Stress shoot competition tests cavalry soldier’s skills

Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army Sgt. Matthew Durst from Revenna, Ohio of Headquarters, Headquarters Troop, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment fires his weapon at a target for the best shooter competition held on Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Babil, Iraq, March 18. The best shooter competition consists of a 1/2 mile run, a barbed wire obstacle to low crawl under and firing weapons at paper targets that are 25 meters away. The 3d ACR is in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Charles M. Willingham)  

BABIL PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

03.18.2011

Courtesy Story

3d Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs Office

By 1st Lt. Daniel M. McKeegan

BABIL PROVINCE, Iraq – Since the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment arrived in Iraq in September, the unit has continually trained to keep its combat edge. The squadron held the first in a series of competitions, March 18, all of which are designed to find out who is the best shooter in the unit.

The competition used a timed course where the participants ran approximately three-quarters of a mile while wearing full body armor, navigating a wire obstacle, and finally completing a standard qualification with their M4 carbines. More than 100 soldiers volunteered to test themselves on the challenging course.

Ten heats, each with 10 competitors, contended for top honors. Soldiers were awarded points for elapsed time and accuracy. Each participant was ranked in the order they finished, from the start of the heat, until they successfully cleared their weapon after shooting. Additionally, the soldiers earned points for their proficiency in basic rifle marksmanship, based upon a judge’s score of how many rounds hit targets on the target lane.

The training tested the soldier’s capability to complete basic combat functions under stress.

“All of the soldiers performed admirably in the execution of the Stress Shoot Competition,” said 1st Lt. Alexander Cole, the officer in charge of the event. “It is important to exercise the ability to engage and destroy the enemy in a realistic training environment.”

Additionally, the troops, companies, and battery that make up 1st Squadron also competed against each other, with the top three soldiers’ points from each division combining to show which unit was best in the Squadron.

The competition ended with the 43rd Combat Engineer Company, “Spartans,” winning first place, with second and third going to Bandit Troop and Roughrider Troop.

First place among individual participants went to Cpl. David Rawls from Roughrider Troop in the optical sights division and Pfc. Michael Collins from Sapper Company for the iron sight division.

Second and third place went to Staff Sgt. Joseph Garcia of Dragon Troop and Spc. Eric Johnson of King Battery in the optical sights division and to Spc. Adam Gaskill of Sapper Company and Pfc. Salvatore Anania of Apache Troop in the iron sights division.

One of the day’s champions described the event as fun, but challenging. “I am looking forward to the future competitions,” said Rawls.

• Date Taken: 03.18.2011
• Date Posted: 03.28.2011 10:23
• Story ID: 67862
• Location: BABIL PROVINCE, AF