MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.: Soldiers with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s Service Rifle team braved the heat and stiff competition and came out on top at the 49th Interservice Rifle Championships.
With their accomplishment, the USAMU enabled the Army to complete a sweep of all interservice marksmanship championships in 2010 – Soldiers and teams from the USAMU previously won the shotgun and pistol interservice competitions, as a team and individually.
“We know that the Army expects us to be the best,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Hodne, commander of the USAMU. “The USAMU’s service rifle section has maintained a cumulative string of victories at the interservice rifle championships since 1995, when the USAMU custom firearms shop introduced the accurized M16A2/A4, which replaced the M14, as the USAMU service rifle for competition.”
The USAMU won the coveted 10-man Interservice Rifle team championship match.
USAMU teams also won the Marine Corps Combat Development Command Commanding General Match and the 1,000-yard team match in both the service rifle and match rifle categories, setting a new match record in the service rifle category.
Individually, Staff Sgt. Brandon Green was the big winner during the week. He won six championships, including the overall individual championship – his second time winning the prestigious title. He also won the Coast Guard match, the Marine Corps match, the 600-yard match rifle, the 1,000-yard match rifle, and the match rifle individual long-range championship.
The importance of the USAMU’s gunsmith’s efforts to enhance the performance of the M16 should not be understated, said Hodne. That expertise and the lessons learned went into the unique Squad Designated Marksman Rifles designed by the USAMU to enhance the lethality of the warfighter.
“The Army continues to make history in interservice rifle competition,” Hodne concluded. “I am extremely proud of our noncommissioned officers, Soldiers and civilians. The Army is the undisputed champion in all aspects of interservice marksmanship competition because of the capabilities that are unique to this distinct unit.
