Here is the start of an After Action Report for the March 1st/April 1st event held at Escondido California with a few details, more to follow tomorrow:
We had 42 wonderful students attending this weekend's event at the Escondido Fish & Game Association Range in So Cal. Congratulations to California's 5 newest riflemen:
Scott H, "Earthman 92" on the forum with a 212
Mark Ewith a 217 then a 220
Andy H with a 222, Bolt-Action
Veronica H with a 211
George S with a 220, Bolt Action
We have lots of photos to share and stories to tell, and hope to hear from many of the participants, so get posting folks!
Mark
4Posterity
Whoo hoo congratulations to our new Riflemen O0
I sure missed out on the sunday portion of this excercise in American liberty.
It was a pleasure and honor to have met each of you . Every person had the heart of an American RIFLEMAN.
Thanx to 4 Posterity for running this very fun event .
looking forward to pic's and post's
I had a great time this weekend. It was nice to have an event so close to home. Congratulations to the new Riflemen. :bow: My scores are improving and I believe I may be joining you soon.
Did anyone else notice Range Cat's preference for sitting on Priuses? Is it an environmentally conscious cat? Why not sit on the Leaf then?
See you all in Rainbow.
Glenn
Hi Mark,
thanks for running another great event. Keeping it fun is what it's all about. I had a great time talking to others and improving my overall Rifleman score!
There are few things more enjoyable than an Appleseed weekend! This weekend was especially fun for me because I was on the instructor side of the line.
Thanks to 4Posterity for running such a great shoot!
Presenters, you did awesome. Every time I hear the stories I take away something new.
Red Hats, you were a constant source of information for me. Thanks for your patience!
To all my fellow orange hats, you are a great group of people to work with. I can't wait to do it again!!
To our new Riflemen, welcome to the club! Put on the orange hat. You'll love it.
One last 'thanks' to my two young shooters, Erin and Renee. You girls rocked! I hope to see you and your families at another event real soon.
What a great time we had this weekend at our first Appleseed event in Escondido!!
EVERYTHING was better than advertised by friends. The instructors were knowledgeable, friendly and fun-loving to a person. The red hats were passionate about the instruction and the Appleseed message, to preserve our Constitutional rights and freedoms.
My wife was a bit nervous at the start, as she has had little exposure to firearms. She thoroughly enjoyed both days and improved significantly over the 2 days. Great job to all that gave of their time and expertise.
Thanks Stormn Norm for all the good info you provided on the purchase of a rifle for my wife.
Mark - 4Posterity, you ran a phenomenal event!! Also, great job bringing to life Revolutionary War stories. You put faces to so many that earned our freedom with great sacrifice.
Many thanks to all the red and orange hats!!
Thanks to all you Appleseeders who supported us attendees this weekend. Mark did an outstanding job of leading and teaching (both mentally and physically). He and his team were knowledgeable, perfectly dispositioned, and really passed on the spirit of the event well.
I was very excited to attend with my 10 year old son, David. He lasted most of the first day, but we wore him out! He had a great time and I hope to have him out again soon.
This being my first Appleseed event, I had never tried to shoot for score. The high quality training and the left-handed bolt action Marlin Mark let me use turned out to be an awesome combination as I scored Rifleman Sunday afternoon. Good breathing and very Zen like. Just as Mark described!
Thanks again to all. See you at another event soon.
George S
Sorry, I mis-stated. The rifle Mark loaned me was a very nice Savage lefty bolt action. MkII, I think. Thanks Mark!
WOW! It was another awesome Appleseed event and my first Appleseed not at Rainbow. It was great fun seeing how it's done at a different Range.
Mark, as usual, was a phenomenal shoot boss. And, I always love being part of the team and spending time with the red hats and my fellow orange hats. Richard - thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone.
We had an extraordinary group of students... all eager, open and willing. Great progress was made by all. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS goes out to George, Mark, Scott, Andy & Veronica. I look forward to seeing each of you with an orange hat.
Jeremy - Remember: A Rifleman perseveres.
See you at Rainbow in a few weeks.
Debby
As Promised here are the photo's from this shoot, Great Meeting all of you.
Part 2 of the photo's
We want to send our thanks again to ALL the instructors for their time, patience, training, and history.
ErinsMom is now super comfortable with the 10/22. Erin is also coming up to speed. I'm going to search for a youth stock. I have a funny feeling after this weekend Erins Crickett is on the fast track to retirement, until she has posterity to share it with!
Big kudos to 502_GRRRL for spending so much time with Erin, just like a personal coach. Without it, Erin would not have had such a great time.
I'm sure we will be back as soon as we can book an open event close to home.
4Posterity, we really enjoyed the presentations. If you can post the titles of the books you mentioned that would be great.
