JROTC cadets compete at USAMU ranges

[USAMU]

Mitchell Thomas IV
The Bayonet

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Sgt. 1st Class Hanah Quesenberry was not happy with her performance. Quesenberry, the captain of the Jordan High School JROTC rifle team, posted a 281 score Jan. 30 during the American Legion Rifle Match at the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's Pool International Shooting Complex on Main Post. Her team placed sixth with a score of 1,063 points.

Last year, her father, Staff Sgt. David Quesenberry, watched her compete in the same event before he deployed to Iraq the following day.

"This was kind of like the anniversary of him leaving,"
Quesenberry said. "The first thing he asks me when he calls is, 'How's your shooting going?' My dad loves the fact that I'm on the team, so I always want to do well."

The competition included cadets from 14 high schools from the Columbus, Ga., area. The three-position event featured two relay rounds with seven teams in each.

Benjamin Middleton Jr., a sophomore at Spencer High School, shot for the first time this year. The JROTC staff sergeant, the son of Staff Sgt. Benjamin Middleton Sr., said he's learned a great deal from his father, who was on the rifle team in high school.

"It's a great experience, because we get to talk about our similar experiences, and he can give me pointers," said Middleton Jr.
who plans to join the Army after high school.

Quesenberry has no plan to follow her dad's footsteps. In her senior year, ranked 19th in Muscogee County and one of the top 300 shooters in the state, she hopes her skills will land her a college scholarship.

"I honestly didn't think I would be that high in the rankings, but it's exciting," she said. "I love the rifle team and shooting, but it's a lot of pressure."

For Jonathon Neely, JROTC means more than rifle competitions.
Neely, who had trouble with focus and confidence in middle school, learned patience and discipline form the program, which has transferred to all aspects of his life, said his father Staff Sgt. Jeffory Neely.

"He used to have trouble speaking in front of students in his classes," Jeffory said. "But in his freshman year, he began marching an entire platoon as a platoon sergeant. We attribute a lot of his turnaround to the ROTC program."
The day before the American Legion match, Jonathan was promoted to first lieutenant, a rarity for a sophomore, Jeffory said.

"With the leadership skills I've learned, I can get in front of people without freezing up now," Jonathon said. "I didn't have confidence in myself, but because I have to lead a platoon, I'm able to give a speech in front of a class."
As captain of the Jordan team, which is ranked fourth in the county, Quesenberry said leadership is important, even in a sport like shooting.

"It's still a team sport," she said. "I try to motivate my team without pushing too hard. It's very demanding, and we practice two hours every day to better ourselves."
First Sgt. Carl Holcombe, Jordan's JROTC rifle instructor, said practice is the key to preparation for competitions.

"The more time they spend behind rifle, the better they're going to get," Holcombe said. "The team goes in and practices the same way they shoot at a competition, and it takes all four shooters to get out there and get concentrated on what they're doing."

Quesenberry said the American Legion match is special because it's hosted by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.
"It's one of the few shoots that unite us all right here at Fort Benning," she said.

(Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the U.S. Army, the Army Marksmanship Unit is assigned to the Accessions Support Brigade of the U.S. Army Accessions Command. The Marksmanship Unit trains its Soldiers to win competitions and enhances combat readiness through train-the-trainer clinics, research and development. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, Paula.Randall@usaac.army.mil or
www.USAMU.com.)