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Moving On

Started by Roland, July 09, 2013, 02:16:45 PM

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Roland

July 09, 2013, 02:16:45 PM Last Edit: July 09, 2013, 02:18:23 PM by Roland
Friends,

It would appear my time in Appleseed is coming to an extended hiatus, if not indeed an end.

In six weeks, I start orientation at the University of Idaho. I will be in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps unit there. I will be a Marine-Option midshipmen. After four years of school, and attending Officer Candidate School and The Basic School the summers of my junior and senior years, I will hopefully graduate college with a Bachelor's degree (unknown what field as of yet) and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. I will then owe at least four years active duty, and I believe I may choose to do quite a bit more then that.

During this time, I will obviously be far to busy to be active in Appleseed as much as I have been in times past. I hope to occasionally be able to instruct, but that is doubtful.

I wanted to write this post for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, to inform ya'll what I'm headed off to do with my life.

But more importantly, to thank you.

Every instructor I have worked with in the program has helped me out in some way. Whether it was reminding me to keep myself humble and not be so cocky all the time, or not to say "uh" so much when I tell history, or to always remember to keep it simple and precise, every single IIT, Red Hat, Green Hat, and on up has taught me more then a few valuable lessons, not just for instructing in our program, but for life.

And I will always be grateful for that.

Allow me to personally thank a few instructors that went the extra mile to help me out and help me become a better instructor, a better shooter, and, I hope, a better man.

Hawkhavn, you were the shoot boss at the first shoot I was at nearly four years ago now. You ran a great event, told what is still the best history I've ever heard, and went above and beyond to help everyone on both sides of the line. Working with you since, I've discovered that is merely par for the course for ya.

Earl, thanks for being... Earl. One of the best role models and mentors I've ever had. You are the reason I became an instructor. I really don't have any more words there.

The whole Redneck Clan: Reformed Redneck, TruTenacity, Western Rose, Evenstar, and Still Learnin. You all are an inspiration. I know you are on hiatus, but ya'll have done more for the program around these parts then everybody else put together. It's been an incredible honor working with you folks. You've been great friends and mentors, and I hope that now I'm down near the Redneck Manor I'll get see you folks a bit more often.

Last but decidedly not least, RiflesnReins, thank you for reminding me why I Appleseed not too long ago. It helped me remember who I am.

Guess I've said all I have to say on that!

Rest assured that I will continue to live the way of the rifleman, as Appleseeders have taught and showed me to.

If you'd like to keep in touch with me, PM me for my personal email and the name I use on Facebook.

Thank you, everyone. For everything you've done for me, and vastly more importantly, for AMERICA.

Roland, over and out.

(P.S. Post #500... Seems appropriate)

The doorway to freedom is framed by the muskets that stood between a vision of of liberty and absolute anarchy at a place called Concord Bridge--Charlton Heston, 1997

"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and be self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle. And take responsibility for your actions. Never forget those that were killed. And never let rest those that killed them." -- Major Douglas Zembiec

Patent guy

#1
July 09, 2013, 02:56:40 PM
Thank you for your Service, past & future.  O0
District of Columbia v. Heller (US 07-290, 2008)  "The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia."  McDonald v. Chicago (US 08-1521, 2010) "[T]he Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms [is] fully applicable to the states"

George Hacker

#2
July 09, 2013, 03:08:16 PM
Congratulations on your plans, Roland.  You have a very bright future.

It has been a pleasure and an honor knowing you and working with you on promotions in northern Idaho.  You are leaving a big hole.

Best wishes,

ShadowMan
Tell your Pacific Northwest facebook friends to "like" and post in the Northwest Region Project Appleseed page.

"You can't miss fast enough..."  "Aim small, miss small."

DrRichP

#3
July 09, 2013, 04:30:40 PM
Roland,

Thank you for your past and future service to Appleseed, and your future service to our country. You will make a fine Marine. Show 'em how to shoot when you get there! Huzzah!
"You never know how far reaching something you think, say or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow" - B.J. Palmer
   Think about that as you go to work the next Appleseed!

