Gray Earns Olympic Gold in 3-positions Rifle

By Tim Hipps

Army News Service

LONDON, Aug. 6, 2012 – Jamie Gray, wife of U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit shooter Staff Sgt. Hank Gray, won an Olympic gold medal in the women’s 50-meter rifle 3-positions event Aug. 4 at the Royal Artillery Barracks here.

U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program rifle coach Maj. Dave Johnson, who leads Team USA’s rifle shooters in London, coached Gray to the victory.

Gray established Olympic records in the qualification (592) and final (691.9) portions of the event, which includes shooting from prone, standing and kneeling positions.

On the next-to-last shot of the final round, Gray recorded her worst score (8.9) of the day, but she closed with her best shot (10.8) of the finale to seal the victory with a flourish.

“It was almost a little bit of relief, honestly,” said Gray, 28, of Phenix City, Ala. “I’ve dreaded that last shot for four years, and it’s amazing to have it come through and be a good shot.

“It looked good and it felt good, so it was awesome,” she added. “After shooting an 8.9 on the next-to-last shot, you want to come back from that one, and that’s what I did.”

Serbia’s Ivana Maksimovic (687.5) claimed the silver medal, and Czech Republic’s Adela Sykorova (683) took the bronze.

Gray said she realized she could secure the gold after shooting 198 in standing. She opened with a 198 in prone, and finished with a 196 kneeling.

“After I shot a 198 standing, I was like, ‘OK, here we go. This is a good one,’” she said. “The kneeling was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever shot -- 20 shots kneeling -- and I got through it great. I can’t ask for a better kneeling today. It was windy, and I had one bad shot that just got away from me in the wind.

“Other than that,” Gray continued, “I took just great shots. Every shot was a good shot. After that, I knew that’s a big one and I have a chance at this.”

Face of Defense: Marine Earns Top-Shooter Status

By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Paul Peterson

U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., April 23, 2012 – Gunnery Sgt. Joshua A. Peterson is one of the few riflemen to earn a coveted place on the Marine Corps Shooting Team, where the time-honored art of marksmanship is a full-time job.

Peterson recently earned top-shooter status at the Eastern Division Match Championship held here, dropping only 12 points out of a possible 600.

Peterson said he was no stranger to firearms growing up in Wisconsin.

“I grew up shooting with my dad,” Peterson said. “I learned on iron sights as a kid and he wouldn’t let me shoot with scopes or anything like that until I was proficient.”

Peterson says the examples his family set helped him to become the Marine he is today.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life that probably haven’t been the greatest, but you always have to deal with those and take that right step forward,” he said. “Character just comes from my family. My mother and father always pushed [me] to do the right things and do the best I can and the best with what you’ve got. I give a lot of credit to both of them.”

Peterson said his work on the Marine Corps Shooting Team helps to spread the art of shooting across the Marine Corps community. In his spare time, he also coaches the local West Potomac High School air rifle team.

“The [Marine Corps] shooting team keeps us on a pretty busy schedule,” said Master Sgt. Gregory T. Schardein, the team’s staff noncommissioned officer in charge and an accomplished shooter himself. “I know [Peterson] likes to ride [motorcycles], but what little time he does have he’s coaching the high school shooting team.”

It’s not the kind of activity one might expect upon meeting Peterson, a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom with a Bronze Star medal for valor, though he’d never bring it up in an interview. He’s not a man to revel in his own accomplishments, nor does he ever stop pushing to do better.

Peterson enlisted in 1997. In 1998, his feet graced the same yellow footprints that greet the future of the Marine Corps today at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. He considers himself fortunate.

“I have had the opportunity to serve with some of the best Marines that have come into the history of the Marine Corps,” said Peterson, as he patiently waited for his turn on the pistol range here.

A stoic with a quiet but sincere passion for shooting, Peterson’s solid frame, shaven head and strong gaze say more than words about his character. His teammates describe him as a dangerous threat to the enemy with a weapon in his hand.

