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Old 03-27-2006, 20:23   #7
Sinister
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Join Date: Jan 2004
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Drill Sergeant Champion

U.S. Army 3d Recruiting Brigade
Building 6580 Arrowhead Drive
Fort Knox, Kentucky 40121-0995

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release No. 06-04 March 27, 2006 Contact: Christopher Dunne, christopher.dunne@us.army.mil
(502) 626-1042

Fort Knox Marksmen Win at All-Army Championships

FORT KNOX, KY – Sergeant First Class William H. Clark, a Drill Sergeant with Delta Company 2/46 Infantry, became the first-ever All-Army Drill Sergeant Champion, and his Fort Knox team finished 6th overall at the 2006 Army Rifle and Pistol Championships March 3-11 at Fort Benning, Ga.

Overall, nine Fort Knox soldiers participated in the competition, fielding teams representing Fort Knox and 1st Armor Training Brigade.

The Fort Knox team, which also took 3rd place in the Infantry Trophy Match, featured Clark, Staff Sergeant Christopher Murphy of C Company, 3/81st Armor and Captain David Cloft and Captain Troy Brannon, both of 3d Recruiting Brigade.

In addition to the competition, the 1st ATB team of Staff Sergeant George Pickowicz of E Company, 2/46 Infantry; Master Sergeant Carroll Lucas, Staff Sergeant Antonio Salas, Sergeant Joshua Cruz, and Sergeant First Class Benjamin Beleele of C Company 3/81 Armor took advantage of the 64 hours of training that was conducted during the competition.

Competitors received 40 hours of instruction with the M16 and an additional 24 hours training with the M9 pistol, and were awarded a certificate of training from the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU).

Cloft, who finished 3d overall out of 210 shooters in the rifle competition, quoted AMU Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Dave Liwanag to describe the event: "It’s advanced combat training thinly disguised as a competition."

Clark credited extensive training with helping him to become the first Drill Sergeant Champion. "With 40 hours of training—and a good coach in Captain Cloft—I was able to take 1st place in the novice class at my first rifle competition," he said. "The training was substantial and it was effective, even for a guy like me that’s never actually fired a rifle from 500 yards before." Clark was also awarded an M4 Carbine from the Military Marksmanship Association for his success.

The competition was open to all soldiers from all ranks, branches and military occupational specialties. Competitors ranged from the rank of Private to General Officer, and included an Accessions Command team that featured Lieutenant General Robert L. Van Antwerp.

Soldiers wore full combat gear throughout the competition, including Kevlar helmet and load-bearing equipment, and were required to shoot both the M16 rifle and M9 pistol. "These are rack-grade weapons straight out of an arms room," Clark explained. "There’s no special gunsmithing and weapons aren’t tuned in any way. They’re the same weapons that any soldier would take into combat."

Pistols were fired at distances from seven to 25 yards, while the rifle competition began at 25 yards and extended out to 500. Shooters also had to deal with windy conditions, which provided even more training opportunities. "Through the training, I learned how to read wind and read mirage—and how to successfully negotiate targets at extended ranges in windy, adverse conditions."

The competition is also designed to "train the trainer," Cloft said. "Soldiers learn marksmanship techniques that will help them in combat, and they use what they learn to train their fellow soldiers once they return to their units."

Cloft credited the Fort Knox Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) with helping the Fort Knox teams prepare for competition. "We actually did all our training in the EST," he said. "We never fired a live round before we went down to Fort Benning, so that just shows the advances in technology that we have today—that we can train for an event like this, and go down there and win competitions without ever having fired a live bullet."

"We had tremendous support from the guys at the EST," Cloft said. They opened the facility up to us, taught us how to use the equipment, and gave us free reign for an entire day."

Despite his 3d place overall finish in the rifle competition, Cloft, a member of the Army Reserve Shooting Team, said he enjoyed helping other Fort Knox soldiers prepare for their matches. "I got the most reward out of coaching, and learning how to coach, other soldiers," he explained. "I enjoyed teaching them how to read wind, and teach them some of the things I’ve learned in 20-plus years of competitive shooting."

-www.GoArmy.com-

Photo:

"All-Army Drill Sergeant Champion Sergeant First Class William H. Clark displays the medals and trophy M4 Carbine he was awarded at the 2006 Army Rifle and Pistol Championships at Fort Benning, Ga. Photo by Christopher Dunne, 3d Recruiting Brigade."

Group Photo:

The Fort Knox Marskmanship team finished 3d in the Infantry Trophy Match and 6th overall at the 2006 Army Rifle and Pistol Championships at Fort Benning, Ga. Standing: Sergeant First Class William H. Clark (left) and Staff Sergeant Christopher Murphy (right.) Kneeling: Captain Troy Brannon (left) and Captain David Cloft (right.)
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