John M. Thompson II -- Giving Everything He's Got, And Then Some

Firearm Instruction: A resident of Fulton, KY, John is a Master Instructor/Trainer for the Kentucky Dept. of Fish & Wildlife where he began volunteering in 1994. As a certified NRA Instructor, he's qualified on rifle, shotgun and handgun -- and also teaches and qualifies other volunteers in hunter education. John recently completed his 167th training event -- which involve primarily classes which average around 30 students per; plus ongoing firearm education workshops and conferences.

Personal Profile: A 1954 graduate of Tilghman H.S. in Kentucky, John spent nine years on active duty with the U.S. Navy -- and a total of 23 in the reserves -- before serving for ten years as a Probation and Parole Officer for The Commonwealth of Kentucky from which he recently retired. John's wife Becky recently passed away but he's very thankful for the love and companionship of three children: son James who is serving in Iraq with the Tennessee National Guard and son John III a computer analyst from Arizona -- both of whom share his love of hunting -- plus daughter Toni who works for the state of Florida and enjoys target shooting with handguns.

Hunting/Shooting Preferences: "I love packing up a rifle or a muzzleloader and going after the deer on my 200-acre farm -- which I also make available to local hunters. Beyond that, you just can't beat the waterfowl and small game in Kentucky; the pheasant in South Dakota, and the doves, ducks and pigeons in Argentina. In the meantime, I try to keep up the accuracy by shooting trap, skeet and sporting clays -- as well as pistol and high-powered rifle targets -- which all are great fun."

Fondest Outdoor Memory: "I'll never forget the time my Grandfather John took me out hunting for the first time at the age of ten and I shot my first duck. He was a fine man and a true mentor -- taught me about guns before there ever was any formal hunter education."

Favorite Outdoor Writer: "As a youngster, I enjoyed tales of Alaska and Mexico written by Russell Annabell in one of the popular outdoor magazines. I then got into a series of historical narrative books by Alan Eckerds about the American Revolution, the Indian Wars and Tecumseh. My favorite of these, "The Frontiersman," featured a man named Simon Kenton -- a contemporary of Daniel Boone."

On Our Hunting Heritage: "I believe a lot of our preaching about the enjoyment of hunting and shooting is only being heard by the proverbial choir. We need to reach out to the 70% of the people who don't shoot or hunt -- not because they have anything against it -- but because they've never had the influence of family and friends to give it a try. I'm sure there's a bunch of them that would jump at the chance."

On Firearm Care: "I've tried just about every gun cleaning product out there -- including one that was made from horse manure! Worked okay but the smell knocked me out. I like USP Bore Paste simply because it's quick and easy. No bad odor either. I've also heard that it improves a firearm's accuracy but I'm not really good enough to tell."

John M. Thompson, Certified NRA Firearm Instructor and a Master Instructor/Trainer for the Kentucky Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, prepares for yet another of the many hunter education classes he's been teaching since 1994. United States Products provides all certified instructors with complimentary training aids including USP Bore Paste & Gun Cleaning Oil, a comprehensive new firearm care DVD and inspirational student bookmarks which include a device to test for one's dominant "shooting" eye.

Volunteer Educator from Fulton, KY, John M. Thompson (rear far right) poses with one of his recent hunter education classes which also received financial and training assistance by the 4H Shooting Sports Club of Bardwell, KY in Carlisle County.