FORT BENNING, Ga. (June 28, 2016)-- Soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) proved they are the best marksmen in the Department of Defense (DoD) June 17 by winning the overall team title in the 57th Interservice Pistol Championship.
More than 95 military members competed for the 16th consecutive year of the event at Phillips Range.
USAMU shooter-instructor Sgt. 1st Class James Henderson also won the top individual title, while two of his teammates, Staff Sgt. Greg Markowski and Sgt. 1st Class Lawrence Cleveland, were second and third, respectively.
"This is the best way for us to get out there and show what we have learned through competition," he said. "We also give back to our Soldiers through courses, like the Marksmanship Master Trainer Course, that show Soldiers how to do what we do," he said.
Henderson and his teammates--Cleveland, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Gasser, Sgt. Ryan Franks and Pfc. Christopher Hudock--were the members of the top team, who won the title over second and third place teams from the U.S. Marines Corps (USMC) Reserve and All Guard, a team that is comprised of National Guard Airmen and Soldiers, after five days of competition.
Members of the USMC Reserve team included Gunnery Sgt. Jason Hedrick, Gunnery Sgt. Sean Bell, Gunnery Sgt. John Paul LeFebvre and Col. Gregory Kitchens who said bull's-eye competitions take genuine expertise.
"That does not come from a manual," Kitchens said. "I have long felt that there is no better thing making our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and our Airmen better at shooting than competition."
All of the team captains said they think the Interservice Pistol Competition is an excellent opportunity to hone marksmanship skills, and the expertise they gain is transferred to their forces.
Sgt. 1st Class Adam Sokolowski said Interservice Pistol Championship gives the services a chance to compete and learn together.
"We share knowledge when we're shooting next to the service members from the other services, and we communicate back and forth," he said.
In addition to the top two titles won by USAMU, they also won multiple other awards, which can be viewed with all awards at
https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=matchdb9b5c177eddf7bd20486c473219cfac9204151fe456bc21d043ba01b4469eec7781d1f5c1aeebca8c02b47a7e222c5e06d301a51bba9dff049dd65fe21015f5task=editdb9b5c177eddf7bd20486c473219cfac9204151fe456bc21d043ba01b4469eec7781d1f5c1aeebca8c02b47a7e222c5e06d301a51bba9dff049dd65fe21015f5match=14355.
Editor's Note: The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's mission is winning national and international shooting competitions and advancing small-arms lethality to demonstrate Army marksmanship capability and enhance marksmanship effectiveness in combat. USAMU is part of the U.S. Army Accessions Brigade and Army Marketing and Research Group.
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