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." Socrates

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."-Benjamin Franklin

"What makes an insurrection here always more formidable than in other places is that there is a law of this province wh[ich] obligates every inhabitant to be furnished with a firelock, bayonet, and pretty considerable quantity of ammunition.â€�  - Gen. Lord Hugh Percy

PHenry

#4
July 09, 2013, 05:49:43 PM
Keep the faith sir - u never know. Lots of ways to Appleseed on and off the firing line. You are a Rifleman Instructor and if u desire it, that will never change. Even if u never work another event, does that mean you are done passing on the tradition? I bet not.  O0

God bless and keep you from harm sir.
In Liberty,
PHenry
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

Para ser Libre, un Hombre debe tener tres cosas. La Tierra, una Educacion, y un Fusil. Siempre, un Fusil!  Emiliano Zapata

LawDog

#5
July 09, 2013, 07:30:23 PM
From one (former) Middie to another, good luck and Godspeed.  Keep your head down; never finish first and never finish last; when in doubt, add a "Sir" (but never to a Gunny); and keep your shoes shined. 
Dan

Mark Davis

#6
July 09, 2013, 07:49:33 PM
Dirk,
Well done, Do well.
Hope to get an update every once and a while.

hawkhavn

#7
July 09, 2013, 08:24:58 PM
Roland,

Kind words and I will try to live up to them.

Once a Rifleman, always a Rifleman. You know in your heart where we have come from, now you will have the chance to take part in steering us to where we are going. Some of the finest men I have known were Marine Corps Officers. You have not chosen an easy or popular path to tread, but good men have been walking it for more than 200 years.

Drop in here once in a while and keep us posted on the happenings at college and beyond.

Bravo Zulu from the Midwest Navy,
Hawkhavn

p.s. Here is a  blog from a Hoosier Rifleman who is in Flight School right now:
http://caleb-marinepilot.blogspot.com/

There is a lot of good info and observations in there that you may profit from.

Here is his tag line: "Everything the Marines taught me about rifle marksmanship, I had already learned from the Appleseed Project. Find an event near you!"
Criticism is the only known antidote to error.  David Brin

What a nation has done, a nation can aspire to.
Dr. Jerry Pournelle

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.

This is known as "bad luck."
---Robert Anson Heinlein

"Great things have been effected by a few men well conducted." - George Rogers Clark

"Appleseed is a safe place to learn because they care. They have the confidence and serenity of spring gardeners." 1IV on AR15.com

AFTERMATH

#8
July 09, 2013, 09:00:23 PM
Thank you Roland!

I don't think you can leave Appleseed. 
In fact, it sounds like you'll be planting seeds from the Halls of Montezuma to the Seas of Tripoli.

Huzza!
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

dart67eb

#9
July 09, 2013, 10:56:03 PM
Roland,

Congrats and thank you for your service to AS and putting up with my son last year!  Good luck in your endeavors and I look forward to hearing about you in the future.  PM me if you'd like Andrew's address.  He craves mail. 

Eb
Ignorance may be bliss, but it's not a virtue.

BeSwift

#10
July 10, 2013, 08:42:53 AM
Thank you for your service to AS and future service to the Corps, and best of luck! If you find yourself out East, and need bail money  ;D  or assistance, look me up.  BeSwift
"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well"
Ralph Waldo Emerson


Happiness =  Reality - Expectations

Roland

#11
July 12, 2013, 03:42:34 PM
Thank you for the kind words, everyone! I really appreciate it.

And to those of you I have not yet met, may our paths cross someday!
The doorway to freedom is framed by the muskets that stood between a vision of of liberty and absolute anarchy at a place called Concord Bridge--Charlton Heston, 1997

"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and be self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle. And take responsibility for your actions. Never forget those that were killed. And never let rest those that killed them." -- Major Douglas Zembiec

scoob

#12
July 12, 2013, 04:38:08 PM
It was a privilege working with you in May.  You are squared-away and I'm glad I got the chance to meet you before you set off on your journeys.  I hope our paths cross again. 
Mike 'scoob' Underwood
Boise, Idaho
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Northwest Region Project Appleseed
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During the whole affair, the rebels attacked us in a very scattered, irregular manner, but with perseverance and resolution, nor did they ever dare to form into a regular body. Indeed they knew too well what was proper, to do so. Whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob, will find himself very much mistaken. They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about..."Gen. Hugh, Earl Percy

Necee

#13
July 15, 2013, 06:21:19 PM
Good luck in all you do- those life lessons are the best :)  Be safe and THANK YOU!!  Hope to see you again sometime- we have lots to see over here in MT ;) 

Denise

GoldFish

#14
July 16, 2013, 10:04:26 PM
Sorry I'm late to this!

