February 22, 2009

jason.black@usmc.mil

Hello,
The Marines of my platoon recently attended your PSD Course and on
their behalf I wanted to thank you for the outstanding training you
provided. Its been nearly three weeks since we left and the men continue to
talk about their experiences and have even begun teaching their fellow
Marines the techniques they learned from Doron and the rest of the
instructors. The valuable skill-sets CRI taught us will undoubtedly save
lives on our upcoming deployment. I have recommended your course to other
units of my Battalion and hope to attend future CRI Courses. I am forwarding
to you the After-Action Report I submitted to my Commanding Officer and in
turn respectfully request a brief after-action report concerning the
Marine's performance during your course. Again, thank you for the awesome
training and keep up the excellent work. Semper Fi

To: Commanding Officer, 1st Bn 5th Marines

Operations Officer, 1st Bn 5th Marines
Commanding Officer, Headquarters and Service Company
Executive Officer, Headquarters and Service Company

From: Ssgt Black J.A., Jump Platoon Commander

Subj: After-Action Report for CRI PSD Course

1. The following is an After-Action Report for the PSD Course instructed by

Crisis Response International in Las Vegas, Nevada and attended by fifteen
Marines of the Jump Platoon from 26 January to 4 February 2009.

2. Let me start by saying that this was without a doubt the best eight days
of training I have received while in the Marine Corps. Likewise, the
after-actions and debriefs I have received from my Marines from Lance
Corporal to Sergeant reflect the same opinion. Myself and my Marines had
high expectations for this course and none were disappointed. The course was
mentally and physically challenging, 95% hands-on practical application and
the instructors were the among the finest I have ever worked with.

3. Escaping from Captivity: This was the very first event of the course and
undoubtedly left the biggest impression. For most Marines their only
training in this area is being told to try and not get captured and if you
do follow the code of conduct. The Marines had black hoods placed over their
faces, were laid face down with their hands cuffed behind them and had their
feet tied to a rope that was around their necks. The beauty of all this
happening within minutes of showing up was that none of us was really sure
that we hadn't been taken prisoner for real by real terrorists. The Arabic
music then blared and the instructors began yelling, interrogating and
torturing the Marines with shock knives, slapping, drowning and threats of
electrocution with battery cables. The Instructors then left the building
and within two minutes the Marines had freed themselves and each other,
commandeered all available weapons and covered every entrance to the
building. This training was valuable in that in gave Marines a brief glimpse
of the helplessness of being held captive, functioning under extreme stress,
the usefulness of all senses, the value of communication and prior planning
as far as code words and having a believable story agreed to beforehand,
understanding tunnel vision and also how to avoid allowing physical
restraints to mentally limit you. The Marines also learned to escape from
hand-cuffs, flexi-cuffs, rope and duct tape when retrained either to front
or rear, to improvise edged weapons and knife-throwing techniques which
we've already adapted for our K-bar and bayonets. Incidentally, much like
throwing rocks any chance they can get, the Marines probably embraced this
training the most.

4. Defensive Tactics: Much like the knife-throwing, the Marines were

motivated during this training which usually occurred at the end of the day.
This training focused on disarmament tactics to include knives, pistols,
rifles and rope. We learned methods to disarm opponents from the front and
rear, disarming multiple opponents, while standing, kneeling and lying down
and while restrained. The techniques learned were easy to employ, adaptable
to MCMAP and the Jump intends to incorporate into morning PT so as not to
lose these skill sets.

5. PSD Operations: Much like the Division Schools PSD course, many of the
TTP's taught were not particularly applicable to military protection work
especially below the General level. The focus was primarily on protecting a
civilian VIP utilizing civilian vehicles. The instruction did however
provide me with several tactics that can be easily adapted for the Jump
platoon to include their TTP's for advances and departures, tactical
formations and many motorcade tricks like speed dumps, blocking and
screening, cross-loading and evacuation of the principal. The tactical
formations were tested utilizing paintball guns which provided the necessary
feedback as to their effectiveness and of the ability to both fight your way
out of an ambush while protecting and evacuating a principle.

