I just wanted to shout out a thank you and a good bye to the riflemen and riflewomen of Project Appleseed who I have been blessed to meet over the past year.
I'm leaving tomorrow for the United States Merchant Marine Academy, on Long Island, to study maritime engineering, obtain a licence to operate merchant shipping vessels under the US flag, and a commission as an officer into the Navy Reserve as a mariner ready to be activated to Military Sealift Command in the event of war.
If God continues to direct my life the way he has been in making all this come together for me, I will probably elect to pursue another option available from the USMMA, as one of the five federal service academies: a commission as an active duty officer into any branch of the military. I'll have the opportunity to participate in training and preparatory programs for each branch (I'm hoping to make it into Air Assault or Airborne School, an option for my first summer). From that experience with each branch and an additional 12 months at sea training with the Navy and on merchant vessels as part of the four year program of the academy, I trust God to show me where He needs me and equip me to go there. O0
Midshipmen visit an average of 17 different countries before they complete Sea Year, so I'll be sure to get some pictures of the world for those riflemen among us, such as myself, who have never left our wonderful United States before ;D
From the first day of Indoctrination (July 2nd) through some point in April, I will be a "plebe" rather than a qualified "midshipman", and will have zero cell phone/ internet access outside of a weekly phone call to my amazing mom and dad, so in addition to being unable to work shoots I will have no digital access to Appleseed :'(
It's for a good cause though, and although I'll have to take a 4+ year break from conventional involvement with the program, I am and will always be a Rifleman for God and for Country :)
Thanks to everyone I had the pleasure of working with, particularly Unbridled Liberty, Slim, and DGMility for bringing me from a kid shooter, to a Rifleman, and into the program as an IIT.
I also want to especially thank the Indiana group who made this past October's Evansville Instructor KD day happen. That whole event was a milestone for me, conducting myself and travelling independent of my parents- they didn't tell me until months later, when Congressman Steve Chabot recognized my achievements and work within the program as one of the strongest aspects of my application package, that their choice to trust me on my own was a milestone for them as well. I totally got to promote AS at the banquet for students who were awarded the hard-competed-for Congressional Nomination required for *a chance* to even compete for admission to a service academy. I just had to make sure there was a picture of a Rifleman receiving a patch among all those football captains and Eagle Scouts in the slide show- we belong there too ;D
MudCat, BrianHeeter, Rayne, Techres, Kate, Slow2Speak, Spitfire, SPQR, Gruntsoldier, Melinda, and everyone else who participated in that event: thank you! O0
I'm very proud of my choice to involve myself in the program, for the AS mission and y'all who work for it are just hands down incredible folks. I'll get that red hat, and then green, it will just be several years. AS is going to be even more awesome when I'm back to bail, and by no means because of me haha ;)
Signing off with sincere thanks and encouragement,
RifleBen :---
Congrats! You will be missed on the trail.
Huzzah!
Fair winds and following seas Ben.
See you in a few years.
HH
Young brother you give me hope for the future. No joke. Your an awesome rifleman. Amazing American! God speed and good luck in all your future endeavors. Please remember the path you came from and what it has meant to you. It's easy to be led astray in the big picture.
It's been a pleasure to work with and know you sir! /salute!
Ben,
Congratulations! It is my distinct pleasure to have been there at your very first event, and it has been also been my pleasure to watch you progress on this forum. You are a great encouragement to me personally, and many others I'm sure, not only as a Rifleman, but also as a Christian. Be steadfast, and maintain your course and speed. O0 --Psalm 119
UL
The thanks goes the other way.
Best of luck, Ben. You are one squared away guy and you are placing your faith in God. You can't go wrong!
C ya,
brian
Remember, DON'T try to exchange shooting techniques with the DI until you qualify expert. #)
Huzzah.
Hey fellow engineer, just remember if you don't mind, it doesn't matter. Have fun at the merchant marine academy, it will never be mass maritime but what can do about that? Stay the course and enjoy you time at the academy. Will be the 4 years you will talk about for the rest of your life. Make, them count! Look forward to hearing about you butter bars in 4 years..
Fair winds and following seas.
3 class engineer signing out.
Now get on your face and give me twenty knob!!!!
Hehe, have fun
Ben I wish you good luck, I knew you were a fine young man the first time I met you. The reason why is because like in marksmanship you focus on the front sight in life you are focused on our lord Jesus Christ. Continue your focus young man and you will do well no matter where you dock at. Stay strong in your faith and we will hopefully cross paths again.
