“Decorated marksman” in OKC
UpNorth sends us a link to a Military.com article about that shooter in Oklahoma City last week. In the headline and in the first paragraph, they call the shooter a “decorated marksman” because more than twenty years ago he once qualified as an “Expert” with his service weapon.
Federal records show a man who police say shot and killed a former co-worker outside an Oklahoma City airport last week was a decorated marksman during a four-year career in the U.S. Army.
Military records obtained by The Associated Press on Monday show 45-year-old Lloyd Dean Buie received an expert marksmanship badge during his stint as an infantryman from 1991 to 1995.
The article, though, uses the term as if it’s an explanation for why he shot 52-year-old Michael Winchester. I qualified “expert” every six months, it’s not a big deal and I certainly wouldn’t say that I was a “decorated marksman” because of it. The shot in OKC was only at a distance of 50 meters, the shortest distance of all of the targets on the qualification range – even the worst shooters could have made that shot.
Like UpNorth, I would expect that characterization from the Associated Press, but not Military.com. The Associated Press thinks that a NDSM, an Army Service Ribbon and a Good Conduct medal make you “highly decorated”, so….
Category: Media
SO, in that regard, I’m highly, HIGHLY decorated.
/I think someone else shot my target 37/40
If that’s the case, I’m confused why I haven’t gone on a 50 state shooting spree. (40/40) 😉
My highest “decoration” for that was getting a letter of commendation in Basic Training from the Bde Cdr. Worth 5 points to a promotion board. But they don’t have a space on my rack for commendation letters.
My wife did 40/40 with the M-16 back in the 81…also expert with the (holy cow) .45 and even though there wasn’t a range around in 89 when she went out with the SF guys to train, she came home happy as heck she shot the M-60 for Expert. Now the key to a happy marriage is to not tell them, “if it’s not documented, it didn’t happen”. In case you’re wondering.
I shot top in my platoon in Basic and got a ride back from the range in a helicopter. That was worth more to me than the medal I got for shooting. Hell, aren’t you supposed to know how to shoot in the Army?
Lucky! I didn’t get my first helicopter ride until I went to Korea.
That would’ve been boss.
Pretty much yes. As an O-3, I had qualified with the M-1, the M-14, and the M-16, but I was most deadly with a fire mission radio call to an artillery battery or a mortar section. The CAR-15 I carried in the ‘Nam was handy but with a worn out barrel, accuracy wise it wasn’t worth squat; the East German AK I carried the last 5 months of my tour was more accurate. I guess if I had an artillery marksmanship badge, I could be called a large caliber decorated howitzer sniper.
Sorry, Top In The Company not platoon. The top 5 all got the ride. Left the doors open and went tree top. It was way cool especially since we didn’t have to roadmarch back.
Same here, Chip, I’m doubly highly decorated. I shot expert with the M-14 and the 1911.
Did you get Elvis to autograph it? Or Audie Murphy? Badum-tish!
They weren’t available, but I did get to talk to Omar Bradley while I was cleaning the M-14. Badum-tish back at ya.
Braggart.
🙂
I think I will highly decorate my toilet
If that’s all it takes to be highly decorated, they’d probably think I was a Nork general or something.
When I was in YMCA boys camp in the early 1960s I earned NRA Expert with the .22 rifle.
Am I a “highly decorated marksman” too, Ma?
Does a pending award of the coveted Precious Metals Recovery Expert Badge qualify me as being “highly decorated”? Until then, is Hack Stone only “moderately decorated”?
I have an old driver badge(non-worn). I guess that makes me a decorated driver.
50-meter target. That’s Fast Freddy, he’s up, you see him and he’s gone. Don’t blink or you’ll miss him.
I hate to think what they do when they see how often people get “expert” with a pistol in the Army. Especially when you get 10 extra bullets for those 30 targets.
Ssshhh….you don’t wanna ruin the mystique for the chronically misinformed wienies who make up the majority of the press corps these days…
You say that as if any of them actually read thisainthell. lol
Touche, I will gladly concede the point.
If need be, John could put up Range 15 as a site entrance requirement for anyone. You have to watch the whole thing or the page locks on you. That’d definitely keep them all out.
Awrite, free movie!
