Tinker Airman is three-time rifle champion

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Air Force Base Public Affairs Office
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  When Staff Sgt. Michael Henderson shoots, he scores -- literally. Recently, the two-time National Rifle Association National Police Shooting champion entered the contest again, and won.

Despite his track record, Sergeant Henderson, a combat arms instructor assigned to the 72nd Security Forces Squadron here, said he doesn't take his third consecutive win for granted.

"It's always challenging because anything can change -- like the weather; you could shoot in the rain, or the gun could malfunction," Sergeant Henderson said, who has deployed since the competition. "Other (competitors) tend to get better every year too, so you have to try harder to keep up."

Sergeant Henderson, 29, shot his first gun at 6 years old when his father, an Iowa state trooper and firearms instructor, who has since retired, offered the opportunity. He said when he squeezed the trigger of the revolver, heard the pop and felt the kick, something special happened.

"That day started a lifetime of interest in firearms," he said. "I was shooting whenever I could. I very rarely turned down the occasion to go shoot some rounds."

The fun soon turned into a quest to be better. As he grew older, and other obligations and interests became priority, he didn't practice as much as he'd like, but his love for shooting never died.
When the sergeant had money, he used it to customize his firearms. The practice can run upwards of $3,000 and takes months to build a custom weapon. Sergeant Henderson's favorite gun is a custom 9mm Springfield Armory 1911 he had built last year.

After graduating high school, Sergeant Henderson joined the Air Force.

"I had intended to do four years, get out and join a state law enforcement agency," the sergeant said. "I ended up staying in because I liked what the Air Force had to offer."

Two years after he joined, Sergeant Henderson looked into retraining as a combat arms instructor.

"It always seemed when I went to qualify on my weapons, I always said I could do a better job than the combat arms instructor that I had," he said. "I thought I could do a better job since I had a passion for shooting and helping other people."

Since he was not yet a senior airman, he had to get a waiver. In 2003, with his waiver granted, he attended combat arms school and made a career out of his passion.

And, he enjoys the sport of it, particularly when he can compete with his father.

"I would not be able to compete on this level without the support from my father," Sergeant Henderson said. "He has always been there for me, helping and mentoring me along the way at these competitions."

Sergeant Henderson, who competed in his first NRA pistol contest three years ago, said no two competitions are the same. His strengths and weaknesses change from year to year.

"Most of the time, it is the same issues that bother me, but one year I shot well in my weaker positions and worse in the easier positions because I tried too hard," he said. "It is like a big teeter-totter when you are trying to balance out everything."

Open to law enforcement agents, participants can compete in a variety of individual, team and tactical matches with an assortment of weapons over four days. The sergeant has already made goals for the years to come.

"I want to compete and win four years in a row, five, six, etc., and to improve and always challenge myself," he said. "And to pass my knowledge on to future students."