Soldiers competed in the first Regional Combat Pistol Championship event, also dubbed the Victory Week Pistol Competition, held June 5 at Fort Jackson, where some could earn rare medals. The event, designated an Excellence in Competition pistol shoot, was held in accordance with Army Regulation 350-66 – Smalls Arms Competitive Marksmanship Program.
“It just seemed like it made sense for Victory Week to be the time to do an inaugural or initial EIC match and make it like the Commander’s Cup event,” said Scott Park, Army Training Center anti-terrorism officer.
Commanders Cup events are those that earn points leading to the awarding of the post’s trophy for the top unit in sports.
The shoot was born from Park’s and Post Command Sgt. Maj. Erick Ochs’ shared common background in competitive shooting.
“It turned out to be a hit,” Park added.
Park recruited subject matter experts in the area to help with match.
“This is all about marksmanship,” said Master Sgt. Eric Lawrence, with the South Carolina National Guard and a competitive shooter for nearly 20 years. “The pistol side is something that enlisted folks don’t get a lot to do, except for the (military police) and medics. As far as combat arms is concerned, I think this is a perishable task for sure.”
Lt. Col. Thomas Bourne, match director and officer in charge of the Army Reserve Competitive Marksmanship Team, said it increases Soldier “lethality” while building esprit de corps and unit cohesion.
“Quite frankly, lethality is the reason we are out here,” he said. “It is the reason we exist. If we can’t shoot, then we are missing one of the major fundamentals of why we exist. We are all theoretically warfighters …”
Competitor Staff Sgt. Zachary Abbott, with 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment, said the competition was an opportunity to “get more trigger time.”
“Maybe if you’re in a soft-skilled MOS and don’t get a lot of trigger time; these are your opportunities,” he said.
Events like these have made last impacts in the lives of Soldiers.
“It’s an excellent program because I have watched Soldiers that only get to go out once a year to do their regular qualification and they struggle because they don’t have a lot of practice,” Bourne said about the program that has been around since the 1800s.
“A lot of times when they come out to one of these matches, they actually see where their bullets are hitting and they realize, ‘Oh, I’m yanking the trigger,’ or ‘I’m aiming to low or what not.’”
Competition shoots can be career expanding experiences too.
“This is definitely a broadening opportunity,” Park said. “It is something that can be maybe provide an outlet and a motivation for something they may have not had any capability in before, but they identify ‘Oh man, I might be good at this.’ It could help them with stress or even help them stand out among their peers.”
It truly can help Soldiers stand out among their peers since they can earn points towards badges that can be worn on their uniforms.
The top 10% of competitors at an EIC event earn points towards an excellence in competition badge.
“With the first points you get a bronze badge,” Bourne said about earning the permanent badge. “Then once you’ve reached 20 points, you’ll get a silver badge.” When a competitor reaches 30 points and competes in an All-Army or equivalent event, they get a gold distinguished badge.
Shooters in the competition fired 40 rounds at targets from Army-issued sidearms, in four stages. Soldiers would have two magazines loaded with five rounds each during each stage. The Soldiers started each stage by withdrawing their holstered weapon with the first round fired double action.
Social Sharing