Warm dry and clear weather made for a wonderful time on the range celebrating Patriots Day. Our numbers were small but the engagement was strong and the marksmanship improved quickly. Our youngest shooter Nora at age 12 had broken her support arm some weeks prior and was still wearing a brace but that didn't stop her. She showed what true grit looks like! Sebastian, age 27, was a quick study and by the end of the day on Saturday went from a maximum effective range of 100 yards to clearing the Redcoat target. Gary, our oldest shooter at the tender age of 78, was a serious student of marksmanship and he too cleared the final Redcoat of Saturday! Nora skipped the final Saturday Redcoat as her arm had had enough by then so we ended up with 100% of our shooters clearing the last target on Saturday! Huzzah! While the advances in marksmanship were fantastic, the remembrance of a chilly morning in New England over 2 and a half centuries ago as told in the Three Strikes made for a somber reflection on how truly unique and remarkable this country is and how much was sacrificed in order to form a "more perfect Union".
Sunday morning came all too quickly for sore bodies but nobody throttled back and it was full steam ahead. Gary couldn't make it on Sunday but Mike, a Blue Hat from the Villages, joined us for some range time and to help commemorate April 19th. Drills, AQTs, more drills, and more AQTs made the day fly by and before long we were ready for the Memorial Volley for the Fallen. Mike J., aka Red Feather, broke out his M1 Garand to add emphasis to a stirring tribute. Mike also offered a chance to shoot that old warhorse and both Sebastian and young Nora took him up on it. Very cool! At the end of the day our tired and sweaty congregation was able to return home knowing that they actually did something to preserve Liberty. It was a glorious day for America!
As always I offer endless thanks to both the volunteers who gave up their weekend to help but also to Flagler Gun Club for their gracious hosting of Appleseed.
Link to pictures. https://www.flickr.com/photos/200169937@N08/shares/2K0N9L0whK