U. S. Marine Corps
1961 Eastern Division Rifle & Pistol Matches

Shooters Buckle Down With Arrival Olympic Champ

Eastern Division Match shooters felt a sudden need to buckle down to some tight shooting this week with the arrival of the 26-man team from Quantico with their team captain, William W. McMillan Jr., 1960 Olympic Gold Medal winner. The team arrived this week to participate in the 1961 Eastern Division matches scheduled for May 8-13, and they are already posing a threat individually and collectively if this week's scores are any indication prior to match time.

Captain McMillan feels this team has a better than average chance of again picking up the Elliott trophy they won last year with a record score of 1147. However he said the team winning this year's trophy will probably win it with at least twenty points more than last year.

Captain McMillan is the only Marine to win all three Marine Corps Championships in the same year and set records with all three. This feat was accomplished in 1959 when he won the Marine Corps Rifle match, the Pistol match and the coveted Lauchheimer trophy which the highest individual shooting award presented by the Marine Corps. The records that year will always stand since they were fired on the old 10" Able target. Able targets of 12" diameter are now employed for all match shooting.

Discussing the Competition-In-Arms-Program, Capt. McMillan feels too much emphasis is placed on the "old shooter" and not nearly enough on the "new shooters"; "I feel we should find as many new shooters with talent and ability to compete as we can and employ the "old shooter" to train and apply his experiences to this new talent." He further stated, "There should be no 'practice firing.' Every shot should count as though it was going down the firing line for match score."

Captain McMillan is firing both the rifle and pistol in the year's Eastern Division matches and hopes to place in each to go to the Marine Corps matches, and if all goes well from there to the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio.

In summing up both the teams attitude and the "big shooter's feelings, it goes something like this, "if we do lose this year we'll be losing to a darn good competitor - another Marine."

The Camp Lejeune Globe, Thursday, May 4, 1961

Record-Breaking Marksmen Prepare For Corps' Match

Record-breaking East Coast shooters this week began preparing for the big Marine Corps matches scheduled here May 22-27. All three trophy winners in this year's Eastern Division Rifle and Pistol Matches shattered old team match records and set soaring new records that experts claim will be standing for quite some time. There remained only the presentation of awards Saturday, May 13, at the Camp Lejeune rifle range. On had to pass out the medals and trophies were Lt. Gen. Edward W. Snedeker, Commandant, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico; Maj. Gen. Robert B. Luckey, Marine Corps Base, and Maj. Gen. James P. Berkeley, 2nd Division commander.

The awards ceremony got under way with Capt. F. W. Kelly, Base Chaplain, Marine Corps Base, giving the invocation. Lt. Col. R. M. Calland, commanding officer for the Rifle Range and Match Executive Officer, then introduced host commander for the matches, Maj. Gen. Robert B. Luckey. In a short talk to Marines and civilian spectators gathered at the rifle range classroom area. General Luckey cited the shooters for their high scores and fine teamwork. The general humorously remarked how the Quantico shooters took most of this year's shooting honors and then introduced Lt. Gen. Edward W. Snedeker, Commandant, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico.

General Snedeker praised the Quantico team shooters for their accomplishments this year and was proud the Marine Corps had so many new young shooters this year to help maintain the Marine Corps shooting prestige during the forthcoming inter-service shooting matches.

Individual shooting medals in the 2700 aggregate matches were awarded by Maj. Gen. Robert B. Luckey. Pistol individual medals were passed out by Maj. Gen. James P. Berkeley and the individual rifle honors were presented to the winners by Lt. Gen. Edward W. Snedeker.

The coveted Elliott Trophy went again this year, for the third consecutive time, to the powerhouse team of Quantico with a grand aggregate score of 1178. This score establishes a new Eastern Division Team Match record and sets a new Marine Corps team match record. The Quantico "four" is also the only team in team match shooting to take the Elliott Cup for three straight years.

Back to recapture the Wirgman Trophy for the third straight time and setting a new Wirgman Trophy team record of 1141 were the shooters from the Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, S. C. Like the Quantico Elliott shooters, the South Carolina team set another record by capturing the Wirgman Trophy for three consecutive years.

Top Shooters Assemble Here For '61 Marine Corps Matches

Scorekeepers at the Camp Lejeune Rifle Range are stocking-up on pencil and chalk supplies this week in preparation for the 1961 Marine Corps Matches commencing here Monday. Some 200 top Marine Corps rifle and pistol competitors have already arrived from the Far East, Western and Pacific Divisions and the Lejeune Rifle Range is a beehive of activity.

Among the top contenders are several "Misters" who plan to shoot it out next week for match and Corps honors. "Mr. Pistol" - Capt. William W. McMillan Jr., 1960 World's Pistol Champ and winner of this year's Eastern Division Pistol Match with a score of 583 - a new Eastern Division pistol record. "Mr. Rifle" - MSgt James E. Hill, San Diego, 1960 Olympic Silver Medal Rifle Winner and past National Rifle Champion. "Mr. Perfect" - MSgt. Michael Pietroforte, National Service Rifle Record Holder and the only man in the history of the national matches to shoot a perfect score of 250x250 in the National Individual Rifle Match. "Mr. State Champion" - WO Emmett D. Duncan, who holds more state championships than any other Marine shooter, and won the 1961 Western Division Rifle Match with an over-all Marine Corps record of 596x600. "Mr. Big Gun" - MSgt. V. D. Mitchell, Quantico, who has won more National Rifle Championships than any other Marine shooter and was a member of this year's Eastern Division Rifle Matches.

This week the shooters are practice firing with the rifle and pistol, but next week during the Marine Corps Matches, every shot will count and who will win out is anybody's guess!

The Camp Lejeune Globe, Thursday, May 18, 1961

Quantico Tops Shooting Matches

CAMP LEJEUNE, N. C. - Powerful rifle and pistol shooters from Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Va., dominated the Eastern Division Matches here, breaking two individual records and two team marks.

Quantico riflemen made a clean sweep for the Elliott Trophy, shooting 1178x1200 while winning the cup for the third straight year, and breaking the old record of 1176.

The team was composed of Capt. W. W. McMillan Jr., GySgt. V. D. Mitchell, SSgt. D. S. Wagner and Cpl. D. T. Boyd.

Capt. McMillan, 1960 Olympic Pistol Medal Champion, also set a new pistol record of 583x600, which bettered the old mark by 13. Second was WO Anthony Mucci, Parris Island, with 569.

SSgt. Wagner won the individual rifle competition for the second time with a record-shattering 586x600, beating by one the old mark. Second was 19-year-old Cpl. Frank V. Kruk of Parris Island with 584x600.

In the Edson Pistol Trophy match, Quantico broke its own standard with a 1098. The team was composed of Capt. McMillan, MSgt. J. A. Fowler, Sgt. H. E. Newell and Cpl. G. C. Headrick.

The MC Air Station, Beaufort, N. C., captured the Wirgman Trophy for the third straight year with a record performance. The airmen fired 1141 to beat out the Marine Barracks, Washington, which also fired 1141, but lost out on the number of "V's."

The team was made up of Sgt. R. L. Evans, CWO James L. Elkins, MSgt. M. E. Beatty and Pfc. R. A. Aulino.

Navy Times, May 20, 1961

.22 Caliber Stage of 2700 Aggregate
First Place Medal