Members of the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia take a break for a photo with personnel of the Life’s Little Adventures Farm in Wooster, where militia members cleared fallen trees and foliage in May to help the facility that uses rescued animals in therapeutic programs for children, and veterans recovering from PTSD. (Brian Albrecht/The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — This is the militia: Men and women clad in camos, carrying semi-automatic rifles, stalking the woodlands, shredding targets, prepping for worst-case scenarios.

And this is the militia: Two militia members arrested and charged in Cincinnati earlier this year for allegedly making bombs; a militia leader arrested and charged with firearms possession by a felon in April after a video showed his group detaining migrants in New Mexico at gunpoint; two members of a Illinois militia pleading guilty in January to bombing a Minnesota mosque; three Kansas militia men convicted last year of plotting to blow up an apartment complex where Somali refugees lived.

And this: Chainsaws, shovels and muscle brought to bear by an Ohio militia to help clean up tornado-ravaged areas of Dayton, and an overgrown farm in Wooster that offers therapeutic programs to treat traumatized families and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The recent history of private militias in Ohio and the United States has been fraught with confrontation and violence.

But there are militias that say they support the government and exist to serve as a citizen’s defense force in the historical sense of these groups.

Armed, yes, but also prepared and trained to respond to disasters or local community needs.

(This is Part 1 of a three-part series about modern militias and a three-decade history of controversy, concern and misconceptions.

Part 2: The Reapers Constitutional Militia of Ohio makes security along the Mexican border a focus. Sunday, Aug. 4.

Part 3: The Heartland Defenders, a militia that emphasizes self-reliance and preparation. Sunday, Aug. 11.)

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Cleveland Grays were an early local militia, shown here posing for a picture in the early 1900s, as displayed in the Cleveland Grays Armory Museum.

Militias have been a historic constant

Militias, public and private, for better or worse, have been woven into the fabric of American history going back to the nation’s founding, when they fought during the Revolutionary War.

The Cleveland Grays was an independent volunteer militia formed in 1837 to aid local law enforcement and defend against a possible invasion from Canada. The unit later served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I.

The exact number of current private militia members is unknown. Their groups exist on the fringes of public awareness, but not necessarily in the shadows.

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Clearing fallen trees and brush were part of a clean-up that mimicked the kind of work needed after a natural disaster during a weekend to help the Life’s Little Adventures Farm in Wooster by members of the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia. (Brian Albrecht/The Plain Dealer)

Two flags fly outside the Life's Little Adventures Farm in Wooster on a blistering hot weekend in May.

One is a yellow-hued variation on the “Don’t Tread on Me” snake flag of the American Revolution, instead emblazoned with the words “No step on snek.” The other is an American flag with a field of 13 stars, representing the original colonies.

Melissa Willard, founder and president of the farm that uses rescued animals in therapeutic programs, watches appreciatively as about a dozen members of the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia clear areas of fallen trees and overgrown foliage.

“They’re very family-oriented, very down-to-earth,” she said. "I’ve felt like I’ve known them for years.”

Willard said she is considering offering part of her land to the Irregulars for use as a shooting range.

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Col. Anthony Gaugler, commander of the Ohio Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia, smiles during a combat life-support class. (David Dermer/Special to the Plain Dealer)

The weekend is not only a training exercise for the group that in a few weeks would be doing the same work to help clear tornado damage near Dayton, but also a way of “rewriting the narrative” about militias, according to Col. Anthony Gaugler, the Irregulars commander.

Gaugler said he started checking into militias seven years ago, “looking for a way to keep my family safe.”

Initially, he was leery. “All the things you see on TV and stuff, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re right-wing extremists. They’re nut jobs,’ ” he said.

“But as I got involved with the group and found out what they were and who they were — other fathers, business owners, blue-collar workers, guys from every walk of life — I realized that wasn’t the case. We’re all banding together, all training together, all working for the same purpose: We want to protect our families, we want to protect our communities, we want to be an asset to our state.

“I’m part of a constitutional civilian militia. It’s not what you see on TV. We’re trying to build an organization that can help change that viewpoint.”

He emphasized that the group is nonpolitical.

“Personal politics doesn’t play a part in it. It’s not allowed. You don’t bring it here,” he said.

Asked if the group would accept a Muslim member, Gaugler said it would, “if he’s an American citizen. We’re all citizens here of all faiths. But I won’t take terrorism from either side.”

