8-18-2024 1:04am

2024 General Curtis LeMay Trophy Awarded to U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Andrew Wilson

Chris Edwards Editor

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Andrew Wilson, 8th Aircraft Maintenance Unit specialist section chief, displays the General Curtis LeMay Trophy award at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico

This year, the esteemed 2024 General Curtis LeMay trophy was awarded to U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Andrew Wilson, 8th Aircraft Maintenance Unit specialist section chief, who achieved the highest score at the National Trophy Individual Pistol Tournament held at Camp Perry, Ohio.

The recipient of this award is the top-scoring Air Force competitor (active, reserve, or National Guard) in the National Trophy Individual Pistol Match and Wilson attained the highest score documented in the National Trophy Award records since 1988. He competed against 15 other candidates and won.

Camp Perry hosts the annual pistol tournament in July, welcoming competitors from various backgrounds including civilians, military, and law enforcement. Camp Perry welcomed 882 participants this year, as indicated by the registration records for the national matches.

“The President’s Match and National Trophy Individual Match stand out as the most important competitions in the country each year, showcasing only the best shooters from across the nation,” said Brian Williams, Civilian Marksmanship Program high-power rifle manager. “National matches are exclusively held at Camp Perry, where the pressure of taking a single shot makes it challenging to achieve high scores, as each shot is fired only once during these events.”

Wilson coached for the Air Force Blue Team and competed in the NTIPT representing the Air Force National Pistol Team.

During this year’s CMP competition, he competed alongside another military member and they won first place in two separate categories; the CMP .45 Pistol 2-Man Military Team Match and the CMP CenterFire Pistol 2-Man Military Team Match against other military branches, civilian, and law enforcement.

The CMP precision pistol challenge is done one-handed and starts at 50 yards and then progresses to 25 yards, which includes slow, timed, and rapid-fire strings.

Achieving a nearly perfect score in a precision pistol challenge is no easy task, and what sets Wilson apart from others is his capability to wear the Distinguished Marksman Badge. He is one of only two active-duty Air Force members authorized to display this honor.

The Distinguished Marksman Badge, established by the U.S. Government in 1884, is a component of the Distinguished Badge Program that honors exceptional skills in rifle and pistol marksmanship, according to the CMP.

“Attaining this badge was one the hardest goals I’ve ever conquered,” said Wilson. “It took me an entire year once I started shooting excellence in competition matches to win the honorable badge and for most people, it takes three to ten years, if not longer.”

During this competition, Wilson also achieved his third President’s Hundred Tab by ranking in the top 100 out of 700 shooters in the President’s match during the tournament.

The President's Hundred Tab is a prestigious badge given by the CMP to the top 100 military and civilian shooters in the President's Pistol and President's Rifle Matches. It is only approved for display on enlisted military uniforms.

Wilson, a seasoned Air Force National Pistol Team member, has achieved great success in his shooting career, achieving the many personal goals he set for himself. However, his passion for the sport didn't always come naturally.

His interest in pursuing shooting as a competitive sport began during an interaction with a security forces defender while stationed at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

“The day I found out about the Air Force shooting program was the day I asked a defender about his President's Hundred tab attached to his uniform but was told to Google it,” said Wilson. “I found a passion for competitive shooting that sparked within me, and I made it my objective to attain this goal.”

Despite Wilson’s extensive career in the Air Force, he finds that nothing has been more rewarding than engaging in shooting and guiding those who are eager to learn.

“Goals require discipline and one-on-one mentorship, coaching, and training to attain them,” said Wilson. “As far as my shooting career is concerned, I’ve accomplished what I wanted to accomplish as in my personal goals and I’m looking for those who are interested in becoming part of the team and my next top shooter.”

He will initiate a precision pistol shooting league at Sydney Paul Warden Shooting Range at La Luz, New Mexico while developing a relationship with Ammunition, Combat Arms Training, and Maintenance.

“The advice I have for anyone interested in learning how to shoot is to find somebody you can confide in because it takes approximately two years to get good and by creating a league, we can work on attaining this goal together,” said Wilson. “My goal is to help build morale and introduce people to the sport by starting a league at the local shooting range and all of Holloman is invited.”

Note: Contributed by Airman 1st Class Michelle Ferrari, 49th Wing Public Affairs