Muenster, TX AAR April 20-21 2024

[AF5US]

The Muenster, TX crew is pleased to report that this was a Patriot's Day event to remember!

Our April event was a private event for a Trail Life troupe - a group of young Christian men, similar to Boy Scouts.  We have done multiple events with Trail Life troupes in the past, and it is always a pleasure - but this weekend, their grit really shined through.

There was rain Saturday.  No, strike that - there was nothing BUT rain Saturday.  Well, even that's not entirely true - there was rain Saturday, and a small pond developing in front of the target line.  I was very grateful to have remembered my knee-high rain boots.  It had been decided leading up to the event that these young men were wanting to give it a go if at all possible, so we were happy to run with it as long as there was no lightning.  This was a real concern, as there was actually heavy lightning up until about 7 a.m.  Nevertheless while the rain never really stopped, the lightning did and we were a go.  The range owner, in his infinite wisdom, provides a firing line with an overhead which certainly helped - but these young men were nevertheless getting wet.  Despite this, we had a fantastic first day with everything one would expect from Project Appleseed.  After a thorough review of the safety plan and procedures, we covered the 6 steps to firing the shot, the steady hold factors, NPOA, IMC and more.  We decided to crowd into the heated classroom for the three strikes, and the men were very involved.  Now I'm SURE that their willingness had nothing to do with the heat / climate control - but it probably didn't hurt  Honestly what REALLY stood out though, is that these young men spent 8 hours in some rough weather and NONE of the instructors ever heard a SINGLE complaint from ANYONE.  It was very encouraging to see that there are some fine young men in America made of some tough stuff.

What a difference a day makes - 24 little hours, and the sun was shining and the birds were singing.  Sure there was some mud, but the pond in front of the target line even went away.  After a review of the safety plan and procedures, ScottInTX immediately delivered the Prudence Cummings Wright story and Patriot's Day patches were delivered.  After delivering the world-famous "Project Appleseed in 10(ish) Minutes" review, it was on to a few drills before jumping into an AQT - which the young men were happy to engage in, while participating in some friendly competition.  Sunday saw us alternating between AQTs and then telling a Dangerous Old Man / Brave Woman story accompanied with a firing line drill to address where people might be struggling the most.  Of course it wouldn't be a day 02 event without a discussion of Known Distance topics at lunch, and then back on the line.  This continued until 3 p.m. local time when we were honored to participate in the Patriot's Day Memorial Volley, and join the other men, women and children across America at other events doing the exact same thing.  Then it was time for a final AQT and a Hits Count target, before a brief benediction and bidding the men "until next time." 

The benediction that the shoot boss delivers is frequently varied, due in no small part to an effort to deliver a meaningful benediction based on the current group and / or current events.  In this case, the words of the special Patriot's Day shirt - We Are Descended From Dangerous Men - kept bringing up thoughts of Edward R. Murrow's speech.  The benediction was largely a combination of an excerpt of Mr. Murrow's speech and Mr. Percy's, "Those who look upon them as an irregular mob" line.
"We are not descended from dangerous men"
"We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities."
Little wonder that while many had not heard or read Mr. Murrow's speech before, it was well received.  It just meshed too well with the Project Appleseed spirit.  One participant even asked for a copy of the quote, which was happily provided.

So yes - all in all, an event to remember and the entire local cadre looks forward to the next occasion to work with these fine young men.

[AF5US]

Group pic

[ScottInTX]

A great weekend with a group of fine young men.  To AF5US's point, after laying in the cold, wet ground all day, there were zero complaints heard.  They policed up any refuse before going to camp out in their tents.  Their persistence was rewarded with as picture perfect weather as you could have asked for on Sunday.