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The patch for the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia. (David Dermer/Special to the Plain Dealer)

Social media raises questions

A check of social media used by members of the Irregulars found some potentially controversial posts.

Gaugler had a Confederate flag displayed on his Facebook site, but when asked about it, he said he did not post it as a racist symbol of white power or support of slavery as some have charged regarding the flag.

“The Civil War wasn’t about slavery. The actual issue was state sovereignty and state rights,” he said. “The Confederate flag was the same as what the American flag became during the Revolutionary War — a symbol against tyranny.”

Two Irregulars posted items about Muslims.

Gaugler said these members “don’t have a problem with individual Muslims,” but with an extremist interpretation of Islam and the Koran.

"They do have a problem with the pseudo-religious, political belief system that runs counterculture to our own Constitution, counterculture to women, counterculture to all races and minorities," he said. “They have problems against that kind of extremism. Where they’re coming from is, that kind of ideology has no place and no bearing in this country.”

Lt. Ryian Moore who posted a comment regarding Muslims and Islam also said, “I know not all Muslims are bad. I know there are good Muslim men and women who just want live their lives and raise their kids in peace.

“When I’m talking about Islam, the ones I do not agree with, or hate, are the extremist, radical terrorists,” he said.

In that sense, “I will not tolerate, I cannot accept a religion that goes against everything I stand for,” he said.

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David Shipley, from Struthers, left, tests a style of bandage on Gary Verhoff, from Elyria, during a combat life-support class of the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia. (David Dermer/Special to the Plain Dealer)

Training covers a variety of skills

Gaugler said the group’s vetting process weeds out extremists, which included one of the two men arrested in Cincinnati and charged for allegedly making bombs earlier this year, who tried to join the Irregulars several years ago.

“We’re not making machine guns, we’re not making bombs, we’re not plotting how to make a suitcase nuke,” he said. “Those are illegal activities. If we’re going to stand on the Constitution, we can’t break it to uphold it.”

Currently there are 50-60 Irregulars, including about a dozen women, scattered across the state. Their number includes veterans, and former police, firefighters and EMTs, who train monthly at various locations.

Training includes wilderness survival, land navigation, canning, stockpiling supplies, first aid, self-defense, firearms qualification, disaster relief and military maneuvers.

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Members of the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia listen to a presentation by Wayne Unger, of Youngstown, on combat life-support. (David Dermer/Special to the Plain Dealer)

Fostering the militia lifestyle

Gaugler said the military aspect separates the Irregulars from being something like a Kiwanis Club with guns; part of their preparation is for various possible scenarios “should an invading force come in, should we be needed in an emergency situation, should there be an insurrection, and should, God forbid, there be a tyranny event.”

During recent combat life-support instruction, where former EMT Wayne Unger promised to turn the class into “medical fighting machines,” the concept of a militia lifestyle arose.

Gaugler told the class that the militia lifestyle is an attitude that members should carry with them at all times, like a medical emergency kit.

"It's not just about bullets flying," he said. "It's being able to help in all situations."

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Army veteran Command Sgt.-Maj. William Horn, of Bedford Heights, said he found a place to continue serving his country in the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia. (David Dermer/Special to the Plain Dealer)

The regular Irregulars

Command Sgt.-Maj. Will Horn leans against his pick-up with a cold bottle of water, drinking in the scene of clean-up at the Wooster farm and reflects on this public demonstration of the militia’s mission.

“If you got a problem and you want to hide, this ain’t the group for you,” he said.

Horn was a 14-year Amy veteran with two deployments in Iraq before he left the service and joined the Irregulars a year ago.

“I hung up the uniform, I didn’t lay down the gun,” he said. “I don’t want to become complacent. I should be able to help if necessary.

“I tell people when they join this group, this isn’t a hobby, this isn’t an extracurricular activity, it’s a way of life,” he said. “You get up and you go out and you do what you can.

“We’re not anti-government, we’re not anti-police, we’re just here to help. We’re average people.”

Horn said that rather than train for conceivable worst-case scenarios, a militia should tackle smaller, immediate-need projects, like the farm, “making a difference where you can.”

In doing so, “it’s breaking through that persona of gung-ho hillbillies with guns,” Horn said.

He accepts the possibility that because he belongs to a militia, he and fellow members may be under government surveillance or scrutiny. “That’s why we avoid certain groups,” he said.

