The Green Jacket Club

      If gun clubs came with a pedigree than this breeding stretches back to 1766....pretty impressive huh? At that time the Stamp Act was in the mist of a heavy debate between the British and the Colonies driven by Benjamin Franklin. Now thats going back aways folks. But The Homestead was there. As history unfolded the politicians and the Rich and famous came. From General Omar Bradley to Washington Redskins hero and  memory maker... Dave Butz.

     Seventeen years ago the Green Jacket club was formed. Generally speaking it was composed of Gentleman who wanted to get together and shoot clay targets together once a year.  Bill Simon was one of the founders.   At that time he held an honored position in the Federal Government as Sec. of Treasury. Now here is a guy with a busy calender..imagin signing all those dollar bills everyday...whew! But because of his friendship to Bill Kearnes he pledged to not only support the club but attend every meeting! The Club lost Bill around the turn of the last century. But because he was loved and respected by so many members a special meeting was called. His wife Toni was to become the first AND only women member to wear a Green Jacket. Just as quickly that honor was followed by assigning her the responsibility of providing the entertainment for the once a year meeting. To most people that would be a daunting task for any club,PLUS,the position and responsibility came without a budget. But to Toni it was challenge.  In Bill's memory she would ...and has.. put on an amazing show of ingenuity and creativity each year.....following it by adding, " I could do MORE with a budget!" But then again what would you expect from the wife of one of the most successful Sec. of Treasury in history! Here is a HINT Toni---> the members love to see you struggle to put your show together every year...and each year you surprise them. Keep up the great work Toni, don't let those MEN beat you!...stop asking they are NOT going to give you a budget! By the way...every women, wife and female guest is applauding your hard work quietly in the background perhaps with a slight touch of jealousy kido....lol..lol..

     But other decisions were made in these meetings. A cap of 40 members was agreed upon. Why 40 you ask. I asked also. Every club I have ever shot is constantly searching for process went something like this...."do we organize and become a serious shooting club or do we remain small and have fun. Do we hire a full time staff and establish a presidential staircase...or do we have fun. Do we delegate authority to committees bound by meeting schedules monthly, grind out newsletters, generate budgets. Publish disciplinary resolutions...or do we have fun. With a club thats membership consists of politicians, Captains of Industry and the Rich & Famous as well as a Grid Iron Great it would be easy to capitalize on their combined management skills. In a very short period of time the Green jacket Club would reach the top of the "Who's Who" in Shooting clubs....or, they could just have fun. In an eclipsing moment a decision was caste in the dark smoky room------->LETS HAVE FUN!

      From Omar Bradley to the great Dave Butz they come together once a year to relax among the Allegheny mountain hot springs to challenge their abilities by golf club or gun powder. It's about the people, it's about the setting and it's about the comrade. Personally, I and my wife were accepted and teated as old friends.  In the end I felt as if I could call anyone I met and be thought of in a "member" way. ThanX!

BBBBUT we did shoot....AND it was competitive....AND it was FUN!

THURSDAY:

     Temperature around 60. Light Cloud cover. As a guest, outsider with unknown shooting abilities I was invited to join several "key members" for a little practice at a range nearby. Since the Homestead shoot was composed of only 13 squads....all potential winners of the Simon Cup or Virgina Cup a good balance of shooters on each squad was important AND controversial. Thus when suddenly a guest is invited by Toni Simon there was some concern she might be brining a  Trojan Horse into the club. Little did they know I was a E class shooter who only recently graduated up to a D class shooter AND I had brought a brand new gun! Never been shot before...not even a round had past through the barrel before I reached Virginia. Then of course to boot I was also "PRESS".....not exactly a warm fuzzy feeling to this East Coast membership.

    So off we went to the range. All the way I was engaged in general conversation designed to "find out about him"...lol...lol....I'm good with that I have been the New Guy many times and know the rules of the game. We stopped to pick up THE man behind organizing the Green Jacket Shoot none other than Carl Behrens himself. Two Carls and Beverly Gregory. in the small car, a trunk full of stuff and the floor stacked with ammo this rolling militia were off on a ----->"who is this guy and can he shoot mission." It was great fun. The targets were good and the range was beautiful. I finally admitted to having a new gun and being a D class shooter but put it off for as long as I could....which would be just before we started shooting! lol..lol..they all seemed relieved.

Friday:

      Weather seemed a bit cooler. I bought a sweater. I was squadded with Peter Larson, Marshall Bowden, Joe Guarriello and The John Sigler as in President of the NRA John Sigler....well I had to bring out the excuse book once I saw the make up of that squad. I only hoped to keep from embarrassing everyone and myself. We had a great time together! I have shot with a few of the good ones over the years and I want to tell you now John Sigler is one of the best...well Ingrid, his wife may be just a hair better but don't tell John I said that OK....And John if your listening<----opps radio joke. If your "reading" this ThanX for giving my wife her very first shooting lessons.

Saturday: GAME DAY!

     Weather getting better. We started off by shooting the ASIAN RIM TRAP GAME....all of you know it by a slang expression which I hope to never hear again. It needs to go the same way as Bob Copty dinner joke went......lol. Anyway the new squad was made up of Chris Kull, Laura Revitz, Don Chapman, and Ingrid Sigler. What a day! What a squad! Chris is a closet Indy 500 driver who unfortunately believes the Shooting cart is to be driven like a Top Fuel dragster! Wow will someone check to see where he got his driver license PLEASE! "Cool Hand Luke" Don Chapman, what a guy. I want to be permanently assigned to any squad he is on....this Georgia industry capitan is a text book champion. ThanX Donnie I learned a lot behind you. AND Ingrid you are so much fun to shoot with. What an unbeatable team you and your husband make, no wonder they split you up! Little Laura hit everything she called a "bird"....if she thought it was clay she struggled...but call it a bird and this Bird shooter will blow them up right now! Nice to meet you you Laura hope we see one another in Spain.

Sunday: Get out of town Sunday they call it.....

However hard it is to leave the Homestead...reality calls and one must abandon the Gentelmans life and walk out the front door with dignity. Fortunatly I ran into Mr. NRA John Sigler at the front desk. We spoke of shooting and the radio show and how much fun we had....just saying goodbye to a real person made it easier to leave. ThanX John and Ingrid, hope to see you at the Nationals in San Antonio in a few weeks!

But hey before I say good bye to the Green Jacket Club...lets give a round of appause to the men and women of the Green Jacket Club for an excellent preformance. Below you will find more pictures. Click on them for a copy or any photo to copy. It's hard to organize all the remaining photo's so just keep scrolling down.

As the shooting closed I grabbed a couple of referees/trappers and challenged them to the "Long Shot". Winner wins a pot I had set aside just for them. It was fun. David and his boys worked hard and deserved a little fun .

 

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