Photo By Cpl. Antwaun Jefferson | 1st Class Petty Officer Dana Steinemer, aviation mechanic, puts rounds down range...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. - More than a hundred shooters, new and seasoned, brought their rifles and pistols aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico to take part in the Fleet Forces Command Atlantic Rifle and Pistol Championship, and the All Navy Rifle and Pistol Championships at Weapons Training Battalion from April 8-19.
This competition is an annual event, usually in April or May, that moved to Quantico three years ago from the Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex, Va.
The matches were divided into two segments: Fleet Week and All Navy.
The objective of “Fleet Week” was to train new shooters, mostly based east of the Mississippi River. The staff and experienced shooters at the matches ensured the new shooters were knowledgeable, proficient, and capable with their weapon.
The All Navy week tested that training by having the shooters competing against others from the east and west coast. Awards would be given to the top three teams in both the rifle and pistol matches, and a large trophy would be given to the first-place finishers to host at their command for the year.
“We have approximately 150 shooters here this time and about a third of them are brand new to this type of competition,” said Petty Officer 1st Class James Deshields, one of the range coaches for the event. “Most of these sailors don’t get an opportunity to touch a weapons system unless they are standing a post or at some type of annual training. So we’ll have a young shooter come here who will go from not being able to qualify, gain knowledge from theses experienced shooters here, then by the end of the competition, shoot at an intermediate or expert level.”
There were all types of government personnel taking part, such as the National Guard, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air Force and even civilian law enforcement. And with different type of personnel came different types of weapons that have been in use since World War II. A few of the weapons in the matches were the M1 Garand, M14 rifle and the AR-15.
Early in the first week, there was the “Excellence-in-Competition” match. In this match, the top 10 percent would qualify to win the leg medal, which allows a shooter to earn points toward their distinguished marksman badge. Those who qualify at the end of the week, based on how well they did, will advance to the All Navy matches and shoot to determine All Navy honors.
“I’m getting range time and practicing the fundamentals and it has been a great experience,” said Loren Kline, cadet, U.S. Coast Guard Academy. “One of my weapons officers at the academy told me about this event and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to come here.”
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.18.2013 09:24 |
| Story ID: | 105397 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VA. , VA, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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