Dirk, you will be missed.  Thank you for all the work you've put into changing the course of our Country by working to change their hearts and mindsets.  I truly hope that our trails cross someday.

Until then, Stay the Course.

"...A Rifleman is not born but is cast in the Rifleman's mold by other Riflemen. These are mentors of great character, who encourage him to accept the honor, sacrifice and duty to defend those things most dear to patriots. A Rifleman learns that not all battles require a rifle, but he is to be ready on a moments notice should one be required. ..."
-Big Papa
"Freedom is preserved by those who die for it, but it will not survive unless people are willing to live for it."
-Boba Fett (The RWVA Instructor, not the Star Wars Bounty Hunter)

'Yes, I am a Rifleman, but I'm also a Ninja....and a Jedi.'

"Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do."

"Remember, my opinion on the totem pole of life is somewhere below whale s***..." -Chris Costa

"The more you care about something, the deeper the fight will come from within."  -Travis Haley

42          ΙΧΘΥΣ           كافر           MOÉ...ΩN É...ABE         αδάμαÏ, 

Merc, Mr. Fishy, Goober, Achmed, Cornflake, FBC, Tabilasco, Mowhawk 1 Alpha

What we do in life echoes in Eternity

TruTenacity

#15
July 17, 2013, 07:20:52 PM
Dirk,

I've not been on the forum for at least a month and what is the first post I see? This one.  I had no idea you were stepping away on a hiatus. 

I still remember one of your presentations given at Medical Lake when you connected the offenses endured by our founders to the Bill of Rights.  Very well done.  So much so that I tailored one of my history presentations to mirror yours.

Once you're in our neck of the woods let us know how to contact you.  We'll gladly give you some fellowship and a home cooked meal.

Sincerely,

TT
"We are fighting for our country, for posterity perhaps.  On the success of this campaign the happiness or misery of millions may depend."  Henry Knox

"Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not."  Galatians 6:9

RiflesnReins

#16
July 23, 2013, 03:30:05 PM
Dirk,

Thank you. Not only for your future service to this Nation, your dedication to Appleseed but also your Friendship. I have not known you for as long as others here have, from your first 'seed to the coveted Red Hat. In the time that I have been given the chance to work with you, I know you are a self-sacrificing, determined and a brilliant Instructor. Appleseed will miss you, for you are leaving some mighty big shoes to fill. I wish you luck and I know you can do just about anything if you truly put your mind to it.

It has been a Honor to work with you my friend. Know that you are welcome at any Appleseed, anywhere in the country, including the "flat" state of Illinois. Whether you chose to come as an Instructor, Shooter or Observer. Let me thank you for being a role model, mentor and best friend.

You are a Man amongst us and you truly know very well what you are about.

Best wishes,

RnR


"Come on guys!  Keep your eyes on your magazines. Stop looking at RnR to tell you when to fire. I know you can hear her down there. Trust me I should know, I live in the same house!."  Mutti

"The truly blind are those who will not open their eyes to see"

"How can a man die better, than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his Fathers, and the temple of his Gods."
"Horatius At The Bridge"
Thomas Lord Macaulay

I am not sleeping... I'm just practicing the prone position.

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
― Winston Churchill

"The trouble is not in dying for a friend, but in finding a friend worth dying for."
― Mark Twain

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
George S. Patton

Roland

#17
August 19, 2013, 03:43:34 PM
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I leave to go down for orientation in about three hours. It will officially start tomorrow morning, 20130819, at 0800.

I believe I'll use this thread to post brief updates of my journey through college on occasion, if ya'll are interested. I'll try to post something this weekend about how orientation went.

