USAMU Paralympic Team
The Making of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Paralympic Team
BY MICHAEL MOLINARO USAMU PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
In 2007, the U.S. Army
Marksmanship Unit (US- AMU) was given the mission to improve marksmanship skills across the Army by providing training at the Drill Sergeant School, all basic combat training installations and for units preparing to deploy.
During unit assessments
of how to accomplish this new mission, USAMU leader- ship saw an opportunity to incorporate Wounded War- riors into the unit’s competi- tive shooting teams through the Continuation on Active Duty (COAD) program. The COAD program allows Sol- diers found unfi t for duty by a Physical Evaluation Board to remain on active duty by placing them in positions that match their rank, expe- rience and qualifi cations. “The Paralympic Instruc-
tor/Shooter Concept Plan presented a great opportu- nity by proposing a solution to meet our need for more marksmanship trainers that utilized our wounded vet- erans deemed able to con- tinue to serve on Active Duty - to fi ll a critical training gap for the Army,” said former USAMU Commander Col. Daniel Hodne. Soldiers applying for the
USAMU Paralympic team faced rigid criteria. They had to be COAD-designated and meet International Para- lympics Committee eligibil-
ity criteria. Soldiers also needed endorsement by a lieutenant colonel or higher in their chain of command, and most importantly, they had to show the USAMU and the Army that they had the work ethic to become a world-class shooter and am- bassador for the Army. “The biggest challenge
was lots of people wanted to shoot, but there were few that had the desire to com- pete and win at an interna- tional level, while enhancing marksmanship throughout the Army,” said Bill Keever, a former USAMU sergeant and the fi rst noncommissioned- offi cer-in-charge of the newly created section. “We need- ed (Soldiers) who were going to be competitors and con- tributors to the Army and the unit as far as marksmanship was concerned. This wasn’t going to be a job where you could just hang out.” Keever, a 2000 Olympi-
an, was charged with recruit- ing Soldiers to the team. He traveled to Walter Reed and Brooke Army Medical Center, pitching the Paralympic con- cept to Soldiers recovering from their injuries. He also networked with individuals at various Warrior Transition Units around the country. He was tasked with laying a foundation for the team, a foundation he said that had always been there. “In reality, the Paralym-
pic team started way before I ever got there,” Keever said. “In my opinion, Sgt. 1st Class Josh Olson (fi rst combat Wounded Warrior to serve in the USAMU), is the one who started this for the Army when he came as a shooter after his injury. His desire and passion for the sport is what inspired others to build a program around Josh. He is the guy we built the program around—our franchise player—and mod- eled it after him. Modeled it after his values, what he stood for, the kind of Soldier he is and kind of competitor he is.”
Olson was part of the
2012 U.S. Paralympic Team and the fi rst active duty combat-wounded Soldier to ever make the team. He was severely injured dur- ing combat in Iraq in 2003, and came to the USAMU in 2005. “Competing in the Paralympics is much more than going to win a medal,” Olson said in 2012. “Soon we will have a full (Paralym- pic) team here and if I am a pioneer of sorts, than that’s my role. I want the guys that will be coming here to run circles around me and make multiple Paralympic teams.” The team is now building a
core around Sgt. John Joss, Staff Sgt. Shaun Tichenor, Spc. Joshua Budd, and Sgt. Eric Trueblood who have their sights set on the 2016
Rio Paralympic Games while supporting the unit’s mis- sion to enhance the combat readiness of the Army. The unit recently hosted an In- ternational Paralympic Com- mittee World Cup and contin- ues to support the Wounded Warrior Games. Team mem- bers are always on the look- out for another great Soldier who fi ts the mold of an AMU shooter, said Sgt. 1st Class Armando Ayala, the coach of the team. The future looks prom-
ising for the Paralympic team, a novel concept that gives the Army’s wounded combat veterans a chance to reinvent themselves and serve as an inspiration for those who relish the chance to continue service to their country, said Ayala. USAMU is part of the U.S.
Army Accessions Brigade, Army Marketing and Re- search Group and is tasked with enhancing the Army’s recruiting effort, raising the standard of Army marks- manship and furthering small arms research and de- velopment to enhance the Army’s overall combat readi- ness. On the back cover: Mem-
bers of the U.S. Army Marks- manship Unit’s Paralympic Section (Left to right: Josh Budd, Shaun Tichenor, John Joss, Eric Trueblood and Jeff Brown).
July 2014 | USA Shooting News
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