National Rifle & Pistol Championships

CAMP PERRY 1956

The 1956 National Matches conduced from Aug. 19 through Sept. 8 on the Ohio National Guard's Ranges at Camp Perry were the high point of the last decade and a half of shooting. For three solid weeks there was more activity on that lake shore military reservation than at any National Matches since 1941. Not only did 3165 persons who registered (551 small-bore, 1034 pistol, 1580 high power) participate in a most significant small arms training program but also they put to practical test in championship matches their knowledge of shooting.

The Matches this year were (it was freely remarked by those in attendance) the best conducted in a long long time. And fortunately so, because attendance was greater than expected and there might well have been difficulties other than the very minor ones which arose had the planning been less thorough.

The 1956 National Matches were composed of the Small Arms Firing Schools (Service rifle and Service pistol) and the training schools conducted by the NRA, matches with Service rifle and Service pistol for National Trophies placed in competition by the United States Congress, tryouts for places on U.S. Olympic shooting squad, and National Championship competitions with pistol, small-bore rifle, and high power rifle of the National Rifle Association of America.

The increased attendance and the large number of competitors' families present created a temporary housing shortage at the start of the Matches. The Engineer platoon was busily engaged in erecting pyramidal tents to house the last-minute increase in National Guard teams for whom Federal funds for transportation to the National Matches were appropriated shortly before entry closing dates. Because of this, Guard entries were accepted even after the closing dates.

Another emergency, not caused by the number of shooters participating, was a requisition for .30 cal. ammunition. Two lots, one of a half-million rounds for matches and another of a quarter-million rounds for the Schools, have been requisitioned by the Ordnance Officer. Shortly before the Matches it was discovered that only 100,000 rounds of the Schools lot had been delivered. In practice matches a large incidence of punctured primers was experienced with the lot for match use. Immediately plans were made to use this ammunition only in Service rifle competition. A small amount of ammunition left over from the lot used in the 1955 Matches was immediately removed from storage and issued for use in certain Match rifle events. The additional 150,000 rounds of the Schools lot was sent to Perry after the matches began. In addition, a supplementary lot was shipped by truck from Letterkenny Arsenal to finish out Match rifle competition.

Excerpt from the American Rifleman magazine

[Official U.S. Marine Corps Photograph]

United States Marine Corps Pistol Team, Camp Perry, Ohio, August 29, 1956

Service Gunners Set For Perry Matches

CAMP PERRY, Ohio - Service rifle and pistol shooters laid their titles on the line this week as the 1956 National Matches opened Aug. 14.

Over 3000 civilian and service competitors will fire for national championships and Olympic selections.

MSgt. Huelet L. (Joe) Benner, West Point, N.Y., was making another bid for the Olympic team as the free pistol event started Tuesday. The first three days of the matches were to be devoted to selection of the free pistol squad. Benner won the Olympic free pistol title in Helsinki in 1952 and placed second at the 1948 Olympics.

Following the free pistol, service competitors will fire against top civilians in pistol matches which finish Aug. 25, with the National Trophy Individual and Team Pistol events. Also during this same period, selections will be made for the Olympic international rapid fire pistol squad. Top service competitors include Army Lt. Col. William A. Hancock, Fort Benning, Ga.; Marine 1st Lt. William W. McMillan, Quantico, Va.; and Navy CPO Offutt Pinion, Harbor City, N.J.

Smallbore rifle events which gain the greatest civilian interest will be fired during the Aug. 20 to 25 period. This year, more service personnel will be entered due to the Olympic 50-meter free rifle competition. Capt. John Kolb, last years service rifle champ at Perry, has brought a strong Army team from Fort Benning for the tryouts in the 50-meter event.

Big bore shooting starts Aug. 28. Service teams from the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, National Guard, Cost Guard and Reserves will fire against top civilian teams to determine national winners in individual and team events. The climax of the match will come Sept. 8, with the selection of the Olympic 300-meter free rifle squad and the National Trophy rifle team match winner.

Navy Times, August 18, 1956

National Rifle And Pistol Matches To Start Wednesday

CAMP PERRY, August 27 - A crack Marine Corps Rifle and Pistol team which swept all top honors in the National Trophy matches here last week, undergoes another big test Wednesday when it begins defense of its three top rifle championships in the 1956 National Rifle and Pistol Matches.