6. Tactical Shooting: Three training days were dedicated to this portion of

the course and the Marines fired Glock-17's, shotguns, AK-47's and M-4's.
The pistol marksmanship training was by far the most in-depth and best I
have ever received. The Marines went from hitting a standard piece of paper,
to a half and then to a quarter of that same paper with impressive accuracy.
The Marines were eventually shooting one-handed from the back of a moving
dirt bike at targets 30-40 meters away with a 70-80% hit ratio. We shot from
moving vehicles, through windshields, from all positions, while moving
forward and backward, while on our backs, while rolling and after falling.
The Marines learned to shoot while disorientated, under pressure and
exhausted, with weak hand, strong hand and center chest, in hostage
scenarios, utilizing cover and while avoiding obstacles. We shot at vehicles
to observe each rounds capabilities and to test strongpoint's on a vehicle
and the Marines also became proficient in close quarters marksmanship with
the AK-47 and shotgun. Israeli CQB was also introduced and practiced and the
Marines commented on its applicability in many urban situations. You can
clear 90% of a room utilizing this method and all from behind cover and
exposing only the muzzle and very little body. In the Marine Corps we
practice one way, then do it another-this may be the way to practice and do
it without the 80% casualty expectation and statistic.

7. Tactical Driving: This was hands down the most exciting part of the
course. Although this training was conducted in civilian vehicles, the
confidence gained by the Jump drivers was worth every penny the Corps payed
for this course and will undoubtedly pay huge dividends during our
deployment. The Marines learned and executed the slalom at high speed, 90
degree turns, forward and reverse 180 degree turns, reverse 270 degree turns
for countering ambushes, braking techniques and skid control maneuvers, down
driver drills, split second decision making drills and night driving. They
performed vehicle ramming, the pit maneuver, driving while hand-cuffed from
behind, jumping from a moving vehicle, learned to ride dirt bikes and also
participated in high speed and hair-raising blocking, screening and evasion
scenarios. The culminating event of this package was a cone course performed
at day and at night in which the Marines had to employ every technique
learned at high speed in tight quarters after being disorientated and
exercised, while being pushed, beaten, yelled at and cut using a shock
knife. The Marines performance in this chaotic environment, under extreme
stress was truly exceptional and a superb experience to draw from in the
days ahead.

8. Tactical Medicine: This was one area of the course that turned out to be
more of a refresher due to the extensive medical knowledge of the Marines
and Corpsman in combat life-saving skills. Nothing was wrong with the
instruction but this experience does say a lot about how well the Marine
Corps and Navy has prepared us for life-saving. One good take away from the
medical class was what I would call a casualty roll, in which you low crawl
to the injured and depending on the injury and distance to cover, grab each
other and with momentum just roll to cover rather than exposing yourself and
the casualty to fire or observation.

9. IED's / booby traps: During this portion of the course each Marine was
tasked with building an IED out of common items such as a chair, soap dish,
book or under a rug. This instruction gave the Marines a crystal clear view
of the insurgents ability to turn anything into an IED in a short period of
time and to view everything as suspect and be deliberate and calculated in
their movements and searches.

10. Instructors: The thing I wanted most from this course was insight from
operators outside the Marine Corps. The instructors came from a wide range
of backgrounds including the Israeli Defense Force, the British Royal Army,
Navy and Army Special Forces and civilian law enforcement. Just as I had
hoped, this mix of experience and talent proved to be insightful and offered
the Marines "another" way to train, "another" way to view and solve problems
and as the instructors said over and over, "another tool for the tool box".
I appreciated the fact that they offered all instruction in this manner and
I have never worked with a more professional staff. The head instructor
voiced several times how little the money for this course meant and on
several occasions from ammunition to knives and even chow, proved it and how
much saving military lives did. The instructors were never to busy to
individually mentor a Marine, never in a hurry to get home at night and all
were willing to share their experiences with the Marines and answer
questions.

11. Summary: The course focused on worst case scenarios and was filled with
instructor induced organized chaos. The training forced the Marines to be
cool under pressure, aggressive in stressful situations and to avoid
disabling tunnel vision and exceed what were previously thought limitations.
There was never a dull moment because every subject taught was either new to
the Marines or presented from such a different point of view that it might
as well be new and the instructors were honestly invested in the Marines
training. Many of my Marines have brought up the fact that much of this
training is also useful while on liberty and in the civilian world and many
stated that every Marine should attend this course. The Marines of Jump
Platoon have definitely benefited greatly by attending this course and most
had experiences they'll remember forever. Their has been marked improvement
in their tactical confidence, already excellent unit cohesiveness has
increased and the junior Marines' willingness and ability to step up in
demanding situations has sky-rocketed. 11 days of living in a casino in Sin
City with no liberty incidents ain't too bad in the discipline department
either.

12. I appreciate your time in reviewing this After-Action Report.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jason A Black

Ssgt / USMC