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Hinesville Fall Appleseed

Started by militiaman 1741, October 06, 2008, 09:30:45 PM

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militiaman 1741

My Lords;

I beg leave to address you concerning the most recent events of Oct 4-5 this instant; to wit: the fall Hinesville Appleseed.

I must most earnestly commend those under whose charge we were placed for their patience, determination and fortitude; that they, while faced with daunting difficulties of logistics, personal medical issues and slovenly disregard to preparation by the landowner in spite of insistent prodding, did persevere in the tradition of our countrymen of 1775, whom we wish to emulate,  and were rewarded with most admirable results.

I would be remiss if I did not singley bring to your attention the notable efforts of Son of Martha, Silence, Talon, Sanderman, Sgt Cap, Bolt Guy and the esteemed Cannonman for their auspicious efforts.

Their discourse on the history and purpose of this endeavor fired our blood and filled us with a sense of determined purpose; and their gentle but insistent instruction throughout these trying days steered us towards excellence; the end results speaking for themselves as scores improved thru the day and was crowned by the four participants who attained the singular glory of the title "rifleman".  I applaud their achievement for indeed it is well deserved.

Lastly, my Lords, I most gratefully appreciate the invitation to my own self to provide some small service in the aforementioned proceedings; though I am mindful it was small indeed.  Still, I pray you would, by your grace, allow me another opportunity to labor with such an honored group at some future time.  Until that happy hour, I remain

Your Most Humble and Obedient Servant
Militiaman 1741
Imagine them taking from a man what he has honestly earned !  It's theft disguised as government !

Son of Martha

What a great weekend.  The Hinesville Appleseed is for sure one of the "don't miss" events in the Southern leg of the Appleseed trail.

This is due to the always new and surprising efforts of the 2nd GA Artillery, who have provided authentic colonial period food, a true to period campsite and equipment for same, authentic costumes, musketry instruction, and cannon fire to the mix.  Any Appleseed is a great place to learn some of the history you never heard, and brush up on your marksmanship skill.  The Hinesville Appleseed is the place to go to get immersed in history and have it come alive, with figures in homespun with Brown Bess muskets fleeting in the mists, the roar of cannon with clouds of drifting powder-smoke, and the hiss of drawn bayonets and smell of flint and gunpowder. 

And of course the marksmanship instruction that the Appleseed program is justly becoming famous for.  The aim high-never settle dynamic that has challenged so many Americans to become something better than they were.  By my figure, right at 20,000 rounds went downrange this weekend at this one venue, each fired with a purpose--to improve marksmanship skills.  We had a great time posting the Quick and Dirty Army Qualification Test (QD-AQT) sheets side-by-side-by-side and firing them one after the other.  We fired the "Rapid Fire AQT", 40 rounds, 4 minutes, theretheygoboysgettumgettumgettum.  We did NPOA drills that enlightened some to what they were missing out on.  We shot the living H3!! out of a tank...

And in the end, we got to spend the weekend with some of the best people our country has produced.  Got to meet friends we didn't know we had.  Got to test equipment to extremes to find the failure points.

We got to see Riflemen being forged in the cruicble of the AQT, under the eyes of their peers.  One man fired three rifleman scores in a row, bam-bam-bam no pauses.  His buddy next to him fired two the same way.  Others hit it on the rapid fire one, or the last one of the weekend--but they all earned it, there are no "gimmes" at Appleseeds.  And they all walked away a little straighter, a little prouder and a bit better than when they showed up.  Kinda makes the drive from wherever, the money spent on ammo, and the time away from the couch worthwhile, when you look in the mirror and see not just you, but you, a rifleman looking back.

And there are still several who are making strides towards that lofty goal, who are right THERE, knocking on the door.  So close to stepping over the threshold and joining that select group of Americans who have earned the patch.  Maybe one jam on stage two, one fumbled mag change, one adrenaline-charged wild shot on stage four kept the patch unclaimed this time...but a rifleman perseveres.  Anything worth having is worth working for, not compromising or looking for "the easy way".  Rest assured when you meet someone with the patch--there is NO easy way--and that makes it all the better.

In sum, I thank God that I live in a country where we are free to test ourselves in such a manner and meet with our fellow Americans to enjoy the natural rights recognized in the Constitution.  I am profoundly grateful for the men and women who have sacrificed to preserve these freedoms.  I am humbled by the opportunity to share the story of the farmers and shopkeepers, blacksmiths and booksellers, gentlemen and roustabouts who took a bold step into the unknown.  Our country is something special in the history of the world.  I am a part of that.  Come to an Appleseed and join me.

SoM
Raise ye the stone or cleave the wood to make a path more fair or flat
Lo, it is black already with blood some Son of Martha spilled for that
Not as a ladder from earth to Heaven, nor as a witness to any creed
But simple service, simply given, to his own kind in their common need.

cannonman61

#2
Our third Hinesville Appleseed is in the books. This is my lame attempt at an AAR and started life as a reply to a PM from Flathead asking how the shoot went. Soooo....

How did it go? Hmmmm... that's a good question. SoM pulled a fast one and made me the "Shoot Boss" to see how I'd do. I think I did just barely ok.

We had a total of 41 shooters over the weekend. 39 on Saturday and 35 on Sunday, with 2 Sunday only shooters it meant we "lost 6" from the Saturday total, 2 of whom were just back from Iraq and left at lunch to spend time with family. They seemed happy and SoM said they impressed with the ideals of the program.

The range was a mess when I arrived onsite Friday morning with two of my sons, Chris and Matt. My son Matt and I had to push mow both pistol ranges so we could shoot. The grass was super long in the camp area and the portapots were missing although one was on its side in the long grass. Chris, Matt and I set it back up right, cleaned it, and dumped a couple gallons of lemon bleach in the tank after I patched a 3 inch hole with epoxy putty.  Late Friday evening the guy that was supposed to bushhog the site two days before finally showed up and cut what little was left for him to do. The Saturday lunches got crossed up and the new car target for the cannon shoot arrived at 5 pm SUNDAY! A couple days late.

We ran the the Curahee course of fire Saturday and saw nice improvements during the day. Sunday we again started with Redcoats and saw some regression so we went back to 1" squares and the basics for a while. During the day we ran an NPOA eyes cloed drill and a fun shoot of the mad minute at the star on the tank. The attendees really liked that one. And, of course the AQT grind. At one point we had 3 AQT's up at one time for each shooter. They did themslves proud though as Pual shot rifleman on all three and Rob shot Rifleman on 2 of 3! Both are from Florida and full of the fire. I think we may well get two new Iit's out of them. They desperatley want a site near them in Florida, and have been trying with no luck yet. They are always welcome here in any event!

The lines ran well, except a little slow on my side as all three of us running it were a tad under the weather. Sgt Cap was sick from raging allergies,  SoM said he thought Silence didn't feel well, and I was sick to my stomach and throwing up over the side berm each chance I got.  I felt better after lunch and things ran better after that. Saturday saw two riflemen on our side and several knocking on the door on the other side run by Talon with help from Sanderman and Boltgun71.

In the morning Sanderman presented the first strike and after the lunch I did the 2nd and 3rd strike.
Sunday afternoon I managed to sneak in the "Dangerous old men to about half our line as the rest were packing up and slipping away.

The Colonial Dinner on Saturday night was again a hit, but we ran short of meat. Then we all had a literal blast with the muskets and shooting Grendle at the Redcoat. We put some serious hits out there that night and even one of the kids and a lady attendee got to fire off Grendle. And, true to form,my buddy Anthony, aka "Flinch",flinched at each shot! We got a video of this one! Sorry Anthony! We fired 6 cannon shots, 3 with projectile and 3 blanks. The attendees fired 40 rounds of ball through Militiaman's and Eli's Brown Bess muskets. They seemed to just eat up the history! 

Both nights were mild and cool, the days warm and sunny, but not hot. At least not for SE Georgia altough it was 84 for a high both days.
The two new instructors to Hinesville, Boltgun71 and Sanderman got nice Rev War pewter mugs for helping out and the child attendees each got a lead soldier for coming out with their dads. No awards this time.( I think the shoot is reward enough, don't you?) We had 4 new Riflemen and 1 repeat, Sean, who did it this time with iron sights as he felt he somehow "cheated" with the scope last time. Not hardly. The same mechanics work for either sighting method as he now knows for sure!

We had a group of four friends from Macon drive down at the last minute 2 of whom had rifles not up to Appleseed "specs". One was a Winchester Model 67A single shot and the other a stock 10-22. Neither had a sling. What fun that was. By lunch we had them both in 2 of my loaner Model 60 Marlins with slings and scopes. The younger of the two, Kevin, I think, went from not on paper to shooting a 200 on the last AQT. I told him "next time for sure!" and hea was happy as he could be. His buddy, went from zero to 126 on his last AQT so both showed remarkable improvement over a very short time. Ron worked with one while I worked with the other for a while, then I sort of coached both at the same time while also the left side RSO. Busy time for me. I am still sore from all the up and downs I did.

We broke up around 4pm and cleaned up by 5:30 and  I went home a very tired puppy. This evening I wrote an accounting sheet out for the land/range owner and took $500 dollars over to his son, Josh that was the range fee and camp fees. Now, all I have to do is unload all the mess in my truck and on the cannon trailer. I did have the time and energy to put away all the rifles and put them in the safe. They still need cleaned though. Dang. They make self cleaning ovens, why not self cleaning rifles?  Smiley

I am in the debt of all of the attendees who took the time to come out and participate in this event. You all will be the ones to carry on and make the program work.

Remember the 7th step guys! Teach and Passs it on!

I stand sirs,
In your debt.

CM61

PS. Thanks to Paul and Anthony for the pictures!!!!
Artillery lends dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.

HobbsGoblin

Howdy everyone,

This was my first Appleseed, and I came into it not really knowing what to expect. I read Fred's article every issue of SGN I get, and after reading it, I didn't think that it would be all that difficult. Boy was I wrong! The Appleseed taught me that "Hey, I'm really not as good a shot as I thought I was." A humbling thought, indeed.

At first, I didn't have a sling either. Didn't think I needed it. Wrong again. But again, thanks to the great people at Appleseed, Sgt. Cap in particular, I was able to borrow one on the second day, and improved my groups and score considerably...enough to attain Rifleman!

However, despite anything that anyone will tell you to bring, be it food, a tent, some spare water or whatever (even a sling!) the thing that one must bring to an Appleseed above any and everything is the attitude and willingness to learn. The caliber of people you meet at an Appleseed are of the kind that I would be willing to bet you could even show up without a rifle and ammo and someone would let you borrow theirs. But you need to have the right attitude.

All in all, it was a wonderful time, the weather was perfect, and people were outstanding. One of the best experiences of my life.

-Hobbs

capt.kirk1701

Hello to all, I just wanted to drop a note and tell everyone what a great time Anthony and Kim, Rob and Steve and I had! I'm tellin' you - these Appleseed shoots are literally a blast! The people you meet are wonderful, the instruction is top notch, and the atmosphere is very condusive to making you realize how lucky we are to live in these United States. Somehow, I have to try to get something like this going in my neck of the woods, (just south of Daytona Beach, FL)....
I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Knob Creek machine gun shoot last October, and it's funny when you get a bunch of like minded people together - especially people who love guns - you can't help but feel patriotic. Thanks to all for the awesome program you run and I look forward to doing this again real soon!
"Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry

crashkid2k

Quote

But you need to have the right attitude.

One of the best experiences of my life.

-Hobbs

Hmmm...  Would anyone be interested in attending a Boot Camp in Ramseur?

Ramseur is nice in February.  The weather is among the mildest in the region...

SGTCap

Every Appleseed reminds me of why I do this.  I has almost nothing to do with the shooting.  Its all about the people.  I swear Appleseeders are some of the best people on Earth and I met many of them this weekend.  I want to thank everyone that came out this weekend and dedicated their time, money and energy to help make this country a little better.   ;D

cannonman61

#7
While cleaning up Sunday to leave, A lost item was turned in to me.

