Willes K. Lee – NRA Board of Directors

Absolute kudos to Arsenal Attorneys Matthew Bergstrom & volunteers for great National Capital Friends of NRA banquet. THANK YOU TO SPONSORS & ATTENDEES. Hilites: Raised $$$ for The NRA Foundation, many new first-time friends, sold out, great to see BFFs Kecia Dyer BrownGabriella Hoffman Anna Maria Hoffman, honored to give invocation, Nick Freitas keynote, Dick Heller, Mark Geist Flags of Valor auction item (we helped make happen last summer). #NRA #NRABoard NRA – National Rifle Association of America #2A #WillesLee #M2AGA #WillesLee #FreedomsSafestPlace #firearms #shootingsports www.WillesLee.com#ShallNotBeInfringed #merica #SecondAmendment #freedom Willes Lee NRA Board of Directors

Last weekend, nice break w extended family for a William & Mary graduation. Quick trip, still recovering from #NRAAM, enjoyed some family time, it was hot as friggin hot. Only damper was US Sen (VA) Senator Mark Warner giving a political speech as Commencement keynote, & that apparently even schools rich in history no longer have an invocation, nor benediction, at Commencement nor for the bestowing of diplomas the day following. Yet, nice being out of the beltway. #reflections #WillesLee #endingandbeginning@WillesLee #oursalreadygraduated www.WillesLee.com #liberaleducators#liberalschools

MUCH MUCH MORE AT FACEBOOK WILLESLEENRA. Great week in Dallas.

#bam New record attendance for #SecondAmendment rally, 87,154. Thank you all (even haters) for your commitment, time, treasure, vacation time, travel budget, to show at or support on social media NRA – National Rifle Association of America #NRAAM #NRAAM2018 as an affirmation in the face of antis wanting to repeal #2A. You made this a great & successful (message-sending) week. I missed seeing so many but glad you were here.

#NRAAM. Time only for one “behind-the-scene what it’s like” post tonight. Started at 8a, going on 1:30a. Ring of Freedom brunch, media room, a quarter of the line waiting for magnetometers to see POTUS, lounge. More posting and more tagging when can. Saw a lot of friends and “stuff”.

#NRAAM Saturday was everyone and everywhere. Wrapped up The DC Project breakfast, NRA – National Rifle Association of America members meeting w new Board members announcement & voting for #76, exhibit floor, Charlie Daniels concert inc Gatling Brothers/Travis Travis Tritt, then Cigars. Unreal day from 7a til 1a

#NRA Board of Directors meeting, Monday. Exciting 1st meeting as we swear in new members Duane Liptak Carrie Lightfoot Julie Golob (missed photos w other but scroll back to see them), reunite w Craig Morgan. Stunning wise move to elect Oliver North to become NRA – National Rifle Association of America President. Pop out of Dallas, see our flag(s) when exiting on this end. WHAT A WEEK(s). Few more (individual) photos from this exciting week, I’ll share when I touch down. #badass. Antis shouldn’t have brought a knife to a gun fight. There is no more honorable, God-fearing, proven leader than Oliver North. Bless the Colonel for stepping forward, credit to Pete Brownell leading NRA – National Rifle Association of America Board of Directors to this decision. Evidence? – all the hate (read that as fear) being hurled. Congratulations & thank you to Ollie. (PS, this is first public announcement of “almost 6 M NRA members”!!) #SemperFi #patriot #NRA #NRABoard #WillesLee #FreedomsSafestPlace#merica www.WillesLee.com @M2AGA #gunrights #gunowners @WillesLee #ShallNotBeInfringed #StandAndFight #freedom Willes Lee NRA Board of Directors

www.startribune.com/hundreds-gather-at-state-capitol-rally-opposing-gun-control/481151711/

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/04/29/thousands-rally-gun-rights-minnesota-state-capitol/

The rally was organized and promoted by several gun-advocacy groups, including the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance and the National Rifle Association. A handful of speakers, including NRA board member Willes Lee, spoke in support of gun ownership.

