First Shot

[CMP]

22 December 2004


Three new articles are posted on The First Shot On-Line, the CMP’s electronic newsletter. Check The First Shot front page at http://www.odcmp.org/1204/default.asp to see summaries of all recent articles with links to the full arti­cles. The First Shot On-Line front page also displays readers’ comments and a link to the popular CMP Forum. The latest articles posted are described below.


Do You Have Guns or Shooting Memorabilia You No Longer Want? A Donation to CMP Can Give New Life to Old Shooting Equipment - A new CMP donations pro­gram could be just what you are looking for if you have guns, shooting equipment or shooting sports memorabilia that you no longer want or if you have shooting related items you would like to share with your fellow shooters, especially if you can receive a tax deduction for donating them.



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A Book Review - Marksmanship in the U.S. Army: A History of Medals, Shooting Programs and Training, By William K. Emerson - There is a saying in the shooting industry, “Shooters don’t collect and collectors don’t shoot.” The means, suppos­edly, that true shooters are only interested in equipment that will help them hit their targets more accurately, while true collectors are not inter­ested in shooting their guns because this could lessen their value. How­ever, this is not entirely true. More and more, shooters are beginning to appreciate the history of their sport; many are becoming interested in re­searching and collecting memorabilia important to shooting’s past.



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CMP North Staff Spreads Christmas to Local Air Na­tional Guard Squadron - Six members of the 200th Red Horse Squadron deployed to Southwest Asia on December 15th, while another 172 await deployment in January, 2005. Their mission will involve several engineering and construction projects for the U.S. forces and their allies. Upon receiving word that Red Horse members would deploy shortly be­fore and after the holiday season, members of the Civilian Marksmanship Program staff decided to do something special for Squadron members and the families they will leave behind for at least six months.



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In Memoriam—CSM Dale Spruill. A long-time All-Guard Coach and familiar face at Camp Perry, CSM Dale Spruill died on 17 December 2004 after a long illness. A member of the Oklahoma National Guard, he was 71 at the time of his death. CSM Spruill coached several National Champi­onship Infantry Trophy Teams to victory, but his greatest win was the 1986 National Trophy Team Championship at Camp Perry. In 1991, Spruill was one of the oldest (58 years of age) members of the military to serve in Op­eration Desert Storm where he served as the Command Sergeant Major of the Oklahoma National Guard MLRS Battalion. Spruill earned his Distin­guished Rifleman Badge in 1973. He will be missed by all in the competi­tive marksmanship program.

In Memoriam—E. W. “Bill” Hilden. Long-time USA Shooting Team leader and competition official E. W. “Bill” Hilden passed away on 19 De­cember. Hilden retired from the U. S. Border Patrol; he was a member of many Border Patrol pistol teams. He earned the Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge in 1957 and the Distinguished International Shooters Badge in 1970. Starting in 1979, he began many years of service as a USA Shoot­ing Team Leader, Pistol Coach and Range Officer. Hilden spoke fluent Spanish, which made his service particularly valuable in international com­petitions. In 1996, Hilden was selected to be the Chief Range Officer for the 10 meter air gun range during the Atlanta Olympic and Paralympic Games. He was awarded the International Shooting Sport Federation’s Gold Medallion for distinguished service. Hilden’s wife Norene, who al­ways worked with him when he served as a volunteer competition official, survives.

Junior Postals Extended. As a result of the stand-down of the Navy JROTC marksmanship program that began in September and ended in November and the Army JROTC stand-down that began in November and is still in effect, all of the major three-position air rifle postals and their firing deadlines have been affected. Here is an update on these postals and their current status.

· Marine Corps JROTC. MCJROTC units can still order targets and have until 15 January 2005 to postmark targets for return to the CMP.

· American Legion. Deadlines have been extended. Affiliated teams and clubs have until 15 February to order targets for the first State/Regional postal phase and until 28 February to postmark targets for re­turn to American Legion headquarters.

