Doc Jargon: Hitting the mark in terminology

Photo By Collen McGee | Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army.  

UNITED STATES

03.31.2023

Story by Collen McGee 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Doc Jargon: Hitting the mark in terminology

Dear Doc Jargon,

I read that the Army made it tougher to earn the honor of marksman than it was just a few years ago. The story I read said they added more targets and are giving Soldiers less instruction while qualifying, but more instruction prior to stepping up to the line of fire.

I’m a bit undecided about that — on one hand, it is definitely a good idea to be a good shot if your job is a military one, but it sometimes looks like every standard is getting harder — first fitness, and now marksmanship. I guess we will all have to deal with working harder to be better at what we do and I can handle that.

But, my real question is, how did we come up with the name marksman for someone who shoots well? Where did that language originate?

Sincerely,

Pfc. Training Harder

Dear Pfc. Training Harder,

You are right – I think the Army and the Soldiers in the ranks are being asked to step up and be more and to be “All that you can be.” Each of you is being asked to be more when it comes to health, more when it comes to fitness, more in terms of resilience and more when it comes to being the most lethal fighting force on the planet. And — being a marksman is part of that.

The term, from what I could find, started in the 1570s as ‘markman’ and later, around the 1650s, the ‘s’ was added to make it marksman.
The meaning applies anyone who was skillful with either a bow or a gun and could hit the mark, or target, every time. It is a general term for a good shot.

However, in the Army, it is the level at which a Soldier becomes qualified on their weapon and there are still two more levels above that, sharpshooter and expert.

So, train harder, Pfc. Train Harder. Give it all you can and trust the process for improving your Soldier skills. Yes, the Army is asking more from you, but they are also giving you the means to get there. If you apply yourself, you are on track to be all that you can be.

Sincerely,

Doc Jargon

• Date Taken: 03.31.2023
• Date Posted: 03.31.2023 10:42
• Story ID: 441647
• Location: US