Again on the block is the Dogs of War Trophy, awarded to the Leathernecks as the nation's top rifle team, the Rattlesnake Trophy for the No. 1 reserve contingent, won by the Leatherneck reserves, and the Daniel Boone Trophy for the winner of the National Trophy Individual Rifle Match. It was won last year by First Lieut. Charles A. Folsom, of the 3rd Marine Division in the Far East.

The Marine Reserves will be counting upon Marine Captain Albert R. Schindler, former Sandusky school teacher, to help keep the coveted Rattlesnake trophy on their Commandant's trophy shelf. Schindler, a consistent shooter, now lives in Kansas City, Mo.

Lieut. William W. McMillan, of last week pocketed the first major honor for the Leathernecks in this year's event. Firing a torrid 291 out of a possible 300, he broke the National Trophy Individual Pistol Match. With it went the coveted General George Custer Trophy.

Navy Chief Petty officer, John Lucas, of NAS, Norfolk, Va., tied with record at 290 to place second behind Lieutenant McMillan.

Win Hold Cup
Later the same day, the Marine Corps Gray Team, competing against 68 of the Nation's top pistol squads, tired a 1121, six points ahead of the second place Army Gray team, to win the Gold Cup Trophy, emblematic Parris Island, S. C. Marine Base, of the National Trophy Pistol Team Championship.

Lieut. McMillan who hails from Turtle Creek, Pa., established himself as the best pistol shot in the nation by winning the Leatherneck's third National Trophy of the day - The Military Police Corps Pistol Trophy, awarded to the highest individual in the team matches.

The Marines took more than their share of honors in the preliminary pistol competition sponsored by the National Rifle Association. And here too Lieut. McMillan was the star performer.

Three major pistol titles fell to his deadly accuracy, the International Rapid Fire Silhouette Match, the .45 Cal. Timed Fire Match, and the Any Center Fire Championship. For the latter he won the Clarke Trophy.

One of the reserve program's keenest rifle and pistol shots, Marine Major Richard J. Hardaway of Porterville, Cal., added to the Leathernecks' laurels by chalking up the top score in the .45 Caliber Rapid Fire Match. In private life, Major Hardaway is a cattle rancher.

Navy Cup Match
With the conclusion of the pistol shooting last week, everyone's attention here at the National Matches turned to the rifle competition. After three days of practice firing, the rifle matches will get under way with the Navy Cup Match on Wednesday, August 29.

Sandusky Register, August 27, 1956

Marines Win To Pistol Honors

McMillan Leads Team

CAMP PERRY, O. - Paced by the crack shooting of Marine 1st Lt. William W. McMillan, of Parris Island, S. C., the Marine Corps Rifle and Pistol team wound up its first week at the 1956 National Matches here by sweeping top honors in National Trophy pistol competition.

Success on the pistol range gave a promising start to the Leathernecks who will fire next week against some 2000 military and civilian marksmen to defend three National Trophy rifle championships.

Last year, the Marines captured the Dogs of War Trophy awarded the the top rifle team and the Rattlesnake Trophy given the No. 1 reserve rifle team. First Lt. Charles A. Folsom, of the 3d Marine Division, was winner of the 1955 National Trophy Individual Rifle Match.

McMILLAN POCKETED the first major honor for the Leathernecks in this year's event. Firing a torrid 291 out of a possible 300, the Leatherneck broke the national record to win the National Trophy Individual Pistol Match. With it went the Gen. George Custer Trophy.

Navy Chief Petty Officer John Lucas, of NAS Norfolk, Va., tied the record at 290 to place second behind McMillan.

Later the Marine Corps Gray Team, competing against 70 of the Nation's top pistol squads, fired a 1121, six points ahead of the second-place Army Gray team, to win the Gold Cup Trophy, emblematic of the National Trophy Pistol Team championship.

Shooting members of the winning team were: Capt. Robert E. Martin, stationed at the Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Va., Robert C. Jones, of the 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton; SSgt. Donald W. Henry of the 1st Marine Division; and SSgt. Donald Thorne, Marine Barracks, Naval Base, Bremerton, Wash. Maj. Edward A. Harwood, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, was the team's non-firing captain.

