FORT BENNING, Ga. — Soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit continued its remarkable season after claiming three national championships in the past week.

The winning commenced at the U.S. National Shotgun Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., when Staff Sgt. Josh Richmond won the gold medal in the double trap event July 13. Richmond outlasted two other competitors in a shoot-off, including fellow USAMU Soldier and teammate Spc. Jeff Holguin to claim the gold. Holguin won the silver medal. Richmond scored a total of 268 targets out of 300, not including the 15 he hit in the shoot-off.

Richmond’s results were similar to other competitions he has competed in this year. He won a gold medal at the Munich World Cup event and the bronze at a World Cup event in San Marino. Next up for Richmond, Holguin and the USAMU Shotgun team are the World Championships in Slovenia, the top event of the year.
           
The following day the skeet shooters came out in force at the International Shooting Complex. Spc. Vincent Hancock, a gold medal winner from the 2008 Summer Olympics, claimed his first gold medal at the National Championships in skeet, defeating teammate Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Dulohery in a shoot-off.
           
It was a classic back-and-forth between the young and old guard. Hancock led after day one, Dulohery bounced back and was on top after day two and then Hancock put together two perfect rounds to get to the shoot-off. It was Dulohery’s final National Championship as the sun begins to set on his Army career with retirement just a few months away. A four-time National Champion, he wanted to taste victory one final time on the big stage, but Hancock came away with one more target than his wily veteran teammate. The duo scored a 268 in the event before the shoot-off.

Two time zones to the east, a Soldier from the USAMU was the first active-duty Soldier to win the Individual National Pistol Championship in 24 years at the National Pistol Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio.

Sgt. 1st Class James Henderson, USAMU, won the most coveted individual prize in all of national pistol shooting when his score of 2646 was enough to win the top prize at the competition July 18. The best civilian and military pistol shooters in the country show up for the preeminent event every year and Henderson, who won the award as a member of the Army Reserves, was unequivocally the top dog as he also won the individual championship for the .22-caliber and center-fire matches.

CAMP PERRY, Ohio--Sgt. 1st Class James Henderson (center), is applauded after being named the 2009 National Pistol Champion July 18. Henderson is the first active-duty Soldier to win the top prize since 1985.
(Photo by Michael Molinaro, USAMU PAO)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--Under threatening skies, Staff Sgt. Josh Richmond, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, fires on his target during the finals of the double trap event July 13 at the U.S. National Shotgun championships. Richmond outlasted the field and the elements to claim the gold medal.
(Photo by Michael Molinaro, USAMU PAO)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Dulohery (left) and Spc. Vincent Hancock, both from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, prepare for a shoot-off after tying in the finals of the skeet event at the U.S. National Shotgun championships July 14. Hancock went on to win the gold medal for the first time in his career.
(Photo by Michael Molinaro, USAMU PAO


CAMP PERRY, Ohio--Sgt. 1st Class James Henderson, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, fires on a target during an individual match at the National Pistol Championships July 18. Henderson won the Individual National Pistol Championship, the first time a Soldier from the active duty Army has won the coveted award since 1985.
(Photo by Michael Molinaro, USAMU PAO)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--Spc. Vincent Hancock, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, competes in the skeet event during the U.S. National Shotgun championships July 14. Hancock won gold at the National Championships for the first time, adding to his collection of first-place finishes worldwide, including the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal in the same event.
(Photo by Michael Molinaro, USAMU PAO)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--Staff Sgt. Josh Richmond (center), U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, won the gold medal in double trap at the U.S. National Shotgun Championships July 13. He is flanked by teammate Spc. Jeff Holguin (left), the silver medalist, and bronze medalist Billy Crawford. All three shooters were tied after the final round and competed in a three-way shoot-off to determine the winner.
(Photo by Michael Molinaro, USAMU PAO)