A little over a year ago the agency I work for purchased Gen III night vision for our use.  Included were Excelis ITT PVS-14 monoculars as well as PVS-15a binoculars and we also had budgeted money for training.  When it came time to spend the training dollars, we were looking for a nuts and bolts night vision class -nothing advanced.  The bosses were looking for a class that would cover basic topics, like how not to damage the equipment they had spent so much money on.  I was more interested in a class that would suit the needs and mission of our personnel in the field.  While trying to find such a class that taught the basic use of NOD's in a woodland setting set up more for a reconnaissance type patrol, I could find no classes that met our criteria.  In speaking to various training vendors, no one offered or were willing to  structure a class to fit our agency's needs.  A friend put me onto GMTG Tactical located in Pennsylvania and their website.  I sent an e-mail to GMTG requesting information on their night vision offerings.  

The next day, I received a telephone call from Philip Walker at GMTG Tactical.  After explaining what equipment we had, the type of patrol we would be performing around watersheds and wooded areas, Philip offered creative suggestions and was willing to work with us to set up a class that met our needs.  In the course of two or three telephone calls, Philip designed a class and forwarded a class syllabus to us for review by our bosses.  The class was quickly approved and travel arrangements made.  Next came the hardest part of the equation: scheduling the class.  Through no fault of GMTG Tactical, trying to schedule the class was about as easy as herding cats because of scheduling conflicts on our end. Continued.........in part 2.

Part 2:

When we finally settled on a class date, equipment was packed and travel arrangements made.  We met Philip Walker late in the afternoon at the chosen training site, which closely mirrored our area of operations.  The class began with a quick overview of how and why Generation III night vision works.....and how not to break it.  As two of our attendees were totally new to night vision and had never touched the stuff, let alone turned it on, Philip was patient in explaining the controls and features to the newbies.  He went out of his way to ensure that all were on the same page and all technical questions were answered.  Next he covered a number of night vision accessories and wasn't shy about telling us which were worthwhile and which were less than optimal (or which sucked).  As the sun set we began to work on movement techniques both as single officer movement and as teams.  This was a tremendous experience as the newbies got to learn basic movement techniques and when comfortable, Philip moved onto to various team techniques to include Ranger file, line and wedge formations.  Once darkness settled in, we did this again in the dark under NODs.  Link up procedures were covered along with the benefits of IR lasers.

I would highly recommend GMTG Tactical to anyone searching out training classes.  Aside from being a hands on instructor, Philip was quick to point out shortcomings in equipment or performance and worked diligently with us to improve.  the class was outstanding from the get go and far exceeded our expectations in both content and execution.  I can tell you that I will return to GMTG Tactical classes and that speaks volumes as I won't spend my hard earned money on classes that don't cut it.  I look forward to training with Philip in the future and would not hesitate to recommend them to others.

Thank you for the kind words. It was my pleasure working with professionals of your caliber. I look forward to training together again in the future.

GMTG Tactical is a mobile training company offering classes nationwide.
We specialize in customized training classes for citizens, law enforcement and military.
Feel free to contact us for a No Charge training consultation.

Semper Fi / RLTW

GMTG Tactical Web Site

GMTG Tactical Facebook Page

Below are some pictures from the customized class mentioned above: Rural Night Vision Operations - Level I

I recently attended a class similar to the one in this thread from GMTG.  I quickly learned that there was alot to learn about the equipment that  I just purchased, from set up to care.  Philip was an excelent instructor and I learnd a great deal during the course.  The interactive training environment really added to the learning experience.  I would highly recommend attending a course from GMTG.  I plan on attending many more classes in the futrue.

Thank you for the kind words PZmech.

Here are some pics from that night: