November 2010 Match - A Tribute To Project Appleseed

Project Appleseed

Project Appleseed is a program developed by the Revolutionary War Veterans Association whose mission is to teach Americans the heritage and skills of rifle marksmanship of our forefathers. Throughout the country, volunteers teach shooters the tradition of shooting long range in the standing, kneeling/sitting and prone positions. Students learn about the finer points of sight picture, trigger control, body position, and breath control required by all long range shooters. After all, our forefathers could hit a man sized target offhand, with iron sights at 400 yards consistently.



From the Appleseed Project website (http://www.appleseedinfo.org/):

Through Project Appleseed, the Revolutionary War Veterans Association is committed to teaching two things: rifle marksmanship and our early American heritage. We do this for one simple reason, the skill and knowledge of what our founding fathers left to us is eroding in modern America and without deliberate action, they will be lost to ignorance and apathy.


Is there a direct relationship between understanding our country's founding and civic virtue? The answer should anecdotally be quite clear. As our citizens' knowledge of founding principles has declined, so too has our involvement in this government `of, by and for The People'. Instead, our citizens seem all too content to relegate governmental decisions and knowledge to those that have been elected, all the while assuming these officials' abilities and agendas are working on their behalf. We believe that if this trend continues, our country will be left with an expansive gulf between the populace and the government.

Anticipating that our nation would one day find itself in its current plight, John Adams warned:

"Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it."

Our forebearers committed their lives to eight years of war so that their sacrifices would never require repeating. They would endow us, their posterity, with a republic from which our freedoms would be given enduring life.
In 2009, a survey of basic, adult knowledge of the American Revolution was commissioned by the American Revolution Center (a non-profit organization dedicated to engaging the public in the history and significance of the American Revolution). The results were startling. Eighty-three percent of surveyed adults scored an average of forty-four percent - a failing score. And, yet, some glimmer of hope exists. This same survey revealed that nine in ten Americans agreed that it is important to know the history and principles forged during America's War for Independence. Does this reflect a muted cry for help? Americans seem to grasp the imperative of learning our nation's founding history, yet seem unable to act.


Perhaps the beckoning comfort of couch and television offer an escape to relax in civic complacency. Project Appleseed events are designed to directly counter the average American's living room respite from reality and offer a solution to our nation's paralysis. These two-day, family-friendly clinics encourage civic virtue through the stories of our nation's founding and by cultivating the skills of persistence, focus and determination required for rifle marksmanship. Learning about our heritage while developing marksmanship skills creates the appreciation, expectation and confidence needed to rekindle our civic responsibilities. Through our program, attendees are driven to succeed through perseverance, and subsequently challenged to apply this perseverance and new-found appreciation of our Founders' gifts toward daily involvement in local, state or national government.


John Adams would also write, in reference to the difference between the Revolution, and our War for Independence:

"The Revolution was affected before the War commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations. This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution."

These ideals were the foundation of this nation, and are instrumental in returning our nation to its former glory. The intention of our founding fathers was obvious; the "Revolution" was to live on in perpetuity. Through Project Appleseed, we strive to remind our fellow Americans of these "revolutionary" ideals, ensuring that the American Revolution lives on to be cared for and appreciated by our posterity.
The Revolutionary War Veterans Association is committed to renewing civic virtue - prioritizing civic responsibility over personal interests and indulgence. We are wholly comprised of volunteers who commit time, resources and passion toward achieving the RWVA mission. As a 501(c)3 organization, we promote civic responsibility through the teaching of colonial history and the American tradition of rifle marksmanship in a safe, non-partisan environment.



Promotional flyer for Project Appleseed.
This one is scaled for 10 yards.
This IS NOT the target for the match

 

Given that November is both a celebration of Thanksgiving AND is election time, I thought it appropriate to urge all of us to remember the sacrifices made and to be made to maintain our second amendment rights.

This month's match is a tribute to Project Appleseed. I wanted to give you a taste of what the Appleseeders experience (although using a handgun rather than a rifle). To do so, I obtained some promotional material from Project Appleseed which included a sample target scaled for 10 yards, simulating the target picture that one would see at 100, 200 and 300 yards. This was the inspiration for the target this month.

This Month's Match

Course of Fire:

10 yards

2 hands/no rests

All standing

3 shots each target (9 shots total per entry)

Deadline for submission is November 30, midnight

Email scan or photo of each entry to postalmatch@gmail.com

Remember you can enter as many guns in as many classes as you like. Only one target per gun, however. Click the link below, or download from Acrobat to get this month's target.

  Target Link

Also, for those of you who have actually participated in an Appleseed event, please post a comment on the blog below about your experience. I would love to know what you thought.

Now get out there, go shooting, and take a friend with you.
Gray