Welcome to the PLI!
 Congratulations on your decision to take the next step in paintball evolution by joining the PLI. You and your teammates are a welcome addition to the PLI Family of teams. The 1st PLI is dedicated to bringing together paintballers who feel there is more to the sport than the quickie games so prevalent today; However, we also believe that it is better to lose with honor than win by cheating. The PLI exists to enhance the fantasy of the game and to allow everyone the opportunity to lead. The PLI is not the place for hot doggers or individuals seeking cannon fodder to command. If you want to be part of a organization dedicated to the principles of honor and integrity join the team. If you want to be an individual “lone wolf” or self appointed commandante’ of paintballers, go play for the opposition. The PLI believes paintball is for thinking men (an women) willing to study off the field to improve on the field. It is imperative that all your team members read and understand the organization By-Laws. These were written only after extensive study and are meant to insure equality in how leaders are selected by the organization for field and organizational leadership. Please pay close attention to how event leaders are selected and the government of the organization. It has been constructed to separate the powers of leading the organization administratively and leading at a field event. The PLI was not created to allow a few high and mighty generals to lead the many, but to allow the many the opportunity to lead. It does look comPLIcated, but with a little experience it works well. If Civil War reenactors can field 17,000 or more troops, there is no reason why the PLI cannot field several hundred. The basic composition of the By-Laws was drawn from some of the most successful Civil War Reenacting organizations around. Some of the details may seem extensive, but they are necessary when getting large groups of people together. The voting structure of the PLI is designed for teams to join. Individuals will be accepted, but to have a vote on the Brigade Captain’s Council (BCC) requires at least five effective team members. If you are not a member of a team, here is your chance. There is no requirement for experience or tournament play, so get some friends together and form a squad for the express purpose of PLI play. Talk up the organization and practice the tactics and procedures that will allow us to function together. Three man teams can get PLI voting privilege by using their alternates as full members for PLI purposes. We recognize the difference in tournament and scenario teams and encourage our teams to play in all aspects of paintball, and to be PLI Ambassadors anytime they play. You will be held to a higher standard because you are PLI, not only by fields, and players, but by us. The PLI does not accept sponsors, but your team can as long as it is because you are team ________ and not because you are PLI. You will be held to the PLI standards anytime you play, so be sure to always represent the unit the way you should. The decision not to accept sponsors was made before the unit was formed. The PLI is a PLAYER organization. We feel that accepting sponsors may present a conflict of interest between what is best for the PLI and what is best for the Sponsor. Some stores do offer benefits to members with discounts, but they do not financially support the PLI itself. There decision was one in support of our ideals, not the physical unit. PLI manuals are now online and available as downloads. Members may download and photocopy these manuals or order them from the organization. The hard copies from PLI HQ are illustrated more fully than the online version although both contain essentially the same information. Teams are granted authorization to make copies of these documents for their members. This change is to keep the costs of membership as low as possible. We do not make a lot of money on manuals because we want to maximize their availability to everyone. Individuals may join the PLI. All member rights and responsibilities apply to that member, except that an individual member will not have a seat on the Battalion Captains' Council and will not be able to hold field leadership positions. This is to encourage the individual to put a team together. Once and individual member has formed a five man team, their membership will be upgraded from individual to team. They will fall into the bottom of the command rotation. This is not to discourage individuals to join, but to encourage them to put together a team. The PLI “Combat” T-Shirt is available for $15. This is a dark tan Hanes 50/50 t-shirt with full color PLI Logo on the back and logo on the front left breast. Numerous other white T-Shirt designs as well as mugs and mouse pads are available on the PLI Website at the PLI Company Store. In addition, we now carry the Paintball Warrior and Splatted One Patch for $5 and numerous Paintball Warrior Merchandise also on the website. The PLI does make money on these items. These funds are placed in the operations budget for future PLI purchases and events. The PLI conducts monthly financial and equipment audits whose results are published in the newsletter. Every attempt has been made to make the government of the PLI open and easy to understand to all members. No member of the PLI draws any salary. All work is done on a volunteer basis. PLI logo items are ONLY available to members of the organization. To join, fill out the consolidated membership form and mail it and your registration fee to PLI HQ at the address on the PLI Contact page. We encourage and support our member teams to participate in all forms of paintball, demanding only that they abide by the PLI code of conduct at all events. The PLI does not involve itself in the individual team’s governance or structure and does not appoint any individual to a command position or to the Battalion Captain's Council. Teams are assigned leadership positions only for PLI sponsored events, but are expected to "play their part" in scenario or roleplaying games. We encourage you to maintain your individual team names and associations, we even ask that you wear your team patch on the right sleeve of your PLI jacket. The PLI is an umbrella organization under which you fall for certain events and we want you to take pride in your membership, but we recognize the pride many paintballers have in their established team reputations. The organization does not exist to tell you how to run your team! That being said, your team must understand that when operating together, the PLI is a ORGANIZATION. The tactics, strategy, communications, immediate action drills, and combat drills have been kept very simple and are intended to improve your teams procedures and allow us to effectively communicate. It is this standardization that will allow the PLI to operate in ways no paintball team ever has before. Your team members will be expected to memorize some items and be familiar with others. The true cost to join is the time it takes for each man to learn to use and apply the PLI protocols, tactics, drills, and procedures. You may have noticed that being the 1st imPLIes there will one day be a 2nd. As the 1st PLI grows in different states and regions, there will come a time to grow beyond the PLI boundary. We look forward to the new challenges associated with this growth. The PLI is a brand new type of paintball team. There will be problems and we will have beefs. We have tried to plan for these contingencies, but please be patient as we learn the intricacies of developing the Paintball Light Infantry. We are always open to your constructive criticism and have made major changes to the unit based on past recommendations from Scenario Paintball Leaders like Kerry Rosenberry and Patrick MacKinnon (Viper and Pacman). We have constructed the government of the organization to be as open as possible to all members. Some have said it would be better to elect commanders and officers, but the PLI believes strongly that all members should have the opportunity to lead and that elections of popular players would not be fair to the majority. The principles which guide us on the field must also guide the organization in its organization. These principles are honor, fair play, honesty, and commitment. If you believe your team can rise to the challenge, join us. The First Paintball Light Infantry ! The PLI is first and foremost a family of like minded teams. We call this concept the Mega-Team. Some military terminology is used, and the sample command structure in FM 1-1 is based on a military unit because these terms are familiar to everyone. At scenario and rec-ball events we fall into the appropriate structure based on the event and are not locked into the military rank or command structure. Though we use many military terms throughout the site, this is because most people understand exactly what these terms mean. Paintball IS NOT WAR. It is a game, one the PLI intends to play well. Having fun safely is paramount! Welcome to a larger world of paintball! A.W. (Rusty) Myers III Executive Coordinator, 1st PLI 
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