Photo By Lance Cpl. Francisco Abundes | Brig. Gen. Frederick M. Padilla, commanding general for Marine Corps Recruit Depot...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- A sailor here competed in the 2011 All Navy East Rifle Competition at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., and returned home with a gold medal.
Navy Seaman Jason Bush, a member of the Parris Island Rifle/Pistol Team, had no shooting experience with a service rifle prior to the 2010 Rifle/Pistol Intramurals. However, after a few months, he was capable of out-shooting every other Eastern Seaboard sailor to participate at the competition.
“I was glad I was able to bring something back, because for me to take the opportunity away from a Marine — that’s a lot of weight to bear,” Bush said. “If it had not been [for the Marines training me],” he said, “I would not have succeeded.”
The Marines on the shooting team were fortunate to have the corpsmen on the team, said Chief Warrant Officer Jordan Kramp, team captain and Marine Corps gunner.
“[Bush] ended up being one of the most successful shooters we have on our team,” he continued. “Having a different service member on our team meant that it’s an all-branch competition. It’s not just the Marines – not just the guys who qualified expert.”
Bush’s journey began when he was approved for Temporary Additional Duty to participate in the 2010 Intramurals.
Having never picked up a service rifle before, he had no idea how to adjust windage or perform any of the basic shooting techniques taught during Marine Corps recruit training, Bush said. He was taught everything from the ground up. He learned quickly and qualified as an expert shooter on the rifle range.
“Doc Bush came to us with very limited weapons training,” Kramp said. “Even if he never shot before, he asked the right questions. The things we were able to do in a four-month turn around were phenomenal.”
Bush was offered an opportunity to join the Parris Island Rifle/Pistol Team, but he was hesitant at first, he said.
Being a fairly new sailor, he would have to put off gaining experience in his job field to pursue this path and balance study time for his advancement exam to get promoted with shooting time. Bush said he was worried he would fail.
“A lot of Marines told me ‘You are afforded an opportunity that almost any Marine on this base would love to have, and if you don’t do this, you’ll regret it later,’” Bush said.
Being unsure, he turned to his command for guidance.
“We were happy to support him,” said Navy Lt. Carolyn Smith, department head for 4th Recruit Training Battalion aid station. “It’s a career and self-enhancing opportunity to improve his personal skill set.”
Smith and other mentors reassured Bush he needed to take full advantage of the opportunity.
“He is mature and has a strong sense of duty, so he didn’t want to let the Navy team down by leaving,” Smith said. “We didn’t want him to think there would be animosity toward him for doing this event.
“I told him these opportunities don’t come around very often,” she said. The timing was such that the command could support his absence, and they encouraged his participation.
So with the support of his wife and advice from his mentors, Bush decided to take up the challenge.
“I had all this weight on my shoulders to do this rifle/pistol team, but after about two days all that anxiety about being on the team dwindled away,” he said.
Bush put everything he had into trying to be the best marksman he could be.
“During the training season he had an open mind,” Kramp said. “He wanted to learn. He wanted to pick the guys’ brains -— the guys who had been through that competition before and shot with the Parris Island shooting team.”
Bush had the drive to be a successful marksman, and his positive outlook made him an asset on the team, Kramp said.
“He was willing to do whatever it took to represent the Navy in higher level competitions.” Kramp said. “So right there, we knew we had talent on our hands – that he had a lot of skills and they needed to be cultivated some more.”
Their assistance allowed him to gain confidence.
“Once I realized that they were going to help me out, a lot of the anxiety went away,” Bush said.
“I realized with good time management – shooting during the day then studying at night – I could focus on my career while shooting on the team,” he said.
Eventually Bush made it to his first competition with the Parris Island Rifle/Pistol Team – the Eastern Division matches at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“I was the only sailor out there,” Bush said. “The only guy in blue out here in a sea of desert cammies – so I felt 1,100 sets of eyes were on me.”
He allowed the pressure to take over and failed his own expectations, but he didn’t let down his team.
“Out of about 120 competitors, he was the only Navy guy out there,” Kramp said. “And although he didn’t do as well as he wanted to, he finished among the top 30 percent of the Eastern Division matches.”
But Bush did not let this small crack in the road hinder his mission for his next competition. At the Atlantic Fleet competitions, he took bronze and silver medals.
There, the Navy saw Bush’s talent and invited him to compete at the All Navy East Rifle Competition, in which he took first place in the rifle competition.
“He did phenomenal,” Kramp said. “He won in just about every match he competed in.”
Based off of his outstanding performance, the Navy team wants him to represent their service at the upcoming interservice competitions.
“I’m very fortunate I have a command that was very supportive, because marksmanship is not a staple for being a corpsmen or Navy medicine,” Bush said. “They were willing to let me do something that is completely opposite of what we operate in.”
According to Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Kelly Richardson, one of Bush’s leaders, his command is pleased with his accomplishments.
“The Navy-Marine Corps team is very proud of Doc Bush,” Richardson said. “His skill set will be an attribute to his future deployments with fleet Marine Corps units.”
Bush will continue training with the Parris Island Rifle/Pistol Team and go to the interservice pistol match at Fort Benning, Ga., where he will represent the Navy among all other armed forces. Afterward, he will compete at the National Rifle Association National Outdoor Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio, where he will represent the Navy once more.
“Having an individual like that – with a positive mental attitude – has made all the competitors better,” Kramp said. “He’s a guy you can rely on.”
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2011 13:54 |
| Story ID: | 69909 |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 428 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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