FORT MOORE, Ga. –
From March 10-16, 2024, the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), in collaboration with U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, hosted over 230 competitors from across the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, National Guard, and the Air National Guard for the U.S. Small Arms Championships at Fort Moore, Georgia. The annual training event, commonly known as All Army allows Soldiers to test their mettle throughout the challenging, week-long competition in both rifle and pistol.
“All Army is mandated by Congress, so we conduct it every year and it’s a combination of several different matches,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Browning, an infantryman assigned to the USAMU’s Action Shooting Team. “Weekdays are when our rifle and pistol bullseye ranges happen, as well as some infantry matches. It’s a great opportunity for people from throughout the Army to come together in this unique competition.”
Many of those taking part in All Army this year have been to Fort Moore numerous times to compete in this unique event.
“This is the third year I’ve brought the team, and it’s just so much fun,” said Capt. Andrew Leupp, a battalion operations officer assigned to 1-351st Brigade Support Battalion, 181st Infantry Brigade, First Army Division West at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. “I’ve never had anyone leave here and have not had a good time or learned. At every skill level, we all walk away with a lot by taking part in this match.”
Though being successful during the various range matches requires individual effort and skill, there is an element of teamwork participants relied on to push through some of the more challenging points of the event.
“Everyone has their units they come, with three or four Soldiers and sometimes more, and they help and coach each other throughout the week,” Browning said. “Especially during the 400-500-yard slow fire [and other matches] like that. Everyone has the opportunity to learn from each other, and there’s a lot to be said for mastering the basics.”
The USAMU designs All Army to get Soldiers out of their comfort zone in order to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of marksmanship.
“Our team normally focuses on combat shooting where we’re shooting at a target extremely fast, mostly close range, so we really haven’t done distance like this, especially with a rifle,” said Cadet Daniel Diehl of the University of North Georgia. “We do try to shoot at least two to three days a week as practice so we’re confident in what we’re doing, but this is a new realm for most of us.”
Many Soldiers involved look forward to getting in on the action again at next year’s All Army.
“I would just encourage anyone who looks at a match program or hears about [All Army] and maybe thinks ‘Oh, I’m not good enough...’ or whatever is holding them back to absolutely come to this match,” Leupp said. “It’s a fantastic training event. And if you are good at shooting, this is your chance to prove yourself against the best in the world.”