The Saint Augustine AS was such an outstanding event that I hardly know where to begin. The summer heat was almost unbearable, and yet we had a large turnout of very enthusiastic students eager to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship and the message of Liberty. We had the use of two large awnings that the Florida students donated to the program several months ago, and several other awnings were also brought, affording shade for at least many of our students. Yet there were some people at either end of the Line who had to endure the 112 degrees (measured) of direct sun all day. Not one instructor heard a word of complaint all day, a wonderful tribute to the stalwart students who would not be deterred. Although we provided 24 gallons of ice water each day, the lack of a nearby Porta-Potty Saturday deterred some students from drinking a more liberal amount of water (Sunday the range was able to get us closer facilities, something that we had to share with a nearby group on Saturday).
Twenty-five students came on Saturday. All but three returned Sunday, and in addition, we had one Sunday-only student. The instructors were most impressed by the mental toughness and persistence of our students, including some rather young children. Our students were truly an inspiration. Not only did they persist through the impressive heat, but there was a great deal of improvement as the day wore on Saturday. The good student-teacher ratio (there were seven instructors) allowed a fair amount of one-on-one instruction, and by the end of Saturday, broad smiles indicated that much progress had been made.
The instructors had a most productive After Action Report Saturday evening, and the Course of Instruction was altered somewhat Sunday to include some fine suggestions. Smokingun established a mini ginsmithing office at the end of Line and was able to "tune" a number of rifles that were obviously less than an ideal "fit" to their owners. 9mm4545 suggested the last Hits Count! target Sunday be modified to a Volley for Liberty. Rambo Granny suggested some physical modifications that made the shoot more pleasant for the ladies. Several instructors suggested the awnings be moved apart a short distance to accommodate all our shooters at least part of the day and prevent any one person from being exposed to the sun all day. Special thanks to BSHRADER for driving all the way down from Florence, South Carolina to give his Florida brothers and sisters a hand. Also to Theri, Flawyer, 9mm4545 and Rambo Granny for coming to the range Friday afternoon for the arduous task of putting up the Line and the two large awnings. Please forgive my failing to mention all the invaluable contributions of all our instructors. To do so completely would take the rest of the day. It was an honor and pleasure to work with such a stellar crew, and to teach such a magnificent group of students. Thanks also to Chuck, Missy, and Ken of Ancient City Gun Range for their outstanding cooperation and the use of their beautiful range. All in all, a magnificent weekend!
Dr John
I can't thank you and the GREAT group on instructors enough for all the help and guidance you gave me with the shooting aspects of the course! Even more I'd like to thank ya'll for making me stop and think about the first real Patriots that gave all. I can't wait for my next Apple Seed Event. There is one up here in SC in October, but I don't know if I can wait that long.
Hope to see you on the trail
Will Walker
Will, you are always welcome in Florida! We are hoping to heat it up a notch with an upcoming shoot in Bunnell in July. (Lose weight fast by sweating it off with Appleseed!)
I believe that DrJohn pegged it by saying that this was an outstanding event. It most certainly was. When I contrast the performance and grit of the determined folks who came out in the brutally hot weather to people I know who stay home on the sofa because "it is too hot", well, I am filled with admiration and pride for the former and pity for the latter. But when I contrast my humble efforts to those of say, Isaac Davis or Samuel Prescott, then I realize that I have a long way to go before I can fill their shoes.
For all who now consider themselves Appleseeders, be advised that there is an Appleseed Picnic coming up on July 3rd at Manatee Gun Club in Myakka City, FL. This is not an official Appleseed event (although there is a 1000 yard range, which will be open) but rather a chance to get together with like minded friends for conversation, conviviality, and some great food. Seems to me like a rather good way to celebrate our national Independence Day and I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Wow. What an honor to have so many young patriots who were genuinely interested in the history. So often I have found myself making phone calls & faxes to elected officials and wondering if I were the only one "working" for liberty as so often the phone lines would NOT be busy...a bad sign in my book. Watching the determined patriots at the St Augustine event both young and old, I am very encouraged that there are indeed patriots of multiple generations standing behind me! It was an extreme honor to be chosen to present the rifleman patch to Will who shot the "score" at 231. I know he will indeed be 7th stepping to awaken more sleeping patriots to their duty for Lady Liberty.
Especially heart warming was the comment by one of the shooters who just had to tell me how much he appreciated the guy shooting next to him who "chose to be an American" (naturalized legal citizen) while he was merely born an American. Tears streamed down his cheeks and mine too. Words cannot express that special moment. The shooter also surprised me by saying he was impressed by the physical shape of even our older instructors and was inspired to improve his own health. He will be back to more appleseeds in improved health. Does it get any better than this? Well, yes. The shooter's son I worked with came up at the end of the event to shake my hand and say "thank you Rambo Granny." Indeed I was paid well this event.
This weekend has made me even more of a believer in what appleseed than before. We had a couple drive all the way up from Homestead, a journey of 5 hours, because there were no events closer to them, and despite the drive, the heat, and malfunctioning equipment, the two of them maintained a fantastic attitude. Over all the line was filled with great attitudes and good people, and a group of instructor I really like working with.
Well a little bit late, But Yes as always I had a lot of Fun at this Event, Brought Frank to His First Appleseed, He took to it like a Fish to water, I expect a Lot from this Young Man.
A Very Big Thank You to All thAppleseeded Instructors, at this Event, Dr John, Douglas34474, BSHRADER,Rambo Granny, Bruce 9mm4545, Theri, Glen, and Smoak for making this a Safe and Enjoyable event.
Saturday morning I noted that a Young Man Shooting next to Me seemed to be having Problems with His Hearing and Eye protection, I asked Rambo Granny if She could assist Him and She spent a good portion of the Day helping Him.
Saint Augustine is a Very Nice Event, Easy to get to, easy to find, and the Hotels are only a few minutes away, as are the restaurants.
For some strange reason I think I will be attending the Event again soon!
You also see some of the Oddest things on the way to an Appleseed event
More pictures!