Southeastern Regional Pistol Matches
Jacksonville, Florida

Favored To Win Southeastern Pistol Shoot

JACKSONVILLE - Master Sgt. Huelet (Joe) Benner, three-times national pistol champion, is favored to win the Southeastern regional pistol matches opening here today.

About 250 military, police and civilian experts are competing in the four-day event. The top individual scorer over the three days will win a free trip to the national matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, next month.

Army and Marine teams appear to have the most strength.

Benner, in addition to past national titlist, is Olympics slow fire and international rapid fire champion

The News-Tribune, Fort Pierce, Florida, Thursday, July 29, 1954, Page 6

Benner Smashes Record to Lead Regional Shoot

Jacksonville, July 30 (AP). The U. S. Army pistol squad, particularly M/Sgt. Huelet (Joe) Benner, took command of the Southeastern Regional pistol matches opening day.

BENNER BETTERED the National record for the Olympic rapid fire course when he scored 587 of a possible 600 points yesterday. Only last month Jimmie Clark of Shreveport, La., raised the record to 583.

Although most of the field of more than 200 remained to shoot the rapid fire course today and tomorrow, the outstanding score by Bener in the first section is fully expected to stand.

THE SERGEANT from West Point, three times national champion and current holder of Olympic slow fire and international rapid fire titles, also won the slow fire event from 50 meters.

Benner scored 545 of a possible 600.

The Tampa Times, Tampa, Florida, Friday, July 30, 1954, Page 12

Army Marksmen Lead Marines

Jacksonville, July 31 (AP). Army marksmen took a small lead in team events at the Southeastern Regional pistol matches here yesterday.

THE ARMY'S four-man sqad scored 1160 out of a possible 1200 to lead the U.S. Marine Corps No. 1 combination by one point in .22 caliber firing.

The high individual performer in second day events was M. Sgt. Huelet (Joe) Benner of West Point, N. Y., who kept up the leading pace he set Thursday by scoring 879 out of 900.

TIED FOR SECOND place one point back were Maj. William Hancock of Ft. Bliss, Tex., and Lt. Col. Walter Walsh, U.S. Marine Corps, Arlington, Va.

Colonel Walsh's 16-year-old daughter, Kathleen, topped the women with 552 out of 600 in the Olympic rapid fire course. National rifle association officials said the junior high school girl's performance was the best in all Regional meets this year.

The Tampa Times, Tampa, Florida, Saturday, July 31, 1954, Page7

Benner Wins .38 Title In Shoot

JACKSONVILLE, July 31 - (AP) - The U. S. Army pistol squad today took the second of three team matches at the Southeastern regional pistol matches, edging the second place U. S. Marine Corps team 1149 to 1144.

The remaining team match will be with .45 caliber pistol tomorrow following individual matches.

M. Sgt. Huelet (Joe) Benner, West Point, N. Y., who won the .22 caliber pistol championship Friday by one point, increased his lead over Lt. Col. Walter Walsh, Marine Corps, Arlington, Va., by winning the .38 caliber aggregate today with an 881, seven points better than Walsh.

Benner's combined .22 and .38 caliber score of 1760 ws good enough for first place also. Walsh trailed in the combined aggregate by eight points.

The individual championship ends tomorrow with four matches to be fired with the .45 caliber pistol

Firing members of the Army team were Lt. Col. Ellis Lea, Ft. Benning, Ca., Maj. Willial Hancock, Ft. Bliss, Tex., C. W. O. Oscar Weinmeister, Ft. Knox, Ky., and Sgt. Benner. Lt. Billy O. Heath was team captain.

Awards will be presented after the firing tomorrow.

The Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Florida, Sunday, August 1, 1954, Page B5

Benner Gets Sweep In Pistol Shoot

JACKSONVILLE, Aug. 1 - (AP) - Army M/Sgt. Huelet (Joe) Benner made a clean sweep in the Southeastern regional pistol matches here today by taking the .45 caliber and grand aggregate titles.

The West Point sergeant scored 2625 points of a possible 2700 in the combined .22, .38 and .45 caliber events over three days. He won all three of those plus the slow fire and rapid fire events opening day.

Marine Lt. Thomas Mitchell, of Camp Lejeune, N. C., became the 11th man of all time to better 2600 in the aggregate scoring. He hit 2603 to take second place to Benner. Marine Lt. Col. Walter Walsh, of Arlington, Va., was third with 2589.

Benner won the .45 caliber match with 856 of a possible 853.

For the first time in the three days of team competition, the U. S. Marines beat the U. S. Army. The Marine team of Mitchell, Walsh, Lt. William McMillan, of Parris Island, S. C., and Capt. John M. Jagoda, of Little Creek, Va., scored 1127 of a possible 1200. The Army team had 1111.

The Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Florida, Monday, August 2, 1954, Page 14

Benner Wins Pistol Title

Benning Firers Win Trophies At Southeast Championships

HEADQUARTERS THIRD ARMY, Ft. McPherson, Ga. — M-Sgt. Joe Benner, West Point, won the Southeastern Regional Pistol Championship which ended Sunday at Jacksonville, Fla., with a score of 2625 of a possible 2700 points.

Other Army Pistol shots came away with most of the honors in the three-day series of matches which included both civilian and military firers. The U.S. Army Pistol Team which has been training at Fort Benning won two of the three-team events by edging out a strong Marine Corps team in the 22 caliber class, with a score of 1160 to 1159, and the center fire team championship with a score of 1149 to 1144, but were edged in the .45 caliber matches by a hot Marine Corps team which scored 1126 to the Army's 1111 points.

In the expert class grand aggregate, another Army man, M-Sgt. Maurice Belisle, Fort Hood, Texas, posted a winning score of 2542 points. He also won the National Match Course event with 284 of a possible 300 points. M-Sgt. Ralph Edwards, Fort Sill, Okla., won the sharpshooter class grand aggregate with 2458, giving the Army three of the four possible individual aggregate championships.

In all, Army shooters won 145 individual medals and awards and 44 team medals.

Several firers from Fort Benning were included in the list of top firers: Lt. Col. Ellis Lea who captains the Army team fired on the winning .38 caliber Army Squad, which was captained by Lt. Billy O. Heath, Lt. Col. Chester T. Harvie was second place firer in the expert class rapid fire match. Col. Harvie also took first in the Master Class National Match Course. In the Timed Fired Expert Class match, Sgt. Robert Fritz was second place firer.

The Bayonet, Friday, August 12, 1954