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St Paul/Oakdale, MN: May 8-9, 2010

Started by AFTERMATH, May 07, 2010, 11:43:49 PM

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AFTERMATH

Dress warm!
There's likely to be an inch or two of that white #&%$!!!
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

AFTERMATH

#1
Well.... 
There was no standing snow.  We did however have a nice four-season shoot.
What a great weekend!
We had 25 shooters on the line for our inaugural Appleseed at the Oakdale Gun Club(ironically located in Lake Elmo, MN ::))
With everybody signed in; we executed our briefing with perfect timing.  Prelude to excellence.
SHOOTERS YOUR PREPARATION PERIOD BEGINS NOW!!!In the brisk breeze, through a snow and sleet mix we engaged our paper enemies.
The first Redcoat targets eluded to the fact that we had much room for improvement.
We made good use of that advantage.
The snow/sleet subsided to an occasional drizzle.  Which was followed by the perfect fall overcast.  Followed by springs cool partly-clouded element.
The shooters made steady progress through squares.  Firing the shots by the numbers, finding their NPOA and learning to understand their targets' tongue.
At lunch; Andy(aka. Sven) made his instinctive knowledge of our Heritage known.  With a most spectacular telling of the First Strike.
I only wish we'd posted Redcoats, rather than Green coats, before lunch.  As I'm quite certain we'd have had some 'fired-up' results.'
Alas, we continued with our scheduled course of fire and instruction.  Learning new positions as well as new technique's which furthered our shooters on their path to becoming Riflemen.
We followed with a QDAQT practice-run.  A drill or two and we were ready for the full QDAQT.  Huzza!
Shooters retained a positive and quite receptive attitude; continuing to learn.
Martin(formerly of Wisconsinois) had migrated into Minnesota, and gifted us by relating the Second Strike. 
The participants, acting on OUR behalf at the North Bridge in Concord certainly faced a series of difficult decisions on April 19Th, 1775.
I thank God, for the decisions they made.
We followed up, in their honor, by firing a few more AQT's.  Durring which we found that we had three men amongst us, who knew very well what they were about!  Congratulations are in line for:  Brian, Todd and Damon!  You've proven you mastery of the Six Steps; the Seventh is up to you!
After the shooters had their fill of AQT's for the day; some instructor, in a Green Hat, made a valiant attempt at telling a modest version of the Third Strike.  I hope the shooters didn't find themselves excessively burdened with its telling.
The final Redcoats showed vast overall improvement.  Many shooters found they'd doubled their effective range.
Concerning the actions, concluding: Saturday, the 8Th of May, 2010.

Stay tuned for Saturday's dramatic follow-through!
A delightful Sunday lay in wait...

Part doux

As the sun lifted the grey overcast as I awoke on Sunday;  I knew it was going to be a great day. 
I would soon find that I would not be disappointed.
As I arrived to find most of the shooters already there, smiles on their faces I was delighted.
We quickly set up, and proceeded to brief the shooters as to the days events. 
SHOOTERS!  YOUR PREPARATION PERIOD BEGINS NOW!!!
The preliminary results of the Redcoats proved that the shooters were fresh and ripe to fill themselves with knowledge.
A quick review of Saturday's learnings and a few squares...There're 5 squares on one of them sheets....
We began the AQT's!  The instructors used this opportunity to work one-on-one with the shooters.  Breaking bad habits and whipping them into shape!  By the end of the day they'd have this down, pat!
Things went quite smoothly, as we progressed at Rifleman's pace!
Javaguy told the story of a Dangerous Old Man, Hezekiah Wyman.  Sven told us about Samuel Wittemore, a collector, and father of Middlesex County. :D.  The shooters then learned about the actions of a team of Alarm-Listers who captured a resupply wagon.  A wagon that, had it reached its intended destination, may have turned the events of April 19, 1775.  They also heard how one old lady, captured SIX grenadiers!  After a short spew on the value of teamwork; we broke the shooters into Three-Man teams(Well, one had two...)  We introduced them to Aftermaths super-duper team drill. [It proved to be confusing...  It's a work in progress...]
Never the less; the teams were allowed the opportunity to strategize their path to victory.  The prize?  A flag for each team member!  While it may not have flown during the Revolutionary War; it was certainly flown at other Appleseeds.  Which means it did do its part, partaking in the eternal American Revolution.
Team one proved themselves to be victorious!  Not much of a surprise; two of them had scored Rifleman on Saturday... 
We then continued with a few more AQT's; ending a little early, in light of Mothers' Day.  Hey, Riflemen have mothers too!
Sunday did not prove to bring forth any new Riflemen; at least not in score, as I'm sure we made more than a few in heart!
It did however reveal vast improvement across the board!  As we reviewed the final Redcoats, we found some surprising results from these tired shooters.  The greatest of which:  Only one shooter did not qualify at 100 yards!  And for no good reason, too.  He'd been shooting better than that all weekend.  On Saturday morning; only about 30% were qualified. 
We've definitely got some Riflemen coming; if they dry-fire! dry-fire! dry-fire!
A special mention goes out to Evan(14?); who'd struggled all weekend through the initial troubles that all new Appleseeders find.  As well as, chronic rifle malfunctions.  We finally got him set on a loaner; and he progressed quickly!  I believe his final score was 174!  I believe that's higher than I ever got at my first Appleseed.  I felt it was my duty to honor him with our Patriot Patch.  Next time we meet, I'll probably be presenting him with a Rifleman Patch.  Great job Evan!  I'll see you the Appleseed Trail!
After the shooting was done; the shooters suffered through me speaking...Again...

