Photo By Lt. Col. Michelle Lunato | Camp Perry, Ohio—U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) Service Pistol Team, along with...... read more read more
CAMP PERRY, Ohio – The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Service Pistol Team proved unbeatable in the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) National Trophy Pistol Matches from June 30 - July 2 at the Camp Perry ranges near Port Clinton, Ohio.
USAMU team members brought home first place wins in both the CMP Excellence in Competition (EIC) Pistol Match and the National Individual Pistol Match, as well as, securing a first place win in the .22 Rim Fire Match. The team also dominated with first place wins in the highest profile events of the competition, the President’s 100 Match and the Overall Individual and National Team Matches.
Sgt. 1st Class James Henderson, a Pasadena, California native on the USAMU Service Pistol team said, “The National Matches are the largest championship we shoot in. We train all year and compete in state, regional and interstate matches in preparation for the National Matches.”
The National Trophy Pistol Matches, which have been conducted since 1903, are the World Series for pistol shooting according to Henderson, who was competing in his last National Trophy Pistol Matches as member of the USAMU.
Henderson, who is retiring from military service this year, won the President’s 100 Match for the 10th time in his career that spans over 30 years, and also won the Overall Individual Championship.
“I always thought of myself as a career Soldier, and there’s no place better than USAMU where you shoot with the best in the world,” he said.
The National Trophy Team Match is the most prestigious team event of the service pistol CMP season. The teams for this match are comprised of four shooters and a coach. Fired with a service pistol using only iron sights, this match requires one of the team’s shooters to have not previously fired in the National Trophy Team Match.
All teams strive to win the match and the USAMU Service Pistol Team has now won for the past 11 years.
Members of the winning team included Henderson, Sgt. 1st Class Lawrence Cleveland, Staff Sgt. Joshua Kingery, Staff Sgt. Greg Markowski, and team coach, Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Franks, who also captured the CMP EIC Pistol Match and the National Individual Pistol Match during the competition.
“It was surreal and amazing,” Markowski said who was born and raised in Poland. “We have been training the entire year for it.”
Franks, a Las Vegas native, said the Army and the USAMU provide everything they need to be successful, including ammunition, training and gunsmith expertise.
“We can concentrate on training, and winning. The Army gives us the competitive advantage over anyone else,” he said.
Additionally, USAMU Soldiers gave back to the community at large by offering some specialized hands-on training.
Every year, the Service Pistol Team conducts the pistol portion of the Small Arms Firing School (SAFS) at Camp Perry, Ohio. This year, over 200 people participated. About 90 percent of competitors have either never fired a pistol or were participating in SAFS for the first time. The course begins with about two hours of classroom instruction covering everything from safety to pistol fundamentals and marksmanship techniques.
The second portion of the class is on the range with a military coach. Each coach supervises two shooters per relay. The final event is the EIC pistol match where the top 10 percent of competitors receive an award of four EIC points.
“Everything we learn and all the skills we hone while competing in the Nationals, is returned to all Soldiers and the American people through marksmanship courses like this,” said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Gasser, a Houston, Texas native and the USAMU Service Pistol assistant team coach.
This event stresses firearms safety, introduces many new shooters to competitive pistol shooting, and gives them the opportunity to interact with service members from all of the services. Each participant then had the opportunity to shoot 60 shots with an M9 pistol.
During the closing awards ceremony, USAMU team members paid tribute to Henderson by giving him a retirement plaque to go along with the first place trophies he earned during the weekend.
Cleveland, a Tacoma, Washington native who won the .22 Rim Fire Match, spoke on behalf of all the Service Pistol Team Soldiers when they referred to Henderson as a role model who has taught them all a lot of life lessons in his time at USAMU, and someone who will be greatly missed.
“Everyone on our team is very thankful for having had him as part of our team. He has been a coach, a mentor, a friend and an asset to all of us on a personal level at some point in our time together. And, we will miss him like a family member,” said Cleveland.
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.22.2017 00:02 |
| Story ID: | 242156 |
| Location: | CAMP PERRY, OH, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Hometown: | LAS VEGAS, NV, US |
| Hometown: | PASADENA, CA, US |
| Hometown: | TACOMA, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 204 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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