U.S. Army Specialist Wins Duskin 3-Gun Championships

Photo By Lt. Col. Michelle Lunato | Spc. Jonathan Wiedell won the Duskin Memorial 3-Gun Match at Fort Liberty, North Carolina June 10-11. The six-stage, 400-round match was held in honor of Chief Mike Duskin, a 3rd Special Forces Group Soldier who died in Afghanistan in 2012. In line with honoring a fallen Soldier, the unique match included a number of physical fitness challenges outside the normal marksmanship obstacles, such has climbing a wall and flipping large tires. Wiedell, an Emily, Minnesota native, is a marksmanship instructor/competitive shooter with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Action Shooting Team out of Fort Moore, Georgia.  

FORT LIBERTY, NC, UNITED STATES

06.23.2023

Story by Lt. Col. Michelle Lunato 

U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit

A specialist with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit won the Duskin Memorial 3-Gun Match hosted by 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Liberty, North Carolina June 10-11.

Spc. Jonathan Wiedell, a marksmanship instructor/competitive shooter with the USAMU Action Shooting Team, claimed the win at the six-stage, 400+-round match with a score of 594.4916 points and 530.37 seconds, beating out 182 other marksmen from around the Nation.

The Memorial Match differed from traditional 3-gun matches outside the fact that it was in honor of Chief Mike Duskin, a Soldier with 3rd Special Forces Group who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012. Since Duskin was a Soldier himself, the match required the action shooting competitors to complete a number of physical endurance and strength tasks in addition to the normal marksmanship skills, explained Wiedell.

“We had to carry and drag a 200-pound Rescue Randy, bench press 80-pound dumbbells, flip 250-pound tires, and climb an 8-foot wall.”

The unique match features didn’t deter the Emily, Minnesota native. Actually, the higher physical demands just intrigued the young Soldier even more.

“Most competitors, including myself, enjoy this match due to the different challenges it offers.”

The Duskin 3-Gun was also an opportunity for the USAMU Action Shooting Team to network with a number of Special Forces servicemembers from various Army, Navy and Air Force units who were in attendance, said Sgt. 1st Class Joel, the USAMU Action Shooting Team Assistant Team Chief who placed second in the match behind Wiedell.

Being able to compete with and share information with other servicemembers made the Memorial Match even that much more special because the match had more meaning that other competitions, said Wiedell.

“The difference in how the match felt was not a somber feeling, but a very happy and lighthearted one. It felt that way, because every competitor at the event was aware that this match was put on specifically in remembrance of who Mike Duskin was.”

To watch a video montage from the competition, go to https://www.dvidshub.net/video/888172/us-army-specialist-wins-memorial-duskin-3-gun

• Date Taken: 06.23.2023
• Date Posted: 06.23.2023 15:58
• Story ID: 447884
• Location: FORT LIBERTY, NC, US
• Hometown: EMILY, MN, US