CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan— Four U.S. Marines with Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, competed in the Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition Far East on Camp Hansen from Dec. 12-19.

MCMC-Far East is one of five annual competitions held Marine Corps-wide. Competitors who place in the top 10% of the competition move on to compete in the Marine Corps Championship Match held in Quantico, Virginia. Over 20 teams competed against MCIPAC from units across Okinawa throughout the 9-day event.

The MCIPAC team consisted of 1st Lt. John Sagan and Cpl. Jesse Davis, both with Communication Strategy and Operations; Sgt. James Toland-Brown and Lance Cpl. Gerson Sanchez, both marksmanship coaches.

“I think it’s great for Marines like us because non-combat military occupational specialties get the chance to come out and not only compete but to learn. You learn from the best of the best,” said Davis, a native of Florida. As a photographer, Davis is normally tasked to document the Marine Corps and its activities.

“The competition is not just your normal rifle range where you’re going over the same thing repeatedly,” said Davis. “It is good to have those basics, but then this is taking those basics and applying them in a more strenuous situation. So, it’s a good thing for us to learn, that way we can go out and not only compete but like in any situation, just be effective in the field.”

The first week consisted of practices where shooters trained on proper manipulation of both rifle and pistol as well as how to fire efficiently while on the move.

“It gives us a broader view of shooting fundamentals in general, how to use them, and apply them in different scenarios other than just shooting on the annual rifle or pistol range. You get a lot more knowledge given to you by the shooting team and you’re learning from Marines who do it every single day,” said Toland-Brown, a native of Georgia. “I go through instructional slides and review fundamentals and everything, but here you’re shooting and moving, which you don’t do a lot on the annual rifle range itself.”

Toland-Brown, a former combat engineer, has prepared Marines with MCIPAC to shoot on the annual rifle range for the last two years.

When you are doing dynamic drills, you have to think about things like muzzle awareness, proper discipline, and situational awareness. Things like these are what we are going to teach when Marines come to the rifle range,” said Toland-Brown. “It helps us help them learn what they are doing while they are down range.”

The first shooting event for the MCIPAC team tested their ability to fire rifles in uncomfortable positions while accurately gauging the distances of their targets.

“We’re all shooting very well so far,” said Sanchez, a native of Illinois. “1st Lt. Sagan is doing the best on the pistol, which were relying on for the overall score and then the rest of us got it covered with rifle. So we’re all pretty solid on that.”

The second event placed shooters at close distances using their pistols while on the move.

“Participating in this competition has been far better training than what we normally do for the Marine Corps’ Combat Pistol Program,” said Sanchez. “The CPP is what every Marine shoots when they reach E-6 or higher, or if your billet requires. The pistol course usually has you shoot on the 7, 15, and 25-yard line while not moving and perform two speed reloads, and that is nothing compared to this. Here, there are obstacles and targets you have to avoid, there is moving and firing, which is what I believe we should be doing. That is what I feel like the future should be for the pistol program. It should be firing and moving as well, from left to right or forward and back.”

The next event had the MCIPAC team firing at night with little to no light allowed while firing.

“There were two close-quarters fire and maneuver ranges where we engaged targets from behind walls at odd angles,” said Toland-Brown. “There were also two long-distance fire and maneuver ranges where we had to engage at unknown distances while mounting barricades in different positions. Some portions had “no shoot targets” which are targets you can’t shoot on or they deduct points.”

The final event was a team shooting drill where each member was tasked with firing at certain targets then quickly moving to their next teammate, “tagging” them in signaling their turn to shoot separate targets.

“The team event was a fun time for us to come and shoot together,” said Davis. “All the teams competed with a four-man group in the final events. First was the pistol event where we had to run and grab our respective targets and solve a math problem on the back, give the amount to the color it corresponds with, and shoot that many rounds on their target. The second was the rifle where we started in a box and two ran out grabbed their magazine on the wall stood on the ramp hit three targets and then moved to the steel target. It was fun under pressure shooting that makes you want to perform better for your teammates.”