Perfecting the art of center on Okinawa

Photo By Lance Cpl. Robert Frenke | Chief Warrant Officer 4 Kevin Suitt is a highly decorated and accomplished marksman. He wears a distinguished rifle marksman badge (left), and badges representing the Wirgman Trophy (center) and the Shively Trophy. Suitt is two points away from being a distinguished pistol shooter.  

04.18.2008

Story by Lance Cpl. Ryan Wicks 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

By Lance Cpl. Ryan Wicks
III Marine Expeditionary Force

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – "His grandfather and I would take him quail hunting as a child," said Suitt's father, Michael Suitt, a retired policeman. "He missed a whole lot of birds though. He wasn't very good when he started out."

Now, as the officer in charge of Camp Hansen Range Control, which is the responsible unit for all ranges on Okinawa, he is a highly decorated and accomplished marksman. A quick glance at his service C shirt decked out with badges leaves one with little doubt of his expertise.

He wears a distinguished marksman badge for the rifle, and badges representing the Wirgman Trophy, a small unit rifle award, and the Shively Trophy, a pistol award. Suitt is two points away from being a distinguished pistol shooter.

To become a distinguished shooter of any weapon in the Marine Corps, shooters must compete in division shooting matches and accumulate 30 points in the process. Points are earned by placing in the top three places. Suitt earned the Wirgman and Shively trophies through multiple top tier performances in Eastern and Far Eastern Division Matches.

"I am not too surprised that he had success with the rifle," said Suitt's father. "He shot his first deer at age 16 with a high powered rifle and continued to get better through high school."

After graduating, Suitt joined the Corps in 1986 as an antitank assault-man. Suitt was told after shooting a 245 on the rifle range that he would be eligible for division matches.

In 1988, he attended his first division match as a lance corporal. He shot expert but said he felt he had potential for a higher score.

"When I first started to compete, I thought that I was the best and no one could teach me anything," Suitt said. "This meant I wasn't as successful as I could have been early on."

However, his success caught the eye of officials who selected Suitt for the Marine Corps International Skeet Team in 1989.

"I was shooting skeet one day for fun and people noticed that I could shoot so they gave me the opportunity to join the team," Suitt said.

Those who knew Suitt growing up didn't expect him to excel in skeet shooting.

"I was surprised that my son had such success with skeet because he never really got to shoot it growing up," his father said.

Suitt again went to compete in division matches in 1994, this time with a different mind set.

"I was more humble, and I had a hunger," Suitt said. "If someone was talking about marksmanship ... I would stop what I was doing and pick their brains. When I opened my mind and allowed people to help me, I dominated."

Suitt said he improved his shooting greatly thanks to his passion for marksmanship, and his improvement showed that year as his division match team won gold.

The Marine Corps Rifle Team took note and selected Suitt for the team in 1994. Later that year, he earned his rifle distinguished marksmanship badge.

Suitt had more skeet success when he won the mini world, high overall novice championship in the 1997 World Skeet Championship, as a part of a Marine Corps Community Services sponsored team sent to the competition. This win led him to be chosen for the All-Marine Skeet Team in 1998. He then won the main world, high overall championship in the 1999 World Skeet Championship as a part of the team.

As Suitt's success has grown over the years, so has his interest in teaching Marines about marksmanship.

"Overall marksmanship is the hallmark of the Marine Corps," Suitt said. "As a leader of Marines, there's nothing more important to me than teaching others the skills needed to succeed in the shooting department of the Corps."

Suitt attended his first marksmanship coaching school in 1986 as a lance corporal in Okinawa and has been involved in teaching marksmanship in some way ever since.

As a member of the skeet team in 1990, Suitt attended the Scout Sniper School in Quantico, Va., and graduated as a certified scout sniper and instructor. He then used his skill and knowledge to train others.

"I instructed reservists getting ready to go through the first Gulf War in October of 1990," Suitt said. "We pushed through 30,000 reservists teaching them rifle and sniper marksmanship."

From 1992-1993, Suitt served as an instructor and advisor for the Royal Saudi Marine Corps, teaching them basic marksmanship skills.

"It can be hard to teach someone who speaks your language, but this was much more challenging because of the language barrier," Suitt said.

Suitt said he believes marksmanship has made him the Marine he is today.

"Marksmanship has hooked me up," Suitt said. "I would not have had the success and enjoyment in my career if it weren't for marksmanship. I consider myself one of the most fortunate Marines in the Marine Corps."

Suitt now contributes to marksmanship in a less direct manner as the MCB range control officer. He makes sure all ranges, from rifle ranges to shooting houses, run smoothly while continually looking for ways to improve the facilities.

He has not, however, realized all his personal marksmanship goals.

"I want to go to a match one day and walk away without learning anything," he said, while remembering he still needs two points to become a distinguished pistol shooter. That would mean that I did not make any mistakes."

While striving to achieve personal awards and goals, Suitt still keeps Marine Corps marksmanship as a whole, his top priority.

"When it comes down to it, the most important thing is being able to drop the enemy," Suitt said. "I challenge everyone to pursue marksmanship, whether they think they can shoot or not. If you are a great shooter, then give back and help by coaching."

Suitt describes himself as one of the luckiest Marines in the Corps because he has been able to devote so much of his career to his passion for shooting.

And the man who once regarded him as "not that good of a shot" may now be a bit envious of his son's success.

"The Marine Corps has been good to him," his father said. "Heck, I would have joined the Marine Corps if I could do what he does for a living."

• Date Taken: 04.18.2008
• Date Posted: 04.18.2008 02:14
• Story ID: 18549