There was something I found a little different this weekend.  I had too keep real close eye on one of my IIT's.  As his life was soon to change.  I had met Sven, this same weekend, one year ago.  I'd worked with him on many occasions throughout the past year.  I'd observed as he progressed through the stages of instructor apprenticeship.  Last we worked together, I kinda figured I'd be slapping a new hat on him, if someone else didn't beat me to it.  And well, I happened to have an extra Red Hat waiting for him... 
So, after talking with his last Shoot Boss, and observing him carefully through out the weekend; I found no good reason not to give him one.  So, I did.  Congratulations Andy!  It's an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity to present you with a new hat!
I'll see you on the Trail!

Thank you to Sven, Greg, Sparks1, Javaguy, Martin(I'm sure you'll find Minnesota to be a pleasent new home)and Whisker for the cameo!
Oh, yeah Gryphon(formerly known as AR-15), even though you were shooting you were helping; as was Ryan.  Thanks guys!

Thanks to all the shooters who spent Mothers' Day weekend with us on the range.  I hope she wasn't too upset!
I look forward to seeing you soon!  And don't forget to bring Mom next time. ;)

By the way; every one gives me too much credit....  I didn't make this a great shoot; you did.  Shooters and instructors alike!
I just stood around and acted like I was important.  The rest of you did the real work!
Wanna eat dirt and sweat bore-solvent?  Become an RWVA Volunteer!


We'll meet again; where the bellies meet the mud!


Alexander R. Thompson
Aftermath
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

GRYPHON

Yes! What a great Appleseed. I improved a lot with my AR-15  :--- :) however, I was not able to score Rifleman. I need some more work on my flinching and bucking, and then I'll be able to do it. whats amazing is that through the sleet and rain, and that junk ammo, I didn't have one miss fire! Thank you AFTERMATH, Sven, Javaguy, Martin, Sparks, Greg, and Whisker for their GREAT instruction. And congrats to Sven!

                                                               -GRYPHON

"Those who have lost Freedom have nothing left to lose"

javaguy

#3
It takes me at least a day to recover (come down from the high) from an Appleseed weekend!  Martin, Sparks, Greg, Sven, Aftermath, Whisker - a real privilege to be able to work with you all this past weekend.

The Oakdale Gun Club absolutely rocks!  Their hospitality, professionalism and overall beautiful setting was wonderful.

It was a tremendous pleasure to meet and help instruct so many great folks who braved the odd Saturday weather (all four seasons in one day) and persisted through onslaughts of :---  Redcoats, Squares, Greencoats, and Ghosts - all to become familiar with their rifles and to improve their technique.

Our fearless Aftermath delivered a professional and upbeat POI - got everyone organized and things running smoothly.  Andy introduced everyone to the 4 Safety Rules, and  soon sent 'em after the Redcoats.  Saturday instruction moved along briskly - we setup several people with tarps, substitute rifles, stocks, slings, and anything else needed to keep them up and running.  Then for lunch, Sven brought in his heavy artillery with an outstanding presentation of the First Strike.   O0  His command of American history is formidable! 

More instruction, and then Martin brought out an excellent map of the Boston-Lexington-Concord area (a nice large size!) and presented an excellent Second Strike.  Wrapping up Saturday, Aftermath delivered Third Strike to our yet nearly full complement of shooters who had been working hard all day.  Three Riflemen were forged that day.  These guys are impressive - hitting scores as I recall in the 220's and 230's.

Sunday dawned beautiful and was sunny all day.  We had a little more room on the line - shooters were comfortably spaced.  Sparks1 called the line in the morning - Greg in afternoon - and after some Ball and Dummy and Carding the Sights, we tackled the AQTs.  And eventually Dangerous Old Men, and finally the Benediction.  Great job all!

I took quite alot of video clips - just a few pictures since I forgot my main camera.  I will try get some of these posted up here soon.

Javaguy

PS: GRYPHON - pushed his centerfire score into the 170's...  Ryan bumping into the 180's,   Evan in the 170's.  Zack - I didn't catch his scores but I know he was doing some fine shooting on Sunday.  WAY TO GO YOUTH!

Old Glory!

