Beefed up advanced marksmanship event for Rodeo 2011 raises bar for Air Force's best shooters

Photo By Scott Sturkol | Staff Sgt. George Reinas and Senior Master Sgt. Nathan Brett, both sniper-qualified Airmen in the Air Force, practice a scenario on a range on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on July 27. Brett and Reinas were the event coordinators for the advanced marksmanship event for Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Brett is the superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center's 421st Combat Training Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and Reinas is a security forces combat skill instructor in the 421st CTS.  

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, UNITED STATES

07.29.2011

Story by Master Sgt. Scott Sturkol                                                                                        

Air Mobility Command

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- The longest shot they had to make was at 1,000 yards using the latest Air Force sniper weapon -- the M-24 bolt-action rifle. By making that shot and others one team out of 11 would be named the best advanced marksmanship team for Air Mobility Rodeo 2011.

The advanced marksmanship event made its debut in Rodeo 2009 with only three teams competing. For 2011, the goal was to get many more teams to participate.

"I was hoping to get at least 20 teams for this event this year but gaining 11 teams is a vast improvement over how it went before," said Senior Master Sgt. Nathan Brett, lead Rodeo umpire for the event from the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center's 421st Combat Training Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. "In this competition, we not only had teams from Air Mobility Command but also teams from four other commands as well as one international team. Let's just say what they had to complete for this event wasn't easy."

Staff Sgt. George Reinas, also a Rodeo umpire coordinating the event from the 421st CTS at Joint Base MDL, said teams had to make their best shots in short- and long-range distances.

"In the long-range shooting, the teams had to shoot at distances of anywhere from 400 to 1,000 yards," said Reinas, who is a security forces combat skills instructor for special weapons and tactics at the 421st CTS. "For the short-distance shooting, teams hit targets between 50 and 200 meters."

Each team competed with a shooter and a spotter. The shooter, using an M-24, and the spotter, equipped with a spotting scope, went from target to target in a pre-established time until all targets were fired upon.

The M-24 sniper weapon system is a militarized version of civilian-made rifle, according to a U.S. Army fact sheet. It was adopted as the Army's primary sniper weapon in 1988 and is called a weapon system because in addition to the rifle it can come with a detachable sight and other accessories.

"The M-24 is a very effective weapon system," said Reinas, who along with Brett are certified Air Force snipers. "It's one of the standard weapons used for Air Force by snipers and has an maximum effective range as far as 1,500 meters. A sniper team, using the weapon correctly, can be very deadly in a combat situation."

In having an increased number of teams in the Rodeo competition, Brett said he hopes it will help build more awareness around the Air Force and the military about the importance of the sniper program and the capability they bring to the fight.

"We want to establish an identity to the Air Force sniper program," said Brett, who is also the superintendent for the 421st CTS. "This competition offers a look into where we are today with the program and where we need to make improvements. I would like to see this program go back where it once was. I think Rodeo has helped with building that visibility."

One person who has helped bring visibility to the Air Force sniper program is Reinas. In season two of The History Channel's "Top Shot" television show, Reinas finished second in that competition ahead of competitors who were not only professional civilian shooters, but also former military marksmen from other services.

"I was glad to show the capabilities of my skill set on the show," Reinas said. "Between that and the competition here where senior leaders are seeing what we're doing, I hope to see things improve for the program."

The advanced marksmanship and security forces combat tactics events were nearly all completed by instructors from the 421st CTS of Joint Base MDL. As the superintendent for the unit, Brett said those event leaders and coordinators "had the best the Air Force has to offer."

"They are the best there is out there," Brett said. "We were happy to come out from the Expeditionary Center and help make this event and others the best they could be."

• Date Taken: 07.29.2011
• Date Posted: 08.01.2011 11:53
• Story ID: 74627
• Location: JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US