Photo By Sgt. Amber Bohlman | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Heath Wragge, with the 67th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade...... read more read more
CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, Ark. —Participants of the 45th Winston P. Wilson Championship stand at the firing line of the reflexive fire range, April 24, preparing to take direction from the tower during the last match of the day. The goal of this match is to shoot a rifle at multiple targets in close quarters.
Among them is a blond haired, medium build male from Nebraska, competing at Camp Joseph T. Robinson for the first time.
Army Staff Sgt. Heath Wragge, a chaplain’s assistant and elementary school teacher from Nebraska, is part of the Nebraska Bravo shooting team competing in the five-day marksmanship competition.
“I’ve shot at my state level competition about four times now. I’m glad I’ve finally been given the opportunity to represent my state here,” Wragge said.
Wragge has dedicated the last decade of his life to the military while simultaneously balancing life as a schoolteacher. The experience Wragge has acquired in each profession has complemented the other, making him a well-rounded citizen soldier.
“I think my military experience is relevant in the classroom. I like to help show the kids when they are going to use certain things in real life,” Wragge said.
A technique he focuses on when teaching his student’s math is one generally used by those in the military. It is a technique Wragge himself has been using during this competition.
“Data on Previous Engagements, or DOPE, is when you shoot, write down your results from where you shot and where it hit, and then adjust your weapon accordingly based on wind and distance,” Wragge said.
The lesson plans Wragge uses the DOPE technique on are ratios, percent’s and the one that is especially important in fifth grade is adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.
“It’s proportional so I talk to my students about how one Minute of Angle spreads at one inch per 100-yards, and that goes proportionally out so one minute is going to be two inches at 200-yards,” Wragge said.
Bringing military fundamentals into the classroom allows students to compare their assignments to real life scenarios. This keeps the students engaged and on topic.
Wragge said his students like the structure and discipline that he brings into the classroom and how it relates to the military.
“As a soldier you may put a uniform on one weekend a month and two weeks a year but the values that we carry, we carry those with us everyday,” said Army Lt. Col. Todd Stevens, Nebraska State Training Officer and State Marksmanship Coordinator. “The leadership skills that Staff Sgt. Wragge possesses, he’s able to translate into his classroom by delivering purpose and direction to his students and clearly get them to understand why they need to learn things in a certain fashion.”
Wragge credits the skills he’s acquired over the years to Stevens. Stevens has taken the time to teach and guide him over the last three and a half years through working and competing together.
“He’s taken me from a little above average to doing pretty well,” Wragge said. “I’m not the top shooter in our state but I’m definitely better than I used to be.”
“As the State Marksmanship Coordinator I teach them to shoot using the same techniques that I’ve been taught and it works,” Stevens said. “It’s kind of nice seeing those techniques get passed on and see them reap some benefit for other shooters.”
With the skills Wragge has honed over the years he hopes to finish the competition strong and score as best he can.
“After you’ve shot it once, you expect to do better next time, so I want to set the bar high so it’s not just for the experience. It’s something to build on to in the future,” Wragge said. “If you just come down here for experience and don’t care then you haven’t really set a goal to beat for next time.”
Wragge looks forward to setting the bar high and hopes to return next year to compete in the 46th WPW Championship.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2016 11:59 |
| Story ID: | 196535 |
| Location: | CAMP JOSEPH T ROBINSON, AR, US |
| Hometown: | KEARNEY, NE, US |
| Hometown: | PIERCE, NE, US |
| Web Views: | 712 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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