McMILLAN established himself as the best pistol shot in the nation by winning the Leatherneck' third national trophy of the day - The Military Police Corps Pistol Trophy, awarded to the highest individual in the team matches.

The Marines took more than their share of honors in the preliminary pistol competition, sponsored by the National Rifle Association. And here, too, Lt. McMillan was the star performer.

Three major pistol titles fell to his deadly accuracy - the International Rapid Fire Silhouette Match, the .45 Caliber Timed Fire Match, and the Any Center Fire Championship. For the latter he won the Clarke Trophy.

One of the reserve's keensest rifle and pistol shots, Marine Maj. Richard J. Hardaway, Porterville, Calif., added to the Leathernecks' laurels by chalking up the top score in the. 45 Caliber Rapid Fire Match.

Navy Times, September 1, 1956

Parris Island Marine Sets New Record With Pistol At Camp Perry

CAMP PERRY, Ohio - An announcement one day seven years ago at the Marine Rifle Range, Quantico, Va., that anyone not firing the pistol that afternoon was to help pickup brass, started the career of the pistol marksman who rewrote the record books here at the 1956 National Rifle and Pistol Matches last week.

Possessed of the typical Marine's aversion for police details, young Corporal William W. McMillan started "dinging" targets with a .22 caliber pistol.

That very first afternoon he decided that pistol shooting was more than a means of escaping the brass detail; and each day it became a little harder to leave the range when the shooting was completed.

Soon after graduation to the .45 caliber pistol, the young NCO's fun with the pistol was interrupted by the Korean War. After more than a year of involuntary absence from what had become his favorite pastime, he returned from Korea late in 1953.

In 1954, however, McMillan, by this time a second lieutenant, began in earnest his campaign for shooting immortality. That year he took second place in the Corps' pistol shooting and then proceeded to hold that position for three successive years. To prove his versatility, he distinguished himself with the rifle that same year and followed up by winning the All-Marine Rifle Matches in 1955, a feat that when tied to his second spot in the pistol scoring, captured the Leatherneck's coveted Lauchheimer Trophy.

Then last week here at the 1956 Rifle and Pistol Matches the legend of First Lieutenant William W. McMillan took form. Before a standing throng of the world's finest marksmen, Lieutenant McMillan wore a path in Camp Perry grass as he walked again and again from his place in the Marine's ranks to the rostrum where Lieutenant General Vernon E. Megee, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; Robert D. King, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army; and officials of the National Rifle Association handed out the symbols of shooting supremacy in this country.

Let's look at the impressive list of trophies that ringed the lieutenant's place in the ranks when the ceremony had been concluded: The General Custer Trophy for winning the National Trophy Individual Pistol Match; the Military Police Corps Trophy for firing the top individual score in the National Trophy Team Match; the Clarke Trophy for the Any Center Fire Pistol Championship; and a pile of NRA silverware for taking the International Rapid Fire Silhouette Match and the .45 Caliber Timed Fire Match.

Even these do not tell the whole store, for Lt. McMillan did not merely win the National Individual Trophy Match from this year's competitors. He out shoot everyone who ever squeezed off a round in this historic contest, chalking up a new record of 291 points out of a possible 300. And his top score in the Team Match was good enough to give him an average in the two matches as high as the best point total ever before fired in the Individual Match.

Because they are fired with the standard .45 caliber service pistol, these National Trophy Matches are the ones the Marines are most interested in winning. This year everyone considers the Marine Pistol Team's work here a complete success. Although Lt. McMillan's team failed to take the Team Match, another four-man squad of Leathernecks stepped into the breach and shot the top team score to give the Corps a clean sweep.

Of course this man has not always been a Marine. But even as a child he demonstrated a strong love of shooting. At the age of 8 he was hiking the hills around Turtle Creek, Pa., with an air rifle and when he became 13, his father bought him a .22 rifle.

And even since his enlistment in the Marine Corps in July, 1946, Lt. McMillan has made his mark in international civilian competition. In 1952 he went to Helsinki, Finland, as a member of the United States Olymic Pistol Team and placed seventh in the Rapid Fire Match. That same year he was fourth in the International Rapid Match at Oslo, Norway, and two years later he won the Host Match in Pan-American competition at Caracas, Venezuela.