See you all at an event real soon.
ErinsDad
Joe
Here are the final installment of the photo's. I look forward to seeing you all at the next shoot.
Appleseed-Escondido was so much fun and worthwhile!
I knew I was going to be sore when I went to bed Saturday night, but it was a good kinda sore, ya know. It was the 'earned' soreness which comes from accomplishing something important.
It was only my second time on a shooting range (first time was last year for basic handgun), and only my first time with a rifle this last weekend. It's taken 2 decades to finally get me on a range since I was very much an gun-control advocate for many years. My husband has been very supportive of my recent interest in marksmanship and the American history surrounding it. Times, they are a-changin'.
I definitely want to organize an Appleseed homeschool-ers class. Just give me the details on what is required by the RWVA!
Thank you to the shoot boss (Mark, that was so wrong of you to trick me into introducing myself first), the model (I've got to get back into yoga), orange hats, red hats, blue hats; did I miss any hats? I sincerely appreciate all of you, your time, commitment, knowledge and efforts. It was also a pleasure to meet my fellow-Appleseeders.
Until we meet again,
Sheila
Quote from: gdunham3 on April 02, 2012, 04:30:13 AM
I had a great time this weekend. It was nice to have an event so close to home. Congratulations to the new Riflemen. :bow: My scores are improving and I believe I may be joining you soon.
Did anyone else notice Range Cat's preference for sitting on Priuses? Is it an environmentally conscious cat? Why not sit on the Leaf then?
See you all in Rainbow.
Glenn
Glenn **)
it's possibile range cat was aware of the german shepard club wanted far away from those vehicles :D
or it could have been attracted to the NRA stickers on the Prius ;D cats are smart too , like german shepards.
Thanx to all who posted and the pic's are great O0
I second ErinsDad's request to get a list of the books Mark "4Posterity" brought on Saturday. Thanks
Mark E
Third, requesting for Mark's booklist!
Hi Richard and Mark,
Not sure who to contact directly about Rainbow and availability at the June shoot -- both April and June are sold out -- but thought I'd ask you both: Any chance of cancellations/space available the weekend of the June Rainbow shoot, maybe adding onto a waiting list, and will there be another Escondido shoot this year?
Thank you much,
Sheila
I want to thank all the students for giving us such a great shoot. You guys really make or break these events, and this event was outstanding! I hope to see all of you on the line again very soon.
Congratulations to all the new riflemen! I would urge you once again to seriously consider becoming an instructor. You all know how important the message and mission of Appleseed is, and it cannot continue without people like you stepping up and making a difference. Please feel free to contact me (or any of the instructors) by email or forum message if you would like to talk more about this.
I want to thank Leonidas for his very prompt, succinct and gentle corrections of my mistakes as an instructor.
Richard, it was an honor to meet you and work with you. I hope to be able to come up and work a few shoots for you later in the year.
Mark, thank you for all the help and encouragement with presenting the history, and for setting the tone for a really fun weekend.
I wanted to share this quote that I ran across this morning in Paul Revere's Ride: "The struggle of people against power, is the struggle of memory against forgetting." (Milan Kundera) This was the battle that Revere, Davis, Barrett, Parker and the rest were fighting that day in 1775, and this is the battle we need to continue to fight on a daily basis.
Know what you are about, and Persist.
Quote from: eggsNrice on April 03, 2012, 03:04:51 PM
Hi Richard and Mark,
Not sure who to contact directly about Rainbow and availability at the June shoot -- both April and June are sold out -- but thought I'd ask you both: Any chance of cancellations/space available the weekend of the June Rainbow shoot, maybe adding onto a waiting list, and will there be another Escondido shoot this year?
Thank you much,.
Sheila
Are there any other s available ,like corona , sunland or piru?
Also , maybe dulzura could be available .
Nice thing about Appleseed , wherever you go , your with extended family
There seems to be plenty of spots available at Glen Helen the end of April. From Escondido it is probably a 1.75 hour drive. Corona would be a .5 hr closer.
I made Rifleman at Glen Helen, nice range.
Sorry I got sick and couldn't make the shoot...............steve
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Thanks for leading another great shoot Mark. My second Appleseed and this time I brought family to feel the pain with me! It is very encouraging to see the improvement in my shooting from the first shoot and now. The history lesson is so interesting and relevant in today's uncertain political environment. If we don't know our freedoms we will loose them.
^:)^ Having my 14 year daughter, Renee, here shooting with me was way cool! And now when I talk to my Mark about shooting at Appleseed he is on the same page with me. What a great family adventure.
Hi Michele, Bella said to say hi!