It is a small Samsonite bag that has some important contents.

If it is yours, PM me with what is inside to verify it's yours and I will mail it to you asap.

I believe it may be the gentleman with the boys on Taon's line, but I am not sure.


Cannonman61
Artillery lends dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.

cwc400

To everyone whom attended the Appleseed this weekend,
It was great news to read the after action report from CM61 and everyone else, I regret that I had family obiligations to attend to in Pittsburgh PA this past weekend and look forward to getting my gear in order to again attain Rifleman and improve my personal best at the next appleseed. I now as the Gun Seargent for the 2nd Co. Georgia that Grendle did her job and stood the post she is something to see for anyone who hasn't see her Fury. I will be there next time to support CM61 and the appleseed in Hinesville and hope to for many moons to come......

Congrads to the "Rifleman" the instructors and attendees
Best Regards
Chad "Crash" Carpenter aka cwc400
Gun Seargent 2nd Co. GA Artillery

HobbsGoblin

Quote from: crashkid2k on October 07, 2008, 03:17:20 AM
Quote


Hmmm...  Would anyone be interested in attending a Boot Camp in Ramseur?

Ramseur is nice in February.  The weather is among the mildest in the region...

Attending a BC or an IBC would be probably one of the high points of this year. Unfortunately, my military duties somewhat preclude me just "up and going" to one. I would need several weeks' notice, fill out leave forms, get the OK from "the Man"... well, I guess it really isn't all that difficult after all. I suppose I will see you in February, barring anything suddenly coming up.

-Hobbs

Bladerunner41

This Appleseed in particular was special to me,cause it help me get back some of what i'd lost.(Persaverence)I have been to 5-appleseeds so far and   i have gone through 7-rifle so far in trying to obtain the much coveted "RIFLEMEN's"patch ,when i failed to once again to make the mark..Son of Martha gave me that extra boost to keep me going.
But i still got something accomplished 1)I took GUYS Advice and sold my cloak (Car)to obtain the Proper sword(Springfield M1A ;D)for the task at hand ,2)I was able to get a landowner to come down from N.Atlanta to shoot and hear SoM's recount on Rev.history stirs the blood ,and awakens the Soul of all who dare in this PC climate call themselves AMERICAN.
I may not be a RIFLEMEN by this boards standards,but from what i've learned and will continue to learn i'm @#$%^&& DANGEROUS COOK!

PS-And at least the CANNON doesn't Misfire when i light it :o ::)

Nickle

Quote from: HobbsGoblin on October 08, 2008, 12:15:18 AM
Quote from: crashkid2k on October 07, 2008, 03:17:20 AM



Hmmm...  Would anyone be interested in attending a Boot Camp in Ramseur?

Ramseur is nice in February.  The weather is among the mildest in the region...

Attending a BC or an IBC would be probably one of the high points of this year. Unfortunately, my military duties somewhat preclude me just "up and going" to one. I would need several weeks' notice, fill out leave forms, get the OK from "the Man"... well, I guess it really isn't all that difficult after all. I suppose I will see you in February, barring anything suddenly coming up.

-Hobbs

Hobbs, there's plenty of IBC's in the works. I have 2 going on up here in New England this winter (Jan and Mar).

I know your situation all too well, BTDT myself, for 10 1/2 years. The Guard is actually worse on time off, especially when we're staring a deployment in the face soon. A Drill Weekend off is a tough thing to get for us.

So, there's some RBC's and IBC's to be found. For RBC's, there's that one in Ramseur in Febrauary, and there's one slated for Davilla, TX this fall, and others as well. I know, traveling long distance is involved, but, I can assure you, the trip is worth it. As to IBC's, they are going to be all over place.
They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about, having been employed as Rangers against the Indians and Canadians and this country being much covered with wood, and hilly, is very advantageous for their method of fighting. . . . ".  Lord Percy

Sounds like New Englanders to me.

DuaneRN

#12
,