Re: expectations of military snipers(first round hits)
Sharpman hit a pin wheel.
I remember when we had FORCOM Matches for each army. They're gone. I was running the AK NG Marksmanship Unit at the time. The 172nd (later part of the 6ID, would call me every year to help them put together a team. Always had a gun ho OIC, I'd get him all hyped up, then after the match he was sent to never never land. They (the powers) didn't want to be bothered with marksmanship.
Then the the FORCOM matches were stopped. The Guard created the MAC (Marksmanship Advisory Commettee) Reagon matches to take their place but were only open to the National Guard.
I was a Marksmanship Coordinaters conference in Little Rock during the build up of GW1. Part of the agenda was how to get these guys ready in the marksmanship area. They read us a letter from the CG of the training area used just before units were shipped out. Forgot what it was called. Any way the jest of the letter was "marksmanship was a deterent to training.
To be honest the fast pace of that 100 hour gound war didn't really help our cause.
Not long after that, in 92 I believe, I went to the MAC Chairman's conference. Now understand the Marksmanship Advisory Commettee was set up to provide guidence and policy on marksmanship matters to the NGB. I was the chairman for MAC Region VI (Alaska, Wash, Oredon, Idaho, Wyoming ND, SD, Montana).
The army was trying to convince the guard to give up the KD or Composite style marksmanship programs to the more combat orenated matches as used by NATO.
To come up with a selling point they pointed out the All Guard team went to Europe to compete in the NATO matches. They talked about how the ALL Guard team enjoyed the matches and thought they were future. I asked how our Guard Team preformed, and was told they sweapt the matches, winning everything.
Ok I says, if we won the matches after training up on composite or KD (High Power type shooting) over those who trained in combat style, why should we change, shouldn't NATO change to our system.
I was able to convince the other chairman to side with me on keeping the composite program only to find out the army over rode us and the guard was required to eliminate our composite programs (except on the local level, I kept up my program).
I don't know if you've kept up with the service matches but prior to the change the Guard dominated Perry, All Army, and All Service matches, winning most in the 80s. Not so any more, that honor goes to the USAMU, who still has a composite program.
By the way, even though we had the Composite teams, we still had our combat teams but they were made up of units, not individuals.
The individuals who made up the composite teams were used as cadre for unit marksmanship. Basicly each state had their own AMU. Since then the marksmanship in the Guard and Army had gone down hill.
Many on this site look down on High Power shooters, but regardless, it teaches fundamentals which is needed regardless of the type of shooting you do. The same with small bore. The army/guard use to have excellent small bore programs, issuing M52s, M40s etc for training. The only place you find them is on the CMP Sales racks.
I had several M52s and supplemented them with a new order of enough H&R 5200s to give each BN or Seperate Company in the state 10 each. Shortly after I retired they were all sent back to depot and later to the CMP.
To be honest, the military just doesn't give a shit about marksmanship, and we are paying for it.
The Army was trying to convince the
Sharpman hit a pin wheel.
I remember when we had FORCOM Matches for each army. They're gone. I was running the AK NG Marksmanship Unit at the time. The 172nd (later part of the 6ID, would call me every year to help them put together a team. Always had a gun ho OIC, I'd get him all hyped up, then after the match he was sent to never never land. They (the powers) didn't want to be bothered with marksmanship.
Then the the FORCOM matches were stopped. The Guard created the MAC (Marksmanship Advisory Commettee) Reagon matches to take their place but were only open to the National Guard.
I was a Marksmanship Coordinaters conference in Little Rock during the build up of GW1. Part of the agenda was how to get these guys ready in the marksmanship area. They read us a letter from the CG of the training area used just before units were shipped out. Forgot what it was called. Any way the jest of the letter was "marksmanship was a deterent to training.
To be honest the fast pace of that 100 hour gound war didn't really help our cause.
Not long after that, in 92 I believe, I went to the MAC Chairman's conference. Now understand the Marksmanship Advisory Commettee was set up to provide guidence and policy on marksmanship matters to the NGB. I was the chairman for MAC Region VI (Alaska, Wash, Oredon, Idaho, Wyoming ND, SD, Montana).
The army was trying to convince the guard to give up the KD or Composite style marksmanship programs to the more combat orenated matches as used by NATO.
To come up with a selling point they pointed out the All Guard team went to Europe to compete in the NATO matches. They talked about how the ALL Guard team enjoyed the matches and thought they were future. I asked how our Guard Team preformed, and was told they sweapt the matches, winning everything.
Ok I says, if we won the matches after training up on composite or KD (High Power type shooting) over those who trained in combat style, why should we change, shouldn't NATO change to our system.
I was able to convince the other chairman to side with me on keeping the composite program only to find out the army over rode us and the guard was required to eliminate our composite programs (except on the local level, I kept up my program).
I don't know if you've kept up with the service matches but prior to the change the Guard dominated Perry, All Army, and All Service matches, winning most in the 80s. Not so any more, that honor goes to the USAMU, who still has a composite program.
By the way, even though we had the Composite teams, we still had our combat teams but they were made up of units, not individuals.
The individuals who made up the composite teams were used as cadre for unit marksmanship. Basicly each state had their own AMU. Since then the marksmanship in the Guard and Army had gone down hill.
Many on this site look down on High Power shooters, but regardless, it teaches fundamentals which is needed regardless of the type of shooting you do. The same with small bore. The army/guard use to have excellent small bore programs, issuing M52s, M40s etc for training. The only place you find them is on the CMP Sales racks.
I had several M52s and supplemented them with a new order of enough H&R 5200s to give each BN or Seperate Company in the state 10 each. Shortly after I retired they were all sent back to depot and later to the CMP.
To be honest, the military just doesn't give a shit about marksmanship, and we are paying for it.
The Army was trying to convince the
