U. S. International Shooting Championships
Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio To Host Olympic Trials in July

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - San Antonio, home of the Hemis Fair '68, will host another event of international stature in July.

The city will be the site of the final tryouts to select one dozen marksmen from a blue ribbon field of 400 to represent the United States in the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City in target shooting.

The Olympic tryouts will be conducted by the National Rifle Association, at Lackland Air Force Base and the range of the Texas International Gun Club.

Rifle and pistol competitors will shoot at the Air Force Base and shotgun participants will compete at the civilian club.

Pre-tournament favorites include Olympic and World Rifle champion Gary Anderson, of San Anselmo, California; Army Captain Lones Wigger, Great Falls, Montana, who was the 3-position small bore Rifle champion at the '64 Olympic; and Major William McMillan of the Marine Corps, Gold Medalist in Rapid Fire Pistol at Rome in 1960.

Seven events will be fired between July 3 and July 19 to determine the team members and each contest is a grueling test of ability and endurance.

Time elements vary from four-second Rapid Fire Pistol match (5 shots in 4 seconds at 5 silhouette targets) to the strength - sapping five hour and 15 minute Three Position Rifle match (40 shots prone, 40 kneeling, 40 standing).

Other matches on the program include Free Pistol, International Skeet, Clay Pigeon, two small bore Rifle matches, and one High Power Rifle event.

The winner of each will become the 1968 U.S. International Champion. Other U.S. International Championship events which will be fired include Running Boar, Air Rifle, Standard Pistol, and Center Fire Pistol.

Sun News, May 28, 1968

Olympic Rifle, Pistol Trials Set for Texas

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio, home of HemisFair '68, will host another event of international stature in July — final tryouts to select one dozen marksmen from a Blue ribbon field of 400 to represent the U.S. in the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City. The tryouts will be conducted by the National Rifle Association, at Lackland AFB and the range of the Texas International Gun Club.

Pre-tournament favorites include Olympic and World Rifle champion Gary Anderson, of San Anselmo, Calif.; Army Capt. Lones Wigger, Great Falls, Mont., who was the 3-position smallbore rifle champion at the '64 Olympics; and Maj. William McMillan of the Marine Corps, Gold Medalist in rapid fire pistol at Rome in 1960.

Navy Times, June 5, 1968

Olympic Shooting Team Spots To Be at Stake In Local Meet

Rays of the Olympic Games at Mexico City cast their glow or the Hemis Fair City this week as the eighth annual U.S. International shooting championships open with an all - star field of the country's finest rifle, shotgun and pistol shooters.

First event on the 10-match program which will run through July 19 will be International Skeet. The three-day competition will begin Friday and will be held at the Texas International Gun Club. The spacious setup is located 10 miles west of the city and has a capacity of 100 shooters.

All competitors will fire at 100 birds a day in four rounds of 25 targets each. The total number of downed birds at the end of the three days will determine the winners.

Also at stake in the match are a pair of spots on the U.S. Olympic shooting team.

The United States team will consist of 12 shooters, composed of four shotgun firers (two each from skeet and clay pigeon), four rifleman and four pistol shooters.

The U.S. International championships and selection of the U.S. Olympic shooting team are the responsibility of the National Rifle Association. Co-hosts for the matches are the Texas Gun Club and Lackland Air Force Base.

The civilian group will run the skeet and clay pigeon events. The Air Force will conduct all of the rifle and pistol matches.

The skeet tournament will be followed by the air rifle, July 8-11; the smallbore rifle prone matches and the free pistol competition, July 9-11; clay pigeon, July 12-14; three-position smallbore rifle and rapid fire pistol, July 13-15 and standard pistol, center fire pistol and free rifle, July 17-19.

Olympic team members will also be selected from rapid fire pistol, free pistol, the two smallbore rifle matches and the free rifle event.

San Antonio Express, July 4, 1968

4 Earn Olympic Shooting Berths

Four servicemen blasted their way on to the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team Monday by placing first or second in the International Rapid Fire Pistol and Three-Position Smallbore Rifle Championships.

Marine Maj. William McMillan, San Diego, Calif., won the pistol title with a three-day score of 1772 points. He now will have an opportunity to repeat his triumph in this event in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Army S.Sgt. James McNally, Seattle, Wash., joins him on the Olympic squad as a result of his second place finish in the pistol matches with a score of 1760 points.

The smallbore rifle championship ended in a deadlock between of Army shooters.

Lt. John Writer, La Grange, Ill., and Maj. John Foster, Springfield, Ohio, ended the tournament with identical tallies of 3438 points. Under tie-breaking procedures governing international -type matches, Writer was declared the National Champion.

Army Capt. Margaret Thompson, Topeka, Kans., made a valiant try to become the first woman to make the Olympic Shooting Team.

