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Every Muslim is supposed to visit Mecca, the most holy place for Muslims, at
least once in their lifetime. “Mecca” has come to mean a most revered place for
whatever their interest is. For gamblers, it is Las Vegas, for race fans, it is
Indy, for chocolate lovers it is Hershey, Pennsylvania. For people like you and
me, whose blood is mostly made up of gun powder, it is Camp Perry, Ohio, home of
the National Rifle and Pistol matches. This is summer 2007, and it is the 100th
anniversary of the National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio.
Prior 1907 National Matches were held at Creedmore, New York, on Long Island and
Sea Girt, New Jersey.
Looking back at the origin of these championships one discovers how important
the National Matches have been to the safety and security of the United States.
These championships had their origins in the Civil War. Although the North
“won,” they did so because of overwhelming numbers and the industrial might of
the North. Man for man, the South shot the pants off the Yankee troops. Had
everything been equal we would surely be whistling Dixie today. The country boys
from Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania did well, but the troops from the
urbanized North did poorly, a fact not overlooked by Northern Generals.
After the Civil War, the U.S. War Department struggled with poor marksmanship in
the U.S. military. In 1871 a group of New York Army officers founded the
National Rifle Association (NRA). General Ambrose T. Burnside became its first
president. Originally the NRA promoted marksmanship in the military - that soon
changed and civilians joined in. In 1883, General William Sheridan founded the
Distinguished Expert program, a program which still flourishes today. Still, the
military struggled with universally good marksmanship training.
Theodore Roosevelt Steps In
The real boost to U.S. marksmanship came from President Theodore Roosevelt in
1903. Roosevelt recognized something that few noticed - while in the West, he
discovered that the truly dedicated marksmen were civilians, not military. When
Roosevelt recruited the Rough Riders, he recruited westerners who could already
shoot. Roosevelt knew it took time to turn a person into a marksman, not
something that could be done in basic military training. The military spent
years developing marksmen or skilled people who can train marksmen. That is not
true of civilians. Civilians are dedicated marksmen and became critical in the
ongoing defense of the United States. In 1903, with the support of President
Roosevelt, Congress passed a bill that is the foundation of the National Matches
and the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice. Later that year the
first National Matches were held at Sea Girt, New Jersey.
In 1905, two significant events occurred: first, Congress authorized the selling
of unused firearms and ammunition to civilians to enhance their shooting skills.
This was one of the great events that helped promote U.S. marksmanship. That
same year Ammon B. Critchfield, returning from a fishing trip, scouted the south
shore of Lake Erie, near Port Clinton, Ohio, looking for a place to hold the
National Matches. Sea Girt, already overcrowded after two years, was no longer
adequate. Critchfield, who was an NRA director and a newly appointed Adjutant
General of the Ohio National Guard, convinced the Ohio National Legislature to
buy the present Camp Perry, Ohio for $25,000. In 1907, the Nationals were moved
to Camp Perry, Ohio. In 1916, the National Defense Act authorized civilian teams
to compete against military teams. In 1920, the Small Arms Firing schools began
at Camp Perry. American marksmanship was on the way.
To support marksmanship training, state groups were formed to promote
marksmanship at the state level. In Illinois, this group became known as the
Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA). By World War I, the effects of trained
marksmen in the U.S. military began to show. Sergeant York learned to shoot long
before he was drafted. He is a prime example of civilian marksmanship, and why
training works best in the civilian arena.
Marksmanship training progressed through the 1920s and 1930s. In the late 1930s
peace movements in the United States threatened private gun ownership. For some
unknown reason peace lovers like to be weak. The fact is if you want peace, you
always have to be ready for war. The rise of Adolph Hitler stopped the gun
control movement in the 1930s. When we entered World War II, over 300,000
marksmen had been trained, and were immediately pressed into service as troops
and as instructors. Men in their 40s were drafted as instructors and were
invaluable as troop trainers. These instructors saved thousands of American
lives, and certainly shortened the war.
There are a lot of great stories about American marksmanship, and some not so
great. I have heard stories about troops not being properly trained in
marksmanship. Some people slip through the cracks. In the Korean War some
soldiers received their only training on the rolling decks of troop ships. In
the Viet Nam War some were trained by dry firing down the aisle of an airplane –
not exactly marksmanship’s finest hour. Situations like these points at what President
Theodore Roosevelt knew - marksmen must be trained before entering the military.
Roosevelt’s last message to Congress emphasized this point. He said, “The
great body of our citizens’ shoot less and less as time goes on. We should
encourage rifle practice among school boys, and indeed all classes, as well as
in the military, by every means in our power. Thus, and not otherwise we may be
able to assist in preserving peace in the world… The first step – in the
direction to avert war if possible, and to be fit for war should it come, is to
teach men to shoot.” Roosevelt’s 1908 observation is still true today.
The National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio are a testament to the strength of
marksmanship programs in the United States. I urge you to take time and go to
the National Matches even if it is just to visit. There you will tread the same
ground as Olympic champions, Congressional Medal of Honor winners, and heroes of
every sort. Camp Perry surely embodies the American spirit. It is not a place of
separation, but inclusion. You will walk among Olympic champions and heroes of
today and the future. You will feel the pride of being an American. You will
have been to “Mecca.”
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