HISTORY OF ANV

By ANV_R_E_LEE

I first began playing OUTLAWS in the zone just about 2 years ago. I was a loner at first. One night I was playing a member of the old ESP gang. He asked me to join ESP, so I said what the heck. Well a month or so later, ESP folded up and went away. As a former member of the US Army (10 years active and 6 years in the Reserves), I was drawn to the biggest gang in the zone at that time, MIL. MIL_HIGSTER and MIL_RAF created MIL and it had grown to be a pretty impressive group. I was with MIL for several months when it died. I had noticed a couple things. Most of the established gangs were real picky about who they let in. They only wanted the cream of the crop who would completely dominate others in what was supposed to be a friendly game. I didn't see where being nothing more than a target for someone was all that much fun. I really didn't like the trash talk that sometimes accompanied it. I also noticed there were only a few big names in the zone who would help a newbie out.

I am a complete nut about the American civil war. I read everything I can possibly get my hands on about it. I am originally from the State of West Virginia which actually became a State when it broke away from Virginia during the civil war. I have relatives who fought for the North as well as direct ancestors who fought for the South. I thought why not combine two hobbies and enjoy them both. I decided to start my own OUTLAWS posse. So ANV (Army of Northern Virginia) was born. My old friend from MIL, tomvb3 was the first member of ANV. He has since moved on but before he left, he helped me establish ANV. Other former MIL members like KING, DESTROYER, KNACKER, and others, have also helped make ANV what it is today.

Now, almost a year later, ANV continues to thrive. We have survived longer than most posse's. There are older gangs around like WAC, WAW, BH, etc. These groups are still around because they are made up of very classy members who have good attitudes and know OUTLAWS is just a game. I had one central thought in mind when I created ANV, "just have fun". I want ANV to have the reputation of showing personal honor. "Honor" is more than just a word to me, it is a way life. Being respectful in the zone and being helpful to those with less experience shows character. From time to time, we may stumble and have a tantrum in the zone but this is not considered normal behavior from us. Sometimes we have let someone join who may not have had the skill that others would require, but they were just looking for fun. The skill comes with time and practice. If I can laugh out loud during an online session in the zone, then I have had a good game, whether I win or lose. Our members may come and go, but right now ANV is made up of a group of good people who are fun to play OUTLAWS with. You can't ask for more than that.