I had a great time and I can't wait to go to another Appleseed event. This was my second event and I brought an old friend to share the fun and knowledge. I have at least 2 more relatives that I plan to bring to my next event. ^:)^
The instructors were all awesome. :bow: They all were very interested in helping me improve and made sure that I did not get too frustrated. My score went from 133 to 197. I'm getting closer to a Rifleman's score and I'm getting more motivated to practice more often.
I also really enjoyed the history presentations. The instructors really helped make it come alive in my brain and makes me continue to be proud of or heritage. ..:..
Quote from: eggsNrice on April 03, 2012, 03:04:51 PM
Hi Richard and Mark,
Not sure who to contact directly about Rainbow and availability at the June shoot -- both April and June are sold out -- but thought I'd ask you both: Any chance of cancellations/space available the weekend of the June Rainbow shoot, maybe adding onto a waiting list, and will there be another Escondido shoot this year?
Thank you much,
Sheila
Sheila,
Unfortunately last weekend's event was the only date we have at the Escondido Fish and Game Association range for this year. We'd like to do more events there, and are trying to figure out how to work that out.
I'll try to check on the actual enrollment at the Rainbow event in June and get back to you. We have limited space at Rainbow and only have 20 available spots for each event. There just isn't any way to pack more students onto the line. Fortunately they do host an event every other month.
Mark
Well, you all asked for it, so here is my list of suggested reading, in the order I recommend them:
Paul Revere's Ride
Author- David Hackett Fischer. Very easy reading, almost like reading a novel. This is the primary source of the information presented in the Appleseed history lessons. Probably the best place to start for learning about the American Revolution.
War on the Run, the Epic Story of Robert Rogers and the Conquest of America's First Frontier. Author- John Ross
Another very good read. Robert Rogers and his "Rangers" changed the face of warfare in America during the French and Indians War (Seven Year's War), but the book goes far beyond just Rogers story.
Crucible of War, the Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America 1754-1766. Author- Fred Anderson
Very much a heavy history book, but this should be required reading for anyone who wants to know how our country started. This is a slow read packed with facts and details that you will not have likely heard elsewhere. Did you know that the first true "World War" was started by an inexperienced Militia Officer who lost control of his Indian Allies on the Western Frontier? Not the usual story you read of regarding George Washington.
The Minute Men The First Fight: Myths and Realities of The American Revolution
Author- John R. Galvin
Sort of an old-school coverage of the true nature of the Colonial Militia, the Minute Companies/Minutemen, and what they were about.
Lexington and Concord, the beginning of the war of the American Revolution
Author- Arthur B. Tourtellot
Very much a traditional, chronological, fact-filled coverage of the events surrounding the battles at Lexington and Concord.
1776 David McCullough. The story or the War and how George Washington persevered and held together is rag-tag army throughout 1776.
John Adams. David McCullough. The book behind the HBO series. This book takes you into the minds of John Adams and other key participants in the political side of the War for Independence. Read what our forefathers were actually thinking and writing.
The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams. Edited by Lester J. Cappon
Another one of the books that revisionist historians hate. The personal letters between John and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Again, read what our founders were thinking as laid out in their own words.
Fusiliers, the Saga of a British Redcoat Regiment in the American Revolution
Mark Urban. The revolution from the vantage of a British Soldier. Hint- they didn't see it quite the same way we did.
Liberty's Daughters, the Revolutionary Experience of American Women, 1750-1800 Author- Mary Beth Norton
The Letters of John and Abigail Adams
Edited by Frank Shuffelton
Journal of a Revolutionary War Woman. Judith E. Greenberg and Helen Cary McKeever. Covers the effects of the Revolutionary War on the non-combatants.
There are many other very worthwhile books regarding the American Revolution, but these will give you a good start.
Mark
Thank you for responding, Richard & Mark. I'll keep checking for future Rainbow shoots.
In the meantime, Mark, I've got 19-20 homeschool families interested in attending an Appleseed historical presentation (w/o marksmanship), which translates to about 40-50 attendees. Depending on location, date, time and cost, half will more likely confirm their attendance, but I've organized events when 100% show.
There are several families who are also interested in participating in a Shoot. Is there someone at the Escondido range I could contact and ask about allowing another AS shoot there, or at least host the homeschoolers there? It wouldn't hurt to ask, and I have no qualms about asking.
Appreciatively,
Sheila
OK, so some of you looked at my book list and fainted. Well, there are alternatives to reading, especially for those of you who commute and have time to listen to audio tapes.
There is a company named "The Great Courses" that produce very high-quality audio recordings of lectures given by some of the best University-level lecturers in the country. Each course is about 12 to 18 half-hour lectures. They are available on CD, DVD, or by electronic down-load. I have them on my IPhone/IPod and listen to them when driving.
Their topics cover an incredible range, but include a lot of history lectures that are easy to listen to, yet convey a tremendous amount of information.
