12 folks came out to face a week of June/July weather in North Carolina...
Had 10 of 12 make riflemen (in fairness, 4 were wearing the orange hat of an IIT--so they should have been ahead of the curve). Others were a writer from Philadelphia, a math prof. from Ohio, brothers from coastal NC, a cadet from Annapolis, a teacher from Illinois, a retired pilot from NC, and some other guy (sorry Ray, can't keep it all in my little noggin...).
In other words, a cross section of America. A picture of the people who make this country work. Your friends and neighbors.
They faced the heat, the humidity, and long days of shooting and classroom work to test themselves. Their equipment (one guy shot rifleman three time, with three different rifles...), their mettle, there basic core of what they are made of...
It was indeed a pleasure to hand out patches. That is one of the "cherry" jobs for a Red Hat, to shake someone's hand, look them in the eye, and give them the patch...
That little scrap of cloth that means so much...
All boot camps are good. The ones that I go to are better. Why? Because I get to spend time with my fellow Americans. I get to see the pride when they make the grade. The campfire talks. Passing on the Tradition.
Do. Something. Real.
"Here I stand, I can do no other..." Remember.
SoM
This was my first RBC and I loved it. What's better than spending a few nice sunny days shooting, learning, and meeting fellow patriotic Americans? Son of Martha did a great job with the instruction as well as the history. It was also nice to put a face to the name Fred and hear him speak.
Thank you: Fred and Son of Martha for challenging me. Thank you: Sgt. Joker, Tacti-Gal and The Kid for your help. Thank you shooters: for the campfire talks, jokes and encouragement. I hope you all will consider wearing an orange hat. I would like to work with you all someday.
If anyone reading this is considering attending an RBC, you really should. It was an experience I won't soon forget. The range and quality of instruction is top notch. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute of it. I only wish I could have stayed a few more days. I would have really enjoyed seeing all those patches handed out. You earned them, wear them with pride. Now round up some friends and family and get them to an Appleseed.
.
No worries Ron, I have a hard time keeping up with names and details sometimes myself. The important thing is what we accomplished during the boot camp. I am very glad I attended. The training was excellent and I was very impressed by the knowledge and expertise that the orange hats exhibited also. Every one of them will someday make a fine red hat.
Speaking of hats, my hat is off to you and Fred. Your knowledge of shooting and history (and your ability to articulate it) are impressive. It's one thing to be able to do something, it's quite another to be able to tell someone the steps so they can do it too. Add to that, the willingness and dedication to volunteer your time to do it. I am proud to have met both of you.
A little bit about my boot camp experience. In a nut shell, for me the most eye opening drills (no pun intended) were the star target drills that required you to get your NPA and then fire 5 shots with your eyes closed. That really drove home the importance of NPA. Even when you think you have a good NPA, you probably don't.
Another thing I enjoyed was shooting the AQT at full distance. It would be fun to spend a whole day on the long range. The pop ups were fun also. A little reward after all the hard work.
If anybody is wondering whether they should take a week and go to a boot camp, I can enthusiastically say, yes!
Cheers,
Ray
Ron,
Thanks you so much for serving as boss for this boot camp. As a participant, I found the week to be intense and challenging (as I expected), and deeply rewarding and enjoyable (as I'd hoped). Your leadership was outstanding, and your wealth of knowledge --- technical, historical, and philosophical --- was a great benefit to all. Again, thanks for your significant contribution of time and energy.
Personally, I advanced my marksmanship skills demononstrably, and took great satisfaction therein. I plan to take steps to continue to develop them. Thanks for the orange hat!
Also, thanks for those wonderful evening campfire discussions. As I indicated, I came to Boot Camp with this question: How does riflery fit into (what I understand to be) the broader, real purpose of Appleseed, which is to wake up our fellow Americans? Over the course of the week, I managed to substantially fill these blanks for myself. Maybe I'll post about that somewhere else on this forum.
To my camp-fellows: Greetings, gentlemen! Thanks once again for the great comraderie. Brad, David, Daryll, Andrew, Matthias, Lonnie, and Keaton --- I really enjoyed spending the week with you guys.
-Gordon.