Frequently Asked Questions
What am I getting into?
By now in your existence, you probably realize that firearms are dangerous and need to be handled safely. You also know that some humans should not handle them without a teacher present. You know that bullets fired have the ability to hurt and kill other living beings and this realization may stir up feelings deep within you. Maybe those feelings are anxiety or doubt. Maybe its fear or a desperate feeling. These are rational feelings all things considered, but maybe you don’t know any other way to feel. You purchased a firearm for a specific set of reasons and your intention is to overcome these feelings and to become proficient with your new tool. So that if the occasion should arise, you will be able to stand strong and do what needs to be done. You are not alone in this, you have found an amazing family. Welcome to an amazing journey.
This journey is about conquering these obstacles and discovering the Lion inside of you.
What does Evergreen teach?
Firearms are tools. Period. Some members of our society like to vilify them into scary evil monsters of death and destruction, so powerful that only a select few should ever be able to handle them. Kept in locked cages and only used in dire situations by the highest trained – Law Enforcement, the Military and the like. The problem isn’t the firearm in this story, its the mindset that people hold. Firearms are merely tools, just as shovels or a wrenches are. Any tool is able to be used for good and evil by the person using them. So as we can see now, the tool is not the problem – it is the mindset of the user that is.
Here at Evergreen – We teach mindset.
What can I expect?
Firearms are LOUD! and INTENSE! They are challenging and dangerous and can take a life in a moment. It is an animal that needs to be tamed and treated properly. Working with me you can expect to be tired, worn out and strained (but never broken). You can expect to be taught at the highest standard and expected to perform it. You can expect zero exceptions from me. You can expect to become better everyday, stronger in mind, body and spirit – and you can expect to be proficient with any tool you choose, not just the ones that go bang. My lessons aren’t just about firearms, they are about mindset.
They are about YOU.
Its a “Way of Life”?
Yep. Without a doubt.
Carrying a firearms seems glamorous at first. Like a wild western cowboy sheriff, defeating horrible criminals with perfect timing and grit. WRONG. In 1880, you could have a dual with another human AS LONG as it was in the street! You could go into a bar, gun in holster and drink whisky all day. You could also get robbed and killed by bandits on your way to church. Today however, if you shoot another person for any reason, you are going to jail! Regardless of the evil they were doing and no matter the circumstances. There are several laws that decide things like, how we carry, when we carry and where we carry. If you don’t know those things, your going to lose your gun(s) and have to pay a large fine, maybe even jail time. You have to know When it is okay to pull your firearm out for protection, what determines “protection” and what “use of force” is authorized in the specific situation your in. Because if you don’t, welcome to felony charges!
Carrying a firearm is a burden at best. It forces you to be involved in the laws of your area, to be knowledgeable in them and act in the highest order at all times. It forces you to be a sheepdog and protect other people from harm. None of that is glamorous. While on earth, you won’t get a reward for doing it. After knowing what I know now, I will never go back. I enjoy being the best version of me that I can be and holding myself to the highest standard. Because It matters. Because I matter.
Simply put – Its my “Way of Life”
Not my first rodeo?
I like to hear it! Great news for ya… I have an entire bag of “Brain Busters” just for you. Evergreen is for the overcomers. Its for the Fighters. No matter what arena of life you are in, all fighters are welcome here. Because this is about more than just firearms, I’m going to ask you to leave your per-determined bag of decisions at your house and allow me to help cultivate the good you already possess into great. If that isn’t possible, Evergreen is not the place. I wont teach what you think you need. I teach what I see you need.
Do you work with Varsity teams and members?
Evergreen is the Varsity team. Its how we do!
Having been on the Varsity team for many years and have worked with some of the greats, I can assure you that working with us will bring increase to your already proficient life and skills. I will ask you as well and more so for you, to leave your pride at your house. Professionalism transcends race, branch and position. For this level of training, I will ask you to contact me directly, so we can have a convo about your teams needs and the direction we need to head in.
About Me
My Mission
- Create Change Makers
- Cultivate a Warrior Spirit
- Increase Awareness – thru Firearms
Life is full of challenges – all kinds of them. Small issues that feel big or Goliath sized ones that you need friends for. Sometimes just getting out of bed is a problem. The world is full of situations that require us as people, to make decisions and create change. I think the real problem is that we don’t see our role in this life as change makers and haven’t spent anytime growing our strength and skills, so that when challenges come, we are able to overcome them. Not just for ourselves, but the people in those challenges with us.
When I was 21 years old, I didn’t have life figured out. I was working jobs I didn’t like, I wasn’t a strong worker, I was lazy, making choices I didn’t like but didn’t know how to change the situation I was in. To be transparent, I wasn’t going anywhere with my life. I felt sluggish and lackadaisical with my existence. I was floundering and felt horrible.
I wanted…..nope….I knew…that unless something changed, I was going to be a worthless person. SO, I joined the Marines to do the hardest job I thought they had. RECON. Behind enemy lines, surveillance and fighting operations. Over the next 8 years, I went through the most extreme life imaginable. I cannot begin to describe the challenges I faced during that time here, just know that it seared me like a hot iron and I can never go back to who I used to be…The old man in me died.
Just like I wanted.
After I left active service, I noticed that I was different. The way I think, the way I act, stand, talk – it is all different now. I spent YEARS, becoming a warrior and now I see life as one and approach challenges that way. I am an overcomer now. I see my life as already being won; I just haven’t arrived at the end yet. I noticed that civilians don’t train to put a warrior spirit into themselves or their children. As well, society is trying to rob strength from us at every turn. This is horrible and needs to stop.
My mission is to create change. Change our mindsets, our actions and our desires to better reflect the providers and protectors that we naturally are inside. The primary means I am using to do that is with firearms. They are dangerous and have consequences if they are used inappropriately. They require me to use my mind and body to handle them correctly and breed care and concern for my life and the lives of others around me. Can’t we see how that correlates out to other areas of my existence? If i miss handle the medical files at my work, I can bring pain to myself and others. If I am in a heated conversation with a friend, chose the wrong words to use, I can cause irreparable damage and maybe lose that friend.
As we see, Firearms, is just a mechanism I am using to open the mind to concepts that are not available to a person any other way. We need to realize that we are directly in control of the goodness and destruction that we cause. My carelessness of the power I possess is the problem and is my fault if I use it incorrectly and hurt others. Just like firearms.
I decided to live my life to my highest ability. I want to help people do the same. I dedicated myself to a few things, but one of them is the creed you see below. It is not a game to me. It isn’t just a saying to motivate me to self-betterment.
It creates change. It is a way of life. It the highest goal I can set.
My Creed
Realizing it is my choice and my choice alone
to be a Reconnaissance Marine,
I accept all challenges involved with this profession.
Forever shall I strive to maintain the tremendous reputation
of those who came before me.
Exceeding beyond the limitations
set down before me shall be my goal.
Sacrificing personal comforts and dedicating myself
to the completion of the mission shall be my life.
Physical fitness, mental attitude, and high ethics — The title of Recon Marine is my honor.
Conquering all obstacles, both large and small,
I shall never quit.
To quit, to surrender, to give up is to fail.
To be a Recon Marine is to surpass failure;
To overcome, to adapt and to do whatever it takes
to complete the mission.
On the battlefield, as in all areas of life,
I shall stand tall above the competition.
Through professional pride, integrity, and teamwork,
I shall be the example
for all to emulate.
Never shall I forget the principles
I accepted to become a Recon Marine.
Honor, Perseverance, Spirit and Heart.
A Recon Marine can speak without saying a word
and achieve what others can only imagine.