that he's basically a decent guy. Too bad he's leaving, Delta needs all the decent guys they can get.

It's time for the mission briefing. Both squads are told that terrorists have stolen a missile guidance system. They will be taken by helicopter and dropped on the roof of the hangar. They will need to disable the communication dish, set an explosive charge, and radio headquarters. Then they are to rappel into the hangar, defeat the enemy, retrieve the missile guidance system, which is in a black attaché case, and then meet with the helicopter for extraction. Then they will set off the explosive charge.

Charlie squad rehearses the mission on the parade ground, while Nutter gets a Mohawk haircut and flirts with the female barber.

When it's time for the mission, Delta goes first. They methodically go through the mission, get the additional info and they manage to rescue the ATF agent even though they lose three squad members. This time the ATF agent doesn't run out of the hangar. He still runs all over the place but eventually Helvenston tracks him down and finds him in the office. They complete the mission in 13 minutes and end with a score of 835 points.

Charlie starts the mission and does everything right, up until they finish rappelling into the hangar. Then they start acting like lemmings and follow each other right over the cliff to their deaths. They charge into the hangar and they don't take cover or do anything to avoid being shot. The carnage ends with Shadow squad surrounding Greaves and using him for over-kill practice. They finish with a total mission failure and zero points.

Back at the camp, Delta's Baz and Estadt both volunteer to walk if they lose the competition. Helvenston is confident that they will win the competition even with a "gimp." Charlie on the other hand is trying to decide who should be voted out. Young thinks that he should be the one to leave because he has no C.Q.B experience. I guess he thought that maybe he caused them to lose the competition instead of blaming the overall bad plan they followed. Cade states that the failure of the mission was because of his insistence that they follow the original plan, but he doesn't volunteer to go. Ossie then states that he is the weakest team member and that maybe he should be the one to go. Cade finishes the meeting with the question: "What is best for the team?" Not following your plan would have been best for the team, but it's too late now!

They go into the meeting room and they find out the results of the mission. SGM. Dever critiques Charlie's action and Cade mutters under his breath that it was mission impossible. This criticism of his squad and of his leadership really upsets Cade, but you know, I think that what may have really gotten to him is the fact that Garth Estadt went into the mission with an injury and even though he did die, he didn't stop Delta from completing the mission.

After the meeting is over they go into the discharge room and Ossie Crenshaw is voted out. When he leaves at the last formation, Charlie squad gives Ossie a formal farewell salute. Then each squad member gives him a hug and handshake.

After Ossie leaves Rudy tells the squads that this is the end of the second cycle and that now when a team loses a mission competition, the entire squad will be dismissed. With that, they are dismissed.

Now the game's going to get interesting!

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