After Action Report Tulsa April 2-21 2013
Release the hounds, let the posting begin.
I was honored to be apart of the 238th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord Appleseed Event this past weekend. I believe we had over 35 shooters come out and spend their weekend learning rifle marksmanship, their heritage, and their Liberty. Couldn't have asked for better weather too. This was the second event that I helped instruct as a new IIT Orange hat.
We had an excellent turn out Saturday. After the Redcoat and some squares, I could really tell that people were catching on quickly. I brought my Dad and my cousin out and noticed that their shooting improved greatly in a short amount of time. At 3:00 pm we had the whole line do a 13 shot volley in honor of the first 13 Patriots that sacrificed their lives on April 19, 1775. After that, we got busy shooting AQT's, with one shooter making Rifleman before the day was done. :---
Sunday was a great day as well, people were really starting to get a handle of what we taught them in the short amount of time as their targets improved more and more each AQT. We managed to make another Rifleman Sunday too! In the afternoon, a few shooters and I with center fire rifles managed to get to the full distance range and shoot an AQT there which was awesome. I discovered that I have to practice and get acquainted a bit more with my M1A. :cool2:
My Dad and my cousin just wanted to thank everyone who were involved in this event. This was their first Appleseed. They were both impressed on how professional the instructors were and knowledge they received. Both of them are itching to get that Rifleman patch so they said they will definitely be back! I just wanted to thank my mentors Daniel, Will, Tom, and Al for guiding me this weekend and keeping me on my toes. I came away with many things to think on as I journey to become a Red Hat. Thank you USSA for the beautiful range and facilities, hope we can make this a regular stop. See you all at Afton!
Patriots
An excellent group of Patriots and shooters turned out. I believe there were four shooters under the age of ten. A half-value wind of 10-20 mph on both days was the only thing that kept the weather from being near perfect. Everyone received instructions well, especially the Redhats. We are proud of all who attended, and hope to see everyone at Afton in June.
We cannot adequately express how proud we are of this father/daughter team; 9 year-old Alex and her Dad. They persisted all day, both days, "eating dirt, and sweating bore solvent". Though the instructors watched them closely, they required almost no help. Under Dads direction, Alex performed all the duties of a Rifleman herself. She prepped, loaded, fired, and made that rifle "Safe" all by herself!...while getting a lot of good hits. Way to go, Alex and Dad!
Our Riflemen of the weekend, Wade and Mike, and their handsome instructors. Wade qualified Saturday afternoon, and Mike persisted until the next to last AQT on Sunday to join the ranks of Riflemen. Good going at your first Appleseed, Wade and Mike! We hope to see you in Afton,Ok in June to receive those Orange Hats!
Well of course RHI receive instructions well.
A Rifleman never stops learning. %)
Quote from: TomCat on April 23, 2013, 06:44:13 PM
An excellent group of Patriots and shooters turned out. I believe there were four shooters under the age of ten. A half-value wind of 10-20 mph on both days was the only thing that kept the weather from being near perfect. Everyone received instructions well, especially the Redhats. We are proud of all who attended, and hope to see everyone at Afton in June.
I too thought this was an excellent weekend. The students all appeared to have a very solid grasp, and dedication to, safety above all else. Maybe part of that was because of me: as this was my first weekend doing Orange Hat duty, safety was my primary- and perhaps overboard (if that's possible)- focus the whole weekend. I definitely learned a ton from hats both Orange and Red, and am glad to have made the next IIT level. :)
Let's try to remember that if we get to have a shoot there at the 360 range again, that we have them set the targets nearer to the middle of the circle so that a) we can accommodate more targets/shooters, and b) don't require as much walking to/from the range. :P
I do truly regret having to leave at lunchtime on Sunday. I would've loved to see the second Rifleman awarding- not to mention getting a chance to shoot the real distances! There's always Thunderbird range for that though, I suppose... O0
PS
That was totally awesome when Henschman demonstrated the hasty-sling, and when someone asked to see it in slow-motion, he actually DID it in slow motion. :bow:
It motivated me to practice that in case that ever gets requested whenever I demo that move! ;)
I was honored to have my first shoot as an IIT be the April 19th shoot. It was also pretty nice to have it at my home range. I was happy to see so many young shooters in attendance. It says a great deal about their parents that they were there. Three of my regular training partners were present with their kids, sharing in the awakening that is the mission of Appleseed. Kudos to all who persisted and to our two new Riflemen. Congratulations, gents.
As with every Appleseed event where I was a shooter, I learned a great deal at this shoot as an IIT. Seeing the line from this new perspective was an awakening. I am thankful to our Red Hats and to the other IITs for their guidance. Can't wait for the next shoot.
This was my second Appleseed and my last qualification to become and IIT. As everyone has said, it was a great learning experience. I'm looking forward to helping to teach and learn more. The weekend couldn't have been more pleasant for working on marksmanship. I look forward to seeing everyone at Afton.
Kevan
It was an honor to be on the firing line with all of you. Thanks to all instructors who helped out -- you guys were great. Shooters, your persistence and attention to safety made it an outstanding shoot. Thank you to everybody for participating in the Memorial Volley. I can't imagine a more fitting tribute to the heroes of April 19, 1775.
It sure is good to have some new blood in the instructor corps. I am very much looking forward to working with you all again soon. See you in Afton!
Daniel