She took over the lead temporarily in the match with outstanding scores of 397 in both the prone and kneeling portions, but she could not maintain that terrific pace in the standing position and wound up third with 3434 points.

Her score in the kneeling position ties a national record set by Army Capt. Daniel Puckel in 1961.

Another outstanding score posted in the rifle match was a perfect prone position 400 out of 400 with all 40 of his shots in the x-ring by Olivario Vazquez, a member of the Mexican Olympic Shooting Team.

McMillan had his first trouble in the three-day match Monday when he fired a miss as his gun doubled on him. This gave him a total of 1762 points in the race for national honors, but was still sufficient to gain him the crown. He posted his 1772 total when he was allowed a re-fire under Olympic team selection rules.

Named as alternates for pistol were T.Sgt. Leslie Foster, San Antonio, and S.Sgt. Alfred Richards, North Manchester, Ind., both of the Air Force. Alternates in rifle will be Captain Thompson and fourth place finisher Marine WO David Boyd, Quantico, Va. All four will join the rest of the Olympic Shooting Team for high altitude training at Santa Fe, N.M., in September.

San Antonio Express, July 16, 1968

McMillan Wins Again

SAN ANTONIO, Tex., July 15 (UPI) - Four U.S. servicemen, including one former Olympic gold medal winner, won places on the U.S. Olympic shooting team today.

Marine Maj. William McMillan of San Diego, Calif.; the 1960 Olympic champion at Rome, and Army S/Sgt. James McNally of Seattle, Wash.; will represent the United States in free pistol. McMillan won the national championship with a three-day score of 1772 out of a possible 1800.

Lt. John Writer of LaGrange, Ill.; and Maj. John Foster of Springfield, Ohio, tied for first in small bore rifle with 3438 of 3600 and both earned positions on the team. Writer won the shoot off.

Army Capt. Margaret Thompson of Topeka, Kan.; trying to become the first woman ever to represent the U.S. on its Olympic shooting team, took a temporary lead in the three-position small bore competition but finished third. Capt. Thompson and Marine W/O David Boyd of Quantico, Va., were named alternates.

Washington Post, July 16, 1968

Marksmen Prepare for Olympics

WASHINGTON — The 1968 Summer Olympic Games will be held in Mexico City, October 12-27. The shooting competition will be conducted October 18 through October 23, with an open date on October 20.

The United States will send a maximum squad of 17 shooters to the Games, and they will seek to improve upon the record of the 1964 team which won two Gold Medals, two Silver Medals, and three Bronze Medals at Tokyo.

The United States squad will consist of four riflemen, four pistol shooters, four shotgun competitor, and they will be led by Harry Reeves and Edward Crossman, team captain and team adjutant, respectively.

Selection of the team takes place at San Antonio, Tex., July 3-19, during the U.S. International Shooting Championships, the final tryouts for the Olympic team.

Participating in the tryouts is by invitation. Invitations are issued by the National Rifle Association, which is responsible for selecting teams to represent the United States in the Olympics, Pan American Games, and World Shooting Championships.

Candidates for the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team must qualify in one of the preliminary Olympic tryouts. These tryouts are sanctioned by the National Rifle Association and held in different parts of the country.

The United States is the defending champion in the free rifle and three-position smallbore rifle matches this year. The former was won at the '64 Tokyo Olympics by Gary Anderson, San Anselmo, Calif., and the latter by Army Capt. Lones Wigger, Great Falls, Mont.

Navy Times, July 17, 1968

Marine McMillan Wins Spot On Olympic Shooting Team

By LEE LaCOMBE

SAN ANTONIO — Four servicemen blasted their way onto the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team by placing first or second in the International Rapid Fire Pistol and Three-Position Smallbore Rifle Championships. Marine Maj. William McMillan, San Diego, Calif., won the pistol title with a three-day score of 1772 points. He will now have an opportunity to repeat his triumph in this event that he scored in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Army SSgt. James McNally, Seattle, joins him on the Olympic squad as a result of his second place finish with a score of 1760 points.

The smallbore rifle championship ended in a deadlock between a pair of Army shooters, Lt. John Writer, LaGrange, Ill., and Maj. John Foster, Springfield, Ohio, ended the tournament with identical tallies of 3438 points. Under tie-breaking procedures governing international-type matches, Writer was declared the national champion.

Army Capt. Margaret Thompson, Topeka, Kans., made a valiant try to become the first woman to ever make the Olympic Shooting Team. She took over the lead temporarily with outstanding scores of 397 in both the prone and kneeling positions, but she could not maintain that terrific pace in the standing position and wound up third with 3434 points.

Her score in the kneeling position ties a national record set by Army Capt. Daniel Puckel in 1961.

Another outstanding score posted in rifle was a perfect prone position 400 out of 400 with all 40 of his hits in the X-ring by Olivario Vazquez, a member of the Mexican Olympic shooting team.

McMillan had his first trouble when he fired a miss as his gun doubled on him. This gave him a total of 1762 points in the race for national honors, but was still sufficient to gain him the crown. He posted his 1772 total where he was allowed a re-fire under Olympic team selection rules.

The alternates in rifle will be Capt. Thompson and fourth place finisher, Marine WO David Boyd, Quantico, Va.

They will join the rest of the Olympic shooting team for high altitude training at Santa Fe, New Mex., in September.

NATIONAL GUARD Lt. Gary Anderson, San Anselmo, Calif., outdistanced the field to win the U.S. International Free Rifle Championship and a place on the Olympic shooting team. Anderson, who won a Gold Medal in this event in the 1964 Olympics at Tokyo, pounded out an 1152 in the three-position event, for a three-day aggregate of 3432 points.

This was 11 points higher than runnerup Army Maj. John Foster, Phoenix, Ariz. It was Anderson's fifth national championship and third in a row.

Marine SSgt. Francis Higginson, Quantico, Va., withstood a rally by Army SgtMaj William B. Blankenship Jr., Richlands, Va., to capture the International Center Fire Pistol crown by a slim one point margin. Higginson finished the three days with a 1776 total to Blankenship's 1775.

Foster's finish gave Army Capt. Lones Wigger, Mont., a chance to shoot in his second Olympics.

FOSTER HAS already made the Olympic team in smallbore rifle so Wigger was chosen to fill out the squad on the basis of his third place finish.

The 12-member Olympic team is now complete. The group will assemble at Santa Fe, N. Mex., the middle of September for high altitude training under team captain Harry Reeves, Andrews, N.C., and team adjutant Jim Crossman, Alexandria, Va.

Joining Anderson and Wigger will by Navy PO Donald Hamilton, Boston, Mass., Air Force SSgt. Arnold Vitarbo, New York City, Marine Maj. William McMillan, San Diego, Calif., Army SSgt. James McNally, Seattle, Army Lt. John Writer, LaGrange, Ill., Army Maj. John Foster, civilian Robert Rodale, Emmaus, Pa., Air Force Senior MSgt. Earl Herring, San Antonio, Army Sp4 Larry Stafford, Denver, and Air Force Sgt. Tom Garrigus, Hillsboro, Ore.

Navy Times, July 31, 1968

U.S. to Field Crackerjack Shooting Team

WASHINGTON — The United States will field one of its finest shooting teams at the Olympics in Mexico City this October, including two gold medal winners and a 1960 champion attempting to win his medal back.

In the 1964 Olympiad in Tokyo, the 12-man U.S. team won two gold, two silver, and three bronze medals in shooting, more than any other nation. This was one of the half-dozen sports in which the U.S. dominated, and the 1968 shooting team just chosen during the national International Shooting Championships and Olympic Tryouts at San Antonio is expected to duplicate this feat.

Four riflemen, four pistol shooters, and four shotgun shooters will participate in seven Olympic events October 18-23, at Mexico City.

The shooting team will enter high altitude training near Santa Fe, N.M., on September 15. Some of those now qualified for the 12 places on the team may be eliminated for health or other factors during this training, which continues until October 4, and replaced by "varsity" members by alternates who fired lower scores at the San Antonio Tryouts.

AS OF NOW here's the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team:
Free Rifle — Gold medalists Gary L. Anderson, San Anselmo, Calif., a National Guard Lieutenant, and Army Capt. Lones Wigger, Carter, Mont.
Smallbore (.22 cal.) Rifle — Army Lt. John Writer, LaGrange, Ill., and Army Maj. John Foster, Springfield, Ohio.
Rapid Fire Pistol — Marine Maj. William McMillan, San Diego, who won this event in the 1960 Olympics, and Army SSgt. James McNally, Seattle.
Free Pistol — Navy PO Donald Hamilton, Boston, Mass. and Air Force SSgt. Arnold Vitarbo, New York City.
Skeet — Civilian Robert Rodale, Emmaus, Pa., and Air Force SMSgt. Earl Herring, San Antonio.
Clay Pigeon (Trap) — Army Sp4 Larry Stafford, Denver, and Air Force Sgt. Tom Carrigus, Hillsboro, Ore.
Team Captain is Harry Reeves, Andrews, N.C., and retired Col. Jim Crossman, Alexandria, Va., is Adjutant.

Navy Times, August 14, 1968

The matches were marked by hot, humid weather interrupted by showers and fairly stiff winds on several of the match dates. But the weather, considerably different from what the shooters are likely to encounter in Mexico, did not seem to bother Int'l pistol-shooting veteran McMillan, who has competed for the Stars and Stripes all over the world. Firing a new High-Standard Olympic .22 Rapid-fire pistol, he scored a winning total of 1762, two points ahead of Army S/Sgt. James McNally of Ft. Benning.

Excerpt from the American Rifleman, Vol. 116, No. 9, September 1968