News:

We need volunteers in sales, marketing, PR, IT, and general "running of an organization." 
Maximize your Appleseed energy to make this program grow, and help fill the empty spots
on the firing line!  An hour of time spent at this level can have the impact of ten or a
hundred hours on the firing line.  Want to help? Send a PM to Monkey!

Main Menu

Chugiak, AK June 8 & 9 2013

Started by fisherdawg, June 11, 2013, 07:44:09 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

fisherdawg

This is a placeholder.  Please post your comments and your pictures here.
fisherdawg ;D
If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. (James Madison)

"Young man, what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: we always had governed ourselves and we always meant to. They didn't mean we should."
(Captain Levi Preston, of the Danvers militia, at age 91, remembering the day)

That it is an indispensable duty which we owe to God, our country, ourselves and posterity, by all lawful ways and means in our power to maintain, defend and preserve those civil and religious rights and liberties, for which many of our fathers fought, bled and died, and to hand them down entire to future generations.  Suffolk Resolves, September 9, 1774, attributed to Dr. Joseph Warren

ItsanSKS

While the rest of the country is sweltering in 90* weather, we enjoyed an absolutely gorgeous weekend where the temps barely cracked 75*.  With weather as picture-perfect as you can imagine, four instructors spent the better part of 36 hours this weekend, teaching nearly 30 students the finer points of rifle marksmanship and American Revolutionary War history. 

I want to reiterate my thanks to all of the students who were able to join us this past weekend in Chugiak, AK.  Your instructors were all very proud of the dramatic improvement that you exhibited, and while we would love to take all the credit, improving oneself can only come from within.  We taught, you listened and learned. 

Saturday started off with an evaluation of our students skill, using a target that is known within Project Appleseed as the "Redcoat" target.  This target is scaled so that each of the four red silhouettes represents a target from 100 through 400 yards.  Our students were asked to place three rounds per silhouette, with no time limit- the only caveat?  They were not allowed to use any artificial supports; no bipods, no bench rests, no sand bags (except for the very young or physically infirm)- just a rifle, a sling, and a prone position.  The results?  Underwhelming, to say the least.  Less than half of our class (about 30 students on Saturday) could successfully make three shots on the 100 yard target, and I venture to say that any hits made beyond that distance were due to sheer luck. 

We instructors had our work cut out for us, to say the least.  Outnumbered nearly 8:1, we were tasked with turning this group of semi-skilled, yet energetic rifle owners into American Riflemen. 

Time to unleash the the fire hose of marksmanship instruction.  A blistering pace was set, and the distilled knowledge of 200+ years of marksmanship knowledge was unleashed.

Topics covered:
Safety concerns such as dehydration & hot brass
The Four Safety Rules
What constitutes a Safe Rifle
The Six Steps to firing a shot
How to use a sling as an aid to accuracy
Steady hold factors for the Prone position
How to find, adjust and verify Natural Point of Aim (NPOA)
Riflemans Cadence (how to fire one accurate, aimed shot with every breath)
How to safely transition from a standing position to Prone
Steady hold factors for the various seated/kneeling positions
How to safely transition from a standing position to Seated
Steady hold factors for the Standing position

And all that was just day one. 

Interspersed with the above marksmanship instruction, our students were also introduced to the most important date in American history: April 19th, 1775.  Starting with the events that lead up to this historic date, our students learned about the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts, the Powder Alarms of 1774/75, and were introduced to some of the main characters of the story: Gen. Thomas Gage, Colonel Francis Smith, Dr. Joseph Warren, Paul Revere, William Dawes, Pastor Clark, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Capt. John Parker, Capt. Isaac Davis and many more.  They learned that the prelude to war involved Three Strikes of the Match - the Massacre on Lexington Green, the Battle at the North Bridge, and the details behind the third and final strike, which occurred at Mirriams Corner.

As Saturday came to a close, our students were given a second chance to engage the Redcoat target.  Putting everything they had learned over the course of a single day into practice, the instructors (and students) were very impressed with how well they had done.  Many shooters who, that very morning, were unable to consistently hit a 100 yard target, were now doing so with boring regularity.

The instructors were very proud.  We took this group of rifle owners, less than half of whom could qualify at 100 yards or greater, and in the course of 12 hours of instruction, netted a 100% qualification rate.  Every single student could place 3/3 at a minimum of 100 yards, and many of them were now able to make solid hits at 3 and 400 yards!

