Army SDM Instructor Program Grows With CMP Support! - A special report by Gary Anderson, DCM - A cadre of 40 volunteer civilian Military Rifle Instructors, who were selected and supported by the CMP, are now actively serving as instructors in U. S. Army Squad Designated Marksman Instructor Courses conducted by the U. S. Army Marksmanship Unit. The immediate result of their dedication is that the Army is now able to train many more instructors and soldiers in marksmanship skills that can significantly enhance their combat effectiveness.

New German Shooting Museum - By Gary Anderson, DCM - The German Shooting Federation (Deutscher Schützenbund) opened a new museum dedicated to target shooting in May 2004. On a recent vacation trip to German, I had an opportunity to visit this museum. Since the preservation and presentation of the history of the shooting sports is important to shooters in the United States as well as in Germany, I thought I would prepare this brief report on the new “Deutsches Schützenmuseum.”

Army Chief of Staff Presents 2005 President’s Match Letter - On 18 November, when the Chief of Staff of the U. S. Army, General Peter Schoomaker, visited Fort Benning, Georgia, he made a stop at the U. S. Army Marksmanship Unit where he presented the letter of congratulations from the President of the United States to the 2005 President’s Rifle Match winner.

Western CMP Games Grow - The 2nd Western CMP Games were completed at Camp Pendleton, California on 5-8 November. They featured more entries than the 1st Games, a dynamic new partnership with the Creedmoor Cup Matches, an experimental As-Issued U. S. Military Rifle EIC Match and more exciting government surplus rifle sales opportunities. The Games were co-hosted by the Santa Margarita Gun Club, which is based at Camp Pendleton. The four days of CMP events were followed by five days of Creedmoor Cup events that concluded on 13 November.

Creedmoor Cup Matches - The 2005 Creedmoor Cup Matches were held directly after the CMP Western Games at Camp Pendleton, CA, on 9-13November. There were 167 competitors participating in the Camp Pendleton Long Range Matches and 169 competitors in the Creedmoor Cup, with 21 teams participating in the Commanding Generals Team Championship. Members of the CMP staff were present to assist with the match registration and competition results throughout the matches. The CMP internet-based Competition Tracker system allows scores to be posted live on the web during the match so that competitors and family members can follow the progress of the matches. This system was used for both the Creedmoor Cup Matches and the CMP Western Games.

OGCA Article on “Camp Perry Heritage” -  Cy Byrd, President of the Ohio Gun Collectors Association, recently authored an article titled Protecting Our History and Camp Perry Heritage that appeared in the October edition the OGCA Newsletter.  It is a compelling report and a call to action for anyone interested in Camp Perry and the National Matches.  The OGCA is a large gun collector organization that organizes an annual series of high-quality gun shows for its large membership.  In 2003 and 2004, the OGCA and CMP, with the support of Mr. Byrd, NRA Vice President John Sigler and many others, cooperated in creating an acclaimed exhibition of rifles and memorabilia titled Guns of the National Matches.  This cooperation carries over into OGCA support for the National Matches.  Click on the link below to read Cy Byrd’s comments about the meaning of the National Matches and the importance of protecting them.

USA Posts Several Medal Winning Performances at 2005 CISM - The 40th World Military Shooting Championship was held in Thun, Switzerland October 9-16, 2005. This year’s match had 77 teams and 317 competitors from all over the world. The CISM (International Military Sport Council) championship was created in 1948 by Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands with the goal of achieving Friendship by Sport, a motto which is still honored today. The match also serves to promote friendly relations between armies and their member states.

Paralympic Shooting Training Camp Held at Lakeshore Foundation - U. S. Paralympic Shooting coach Dan Durben hopes to develop a strong team for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. Dan Jordan, the new coach of the Alaska Fairbanks Rifle Team, was the only U.S. shooter to qualify for the 2004 Athens Paralympics so athlete development programs are desperately needed to increase U. S. representation. An initial step toward change took place on October 21-23 when the first Paralympic Shooting Camp was held by Durben and assistant Paralympic coach Sommer Wood. The camp was attended by a strong pool of athletes who participated in three days of intense training in both pistol and rifle.

Targeting Success at the CMP, NRA, USAS National Coaches Conference - Attendance was high at the National Coaches Conference last week; 140 people registered for this year’s filled-to-capacity conference. The Conference, which alternates venues between the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s Ohio headquarters at Camp Perry, and USA Shooting headquarters at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, was held in Colorado this year on October 7-9. The event is known for its expert speakers and this year was no exception.