A First for North Carolina

By Sommer Wood, Staff Writer/Editor

Not only is Thurman Horner a Distinguished Rifleman, the North Carolina native holds the honor of being the first civilian to earn the Badge in the Tar Heel State. Born and raised in Oxford, North Carolina, Horner’s first exposure to shooting sports came at the age of 11 when he started shooting .22 cal rifles. In 1944 he joined the NRA as a junior, and the following year he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Once in the Marines, Horner earned an extra five dollars a month for his expert qualification with a service rifle, but that was the extent of his marksmanship career until he attended his first competition at Camp Perry, OH in 1964.

Horner received a letter from North Carolina Senator Sam J. Ervin Jr. congratulating him on his accomplishments.

“A friend who was a Major in the National Guard convinced me to go to the National Matches, so I packed up my family and we made the trip to Ohio. I was worried about having them on base, but they had so much fun that they didn’t want to leave,” said Horner.

With an M-14 rifle issued out of the armory at Camp Perry and a borrowed scope, Horner bought a shooting jacket and glove and attended the Small Arms Firing School. “My instructor was an E9 Sergeant from the Air Force Team. Once we started shooting he accused me of ‘sandbagging' but I didn’t know what he was talking about. I asked him for the definition of 'sandbagging' and he told it was a term used when an experienced competitive shooter went through the school. I assured him I was a beginner, but I don't think he believed me,” said Horner.

Horner completed the school and shot his first NRA matches, but being new to the sport and unaware of the Distinguished Badge, he did not shoot any EIC matches in his first trip to Camp Perry. Though he did earn his Master Classification card and earned a Lifetime Master card the next year.

In 1965 Horner returned to the Camp Perry and brought with him the first North Carolina civilian highpower team to attend the National Matches since 1940. North Carolina has continued to have representation at the National Matches since Horner reestablished the team, and he has been active as a shooter or coach with many of those teams over the years. He was team captain from 1965-1972.

Horner was presented his Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge by North Carolina Governor Bob Scott on April 30, 1969.

It was 1966 when Horner earned his first ten EIC points with a bronze medal at Camp Perry in the National Trophy Individual Rifle Match. He went on to earn six more points in 1967 at a Regional Leg Match in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and then ten points with a silver medal later that summer again in the National Trophy Individual Rifle Match. In 1968, Horner did not shoot any EIC Matches, but a first place finish at a Regional Leg Match in 1969 at Fort Benning, Georgia earned him the final points he needed for his Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge.

North Carolina Governor Bob Scott examines Thurman Horner’s rifle in the North Carolina State Capital Building after presenting him with the first Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge earned by a civilian in the state. Also pictured on the left is Daniel T. Lilley, NC State Representative.

April 30th 1969, Horner was awarded his Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge in the office of North Carolina Governor Bob Scott in Raleigh, North Carolina. Also in attendance for the presentation was Daniel T. Lilley, NC State Representative. “They asked me to bring my rifle into the State Capital to be pictured with Governor Scott, which would never happen today. It was an honor to be presented my Badge by the Governor,” said Horner.

Horner founded and coached the DuPont Rifle team at the DuPont Plant that he worked at in Brevard , NC . He remained with the team after his retirement, and currently continues to coach highpower shooters in North Carolina.

After receiving his Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge, Horner continued to compete until 2002, but it was in coaching that he felt most fulfilled. In 1989 he founded and coached the DuPont highpower rifle team at the DuPont Plant in Brevard, NC. Horner worked for DuPont in Charlotte, NC in their Technical and Research Departments until his retirement in 1984. He then moved to Brevard and continued as a consultant for the company until 1989. He managed the highpower team after his final retirement, and traveled with them to Camp Perry where they won gold. “I have always been more interested in helping others than in helping myself. I never went out to become Distinguished, I just love to shoot,” said Horner.

To learn more about the Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge or to see a listing of those who have earned the Badge visit, http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_distinguished.cgi.