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Reader Comments:
Thank you for your wonderful Newsletter! As the parent of 2 Junior Shooters (they shoot high power, .22, air rifle, archery... essentially anything that will send a projectile through the air!) I really appreciate the coverage that you provide.
You are so organized and provide information to keep the news, support programs and resources at my fingertips.
Thank you for your dedication and hard work.
Oh, please pass along my sincere appreciation to the wonderful group of Marines that hosted and taught the Marine Corps Junior High Power Clinic and also to the wonderful and dedicated Army Marksmen that hosted and taught the Small Arms Firing School. I had children in each and they both had a fabulous time! They looked forward to attending each day and the interaction and coaching exceeded our high expectations! They went above and beyond. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Tami R.
Please keep up the good work. Thanks you for you information on CMP. I love to visit the Camp Perry store when possible so this news letter seems to keep me in touch with you all. Thanks again Paul Miller
Paul M.
Thank you... it was an awesome week and experience at Camp Perry
for both my son and me. We loved it and loved the CMP staff who were friendly
and very helpful. :-)
Steve
I wanted to let you know that your news letter is outstanding. A lot of really
good info that I pass on to many people. Thank you.
David F.
Thanks for the work you
do. We enjoy the CMP Newsletter and updates. Sincerely, W. Chessman
I enjoy reading the email and look forward to it every week.
Thanks,
Eric C.
Having been a member of the Junior NRA during the late '50's where I
achieved the rating of Sharpshooter 6th Bar, I am honestly able to state that I
was pleasantly surprised and very pleased to see that you're still actively
pursuing today's youth to continue the interest of sport shooting (which I still
love). Thank you and warm regards.
Ted K., SCPO, USN Retired
Thank you for a great news letter.
J. B.
I shot high expert in the Marine Corps in the 60's with the venerable Garand and hope someday to own one again. I like reading TFS and their informative articles. Thanks for the excellent site.
Sincerely, Fred C.
I attended the Houston Gun Collectors January Show, and truthfully, the CMP display was the high point of the show for me. I'm still trying to decide about buying a Greek Collector Grade M-1 rifle (I have too many Garands already), but when all is said and done, I think the decision to take the CMP to such major gun shows is a real winner.
Larry S.
The First Shot is a well put together, informative on-line magazine. Kudos'
to the staff for the idea and content.
Col. Lance, USA-Ret.
PS Great revitalization and up grade of the old DCM.
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A Summer Commemorated in Rich German Tradition
By Sommer Wood, Staff Writer/Editor
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Two members of the Kennesaw MT HS rifle team were
presented with the “Commemorative Target”.
Their school was drawn during the first Fort Benning, GA Air
Rifle Camp to receive the target.
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The oldest German shooting club was established in 1139, and with it many rich shooting traditions began. One of those traditions made its’ way into the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s 2005 Junior Three-Position Summer Camps for the first time. Dr. Dan Durben, CMP Camp Director, wanted to commemorate each of the camps with a
traditional painted wooden target similar to the ones that hang in German shooting clubs still today.
The use of commemorative targets is as old as the German shooting clubs themselves. They are used to commemorate special festivities for the club, such as the annual crowning of the club’s Shooting King or Queen. Normally the targets are used in one shot matches in which club members shoot at a designated spot on the target. The shot closest to the bulls-eye wins. This contest often determines the Shooting King or Queen for the coming year. Because these targets are only used for special occasions, the club commissions local artist to elaborately paint them. After a competition is over, the competitors sign their shots and the target is hung in the range. Over time the commemorative targets become a colorful record of the club’s history.
For the 2005 CMP Three-Position Summer Camps wooden commemorative targets were painted for each camp. Durben luckily found two artists on staff this summer, Ben Jochum and Sommer Wood, who could share in the task of painting the targets. Jochum is studying Art Education at the University of Nebraska, and Wood graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from Clemson University. Assistant Director Dan Jordan added his creative touch by completing most of the lettering on the targets.
For the commemorative shot, campers did not shoot at the painted target as is the tradition in Germany, because the wood was too hard for the pellets to penetrate. Instead, the camp staff held the commemorative shot on paper targets, which were shot at the end of finals training. This shot was then signed by the shooter and attached to the wooden target to be viewed by everyone. The target was then either given to the host of the camp, or a drawing was held among the schools in attendance for the winner.
“The campers really got into it, it was really neat to see them get nervous when we announced for them to load for their commemorative shot. Dan (Jordan) always made sure to remind them before he gave the ‘Start’ command that this shot was going to be viewed for the next 700 years. This seemed to do the trick, because we had very few shoot tens,” joked Durben.
This German tradition turned out to be a memorable CMP addition this summer, and will hopefully become a CMP tradition in summers to come.
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Counselors Ben Jochum and Sommer Wood worked on a
collaborative effort to design and paint six commemorative targets for
the 2005 Summer Air Rifle Camps. Each
target was designed to reflect the area the camp was held.
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