18 students returned on Sunday, eager to complete their transition from Cook to Rifleman.  Most were moving a bit more slowly, and were gingerly rubbing sore muscles, but their discomfort in no way dissuaded them from diving right back in.   

After verifying zeroes and reviewing the information that they had learned the day previous, our students were given the opportunity to test themselves against the Appleseed Qualification Test (AQT). 

Modeled after the current US Army ALT-C 25m qualification target, the AQT is shot at 25m, using scaled versions of the US Army "D" target to represent a prone silhouette at 100, 200, 300 and 400 yards. The AQT tests the students ability to achieve proper standing, sitting/kneeling and unsupported prone positions, and additionally requires them to quickly engage multiple targets while making magazine changes.  It is universally acclaimed as a much more difficult exam than the ALT-C. 

Two Riflemen were revealed on Sunday, both of whom were attending their very first Project Appleseed event.  I cannot stress how unusual this is.  The average is 3-4 events before achieving a Rifleman score.  These two gentlemen proved that they were exemplary students- they soaked up instruction like a sponge, and put it into practice immediately.  Hats off to Riflemen Bill and Joel!



The instructors:

From left to right: Fisherdawg, ItsanSKS, Vacquero, taka222, eagleriver

The youngsters:

These fine young Americans made their parents and instructors proud, by hanging tough through two full days of marksmanship and history instruction, without a single complaint.  Truly representative of the best the next generation has to offer. 

Group photo: (taken towards the end of Sunday, after some folks had to leave for prior commitments)


The Riflemen:




"Those who would trade an ounce of liberty for an ounce of safety deserve neither."

"To save us both time in the future... how about you give me the combo to your safe and I'll give you the pin number to my bank account..."

hogfamily

Thank you Eric, Mel, Wally, Chris, and Bill for a most enjoyable weekend. My family had a great time. You are all excellent instructors. We are all looking forward to our next Appleseed!

We really appreciate the time you all volunteer to provide an outstanding program.

You all are very professional, energetic, kind, encouraging, and with a great sense of humor. Your emphasis on safety is outstanding. Your interaction with our four boys greatly impressed them. You all offered gentle firmness when correcting mistakes and high praise when they got it right.

The history lessons were entertaining and informative. You have inspired our boys to read more about our country's Patriots.

Huzzah!
Anchorage Suburbanites, part time Willowbillies, Appleseeds, and Weekend Warrior Turquoise Miners.

"Move that fat ass Henry!"
"Don't swing your balls or you'll swamp the boat!"

fisherdawg

I'd just like to say that it is an honor to be involved with Appleseed and to be able to associate with folks like we had on the line at this event. You all are great students and I appreciate every single one of you.  There IS a rifleman in each of you waiting to come out.
Scott
Andrew
Angela
Ashlyn
Lance
Trevor
Tom
Badger
Mike
Hogfamily: Bill, Michelle, Joseph, Travis, Daniel, Shane
Christian K.
Gary
Rich
Christian S.
Marie
Tim
Joel
Josiah
If I have omitted anyone, please forgive me! :wb: You are the hope for our nation.
If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. (James Madison)

"Young man, what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: we always had governed ourselves and we always meant to. They didn't mean we should."
(Captain Levi Preston, of the Danvers militia, at age 91, remembering the day)

That it is an indispensable duty which we owe to God, our country, ourselves and posterity, by all lawful ways and means in our power to maintain, defend and preserve those civil and religious rights and liberties, for which many of our fathers fought, bled and died, and to hand them down entire to future generations.  Suffolk Resolves, September 9, 1774, attributed to Dr. Joseph Warren

hogfamily

Fisherdawg.

Thank you for working with our family especially our boys. You are a great instructor and representative for Appleseed.

HUZZAH!
Anchorage Suburbanites, part time Willowbillies, Appleseeds, and Weekend Warrior Turquoise Miners.

"Move that fat ass Henry!"
"Don't swing your balls or you'll swamp the boat!"

scottr

All the instructors were quite good. I was impressed with the rifle instruction, and I must say that Eric and all the instructors made the history come alive. While I didn't make Rifleman I did improve, and will practice and be on the line again.

It was great to meet everyone, and get to know a couple people just a bit. I hope to see more of you. And I want to specifically compliment Josiah on his effort and improved skill; most impressive.

My wife and I signed up for October, so we'll probably not have quite as good weather next time.

Have there been any Libertyseed events in Alaska or interest in holding one? I know someone who knows who to talk to for library events, for instance.