Schardein describes Peterson as a natural leader and the kind of shooter other competitors can never discount.

“He’s highly competitive and forces everyone to bring their ‘A’ game,” Schardein said of Peterson. “Gunny Peterson is a known quantity. He’s someone you can count on -- highly reliable.”

Peterson said he believes the skills and discipline that are forged on the shooting range are not about winning competitions.

“I don’t consider this to be a sport,” Peterson said. “I consider this to be training, [as part of preparation] to go back in-country to take out those that are putting our guys in harm’s way.”

“There are some really good shooters, one or two that could probably match, or on a good day, beat him,” Schardein said of Peterson’s shooting ability. “He’s probably one of the top 10 shooters in the Marine Corps.”

Competitive shooting takes mental fortitude and physical strength, said Peterson, who sets aside time each day to ensure his physical and shooting skills remain sharp.

“You wake up every morning and the first thing that you see in the mirror is what you are,” he said. “You are a Marine.”

Face of Defense: Marine Shooter Earns Spot on Team USA

By Andrew Revelos

Marine Corps Base Quantico

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va., Dec. 28, 2010 – A Marine who barely qualified on the rifle range in boot camp will compete in an international shooting competition next year.

Sgt. Emily Windmassinger of the Marine Corps Rifle Team earned a spot with the USA Young Eagle Rifle Team. In October she’ll travel to Brisbane, Australia, to compete in the 2011 Palma World Long Range Championship matches.

As a member of Team USA in the under 25 category, known as the Young Eagles, Windmassinger will shoot in the team and individual competitions.

“I think it’s such an awesome opportunity not only for me but for the Marine Corps,” she said. “For a long time we’ve had the tradition of being the best marksmen on and off the battlefield. Now I get to carry on that tradition at an international level … and show the world what a well-disciplined Marine looks like.”

Windmassinger said she wasn’t a very good rifle shot during boot camp and that her new-found shooting ability has come as a surprise to her. She first attended a shooting match when assigned to Marine Corps Support Activity in Kansas City. The Loves Park, Ill., native went to the match with her husband Mark, a Marine and competitive shooter. Another participant gave her a chance to shoot and she earned a high score. Four years later, the Windmassingers are both members of the Marine Corps Shooting Team.

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “It all happened really fast. I started doing Palma matches this year. Things just started to make sense for me in August. I met up with the Young Eagles at the [2010 Spirit of America Fullbore Rifle Prone Championship].”

Kelly Bachand, a coach for the Young Eagles who gained national attention as a contestant in the History Channel program “Top Shot,” asked Windmassinger to join the team for the international Palma match.

The Palma rifle matches date back to the 1876 centennial celebration when members of the National Rifle Association invited rifle teams from Australia, Canada, Ireland and Scotland to a long range rifle competition. Since then Palma matches have become one of the world’s best known long-range rifle competitions.

During the team match, shooters fire a total of 45 recorded rounds -- 15 each at the 800, 900 and 1,000-yard lines. All shooters compete with 7.62 x 51 mm NATO rifles fitted with aperture sights.

“A lot of people think of those distances as very far, but the shooting fundamentals are the same whether you’re at the 200 yard line or back at the 1,000,” Windmassinger said. “If you apply the fundamentals correctly and you read the wind you’re going to be fine.”

Shooting Team officer-in-charge Marine Corps Capt. Donald Traves is creating a Palma team from members of the rifle team who will compete at national-level matches. His goal is to add a measure of battlefield-like realism to his shooters’ skill set.

“If you’re in Afghanistan up on a hill, you don’t know if [the enemy] is 500, 700 or 800 meters away; you’re making your best guess and trying to shoot at him,” Traves said. “You have to be able to read the wind and read where the round is going.

“I’m hopeful with what Sergeant Windmassinger is doing with Palma, and by creating a Palma team, it will bring us into what the operating forces are doing,” he continued. “It’s a huge accomplishment for us.”