At the present time Lt. McMillan is a range officer at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. He is married to the former Mary Van Scoyoc of Alexandria, Va., and they have a 5-month-old son, William Stuart. His parents still live in Turtle Creek, Pa.

The Marine Corps Gray Pistol Team won the Gold Cup and the National Trophy Pistol Team, championship at Camp Perry, Ohio, during the National Matches being held there.

Incomplete early reports listed the four-man Gray team as winners over 68 top military and civilian teams.

The team, captained by Major Edward A. Harwood of Quantico, Va., fired 1121x1200 in winning the event.

Team members are: Capt. Robert E. Martin, Quantico; MSgt. Robert O. Jones, Camp Pendleton; SSgt. Donald W. Henry, Camp Pendleton; and SSgt. Donald Thorne, Marine Barracks, Bremerton, Wash.

The Parris Island BOOT, Friday, September 7, 1956

Marines Win National Rifle, Pistol Matches Championship

Sharpshooting Leathernecks proved themselves the best in the nation with the military rifle and pistol at Camp Perry. They captured the national rifle team championship for the fourth consecutive year, and by it completed a round-up of every national trophy offered at the 1956 National Rifle and Pistol Matches.

It was the first time in the history of the National Trophy Matches, both for pistol and rifle. In 1928 Marines swept Perry clean by taking four out of four.

In all, the Marines took eight major trophies in the National Trophy Matches, every one in which they were eligible to compete against other servicemen and teams. They also won 35 National Rifle Association place awards which included 12 first places, 9 seconds and 14 thirds. In addition, the Marines grabbed five Reserve trophies, and three divisional and special awards.

A recapitulation of the honors won at Camp Perry is as follows:

Marine Corps Blue Team won the National Trophy Rifle Team Match.

First Lieutenant William W. McMillan of Parris Island took the National Trophy Individual Pistol Championship, Military Police Corps Match, International Rapid-fire Silhouette Match, and then won the much sought Clark Trophy for Any center Fire Championship, as well as other .45 caliber matches.

Reserve Major Richard J. Hardaway won the .45 caliber rapid fire match.

Marine Corps Gray Team won the National Trophy Team Pistol Match.

Staff Sergeant "V" "D" Mitchell took the National Trophy Individual Rifle Match with a score of 246 and 19 V's to establish a new record.

The Marine Corps Gray Team won the Infantry Trophy.

Corporal Billy H. Mitchell was awarded the Pershing "Black Jack" Trophy and the General Shepherd Trophy.

The Marine Corps Reserve Rifle Team won the Rattlesnake Trophy for the sixth consecutive year.

SSgt. James E. Hill won the title of the best man with a military rifle when he garnered the 1956 Service Rifle Championship.

First Lieutenant James M. Smith, winner of the International Aggregate Match, which covers the International Free Rifle, Navy Cup and Member's Trophy matches, won a place on the U.S. Olympic Team.

Chief Warrant Officer Charles J. Gebhardt won the Leech Cup.

Marines also won the Nevada Trophy, the Herrick Team Trophy, and the NRA Headquarters Building Match.

Master Sergeant Virgil Miller won a silver appreciation cup and a trophy picture when he won the President's Match. High Reservist in the match was Major Don C. Olive; SSgt. Tommy Green won honors as high service rifle in the match.

Chief Warrant Officer James L. Elkins was top man with the service rifle in the Wimbledon Cup Match.

Reserve Colonel Emmett O. Swanson, U.S. Olympic Team rifle and pistol captain, won the award as top reservist in the Open Rifle Championship Aggregate Match.

The Parris Island BOOT, Friday, September 14, 1956

Chief Lauds Corps Shots

WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Navy Charles S. Thomas expressed his "heartiest congratulations for a job well done" to the Marine rifle and pistol shooters, following their grand slam of the National Matches at Camp Perry.

This is the first year that any of the services has made a complete sweep of all five National Trophy Matches.

The five matches are: the National Individual Rifle Trophy, Individual Pistol Trophy, Infantry Trophy, National Trophy Pistol Team and the National Trophy Rifle Team.

Navy Times, September 29, 1956