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    U.S. Marine Firefighting and Rescue Specialist Shoots a Perfect Score on the Pistol Range at MCAS Yuma

    U.S. Marine Firefighting and Rescue Specialist Shoots a Perfect Score on the Pistol Range at MCAS Yuma

    Photo By Lance Cpl. Ruben Padilla | U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Richard G. Moler, from Clarksville, Tennessee, an expeditionary...... read more read more

    MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, AZ – Perfection is always the goal for Marines, but rarely achieved. This however, was not the case for U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Richard G. Moler, a native of Clarksville, Tennessee, who shot a perfect score of 400 on the United States Marine Corps pistol range during his first pistol qualification on September 9, 2022. Moler, an expeditionary firefighting and rescue specialist with Marine Wing Support Squadron 271, currently attending the Weapons and Tactics Instructor course, was provided the opportunity to qualify on the pistol range. Although this would mark Moler’s first time shooting the pistol, he adapted and exceeded everyone’s expectations.

    Moler grew up shooting rifles, but it wasn’t until he joined the military that he became familiar with shooting a pistol. His mentor, and now best friend, Mike LeClaire, invited him out to the range, which inspired him to develop his skills.

    “Me shooting good that day, a lot of it is because of my mentor,” said Moler. “He was the NCO I desperately needed in one of my darkest times. He noticed that and got me out of my room one day. We went shooting and he let me fire his pistol… most of what I did on the range was because of his teachings.”

    The Marine Corps encourages every Marine to be mentored by someone in their chain of command. A mentor acts as a role-model, teacher, guide, and coach.

    Molar’s mentor taught him the importance of sticking to the fundamentals. He constantly reminded himself to slow down, draw the pistol slowly and line up the shot, he explained.

    “In the pre-qual, I only missed seven shots. I was rushing shots because I was getting nervous. I had to teach myself to remember the fundamentals.” said Moler.

    Moler stated that if you want to shoot a perfect score, the trick is to take your time. You have seven seconds to shoot one bullet; use every single one of those seconds to line up the shot perfectly and do a slow steady trigger squeeze. He advise, don’t squeeze the trigger with the tip of your finger, and do it with the middle knuckle because it helps the gun not sway from left to right.

    “Let the recoil do its thing. Don’t try to fight it, because that’s when you tense up and miss,” said Moler.

    Moler believes in the importance of not only having a mentor but also a good friend. He expressed that the good friendship and teachings he received from his mentor was vital to his performance that day. He said every Marine should find someone who they trust and look forward to seeing every day or else life may get boring and repetitive.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 09.25.2022
    Date Posted: 10.19.2022 17:53
    Story ID: 430710
    Location: YUMA, AZ, US
    Hometown: CLARKSVILLE, TN, US

    Web Views: 232
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN