Latest News from MCB Camp Lejeune

On Target: Marines, sailors sight in on championship during Competition-in-Arms Program

Pfc. Joshua J. Hines, 2nd Marine Division

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - “Every Marine a rifleman” is a quote all Marines know. Once a year, Marines head to the rifle range to re-qualify for their respective marksmanship rankings, but for some, once a year just isn't enough.

For Marines wanting to test their skills or simply desiring another chance to get their hands on a weapon, there's the Competition-in-Arms Program.

The Competition-in-Arms Program is a yearly event where shooters have the opportunity to compete in rifle and pistol matches in order to test their skills against others.  Shooters spend approximately three weeks on the range undergoing classes, live-fire practices and a preliminary round.

Following the preliminary round, there are two individual-match days followed by a team-match day and ending with an award ceremony, according to Chief Warrant Officer 3 Wesley Turner, the chief range officer and battalion gunner for Weapons Training Battalion.

According to Turner, the goal of the CIAP is to increase the marksmanship proficiency, skills and confidence of each competitor with the rifle and small arms in order to help them as competitors and instructors in their organizations.

“I think the CIAP fosters camaraderie, competition and makes the participant's better shooters,” said Turner.  “Also the Marines participating gain skills and knowledge that they can take back to their units to make them better Marine riflemen.”

The competition is open to all military service members and civilians, but they must sit through all the classes the Marines do and pass a weapons handling test.

Many of the Marines competing in the CIAP vouched for that sentiment as the majority of them had never even handled a pistol before the competition.

“It's a lot of fun, but really challenging,” said Cpl. Mathew Gardner, a mechanic with Combat Logistics Battalion 8, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.  “There are a lot of good shooters out here and I'm doing the pistol range for the first time so it's really a great learning experience.”

Even experienced shooters noticed the difference between the CIAP and the traditional firing range.

“It's all about the individual shooter and putting everything they've learned to use,” said Staff Sgt. Payton Bradshaw, a landing support specialist with Combat Logistics Regiment 27.

According to Sgt. Jeffrey Sabins, a block safety non-commissioned officer with Weapons Training Battalion, CIAP gives people who've never shot competition before a chance to go up against really experienced shooters and see how they compare.

“The only way to get better at shooting is to shoot,” said Sabins.

In the end, the CIAP is a great way for Marines to test themselves on basic marksmanship skills and show their fellow marksmen the quote “every Marine a rifleman” is as true as their aim.

Lejeune to host 2010 Armed Forces Wrestling Championships

Cpl. Katie Densmore, Marine Corps Base

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - The 2010 Armed Forces Wrestling Championships are coming to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune March 20 and 21.

The championship matches will bring together the best wrestlers from the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Army to compete at the Goettge Memorial Field House.  The matches are free and open to the public.

The first day of the championships doors will open at 1 p.m.  The wrestling will be strictly Greco-Roman, which is a style of wrestling that was a part of the very first modern Olympic Games.  The wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can be terminated early by a pinfall.  This style of wrestling forbids holds below the waist.

Wrestlers will be competing in seven different weight-classes for individual gold and silver medals, but this is not the only prize they are striving to win.

The tournament is also designed as a round-robin.  Competitors are trying to earn points for their service.  The team with the most points will win gold medals and the runner-ups will wear silver.

The second day will follow the same format with two major exceptions.  The first is the doors will open at 11:30 a.m., and the second is the wrestling will be freestyle.  Freestyle differs from Greco-Roman in that wrestlers are allowed to use their legs or their opponent's to garner a pinfall.

In order to prevent any perception of favoritism, referees will be flown in from all across the country.

“We could have someone from Omaha, Neb., Colorado Springs, Colo., or even Florida,” said Dennis Rautmann, the varsity sports coordinator, sports branch, fitness division Marine Corps Community Services.

Finding unbiased referees is only part of the planning that goes into an event this large.  The event took coordination between housing, food services and the Provost Marshal's Office just to name a few, said Rautmann.

However, this is not the first time the sports branch has had to coordinate across base for an event such as this.  The 2006 Armed Forces Wrestling Championships were also held aboard Lejeune.

“We generally hold the Armed Forces boxing and wrestling events here,” said Rautmann.  “Any time you get to host an event like this it is quite an honor.”

Rautmann encourages people who have never watched a real wrestling match to come out and watch the event.

“A lot of people have only seen the stuff they show on TV,” he said.  “It is considerably different in real life. It is a very exciting sport.  It can be over in two seconds or it can go past the third period into overtime.”

For more news stories, pick up a copy of the Globe at a box or newsstand near you, or read the E-Edition of the Globe online.