By Caitlin Morrison and Mike O’Toole
Warrior Transition Command
WEST POINT, N.Y.—Twenty air pistol shooters from Army, Air Force and Marines lined up at Tronsrue Marksmanship Center at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point - site of the 2014 U.S. Army Warrior Trials.
“You will have 15 minutes for preparation and sighting,” said Marksmanship Coach James Hall as the athletes prepare their equipment. “Then you will have 50 minutes to record fire.”
There was palpable tension in the pistol room during the 50 minutes of the competition, the only sounds being the rhythmic ping of the air pistols and hushed whispers of advice from the coaches. Onlookers followed the shots on a large screen with each athlete’s target visualized and score updating in real time.
Immediately after the first round of pistol, a number of the athletes moved next door to participate in the rifle competition. Retired Sgt. 1st Class Ben Trescott, Clarksville, Tenn., switched gears easily, secure in the knowledge that he already would be taking home at least one gold medal.
Twelve athletes competed in the pistol open category. The results are: Gold – Trescott (Army), Silver –Sgt. Erin Stewart, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Riley, Kansas (Army) and Bronze –Staff Sgt. Billy Meeks, Weatherford, Texas (Army). Six athletes competed in the pistol.
The results are: Gold – Retired Cpt., Frank Barroquiero, Brick, N.J. (Army); Silver – Retired Staff Sgt. Keith Sekora (Air Force); and Bronze – Sgt. Scotty Hasting, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Riley, Ks. (Army).
In the rifle competitions, Trescott won his second gold in the prone open rifle category, followed by Master Sgt. Rhoden Galloway, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Sam Houston, Texas (Army) silver; and Sgt. 1st Class, Kevin Holland, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Benning, Ga. (Army) for the bronze. Army shooters also swept the standing open category with Sgt. Erin Stewart, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Riley, Kansas (Army), winning gold; Master Sgt. Rhoden Galloway, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Sam Houston, Texas (Army), silver; and Staff Sgt. Petrina Williams, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Benning, Ga. (Army), bronze.
In standing, retired Maj. John Arbino, Cincinnati, Ohio, (Army) won the gold; Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Holland, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Benning, Ga. (Army), silver, and Sgt. Janae Piper (Marines) takes bronz. Stand SH2 is a one-two for Army with Spc. Jennifer Pariona, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Belvoir, Va. (Army), taking gold and Staff Sgt. Isaac Rios Jr. Warrior Transition Unit Fort Lewis (Army), silver. The Marines’ Piper wins gold in the Prone SH1, Master Sgt. Alex Gaud-Torres of the Air Force takes silver, and retired Capt. Michael Phillips, Hamilton, Ga. (Army) bronze.
Prone SH2 sees the Air Force’s Retired Staff Sgt. Daniel Crane win gold, while Pariona (Army) takes silver, and Tech Sgt. Leonard Anderson (Air Force) gets the bronze.
More than 100 wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans from across the United States are at West Point to compete in the Army Warrior Trials, June 15-19. The event is hosted by Warrior Command and includes athletes from the Army, Marines and Air Force facing off in archery, basketball, cycling, track and field, swimming, shooting, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball. Participants in the trials include athletes with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, serious illnesses and amputations. Results of Army Warrior Trials will help determine which athletes make Team Army and compete in the 2014 Warrior Games, Sept. 28 - Oct. 4, Colorado Springs, Colo.