MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, JAPAN – Sweat drips slowly from your eyebrows peppering your chin as the sun beats down. The sounds of birds and conversations start to fade in the distance as you take a slow inhale, steady exhale. The scent of gun powder and hot asphalt fill your lungs. Adrenaline slowly builds in anticipation as the start of the long-awaited competition nears. Who will bring home the trophy, the bragging rights, and the pride of being the best marksmen?
U.S. Marines from Mainland Japan, Okinawa, Guam, Vietnam, and the Republic of Korea, gathered to test their skills in the annual Far East Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition held on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 10, 2025. As one of five regional marksmanship competitions hosted by the Marine Corps Shooting Team, this two-week event had competitors complete nine days of live fire training and competitions, including individual and team rifle and pistol events, gas gun, infantry marksmanship tests and more. Success at this level requires more than just showing up – it demands months of preparation and intense training to build endurance, strength, discipline and precision. The MCAS Iwakuni Shooting Team did just that.
With only twelve spots available on the MCAS Iwakuni Shooting Team, U.S. Marines and Sailors all throughout Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron competed in tryouts to show off their skills and prove they have what it takes to compete for this installation. These tryouts consisted of the following: a four hour Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer (ISMIT) series of close and medium range pistol shooting as well as close, medium, and long range rifle shooting; completing the Combat Pistol Program to test their pistol accuracy; conducting a ten round marksmanship series three times on three targets, one engaged from the standing, one from the kneeling, and one from the sitting, with the target area being the size of a half dollar coin; and finally, each shooter had to conduct a table five course of fire for the rifle, to show their speed and accuracy. The Marines who were selected to be on the MCAS Iwakuni Shooting Team spent the next four months building their endurance and enhancing their skills to prepare for the competition.
The team spent a total of 218 hours on vigorous training. “It was 38 hours of physical conditioning that focused on training the body to be fast, accurate, and able to execute movements continuously without failure,” said Gunnery Sgt. Robert Navarro, the range and training area manager and indoor small arms range (ISAR) OIC for MCAS Iwakuni, and a native of Oceanside, California. “We spent 120 hours of indoor simulated marksmanship training that prepared them for long-distance rifle shoots. Then 60 hours of live fire training for rifle and pistol that focused on combat marksmanship fundamentals, combat marksmanship advanced techniques, high-speed target engagements as well as traditional Olympic-style shooting.”
The team honed their skills, using everything they had to the best of their ability. In the rain, snow, or heat, these Marines were using the ISAR. While the MCAS Iwakuni Shooting Team did not have any access to rifle ranges, they found another way to practice. They used the ISMIT to practice the fundamentals of marksmanship and simulate rifle shooting.After months of training, the team was getting faster, and their shooting was getting sharper. Their commitment was paying off. A spark was lit within and these Marines fanned it into a roaring blaze.
When the team arrived at Camp Hansen, they were eager for the competition. “Even though we were told to have fun and enjoy it, as Marines we are naturally competitive,” Navarro said. The team was competing against 200 shooters, all who were ready to give everything they had to be the winners. The first event was a basic weapons and marksmanship test for each shooter to ensure they could safely conduct live fire and show that they were competition-ready. That first day, 34 shooters were sent home. This competition left no room for errors.
The MCAS Iwakuni Shooting Team made sure to stick to the fundamentals and build upon them while continuing to work hard throughout the next two weeks. “They were getting more efficient every day, and it was cool to step back and know that I taught them everything I could and that they didn’t need me anymore.” Navarro said. The MCAS Iwakuni command shared Navarro’s trustin his team.
When the idea of competing at the Far East Marksmanship Competition came up to the command, said yes without a second thought. They showed support to the team by taking care of all possible administrative work such as travel funds, orders, flights and more. But it didn’t stop there. The day of the Team Pistol competition, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Federico Mendizabal, the commanding officer of HHS, MCAS Iwakuni, traveled to Camp Hansen to support the Marines.
The MCAS Iwakuni pistol team passed all prior pistol competition courses throughout the week which earned them a spot in the final run. With the sun beating down on them, Lt. Col. Mendizabal and others watching, the pressure was on. The team needed to be the fastest, most accurate, and engage various targets at various distances while being shot in the order of colors was called out. 1st Lt Dakota James, a financial management officer,Sgt. Andrew Williams and Cpl. Christian Abarca, both ISAR staff, and Cpl. Kianna Wilson, with the MCAS Iwakuni installation personnel administration center, have spent months preparing for this moment.
With 16 rounds and two magazines, The MCAS Iwakuni Pistol Team stood at the firing line with fire in their eyes, ready for the final run. Once the first shooter hears the color sequence called, it’s game on. The Marines sprint from one set of colored targets to the next using a different firing position for each one, while reloading on the move. Each shooter must clear out their weapon then sprint back to the starting point, where the next three shooters will conduct the same drill with a different sequence of colors. The time doesn’t stop until all four shooters are back at the starting point.
Like Navarro said “Marines are naturally competitive” and the MCAS Iwakuni Pistol Team used every ounce of energy they had to be the fastest and most proficient team in the competition, moving quickly from one target to the next.
“The Marines were asking me ‘did we do good?’ and I was like, ‘heck yeah you did, you guys were awesome’” said Navarro. “Watching them was like a dad watching his kids play soccer, I wasn’t worried about them getting hurt or flagging someone. The team was professional and disciplined, and they did exactly what they’ve been training for.”
Thirty minutes after the team completed their final run, the winners were announced.
“I wasn’t surprised we won.” said Navarro with excitement. “The girls were crying and the boys wanted to but were holding it back. It was an exciting moment.”
This was a historical moment for MCAS Iwakuni Marines because it has been over a decade since they last competed at the Far East Marksmanship Shooting Competition. “Hearing that MCAS Iwakuni won, it felt inevitable. Okinawa didn’t repeatedly win because they were better, they won because Iwakuni didn’t participate. Okinawa has the opportunity to constantly train in both rifle and pistol, while Iwakuni doesn’t. We know we’re at a disadvantage, so we train even harder.” Said U.S Marine Veteran, Justin Taylor, who was a part of the last MCAS Iwakuni shooting team to compete in the competition in 2009.
The winning pistol team was presented with the Shively trophy, which has stayed at Okinawa until now. Since the MCAS Iwakuni Pistol Team won, they brought it home. It was given to the MCAS Iwakuni HHS command. “The command was our good luck. They saw us compete and thirty minutes later they saw us win,” said Navarro. “They did everything for us and that’s why they deserve the trophy, because we wouldn’t have been able to win without their support,”