STRATCOM Airman on target for world title

  • Published
  • By Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Ted Green
  • U.S. Strategic Command Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFPN) --  For three years, a space operations officer assigned at U.S. Strategic Command here has prepared for a chance to fulfill his dream of representing the red, white and blue at the world championship of practical shooting. His dream will become a reality Aug. 21 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Maj. Roger Sherman, chief of a space mission area, is one of four on the U.S. National Production Team competing in the International Practical Shooters Confederation World Shoot XIV. He is the first Airman to make the team.

“I set the goal for myself to make the U.S. National Production Team, and I’ve had to sacrifice and work hard three years to get to this point,” he said.

To make the U.S. team competing this year in Ecuador, Major Sherman competed at the highest levels of competition for the past three years. Part of the selection process is based on the shooter’s performance during this time.

“The people I compete against are professional shooters; they do this for a living,” he said. “Me making the U.S. team is like taking my wife’s car and placing at the Indy 500.”

But unlike the Indianapolis 500, Major Sherman is the driver, engine and pit crew. The sport’s competitors negotiate obstacles at a dead run, speed-reload while on the move and get through each of several courses as fast as their skills will allow. If shooting has an extreme sport, practical shooting is it.

The sport measures a person’s ability to shoot rapidly and accurately with a full power handgun, rifle or shotgun. The three elements of speed, accuracy and power form the three sides of the practical shooting triangle.

The competition will test every aspect of the shooting triangle. Practical shooters worldwide gather once every three years to compete for the world title, which draws the best of the best in a scenario-based, high-action combat-style shooting competition.

The seven-day competition pits shooters against tough competition, the worst elements and themselves.

“This match is probably one of the most grueling of all the matches one could shoot,” Major Sherman said. “You will never work so hard in your entire life because you’re pretty much on your feet for 10 hours a day for the seven days that you’re shooting.”

In 2002, Major Sherman competed at the World Shoot XIII in South Africa. Even with numerous equipment problems, Major Sherman still managed to place 59th out of 1,200 competitors.

“It’s a very high stress level with all those … super personalities walking around,” he said. “You’re competing against the best in the world and you’re there with them 10 hours a day.”

Major Sherman, who is one of the military’s top practical shooters, began competing five years ago. He captured the title of top military shooter in the production division at the U.S. Practical Shooters Association National Championships two years in a row.

He swept the competition more recently at an Iowa State competition.

“I won every stage at Iowa State, which is kind of weird,” Major Sherman said.

He said that in a marathon shoot with 10 courses of fire, even the best in the world do not win every single stage.

In preparation for each match, the 35-year-old father trains three times a day, seven days a week.

“I’m pretty much doing one form of training or another two or three times a day,” he said. “Including the shooting time, I’m probably training about four hours total a day.”

All of Major Sherman’s training revolves around his work schedule.

“I typically get up at 4 a.m., train or load ammo because between now and August I’m going to shoot about 18,000 rounds,” he said. “I’m doing something gun-related until I show up for work.”

During duty hours, Major Sherman uses his lunch break to hit the range for a quick run through one of his makeshift courses. At the end of the day, he returns to the range for several more hours of shooting, all in an effort to improve his skills and prepare for the big event.

“This has been just a three-year dream/obsession for me,” he said. “I’m just overwhelmed that I was actually able to make my goal.”