Major General Greg Wayt, the Adjutant General of the State of Ohio, was the First Shot Speaker and had the honor of firing the ceremonial first shot to open the 2005 National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. The traditional First Shot Ceremony at Camp Perry took place on July 11th. Everyone in attendance enjoyed a colorful ceremony that benefited from the better side of Camp Perry weather, with the sun shining and a light breeze coming off of Lake Erie.
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| Distinguished guests are honored at the First Shot Ceremony for their support of the National Matches. |
Ms. Judith Legerski, Vice Chair of the CMP Board of Directors, Mr. John Sigler, First Vice President of the NRA, Chris Redfern, Ohio State House of Representatives, District 80, Robert Latta, Ohio State House of Representatives, District 6, representatives of Senator George Voinovich and Senator Mike DeWine and many other distinguished guests also attended the ceremony.
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| Major General Wayt fired the first shot of the 2005 National Matches with a Model 1903 Springfield rifle. Wayt said, “I chose this rifle as it is known for its accuracy and I need as much help as I can get!” |
General Wayt was appointed by the Governor of Ohio and assumed the duties of the Adjutant General on 1 July 2004. He is a member of the Governor’s cabinet and is responsible for the operation of the Ohio Adjutant General’s Department and the military preparedness of the Ohio Army National Guard, the Ohio Air National Guard, the Ohio Military Reserve and the Ohio Naval Militia. General Wayt is a Distinguished Military Graduate from the Ohio State University ROTC program. He began his military career as an artillery officer in 1975.
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| The color guard for the First Shot Ceremony was the Navy JROTC Color Guard from the Admiral King High School, from Lorain, Ohio. |
In his comments, General Wayt credited General A. B. Critchfield, former Adjutant General of Ohio, as being “the real father of Camp Perry whose vision was to establish the world’s finest rifle range.” He noted how land for Camp Perry was purchased in 1905, and that the camp was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the victorious American Naval commander who defeated the British in 1813 at the Battle of Lake Erie.
General Wayt also spoke about the future of Camp Perry. “The future of the National Matches here at Camp Perry is very bright. The Camp Perry Executive Council, comprised of the senior leadership from the Adjutant General’s Department, Civilian Marksmanship Program, National Rifle Association, and three local General Assembly members, was recently formed to ensure the matches are world class and to steer and prioritize the master plan that has been developed for Camp Perry. The master plan will shape the development of Camp Perry for the next 25 years. This partnership is seeking innovative ways to resource this plan; and I can tell you that we are committed to making Camp Perry a world-class facility. Our goal for Camp Perry is to have an impact on the economic development of the community, to increase the number of participants in the matches, and make this a world-class range just as General Critchfield envisioned in 1905.”
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| General Wayt fires the first shot of the 2005 National Matches. The First Shot Ceremony has been a tradition since the first National Matches at Camp Perry in 1907. |
He described recent actions by the state and Ohio National Guard to develop Camp Perry. “The State of Ohio is investing more than one million dollars for road construction, utilities upgrades, and renovation of many post facilities. In addition, the Federal Government provided 1.5 million dollars for a county sewer extension that will be completed in the near future. Our most recent construction projects include: the renovation of the Hough Grove motel rooms and a $ 1.4 million dollar Viale Range berm and target replacement project, which will be completed and ready for use in the 2006 National Matches.”
The 2005 National Matches are officially open. Additional photos from the ceremony can be viewed at http://www.odcmp.com/Photos/05/FirstShot/index.htm. The NRA National Pistol Championship takes place on 12-16 July and the CMP National Trophy Pistol Matches will take place on 17 July. Results for the CMP National Trophy Pistol Matches on 17 July will be posted live on the CMP web site at http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=804. Results will be posted as soon as scorecards are received.
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