#4
A WINTERSEED in May?!?!  Must be Minnesota.  :cool2:

Aftermath, you write the best AAR.  Relish the thoughts. 8)

Martin, good work covering the border, and 2nd strike.    O0

Congratulations everyone on Persevering through "all four seasons".  You proved that you can, and THAT is a beautiful thing in itself.  In this day and age, when everyone prefers being comfortable, it is good to know that there are some hardy souls who are willing to struggle through a little discomfort for a good cause; to honor our founders who sacrificed so much more to afford us liberty. Thanks to everyone who took the decision to come to this Appleseed.  Hope to meet up with you all on the trail.  

IIT's, look for the Bowler, WI Instructor Boot Camp June 18, 19, 20.  ^:)^  PM Colycat, Deacon, or JoeZ.
..:..  ..:..  ..:..(these guys are like MN/WI blueberries)
"My primary objective is to change hearts and minds, for that is where the gaping hole in the hull of the USS America lies. I am looking to make a spark and praying that it will ignite, by their own will, into a bonfire in their hearts and souls."  PHenry

"Folks, this Appleseed thing doesn't work if we get a patch and go home. It doesn't work if we shoot a Rifleman score and remember the good times we had out on the range. It only works if we take that 7th Step and spread the 'seed. HUZZAH!!!"  Slim 


April 18-19, 2009  "The seeds of rifle marksmanship were sown in good ground.  In the end, then, every attendee walked away as an instructor for their friends, family, coworkers.  May you tend your patch in Liberty's garden well and through a long life."  Francis Marion

sparks1

 After taking Zach to Elk River last month, I remembered the "high" that javaguy talks about and that I missed it. I remember it kept me going for my 6 hr drive home from Leeds last year. Thankfully I can spend some time this year being part of a program that , honestly, stirs me to my soul. It is a great priveledge to be associated with the men and women that instruct AND attend Appleseed. Instructors that , to the core of their being, believe in our traditions and the principles that our great nation was founded on.
That being said. Oakdale rocked!! Thanks to the club for having us and kudos to Aftermath for running a fine event. I see many such events for Mn. coming and I see our instructor ranks swelling to handle the doubling of events in the time to come.
Integrity is easier to keep, than to regain.

The Truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great accomplishment. 
(John Maxwell)

Whisker

What brings together men liberated from local and national limitations is also what keeps them apart. What pushes for greater rationality is also what nourishes the irrationality of hierarchical exploitation and repression.  What creates society's abstract power also creates its concrete unfreedom.

javaguy

#7
These are grabs from hand-held video cam..  quality isn't there.. but it gives an idea

sparks1

Great pics Javaguy!!!!! I'm off for the weekend shoot up north. Gonna challenge some guys to shoot Appleseed. (See how their redcoats look)

Packing up my piles right now , just thoought i'd check in B4 I go.
Integrity is easier to keep, than to regain.

The Truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great accomplishment. 
(John Maxwell)

Sven

It was a great weekend at the Oakdale Gun Club, most of the precipitation on Saturday was solid, until it melted. The temperatures were in the upper 40's and low 50's so it was ideal for us of scandahoovian descent.  As always I believe that I get the most benefit from teaching at these events so I want to especially thank all the folks who came out to the club to participate in the weekend's event. It would appear that I underestimated the number of shooters we could put on the line, next time I think we'll go to 35 or possibly more.  Also, I'll try to get a weekend other than Mother's Day  ::)

Aftermath ran a totally excellent Appleseed event, no glitches, no major problems, we shot late on Saturday and got going on time Sunday and were able to get a lot of rounds down range.

It was good to see all the new and not so new IITs at this event, Minnesota really needs to improve on the number of red hat instructors available to teach at our proliferating shoots, and Martin you're absolutely welcomed to border raid any time you want to come play with us.  I really appreciate the heads up on creating the visual aids.  Greg (tc95gt?) another club member, was present as an IIT which was a pleasant surprise, hopefully together we'll be able to get an IBC set up here for sometime in November/December.


Java Guy the pictures are great, it is neat that these events are being documented like this, I just wish I could figure out who that old guy in my jacket is.  Also, I would like to thank Whisker for coming out to the range on Sunday to participate in the festivities.

I managed to plagiarize Sparks' very interesting Elk River presentation of DOM Samuel Whittemore, good to have other people doing the research for you, another cartridge added to my box. 

With Three new Riflemen added to Minnesota's ranks I hope to see another IIT or two soon, come on guys there is a nation to be saved ;)
"I was spotting one day and M2 was hitting baseball sized dirt clods at 300yds away. DON'T F/K with an old man with a Garand... " RED DAWN

AFTERMATH

Well, the rest of my report is up....At
I get kinda long-winded in the night/morning....
But I figure it pretty much covers it.  If not, well you shoulda been there. >:D
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

AFTERMATH

So, I just recalled that I came home with an extra item...
It's blue, and well vital to the Appleseed effort.
In fact, the owner is probably having some pretty rough mornings without it.
Send me a PM; and we'll negotiate its safe return.
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]