“I call B.S. on the government … taking our civil rights,” Lee told the crowd, to cheers. “The Second Amendment affirms my God-given right of self-defense.”

Willes-Lee-PRESS-RELEASE-Remarks-to-Second-Amendment-Rally-042818-StPaulMinnesota1

Happy birthday, to my parents.

This week my father turned 98 and mother reached 96. I love ’em.  Without short-term memory, his long-term is solid of growing on a Hawaii plantation, company command during winter fighting in Korea, hunting in the Alps, mingling w Redskins when pro football was a real sport.  Mom, who sent her men to war eight times, is beginning to deal with memory loss.  She called three times last night “just thought we could catch up” and we enjoyed the same conversation a few times.  Both healthy, staying in their house, weekday care-giver.  Happy birthday. #forever

So, for my ease, I am recycling the post I did for last Fathers Dy.

Happy Father’s Day.
My father is 97, healthy, lost most his memories, loves his home garden.  In so many ways, he is the most incredible man I’ve known.  Grew up poor, as in very poor (though ‘we didn’t know we were poor’).  Served 30 years in the US Army from Private to Colonel, made it through WWII and Korea combat (replacement at 3 ID was killed less than 24 hours later).  Still married to his childhood sweetheart, they raised four of us on assignments around the world (his hunting and fishing spawned my appreciation for guns and 2A).  THEN, he served another 20 years with the DC National Guard through Vietnam (how I met Vince Lombardi) and at the Pentagon with the National Guard Bureau.  This isn’t a tribute to him – I am weak at expressing those emotions – this is a tribute to his service to our nation, a Defender of Freedom for 50 years.  Happy Father’s Day. #MAGA #onlyinamerica Willes Lee NRA Board of Directors @WillesLee www.WillesLee.com

Six weeks ago, I woke with severe back and right leg pain. Still had a lot of work to do so drove to PA for GAOS, flew to AL for BamaCarry, week in MD for CPAC, now week in CO. So, I am a tough guy (sweetheart would say differently.) and if this is just pain, I can live through it. When I found out it wasn’t life threatening, it was time to power through, with help from drugs. Lots, lots of Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Bayer. Tried Oxy and found out why people get addicted.

Part of this is the complete tightening of muscles, in my case the right buttocks, right quad and groin. The burning in the right hip and way burn in right knee is the effect of the nerve damage. To break up muscle tightness, think of it as a really bad constant cramp, is to “needle”. The 5 inch needles are stuck in through the skin (doesn’t hurt) into the muscle then shifted & jabbed to cause the muscle to grip the needle then in 24 hours to release. Twice a week, painful as heck but the next day the muscle is considerably less cramped. Can’t sleep for more than three hours before the pain wakes me.  Even six weeks later, can’t walk for more than about 100 feet before the pain takes over and I need to stop to let the muscles calm down.  Taking tons of Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Bayer, couple of Tylenol 3.

There’s “cups”. First heard of these used by Michael Phelps in Olympics before his record swim races. They suction these cups onto you in an effort to stretch the muscles and try to get them to settle back in the right place. They leave a 96 hour-long mark, sort of like a hickey from years, years, ago.

Lots and lots of stretching exercises. Allowed to “run” again (no hills) but haven’t mustered the will just yet.  Last week, I began traction. She straps me to the table, then the table pulls me apart. Told her that sweetheart would like me taller …. and actually for a short, temporary, period, I am taller. Two more weeks of this before doctors decides whether to have steroid epidural, then would be surgery (uh, no).  Harrisburg GAOS was the worse, so bad, way bad, really bad it is much better now.  The Alabama trip was a chore.  This week was MRI which showed more than the X-rays. Slight pinched nerve in the lower back. It’s just pain, the injury and the rehab, but just pain. Unfortunately, while I can gut the pain, it is exhausting and makes me sort of want to do nothing … but still work to do.