AF shooters, training changing notions about military marksmanship

Published May 25, 2011
By Nick Stubbs
Thunderbolt Editor

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- When military marksmanship is the topic, Marines and Soldier slinging battle rifles may come to mind, but overlooking the shooting skills of today's Airman is a sure sign of being behind the times.

Not only are shooting skills an integral part of an Airman's training, Air Force training can be more rigorous, thorough and challenging than what members of other branches are used to, said Tech. Sgt. David Walker, 6th Security Forces non-commissioned officer in charge of small arms training at MacDill Air Force Base. Additionally, some of the top competitive shooters today are products of the Air Force.

Responsible for firearms training for other branches stationed at MacDill, shooters who go through the 6th SFS program are sometimes surprised.

"We've had Army members say it was the best class they've had in their years in service," said Sergeant Walker. "They don't equate the Air Force with small arms training, but they find out what it's all about (once they take the course)."

Soldiers are not the only ones to discover the shooting expertise of today's Air Force. The Tampa Police Department learned a hard lesson after challenging the 6th Security Forces to field a team of sporting clay shooters to shoot against them in a recent competition.

Misconceptions about the emphasis of small arms training in the Air Force predate the Korean War, said Sergeant Walker, after which Gen. Curtis LeMay put a new emphasis on firearms training when Airmen in Korea were found to be unable to effectively defend their bases from attack without support from Marines or Soldiers.

Over the years, the training resulted in a more capable force, something that has been important in the wake of 9/11 and the frequent integration of Airmen into Army combat units in forward locations.

Just about any Airman at MacDill could find themselves in a deployment that calls for anything from slinging a rifle on patrol, to manning a .50 caliber machine gun in a convoy.

"We have members of the LRS (6th Logistics Readiness Squadron) who are joining troops in convoys all the time now," said Sergeant Walker. "The same goes for EOD (explosive ordinance disposal)."

Despite a well developed culture of Air Force shooters, there are those who "didn't join the Air Force expecting to shoot guns," said Staff Sgt. Keith Corcoran, a small arms instructor with the 6 SFS.

"We treat them with kid gloves," he said. "We're gentle with them, brief them on what they are doing wrong and try to bring up their skill and safety levels."

The small arms trainers are part of the 6 SFS, but it is a specialized career field in which few "don't want to be here," said Sergeant Corcoran.

Sergeant Walker echoed that. "Most of us would prefer to stay here through our service careers if we could," he said. "It's something most of us love, and we get to interact positively with the public.

"In fact, if you listen to what we are teaching you, you can earn yourself a ribbon for marksmanship."

There are eight members of the small arms training unit, operating in a newly completed building adjacent to the firing range near the FamCamp at the southern end of MacDill.