“They’re crazy. They’re reckless, there’s just a lack of discipline, and whenever they’re out in public they’re antagonizing people,” he said.

“We are taking care of our own: Our own family, our own towns, our own citizens, our own state. That is what a militia is. And that is where a militia should end.”

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Two flags were raised the day the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia visited the Life’s Little Adventures Farm in Wooster, where militia members held a combination weekend clean-up and disaster recovery drill. (Brian Albrecht/The Plain Dealer)

A new recruit

His mother, Ann Moore, of Bedford, is helping out at the farm in her first hands-on militia experience.

She said she was a little concerned when her son told her he was joining a militia, “but now I feel 100 percent better about it. They’re very hard-working guys.”

She plans to join the group when she retires. “I want to do what I can,” she said. “I can help cook. I can help with first aid. I’d like to get more families involved and let them see what these guys are really doing.”

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Irregulars Command Sgt.-Maj. Will Horn uses a chainsaw to cut down a storm-damaged tree during a trip by the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia to Dayton in June to help with tornado recovery efforts. (Photo courtesy of Tiffany Tilman/ Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia)

Tornado relief in Dayton

Joel Burton, pastor of the Hopeland Church in Dayton, said the Irregulars have been down to help several times, providing relief supplies and helping in the cleanup by removing smashed trees and debris.

Burton contacted the militia through a friend who is an Irregulars member.

He said it was the first time he has ever dealt with a militia, and noted, “They were a huge, huge, help.”

During their weekend visits, the Irregulars set up an encampment at the church, which also serves as a distribution point for relief supplies and services.

Burton described the Irregulars as “very down-to-earth, very respectful, very orderly. It was very ‘Let’s get in and get to work.’

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John “Chappie” Campbell is the chaplain for the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia. “Somebody’s got to guard the flock against the wolves,” said the Desert Storm Army veteran. (Brian Albrecht/The Plain Dealer)

Chaplain guards the flock

First Lt. John Campbell, a Desert Storm Army veteran, is the Irregulars’ chaplain, and the Japanese-born militia member regards his service in the Irregulars as part of his payback for naturalization as a U.S. citizen in 1968.

“Anything I can do to keep my community and state safe, I’ll do it,” he said. “We support the police, we support the military, and if something ever happened, we would be there to back them up at all times.”

Campbell described his fellow Irregulars by saying, “You have what I call a melting pot of good and honorable men and women. They love their families and they love their country and they’ll do anything to protect it.

“They’re not anti-government, they're not anti-anything,” he said. “They’re pro-Constitution.”

You’ll hear that sentiment a lot among the Irregulars.

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The "evening shift" of volunteers from the Irregulars of Ohio reserve militia, who helped with tornado recovery efforts in Dayton. (Photo courtesy of Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia)

Taking a stand

“I’m part of the militia because I believe in standing up, and I believe in protecting the Constitution, ‘We the People’ and American citizens,” said Lt. Ryian Moore.

“I sense an urgency that our government doesn’t care about the normal person anymore,” he said. “And being part of the militia, you can stand up and tell them “No, we’re not going to take your tyranny and let it run.’

“If we don’t check them, then who will? If we let our government go unchecked, then our government starts taking our rights.”

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Command Sgt. Major Will horn takes a chainsaw to a tornado-damaged tree near Dayton as part of volunteer work by the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia to help clear storm damage. (Photo by J.R. Traicoff, Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia)

Hopes for a statewide militia network

Gaugler noted that when it comes to the government, “we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We just want it to spin properly.”

The Irregulars’ commander hopes to form a statewide network of like-minded militias that would serve as an additional, officially sanctioned layer of emergency response, after the Ohio National Guard.

That force of about 2,000 militia members could stand ready to mobilize when called upon by a city, county or state government, Gaugler said.

"That's the kind of legitimate militia, the real militia, not what's been portrayed," he said.

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Members of the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia pass lengths of wood to a storage area as part of a clean-up effort at Life’s Little Adventures Farm in Wooster. (Brian Albrecht/The Plain Dealer)

Changing the image

Negating that portrayal “would take groups coming together and becoming the civic-minded organizations that they were supposed to be from the beginning,” Gaugler said.

“The military training side of it is a necessary part, but so many of the militia groups out there make it their sole focus,” he said. “The thing is, we’re supposed to be an asset across every aspect of our communities.

“And until we start actually working together for the betterment of our communities, I don’t know if that [negative image of militias] is ever going to fully change.”

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