Three of the infamous Camp Perry Huts. For more than 50 years, these huts have hosted uncounted numbers of shooters who endured heat, cold, rain, wind, bugs, sagging cots, lumpy mattresses and sometimes-strange roommates in order to have inexpensive accommodations at the National Matches.

Forty-Seven Years in Camp Perry Huts Bud Benard of Utah wins CMP Centennial's "Most Nights in the Huts Contest" In November 2002, The First Shot announced a contest to determine who among the thousands of shooters who competed in the annual National Matches during the last 50 years, has spent the most time in Camp Perry's renowned competitor housing affectionately known as "The Huts." These 15' x 15' structures were built to house German and Italian prisoners of war during World War II. They were intended to be temporary, but when the National Matches came back to Camp Perry in 1953, the huts were still there so they were used to provide low-cost accommodations to competitors. Although their condition has deteriorated over the years, they are still used for the same purpose today. The Camp Perry huts remain popular with competitors because they are cheap and because staying in the huts has become a badge of honor among competitors. Each hut has four steel cots and a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Enduring such Spartan conditions that are replete with heat, cold, rain, wind, bugs, sagging cots, lumpy mattresses and sometimes-strange roommates gives every competitor who ever stayed in the huts plenty war stories to impress their shooting buddies back home who have not been there. Since this contest was announced, the CMP has received many interesting reports about some great Camp Perry hut experiences. But one entry stood out as a clear winner as soon as this man's friends brought it to the CMP's attention. We learned that Theodore "Bud" Benard has been coming to Camp Perry for 50 years and that the 2003 National Matches would, in fact, be his 50th consecutive trip to Camp Perry. Competing in the National Matches for 50 consecutive years is highly impressive in its own right, but even more amazing was the fact that Bud Benard spent 47 of his 50 National Matches staying in the huts. When he was interviewed after being named as the contest winner, he was almost apologetic for having to acknowledge that he stayed off post in a condo one year and in the Camp Perry barracks on two occasions.

Named after Theodore Roosevelt, the President who signed the law establishing the National Matches and the CMP, Benard makes his home in Bountiful, Utah. Coming to the National Matches is a family thing for him…his father first came in 1928. Benard is a veteran of World War II; he served in the 96th Infantry and saw combat in Okinawa. He became Distinguished with the rifle in 1957 and has medaled in over 25 National Trophy Individual (EIC or leg) matches at the National Matches. He has been a member of the President's 100 six times, won High Reserve honors in the National Trophy Individual Match once and coached the U. S. Army Reserve team that won the National Trophy Infantry Team match several times.

Bud Benard is shown here with the USAR Rifle Team that won the 1983 National Trophy Infantry Team Match. Benard was the team coach and stands in the second row on the right.

Since he retired from the Army Reserves, Benard has put much of his energy into junior shooting. He has brought the Utah Junior Highpower Team to Camp Perry since 1983. He has coached such great junior shooters as Julia Watson, a current member of the USMC Rifle Team who won the 1999 NRA National Service Rifle Championship, and Eric Smith, who earned his Distinguished Rifleman badge at the age of 16. He also trained and coached the team of Steve and Chris Powell who won the 2000 Whistler Boy Junior Highpower Rifle Team Match. Over the years, Bud has come to look at Camp Perry as a second home. He has taken his own time and money to make repairs and improvements to the Huts he uses - adding new windows, a roof to one, doors and various other repairs to improve the quality of the huts. In light of all his experience, what advice does Bud have for shooters who wish to stay in the huts? "Bring a big tarp to cover your bed and don't put anything on the floor," he says, is the best advice he can give anyone. Truly, Theodore "Bud" Benard epitomizes the spirit of excellence, competition and sportsmanship that the National Matches has come to embody. Benard has, in fact, distinguished himself not only through his enduring dedication to the National Matches and by being a champion shooter himself, but perhaps more importantly, he has dedicated more than two decades to training junior shooters and introducing them to the National Matches experience. The CMP extends its thanks and congratulations to Bud Benard for enduring cold nights and hot days in the Camp Perry huts, for his many examples of sportsmanship and for the experience he has gained and continues to pass on to our next generation of shooters.