Sgt. 1st Class Julius Clayton
FORT BENNING, Ga. — Some 260 military service members from across the nation competed for titles and bragging rights in the 2019 U.S. Army Small Arms Championships March 10-16. The annual competition, better known as the All Army, is hosted by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) in conjunction with the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) with the mission of advancing marksmanship across the Army.
The week-long competition included Soldiers and cadets from all components of the U.S. Army: active duty, National Guard, Reserve and ROTC programs as well as airmen from Air National Guard, all vying for top honors.
Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Horner, a native of Suffolk, Virginia and representing the Army Reserves Career Division (ARCD), seized the Overall All Army Individual Champion title with the highest aggregate score from all the individual matches.
This was a homecoming for Horner who just recently moved from active duty service as a member of the USAMU Action Shooting Team, where he won many accolades, including 10 United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) national titles, with the last five in a row, in the Tactical Optics division.
Horner said he was excited to get the opportunity to compete at the All Army, since as a member of the USAMU he was part of the crew that would officiate and assist in conducting the competition every year.
“It was awesome, this was the first time I competed in the All Army, and I really wanted to perform well,” said Horner. “Also, I got the added bonus of getting to see some familiar faces and reconnect with some friends in the process.”
Horner’s ARCD team, led by his advanced shooting skills that included him taking the individual Multigun Champion title, seized the All Army Championship Team title after their aggregate scores in the pistol, multigun and rifle competitions were added together. Team members included Horner, Sgt. 1st Class Charles Parker, Staff Sgt. Rafael Fuentes, Sgt. Joseph Hall and Sgt. Maj. James Mauer, who was also the team’s coach.
The annual event didn’t start off with the Soldiers competing though. First, they received some training from USAMU coaches, instructors and competitive shooters who provided both a rifle and pistol Small Arms Firing School (SAFS) to all competitors, as well as other assistance throughout the week-long competition.
“The All Army allows us [USAMU] to give these Soldiers information and training techniques that they can take back to their units,” said Omaha, Nebraska native Spc. Nate Staskiewicz, who is a USAMU shooter/instructor with the Action Shooting Team. “They can then disseminate the knowledge they acquired here back to their formations, which in turn raises the marksmanship level across the entire Army.”
Sgt. Jameson Nelms, from the Wisconsin National Guard Marksmanship Team said that the physicality and mental wherewithal needed to navigate the match courses were close to actual infantry training and that the tactics of extreme focus on marksmanship and hitting what you’re aiming at, are all valuable lessons you can learn at the All Army.
“It is 100 percent worth it to come down and compete at this [All Army] event,” said Nelms. “You cannot get this kind of training shooting blanks at each other.”
The comprehensive live-fire training tested the Soldiers’ ability to employ both their primary and secondary weapon systems, problem solve and think critically under the stress created by competition.
Sgt. Anthony Heinauer, a native of Carthage, North Carolina and a shooter/instructor with the USAMU Service Pistol Team said that being at an event like the All Army helps [Soldiers] increase their skill level in marksmanship in multiple weapons disciplines, which allows for their leadership to evaluate how their performance at [All Army] can enhance the lethality and combat effectiveness of their units overall.
While the All Army featured the elements and spirit of competition, the critical intent of the competition in arms program is to develop combat firing skills, and recognize superior skills, all while raising the standards of marksmanship and increasing combat readiness across the force.
The 2019 All Army special guest speaker, Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Guden, the Command Sergeant Major of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), said the unique competition allows Soldiers from the active component, Reserve, National Guard and cadets to learn from each other. And then, they can use the information, knowledge and skills they gain from the week-long event and share those experiences with their own units and with all levels throughout the force.
Competitors experience diverse levels of marksmanship during the All Army and competed as individuals and on four-person teams in events like pistol and rifle excellence in competition matches, combat rifle and pistol matches, and multigun courses of fire.
Horner said, “The USAMU does a great job running this match, especially now seeing it from a competitor’s, instead of the facilitator’s point of view. The courses of fire were great. I had tons of fun, learned a lot and it was an overall, a great week and great event.”
The All Army wrapped up the week’s events with an award ceremony to recognize all those who demonstrated the highest standards while competing in separate classes—consisting of cadet, novice, open and professional—based on previous competition experience.
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit wins national and international shooting competitions, supports Army accessions, and advances small arms lethality to demonstrate Army marksmanship capability, enhance recruiting and increase marksmanship effectiveness in combat. USAMU is part of the U.S. Army Marketing Engagement Brigade and the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.