God's speed Sir!
Ben,
Best of luck to you and welcome to the neighborhood.
I grew up in the area of the MMA. Not sure now but it was known as Fort Schyler back in the day. Still may be.
Beautiful place. If you find some free time we run Appleseed Events right here on Long island. If your schedule allows please feel free to join us and continue your involvement in Project Appleseed with us.
If you'd need/want any info on the area just shoot me a PM and I'll give you my telephone number. We'll talk.
We also have another IIT from LI who's in the MMA right now. Maybe he could be of some help also.
Stay safe my friend.
Godspeed, Ben
Ben, we have not had the pleasure of sharing a line together but all I can say is it is my loss. Having read the other comments, clearly it would have been my honor to share a line with you. Thank you for stepping up for the country, we will be in your debt for your service. Thank you sir for answering the call of Liberty.
With fine young men like yourself, I am sure the future is in good hands. Stay steadfast in your faith in God and your duties and your future is bright. God bless you and keep you safe.
Corvette.
Was checking up on the Appleseed world and I found this :)
To anyone who doesn't know, Ben is my twin brother, my rifleman partner in liberty, and my best friend, a part of me since before birth.
Ben left before he would have had the chance to read any of this thread, but he'll be home for a few short days in November. I can tell you that he arrived safe and sound in NYC, and, although I haven't been able to have any contact with him, pictures of the USMMA's activities are posted everyday on a parents site, and my family will go through the hundreds of pictures every day and pick out and save every single one with Ben anywhere in it. In every picture I've seen of him, he looks happier than I've ever seen him, you can tell from the pics that he is doing great and already a leader in his group. This was his dream, or not so much his dream, as what he realized was God's path for him towards God's dreams for him in life, something Ben chases with passion and excitement.
Ben, when you do get to read this, you've only been gone a week but it is so boring here without you! Not a single soul around to talk riflecraft with for hours. Your bed is still in the corner, empty, your desk sitting there, with the rather messy remains of your packing still laying there, and there's your rifle sitting in the safe by mine, missing its rifleman. I found your metal cabinet in the basement, and had to laugh, at your neatly packed and fully loaded rifle equipment, LBE, cammies, and few spare sets of clothing. I was at the old house shooting yesterday, shot an AQT for me and an AQT for you. :--- As I'm sure is just about your primary concern at home, I'm taking care of your Saiga for you. Dude, don't know what you messed up last time you cleaned it, maybe just oiled it without washing out the 5.45 surplus corrosive junk all the way, but I took a look it the other day and sure enough, the muzzle brake was turning orange inside and there were a few flecks in the barrel too. Very out of character my friend. But rest assured, I cleaned her up very thoroughly for you. Maybe it's time to move on to windex instead of hose water? Used it on my rifle the other day and seemed to do a better, cleaner, drier job. I know we didn't talk much the days before you left, but that's just because I didn't know what to say, it's not easy to move on from all those summer days growing up playing army outside with wooden rifles from sun up to sun down, defending the Alamo, storming the beaches of Normandy, and running up to the top of the playset and aiming out into the field to hold off the Redcoats we both knew were out there. I always knew you had my back, would gladly fight side by side for the cause of Love and Liberty should the day come. I knew that if I fell you'd be there to save the day. It's lonely in ore ways than most could ever understand. But you are on your path, serving Christ in the world in ways few will ever get to. You'll always inspire me in life, both as an example, and someone and something that I know I can forever have absolute and total faith in. God uses you to show me that it really isn't impossible to trust someone so much, that this world isn't o dark, so far gone, to have such absolute faith in something. I can have even greater faith in Him because of you. I'll never be the last man standing, because I know you always stand with me.
When you read this, I should be seeing you in a few days as soon as I can get away from school. Check and make sure my rifle's all in order for me at home, will ya? ;)
Mauris semper. Fratres in aeternum. Non igitur solus.
:pics:
(http://s24.postimg.org/vfymc5akl/The_Zone.jpg)
Noah2A
I think you need to join us in August at Marion for our Appleseed. We will honor your brother's service and give you a chance to warm up some LTR's in the cause of Liberty.
We have plenty of room so I hope to see you at the Marion AS.
Corvette
I would love to, except I'll be out of town every weekend in August!
Thanks for the kind words, Ben! Sorry I didn't see your post sooner.
Let us know when you're back in the area! Can't wait to see the pics!