CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq - With speed and precision, Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Benzshawel, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, 17th Fires Brigade took home top honors in this year's 3-Gun Competition at Camp Bucca Oct. 17. The Appleton native edged out the closest of 69 other competitors by 2.19 seconds.

Airmen, civilians, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines from across Camp Bucca demonstrated their proficiency wielding a variety of weapons to include the M-9 pistol, M-4 carbine and M-500 shotgun in hopes of earning top bragging rights as the camp's top marksman.

"When I originally thought of the idea for this competition, I envisioned the amount of hard work that would have to be put in for this thing to work," said competition organizer Staff Sgt. Zachary Zuehlsdorf, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, from Oshkosh. "What I didn't anticipate was all of the competitors chipping in to help in every way imaginable, making this competition more efficient than I could have ever planned."

Zuehlsdorf said he set up the drills to reflect a vivid environment of real-time modern combat scenarios that U.S. forces could currently face.

When Zuehlsdorf first approached his battalion commander, Lt. Col. