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Regarding the latest update, outstanding work again by the whole CMP crew! New or improved programs, expanded scholarships, new or improved facilities, new rifle and accessory offerings and the super relationships CMP has developed with the ONG and NRA leadership are shining examples of what can be done when one's heart is in the program. You all should be justifiably proud of how the program has progressed into its second century. Somewhere President Teddy Roosevelt has a big grin and is saying a hearty Bully for the CMP! Regards, LTC John F., USAR ret'd
I have truly enjoyed your Shooting Tips site. Even as a 25 yr veteran police sniper/high power shooter,I still find interesting,and useful tips from the successful younger folks coming up through the military,and law enforcement. Keep up the good work! Det.Tim R.
Wow! Please forward my thanks to everyone responsible for all the improvements I just read about at Camp Perry. Recent years have included quite a few impressive improvements and it looks like there are more this year. The Air Gun range, bath house at RV Park, Bataan Armory remodel, etc are all great. Just letting you know how much we (competitors) appreciate all the work.
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One of the members at Snipers Hide pointed out the newsletter and the High Power Tips articles by the USAMU team.
Darn you! I was up until 1:00 AM last night reading all of the articles. Great newsletter and really great USAMU articles.
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Great article written on physical conditioning in the latest TFS. I was one of likely many who had asked about the type of conditioning recommended for serious shooters. Sgt. Craig did a great job on describing the routines. Now it’s my turn to put it to work.
Thanks to you, Sgt. Craig and other contributors who share best practices of shooting excellence.
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Keith H.
I use these articles in our high power clinics and have found them very helpful for both new shooters and reinforcement of the basics for the more experienced.
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Thanks for the great articles on the Carbine, Springfield, Garand matches. All the articles are interesting, but the Carbine, Springfield & Garand are my favorites.
Jim H.
The September-07 on line shooting tips by SSG Tobie Tomlinson, USAMU Service Rifle Team Member, is a great article. I have reproduced 15 copies of it to hand out and discuss to our “newbie” first year air rifle shooters on our high school JROTC Air Rifle Team. Come to think about it believe I’ll hand out a copy to my advance shooters as well. His explanations are simple to understand but rich in detail. Coupled with the sight pictures this article will go a long way towards helping all our JROTC shooters obtain better sight patterns. Keep up the great work. AND…..keep the articles like this coming.
Malcolm V.
CW2 (R), US Army


Printable Version

M1 for Vets compete in National Matches

By Steve Cooper, CMP Writer


CAMP PERRY, OHIO – For wounded military veterans returning from the Global War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, the idea of picking up a rifle again might seem like it would be the furthest thing from their minds.

But John “JJ” O’Shea, founder of M1 for Vets, an organization founded in 2005 to reintroduce wounded vets to highpower rifle shooting, sees the connection between their plight and the rifle range, and says it’s not a stretch.

JJ O’Shea, founder of the M1 for Vets Program, coaches during the John C. Garand Match.

The reality is many military veterans have an affinity for target shooting. It was part of their training and for many, the most enjoyable part of their training. Either naturally or by vocation, many veterans become proficient at shooting and it’s a skill and recreation that stays with them, O’Shea said.

M1 for Vets, a not-for-profit organization, with the help of private and corporate contributions, donates reconditioned M1 Garand semiautomatic rifles to wounded veterans and encourages them to bring them out to rifle matches and CMP Games events around the country to fire them. The M1 Garand rifle became the standard battlefield weapon during the latter portion of World War II and the Korean War.

“What began as an idea to provide one returning veteran with an M1 Garand as a way of showing our support and appreciation for his or her service, has grown into a nationwide project,” O’Shea said.

“These guys are absolutely amazing - I cry every day,” O’Shea said in admiration of the wounded veterans he watched assemble on the firing line during the John C. Garand Match on Saturday, 2 August, the most recent M1 for Vets outing.

“I am humbled. There’s no other way to describe it,” he said.

Shawn Seeley, a Vet from Washington, shot a 99-3X with no thumb. Seeley earned Bronze Achievement Medals in both the Springfield Rifle Match and John C. Garand Match.

