From the December 2008 Idaho Observer:

The Appleseed Project

What’s exciting about a little seed making a big tree? Simply this: Plant enough apple seeds, and you soon have a land filled with apple trees. Johnny Appleseed, an early American hero, knew this and believed in it enough to devote his life to it. When those seeds are riflemen—and their efforts bear forth as fruit other riflemen—we soon have a Nation of Riflemen.

The Appleseed program is an idea gone to seed. It was started by "Fred" a few years ago to teach Americans to shoot—and shoot well—and between rounds of shooting teach about the revolution which founded our nation. Fred’s seed has become a tree, which has borne fruit in the form of students who became well-qualified instructors, who teach students to shoot well, qualify and become instructors. Appleseed offers weekend rifleman training events, weeklong Riflemen Boot Camps and Instructor Boot Camps. Their fees are very reasonable, even free for active military/guard/reserve, people who are under 21 years of age, and currently for 2009, women are also free. 

Paying tribute to April 19, 1775 through awareness, learning and marksmanship

What the RWVA (Revolutionary War Veterans Association) is all about:
The Appleseed Program is designed to take you from being a simple rifle owner to being a true rifleman. Throughout American history, the rifleman has been defined as a marksman capable of hitting a man-sized target from 500 yards away. This 500-yard range is traditionally known as "the rifleman’s quarter-mile;" a rifleman can hit just about any target he can see. This skill was particularly evident in the birth of our country and was the difference in winning the Revolutionary War.

This country was founded and won by riflemen who fought and beat British forces. Appleseed invites all interested marksmen to learn the skills and techniques necessary to shoot proficiently; and then hopes you’ll participate in teaching and practicing with others so that together we can save this great land.

What’s a rifleman?

In short, a rifleman is an armed American, trained in the tradition of American Liberty. It’s a man or woman who has learned to shoot a rifle accurately—accurate enough to score "expert" on the Army Qualification Course. Until you can do that, you’re considered a "Cook," unprepared and unqualified to carry a rifle on the firing line of freedom. But after attending an Appleseed AQT shoot, you’ll have the credentials necessary to be a true rifleman, and will understand the critical need for defending freedom in this country.

The pledge

Starting this minute, I pledge to reach down deep inside myself and wake up that sleeping American, the Rifleman.

I pledge to get my sleeping American to the range, so he can learn to shoot.

I pledge I will reach out to my friend, my coworker, my relative, to wake up their sleeping American.

I pledge I will do whatever it takes to help my friends, my coworkers, my relatives learn to shoot as Riflemen, to preserve our tradition of marksmanship for future generations.

I pledge to get active in the soft war, the struggle for freedom at the soap box and the ballot box, now.

I pledge to persist, to not give up, to be in this for the duration, to adopt as my motto "Never Give Up!"

I pledge to plant seeds of marksmanship and freedom whenever and wherever I can, understanding I may never know the results.

I pledge to form a rifleman club and to build a range, if necessary.

I pledge that I understand I cannot do it all myself, nice as that would be, but that I will need help, and I will get that help by enlisting others in the fight.

I pledge to recruit whenever and wherever I can, understanding some will be better as shooters, some better as recruiters, some as teachers, some as fund-raisers.

I pledge I will PERSIST. [So important, you need to pledge it twice.]

Become a rifleman. Visit appleseedinfo.org.