DONA ANA RANGE, N.M. -- After a decades-long lull, Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 360th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Warhawg, 5th Armored Brigade, Division West, recently held the first excellence-in-competition shooting match here in 50 years.
The last EIC Service Rifle Match fired at Dona Ana was in 1963, according to Army marksmanship program officials.
The two-day match included two competitions, one for the M16A2 and M4 service rifles and the other for the M9 and M11 service pistols.
Shooters in EIC matches do not compete for money or prizes, but they can earn bragging rights and badges.
By placing in the top 10 percent in an EIC match, a shooter compiles credit points, called a "leg," toward EIC badges.
Soldiers who receive their first credit points in an EIC match earn the bronze EIC badge. As they continue to compete in EIC matches, they earn more credit points whenever they place in the top 10 percent. Once shooters have accumulated 20 credit points, they earn the silver EIC badge. Upon earning 30 credit points, Soldiers earn the gold Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge or Distinguished Rifleman Badge.
The first EIC match was held in 1881, by order of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army, and due in large part to a lack of marksmanship training among Soldiers. "Records of the time indicate that, due to budgetary limitations, many of Custer's men at the Little Big Horn in 1876 had fired as few as seven rounds during the year to learn and maintain rifle proficiency," wrote Dick Culver in an article titled "In Distinguished Company."
The original EIC badge was broken down into two categories, rifle and pistol, in 1903.
After firing at Dona Ana, six Task Force Warhawg Soldiers earned their bronze and silver EIC badges.
Helping honor the Soldiers at an awards ceremony was John A. Mathis, a 1964 Distinguished Marksman and a competitor in the EIC match held 50 years ago at Dona Ana.
During Mathis' 15-year career, he achieved status as one of The President's Hundred, a badge awarded to the 100 top-scoring military and civilian shooters in the President's Pistol and President's Rifle Matches. He also holds multiple records for long distance marksmanship.
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