I strongly suggest "Before 1776: Life in the American Colonies". Many public libraries are offering these courses on CD.
There are several other very good lecture series covering the Revolutionary War period and the founding of our Country.
Each course is offered on sale at least once each year.
See their website at:
http://www.thegreatcourses.com
Before 1776 page:
http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=8510
Mark
Cool! Thanks for the book list. I'll check the libraries to see if any of the books are audio-books too.
Quote from: MaKettle v2.0 on April 05, 2012, 01:25:53 AM
Mark, I've got 19-20 homeschool families interested in attending an Appleseed historical presentation (w/o marksmanship), which translates to about 40-50 attendees. Depending on location, date, time and cost, half will more likely confirm their attendance, but I've organized events when 100% show.
There are several families who are also interested in participating in a Shoot. Is there someone at the Escondido range I could contact and ask about allowing another AS shoot there, or at least host the homeschoolers there? It wouldn't hurt to ask, and I have no qualms about asking.
Appreciatively,
Sheila
Sheila-
We can arrange a history presentation as you have described. Generally called a LibrarySeed, we can tailor this kind of presentation to your audience. There is no cost for such an event from our side of things. We are all volunteers here!
Depending on where the event is held, we may be able to include some characters in period attire with full accouterments.
As far as getting the Escondido Fish and Game Association to host an event for a large home-school group, I think we may want to ask "Passinthru", one of our instructors, to weigh in. He is very active in the club and generally know how to navigate around their system. A lot would depend on when and what day of the week you would like to have an event, and the group size. Mid-week events are easier on the ranges due to demand for range-time, but often more difficult for students and instructors. I would like to think that any range would give serious consideration to hosting an event for an organized school group.
Depending on the group size, the Rainbow Range (L.E. Duncans Rainbow Range and Shooting Club) may be an option as well. They are very dedicated supporters of the RWVA and the Appleseed Project.
We can take this out of the AAR for more discussion.
Mark
There's also a (free!) Yale University course on the American Revolution available on YouTube:
http://oyc.yale.edu/history/hist-116 (http://oyc.yale.edu/history/hist-116)
My wife (American Amazon) and I are now through 10 of the 25 lectures, and really enjoying it. Lots of pre-1775 background that's helpful in setting the stage for Lexington and Concord.
(I know I picked up the link to this somewhere on the forum, but heaven knows where any more, so I don't know who to credit.)
For a quick review ,check out the bill of rights ,as Mark said they were written because of what the english did. Mark's EXCELENT history presentaion covered those well.
The declaration of independce was a death sentance for all who signed it --The authors told the source of rights and the purpose of govt. It is easily available too.
The midnight ride of Paul Revere by Longfellow --captures the spirit very well.
Has some great imagery too,.
The above are not meant as substitutes ,but an easy transitiion into more detailed sudiies.
good reading folks and thanx again for your american spirit O0
Quote from: 4Posterity on April 05, 2012, 01:40:15 AM
Quote from: MaKettle v2.0 on April 05, 2012, 01:25:53 AM
Mark, I've got 19-20 homeschool families interested in attending an Appleseed historical presentation (w/o marksmanship), which translates to about 40-50 attendees. Depending on location, date, time and cost, half will more likely confirm their attendance, but I've organized events when 100% show.
There are several families who are also interested in participating in a Shoot. Is there someone at the Escondido range I could contact and ask about allowing another AS shoot there, or at least host the homeschoolers there? It wouldn't hurt to ask, and I have no qualms about asking.
Appreciatively,
Sheila
Sheila-
Depending on the group size, the Rainbow Range (L.E. Duncans Rainbow Range and Shooting Club) may be an option as well. They are very dedicated supporters of the RWVA and the Appleseed Project.
Mark
Sheila (& Mark),
Rainbow Range will definitely be able to accomodate a weekday Appleseed event for home schoolers. A weekend is difficult. Maybe we can do a one day event. If a one day weekend event interests you, let me know & we can discuss.
Debby
Chiming in a little late, but wanted to thank everyone of the volunteers and most especially the many of you who helped our family with loaned rifles and slings and special attention to help us learn the techniques. It is a credit to your program that despite the cold my 9yo participated in all of it save for a few minutes relief in the car. We can't wait to attend the homeschool event(s) that Shiela is setting up.
I don't know if it's possible, but one challenge I can see with Rainbow is for homeschool moms to get their kids up and loaded and all the way to Rainbow by 8:30. Even just a half hour later might seem a lot more doable.
Thanks again!
Shireen
I second the vote of approval. I can't say enough about the quality of the program and friendliness of the instructors. I had an Awesome time. Can't wait for my second Appleseed. 8)