· Navy JROTC. NJROTC units are in the process of getting themselves reinstated for marksmanship activities. New target ordering and target submission dates for the NJROTC postal have not yet been estab­lished.

· Army JROTC. Record numbers of AJROTC units ordered targets during the fall. Due to the AJROTC stand-down, the original target mailing deadline of 1 December was suspended. New dates will be an­nounced after decisions regarding the reinstatement of AJROTC marksmanship programs are made.

· National Guard. The NGB postal target order deadline of 15 Febru­ary to order targets and 28 February to postmark targets for mailing to the CMP are still in effect. These dates may be adjusted, depending upon when the Army JROTC marksmanship program is reinstated.

Guidelines for M16 A4 (flat-top) Service Rifles. The 2004 edition of the CMP Competition Rules for the first time made the so-called flat-top version of the M16 rifle, the M16 A4, legal for use in service rifle competi­tions. The CMP recently posted new “Guidelines for M16 A4 or Commer­cial-Equivalent Rifles” to be Used in Service Rifle Competitions. You can read the new M16 A4 guidelines at http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions/M16.htm.


Hawaii State Air Riflery Champion­ship. For an example of a great state high school air rifle championship, be sue to check out the outstanding event that the Ha­waii High School Athletic Association holds each year. The CMP is proud to provide support for this annual event, which was held this year on the 2nd of November.


This year, Heather Horn of Punahou High School won the girls state cham­pionship with a score of 535. The girls team championship went to Sacred Heart High School team for their aggregate score of 2108. In the boys divi­sion, it was Steven Nozaki of Waiakea High School who earned the gold medal with a score of 538. Steven also led his Waiakea team to the state championship with their score of 2112. For complete results, as well as a photo gallery from this year’s championships, be sure to check their web site at http://www.sportshigh.com/page_server/S ... 16B26.html.

Teen Kids News Features New York Juniors. On Saturday, 11 De­cember, Teen Kids News aired a three-minute segment about the assault weapons ban that featured two New York junior higher service rifle shoot­ers. For more details check out the NYSRPA Highpower web page at http://www.nyhighpower.com/.

Champion Marine Shooter Awarded Bronze Star for Heroism. MGySgt Dennis Ghiselli, who recently retired from the U. S. Marine Corps, was awarded the Bronze Star Medal “for heroic achievement in connection with combat operations against the enemy” as a result of his leadership in response to an ambush in Anbar Province, Iraq on 6-7 April 2004. Ghiselli earned the Distinguished Rifleman Badge in 1977 and the Distinguished International Shooters Badge in 1979. In 1978, he won one of the most prestigious trophies in the National Matches, the Daniel Boone Trophy, when he placed first in the National Trophy Individual Rifle Match with his score of 490-15X. Ghiselli also won the Coast Artillery Trophy that same year.

Air Rifle Target Stand Plans. The CMP now has a “Coaching Re­sources” link on its home page that takes you to a page with links to sev­eral articles and presentations that were especially selected as resources for shooting coaches and instructors. Complete plans and detailed draw­ings on air rifle target stands were just posted and can be found through that page. You can find detailed drawings and instructions, with photos, for constructing air rifle target stands by going to the CMP home page at http://www.odcmp.com, then click on “Coaching Resources.” >From that page, click on Air Rifle Target Stand Plans and select the plans you want to see.

“Firearms Fundamentals” Now Available in DVD. This popular one-hour video by award winning gun designer George Kontis is now avail­able from the CMP E-Store in DVD format. The video and DVD use simple demonstrations, graphic illustrations and video clips to explain firearm op­erating principles in an easy- to-understand format. Topics include interior and exterior ballistics, recoil, barrel wear, headspace and muzzle devices. Open the CMP E-Store at http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/catalog/catalog.aspx, click on “Publications” and then select item “769 DVD.”

Holiday Greetings from CMP. During this holiday season, all of us on the CMP staff at Camp Perry and Anniston want to extend our best wishes for the holiday season and for a happy and rewarding New Year to each of our customers and program participants. Happy Holidays!