CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JAPAN – U.S. Marines with the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment shooting team earned the highest overall score in the rifle team event at the Far East Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition (MCMC), winning the Calvin A. Lloyd Memorial Trophy on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 12, 2025.
The MCMC is an intense, two-week-long marksmanship competition conducted annually. The first week includes practice runs to assist members who have never competed before, and the second week consists solely of the competition. The MCMC includes four challenging categories: individual rifle, individual pistol, rifle team, and pistol team. Teams consist of at least four Marines, including one officer, one Tyro (a member who has previously participated in the MCMC), and one E-5 or below.
The Far East MCMC hosted the event with a total of 163 shooters, 23 of whom were from 12th MLR. As the team matches began, 12th MLR fielded four full teams for the rifle and pistol team competitions.
“Both rifle and pistol usually run like a relay race,” said Chief Warrant Officer Jared Hohmeier, electronics maintenance officer with 12th Littoral Logistics Battalion, 12th MLR, 3rd Marine Division. “They do different things to make it so that you can all compete together, and your score at the end will be contributed by everybody on your team.”
The rifle team matches consisted of four different positions within the close and long bay, filled with multiple targets and obstacles. Members received a limited amount of ammunition that had to be split in a way that maximized the capabilities of the team.
“You’re testing speed, you’re testing accuracy, you’re testing the efficiency of movement, and the efficiency of communication,” said Hohmeier, a native of Missouri.
12th MLR maintains a standing shooting team, allowing Marines to build camaraderie and strengthen communication through regular competition.
“We all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” said Staff Sgt. Kenika Beck, transmission systems chief with the 12th MLR. “We got used to communicating with each other. Everybody kind of knows what the guy next to him is thinking.”
Winners for both pistol and rifle relays were announced following the competition.
“They announced third, and it wasn’t us. Then second, and it wasn’t us. You get this hope that it’s you,” said Hohmeier. “We knew what our score was, and we hadn’t heard anybody beat that score. Sure enough, first was MLR, rifle team A.”
Overall, 12th MLR earned 32.5 percent of the competition’s medals and secured the Calvin A. Lloyd Memorial Trophy, an award held by only a select number of Marines throughout the history of the competition.
“It’s not about winning every stage,” said Beck, a native of Hawaii. “It’s about consistency.”