USAMU Soldiers Win Three National Championships
By Michael Molinaro
USAMU PAO
FORT BENNING, Ga. — Soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit continued its remarkable season after claiming three national championships in the past week.
The winning commenced at the U.S. National Shotgun Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., when Staff Sgt. Josh Richmond won the gold medal in the double trap event July 13. Richmond outlasted two other competitors in a shoot-off, including fellow USAMU Soldier and teammate Spc. Jeff Holguin to claim the gold. Holguin won the silver medal. Richmond scored a total of 268 targets out of 300, not including the 15 he hit in the shoot-off.
Richmond’s results were similar to other competitions he has competed in this year. He won a gold medal at the Munich World Cup event and the bronze at a World Cup event in San Marino. Next up for Richmond, Holguin and the USAMU Shotgun team are the World Championships in Slovenia, the top event of the year.
The following day the skeet shooters came out in force at the International Shooting Complex. Spc. Vincent Hancock, a gold medal winner from the 2008 Summer Olympics, claimed his first gold medal at the National Championships in skeet, defeating teammate Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Dulohery in a shoot-off.
It was a classic back-and-forth between the young and old guard. Hancock led after day one, Dulohery bounced back and was on top after day two and then Hancock put together two perfect rounds to get to the shoot-off. It was Dulohery’s final National Championship as the sun begins to set on his Army career with retirement just a few months away. A four-time National Champion, he wanted to taste victory one final time on the big stage, but Hancock came away with one more target than his wily veteran teammate. The duo scored a 268 in the event before the shoot-off.
Two time zones to the east, a Soldier from the USAMU was the first active-duty Soldier to win the Individual National Pistol Championship in 24 years at the National Pistol Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio.
Sgt. 1st Class James Henderson, USAMU, won the most coveted individual prize in all of national pistol shooting when his score of 2646 was enough to win the top prize at the competition July 18. The best civilian and military pistol shooters in the country show up for the preeminent event every year and Henderson, who won the award as a member of the Army Reserves, was unequivocally the top dog as he also won the individual championship for the .22-caliber and center-fire matches.
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About USAMU:
The USAMU’s mission is to raise the standard of marksmanship proficiency and combat readiness throughout the Army by sharing knowledge gained from competing and winning in national/ international competitions, research and development and advanced training programs while enhancing the Army’s recruiting effort through an active public information and public relations program. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, Michael.Molinaro@usaac.army.mil or www.USAMU.com . The U.S. Practical Shooting Association is a nonprofit membership association affiliated with the International Practical Shooting Confederation, which is comprised of approximately 67 nations.