Roland
The doorway to freedom is framed by the muskets that stood between a vision of of liberty and absolute anarchy at a place called Concord Bridge--Charlton Heston, 1997

"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and be self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle. And take responsibility for your actions. Never forget those that were killed. And never let rest those that killed them." -- Major Douglas Zembiec

PHenry

#18
August 19, 2013, 06:57:33 PM
God speed sir.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

Para ser Libre, un Hombre debe tener tres cosas. La Tierra, una Educacion, y un Fusil. Siempre, un Fusil!  Emiliano Zapata

Roland

#19
August 24, 2013, 07:55:18 PM
Just realized I hadn't officially updated this thread.

I am officially a Midshipman in the Marine Corps Reserve!

It all started to sink in last Tuesday, around the time of the words "So help me God".

I will be proud to serve my country directly.

Thank you all for your support.

Roland

The doorway to freedom is framed by the muskets that stood between a vision of of liberty and absolute anarchy at a place called Concord Bridge--Charlton Heston, 1997

"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and be self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle. And take responsibility for your actions. Never forget those that were killed. And never let rest those that killed them." -- Major Douglas Zembiec

PHenry

#20
September 04, 2013, 03:39:03 PM
Keep yer head down sir and God Bless.  O0
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

Para ser Libre, un Hombre debe tener tres cosas. La Tierra, una Educacion, y un Fusil. Siempre, un Fusil!  Emiliano Zapata

Trig

#21
September 12, 2013, 05:04:06 PM
^ what he said.  We will be here when you get back  O0 

What an outstanding support group.  Keep us posted!
1st Appleseed - Osage Beach MO, 4/17/10- special thanks to Longshot, ThorsHammer, and JungleGeorge
2nd Appleseed - Lodi WI - Rifleman/Orange Hat 4/17/11 - special thanks to Dragonfly, Mr. Natural, Lady Vetch, and Trisha
IT1 - Hubertus WI, 5/7/11
IT2 - Racine WI, 6/11/11
IT3 - Suamico WI, 6/18/11
IT4 - Racine WI 8/7/11     ***KD Rifleman*** special thanks to Colycat and JoeZ
Red Hat - Hubertus 8/13/11
Shoot Boss - Lodi WI 6/10/12  *thanks to all I have learned/stolen from on my journey* Special thanks to Dfly and Coly *
********************Better Americans today, better America tomorrow!********************

Roland

#22
December 24, 2013, 07:04:43 PM
Well,

I've finished my first semester out with NROTC at University of Idaho. I made out with a 3.8 semester GPA, and have apparently done well enough in the unit that they decided to make me a fire team leader for next semester. (It's either reward or punishment to get promoted, so I'm choosin' to take this one as a reward  ;) )

I remain committed to my course, and my goal!

And it looks like I may be back on the line instructing in Kellogg, ID January 11-12 (if said shoot don't get canceled due to lack of preregs, hint hint).

Keep your powder dry, and I'll see ya'll eventually.

Dirk/Roland
The doorway to freedom is framed by the muskets that stood between a vision of of liberty and absolute anarchy at a place called Concord Bridge--Charlton Heston, 1997

"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and be self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle. And take responsibility for your actions. Never forget those that were killed. And never let rest those that killed them." -- Major Douglas Zembiec

Unbridled Liberty

#23
December 24, 2013, 07:24:18 PM
Quote from: Roland on December 24, 2013, 07:04:43 PM
Well,

I've finished my first semester out with NROTC at University of Idaho. I made out with a 3.8 semester GPA, and have apparently done well enough in the unit that they decided to make me a fire team leader for next semester. (It's either reward or punishment to get promoted, so I'm choosin' to take this one as a reward  ;) )

I remain committed to my course, and my goal!

And it looks like I may be back on the line instructing in Kellogg, ID January 11-12 (if said shoot don't get canceled due to lack of preregs, hint hint).

Keep your powder dry, and I'll see ya'll eventually.

Dirk/Roland

Roland,

I didn't know you were at UI.  My middle daughter is in grad school at UI. Congrats on your GPA and your promotion!

UL

grunt soldier

#24
December 25, 2013, 01:47:08 AM
Congrats!  Don't let lack of pre regs deter you. Worst case bring some buddies of yours or your soldiers and learn them something!
custom kydex solutions.  specializing in sheaths and holsters.  let me know if I can do something for you fellow seeders :)  some pics of our work below

http://s967.photobucket.com/albums/ae158/gruntsoldier2/

"When it comes time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home." - Chief Aupumut (1725), Mohican.
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