O’Shea looked down the line and described the wounds of veterans firing in the current relay.

“There’s a fella with no thumb on his trigger hand and he just shot a 99-3X. That guy lost the sight in his right eye, so he’s learning to shoot left-handed. This guy left his legs in Iraq, but look at his scorecard,” O’Shea said as he pointed to a string of 10s and Xs.

“This program is really starting to take off. People are coming out of the woodwork to help out, contribute money or to host benefit matches,” O’Shea said. “We would really like to begin bringing teams up here to shoot in the President’s 100 or National Trophy Individual match,” O’Shea said.

Dale Beatty pauses between phases Garand Match. Beatty competed in the CMP Games Events at the National Matches.

Dale Beatty, 29, of Statesville, North Carolina lost both of his legs below the knees when the Humvee he was driving in northern Iraq struck an anti-tank mine on 14 November, 2004.

Beatty was the most severely wounded of the four guardsmen aboard. He was serving full time with the North Carolina National Guard running an armory prior to deployment with an artillery unit.

“Over there we were basically infantry and I was a squad leader,” Beatty said.

Married for seven years and the father of two sons, Beatty was eventually transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he underwent treatment and rehabilitation for a year.

After returning to North Carolina to build a new home, O’Shea contacted him and eventually presented him with an M1.

“JJ has been coaching me ever since,” Beatty said.

Volunteer coaches offered assistance to the twenty veterans who participated in this year’s National Matches.

He said seven veterans came to Camp Perry in 2006; 15 attended last year and 20 attended this year’s matches. It was Beatty’s second trip to Camp Perry for the Springfield and Garand matches. He said he now belongs to an M1 for Vets club near home that already has 41 members.

Beatty said the M1 Garand rifle was a very special gift.

“I have a military tradition in my family that dates all the way back to the Revolutionary War. A member of my family has been in every major war since then, except maybe Desert Storm.”

“So these are the rifles that my family used – my great grandfather shot the ‘03 in World War I. My grandfather had a Garand in World War II and my uncle carried a Carbine in China.

“The historical aspect and connection between that and my family is what really made that gift mean something to me,” Beatty added.

“As a veteran, we get a lot more respect than the guys from wars past. Somebody might buy you dinner if they see you out, but getting a rifle is special. That’s something that I can pass on to my kids.”

Regarding his disability, Beatty was upbeat. “When the newer guys come in and see how well we’re doing, it’s easier for them get over it and get on with their lives, even with a disadvantage, even with the prosthetics.”

“I can’t be as physical as I used to be, but I can still come out here and enjoy this sport. I’m hoping to grow it and I think we are. Two of the guys that were in my squad in Iraq are members of our club,” Beatty said.

“Camp Perry started as a military training post and a lot of our guys are getting beat up and now they’re coming back here to do some of the things they enjoy – and that’s what it’s all about.”

At the CMP Games closing ceremonies on Saturday, 3 August, Cpl. Neil Frustaglio presented an M1 to Cpl. Steve Kiernan. .

Recipients of M1 rifles are not self-selected but are instead nominated by “brothers-in-arms” and those familiar with wounded veterans through treatment in military hospitals. Candidates are predominantly combat-wounded from the Middle East Theater.

Criteria for receiving an M1 through the program served in either Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. They must have a desire to continue in shooting sports such as hunting, trap/skeet, or rifle marksmanship, and they must be willing to accept the gift.

At every M1 for Vets match, a major portion of the match fee is donated to the purchase of a rifle for a pre-selected veteran, O’Shea said. Sometimes their travel expenses, lodging and even food are paid.

Almost every state is represented in the M1 for Vets donor list. O’Shea credits The Walter Reed Society, Operation Second Chance, and the Wounded Warrior Project in addition to countless civilians, soldiers and fellow veterans for making the program operate.

The mailing address for more information and to make donations is JJ O’Shea, P.O. Box 876, Huntersville, N.C. 28070. His e-mail address is jjoshea@msn.com.

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