By Lt. Tracy Thorsell, Helicopter Training Squadron Eight

Lt. j.g. Jacob Milich, a Student Naval Aviator assigned to Helicopter Training Squadron (HT) 8, in Pensacola, Florida, took third place out of 41 non-distinguished shooters in the Excellence in Competition match at the 2023 Interservice Pistol Championships. This earned him the bronze Excellence in Competition (EIC) badge as well as points towards becoming a Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot. He also received a Navy Trophy Rifle for being the top Navy shooter.

The competition, which was sponsored by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and included multiple active and reserve service shooting teams, was held at Fort Moore, Georgia. Milich is the first Navy participant to place in the top three in over 20 years.

Milich, a native of Boynton Beach, Florida, was introduced to shooting when he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Though he had never shot prior to enlisting, the experience of shooting at recruit training as well as the emphasis placed on “every Marine being a rifleman” led him to want to continue to improve his marksmanship skills. After recruit training, he took every opportunity to shoot, including participating in his unit’s shooting team and was able to earn the Marine Corps expert rifle and pistol badges.

After moving to Florida for flight training, Milich began participating in competitive shooting at a local club, which held monthly matches. There, he met several veterans, some of whom had been members of service marksmanship teams while they were active duty, who mentored him and put him in contact with the Navy Marksmanship Team.

Moving forward, Milich says he will use the competition experience as a foundation for competing at the National Championships at Camp Perry in 2024. He hopes to attend the 2024 Fleet and All Navy matches and eventually earn the Distinguished Marksmanship badges for both pistol and rifle. “I want to thank Cmdr. Johnson and the rest of the HT-8 leadership for their encouragement,” he said. “It was an honor being able to represent both HT-8 and the Navy while shooting on the Navy Marksmanship Team at Interservice, as well as getting to shoot with some of the U.S. military’s best pistol shooters.”