I’m pretty certain that they would need a real safe space, rehab puppies, crying towels and even a few kittens after reading some of this shit !!!
Well, they could just hang out with Lars. All of that is in his safe space, I’m sure.
But the really important question is, how’d he qualify on the grenade range?
Cuz we all know how important those expert grenade decorations are to the troops…
Dipshit journalism seems to be the default position these days…
Shit like this that passes for journalism these days makes me wonder if being lobotomized isn’t a prerequisite to being employed as a news mutt?
Modesty prevents me into going into too much detail, but hanging below my Expert Badge is my “Flamethrower Qualification badge”.
“Zippo” was my middle name. 😉
For $3.69, you too can be a Zippo.
https://www.usamilitarymedals.com/products/flame-thrower-bar
Back when Hack Stone was a Radio Technician (2861) with 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, one of the wire dogs wanted to mess with the new Radio Repairman (2841). Naturally, he approached Sgt Hack Stone for his professional expertise. As usual, Sgt Hack Stone outperformed himself. Sgt Hack Stone: LCpl 2841, since you just joined the platoon, you will have to fill one of the temporary billets. LCpl 2841: So what am I getting, guard duty or mess duty? Sgt Hack Stone: Neither. You will be going to the Flamethrower Range to pull targets. LCpl 2841: What? You’re fucking with me, aren’t you? Sgt Hack Stone: No, I am serious. This is a Combat Engineer Battalion. Combat Engineer Battaliins have flamthrowers, and Marines have to qualify with it. You will be down in the pit running targets up and down. Now, you need to go over to Supply and draw an asbestos suit. So, LCpl 2841 heads to the other side of the warehouse building where supply is located. So Sgt Hack Stone calls over to Supply so they will be ready to “give him the business”. LCpl 2841 comes back with a cardboard box sealed with duct tape and in handwritten magic marker is “Suit, Asbestos 1 Each” with a fictitious NSN. Time for Phase II. Sgt Hack Stone: Okay, now that you have your asbestos suit, you need to go to the armory and have them issue you a flamethrower. LCpl 2841: I get a flamethrower? Sgt Hack Stone: Sure, you get to qualify, too. So Sgt Hack Stone sends him to the armory. Then he gets on the phone to the armory to let them know what’s coming, and God bless those armorers, they came through. LCpl 2841 returns the Comm Shop with his asbestos suit in the box under one arm, and sporting a flamethrower that suspiciously looks like a red fire extinguisher duct taped to an ALICE Pack frame. By this time, some of less ASVAB astute Marines are seriously getting jealous that this newbie is going to the flamethrower range and they are not. Finally,… Read more »
Priceless!
Dude, I’m crying here right now….how the fuck did you keep a straight face during this whole time?
Hope you bought the poor bastard an adult beverage or three later.
That is fucking hilarious !!!
Maybe Cpl 2841 needed a safe space after that going on !!!
Great one Hack !!!
Ask Tank Boy what we did to the Company Clerk at Delta Company 1st Tracked Vehicle Battalion. That story works better with the visuals, so I will present it at the next TAH Regional Beer Summit.
Wait – he’s got a gedunk medal? Oh, that does make him a Special something-or-other.
Yes, and he proudly sports it just below the coveted road guard ribbon.
FWIW, the comments over at [wish we were] Military Times are also throwing the BS flag on the story.
I qualified “Expert” with the M16 and 9mm.
Does that make me a “Double Decorated” qualified marksman?
I’m confused. The article says decorated Marksman that qualified expert.
I’ll split the difference and give him sharpshooter.
He made it up on the alibi relay.
I think Military.com should change its name to Un-military.com I have read many mistakes over the last several weeks reading articles there. Just little details that tell me the writers never served a day.
I guess the real Vets must have got canned for being blunt and factual.
I was “Courier Qualed” on the 12 gauge pump and 1911 ACP, meaning I could accompany Special Things from the armory to the aircraft, if needed. Didn’t get any high decorations for it, so I must be some secret squirrel counter agent spy.
Od course, all I remember was an hour of classroom and an afternoon of fun on the range.
You realize that what you just told the world on the internet is still classified.
Lighten up, Francis. That ship sailed long ago, and I identified no specific thing, place or aircraft.
But thanks for playing.
I was given courier orders a few times, though they didn’t give me a shotgun with it (bastards!).
Not sure why anything said there constitutes classified though. (Hey, sometimes people move things between point A and B that are secret, but shhh, don’t tell anyone!)
Damn, we need purple font or something to point out a comment was sarcastic or in jest as in “I’d tell you what I did but it’s still classified so I can’t release the records”
When I was a young Airborne MP at Ft. Campbell back in 1960, our detachment provided security for nuclear warheads being convoyed from the Navy’s nuke assembly plant inside Campbell to Campbell Army Airfield where they were flown out to who knows where.
Since I did it several times in my brief career as an MP, without a serious screw-up, does that qualify me for a Nuclear Security Specialist Bar to add to my Expert Badge?
Poetrooper. I used to live in the Birdcage. Sabre Heliport was located amid those bunkers. It was where the buffalo roamed–literally.
I got all of you beat.
I was a Sequet SKweerill Certified Expert Killer Silvretta Binding Ski Instructor.
I even qualified as expert on Sbnowshoes and the Manchu Shit!
Huck Creek Alumnus 1976!
53 years ago, today, Oswald executed JFK.
According to Wikipedia:
“Like all Marines, Oswald was trained and tested in shooting and he scored 212 in December 1956, slightly above the requirements for the designation of sharpshooter. In May 1959 he scored 191, which reduced his rating to marksman.
Oswald was court-martialed after accidentally shooting himself in the elbow with an unauthorized .22 handgun, then court-martialed again for fighting with a sergeant who he thought was responsible for his punishment in the shooting matter.
He was demoted from private first class to private and briefly imprisoned in the brig. He was later punished for a third incident: while on night-time sentry duty in the Philippines, he inexplicably fired his rifle into the jungle.”
To my recollection, Oswald was not referred to as a “decorated” marksman.
Oswald does not belong in the same league as Charles Whitman though Whitman did score 215 / 250.
Similarly, I do not recall Whitman being referred to as a “decorated” marksman.
Each generation seems to come up with their own copy book.
In other words, a guy with a pizza box shot JFK?
To be honest, I don’t think pizza was very popular in Dallas, in 1963.
But, if you want some real tamales… you don’t have to go to Mexico.
When you have a populace where only 0.45% have served after 9/11, they will know jack shit about how the military works. Even with the 20ish million veterans, that’s less than 10% of the US population.
These are the same types who played Call of Duty and think getting headshot medals make them SF Operators in real life. At best, “Oh, my son got an expert marksman medal in CoD recently, he was super excited about it. I guess its a pretty big deal.”
So, as decorations go. Is qualifying as an Marksman like a Letter of Commendation? Or something?
Dash, stay away from those pickled dodo eggs. You may end up catching the Bedrock Twitch, or Dipsy Doodleitis.
Sgt. Stone,
Had to chuckle over the references. I can see Fred singing & dancing now. “Twist! twist!” has a place in my mind’s-eye. Available 24/7 with the on-demand function in my head.
In the Corps, Marksman is a basic requirement to graduate bootcamp.
Or, at least it was. No clue if it’s still true.
Then there are those that qualify with a Skillcraft pen because it’s Friday afternoon and there is no way in hell that the idiot on the firing line is going to qualify. I have a rifle range story involving a female SSgt to tell at the next TAH Regional Beer Summit.
My whole company once qualified that way. Fog, mixed snow/rain, wind blowing it all into your face, visibility about 30 yards. But, it was on the training schedule so we went to the range and expended the ammunition somewhere downrange. I shot expert that day. I was sooo proud.
https://twitter.com/nia4_trump/status/801156179854360576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Whoops! Wrong link! Thank God it wasn’t the porn one!
” I qualified “expert” every six months, it’s not a big deal..” Maybe not a big deal to you, but it’s 23 for me.
For some reason, the only times I qualified expert on the range were when my own company NCO’s scored me. Never wore the medal. I figured I probably didn’t really earn it; we don’t wear them anyway.
Credit where credit is due – Lloyd Dean Buie is 100% for the times he shot at himself. Hit the target every time.
Imagine how much easier our lives would be if Bergdahl and Manning could hit the target like Lloyd.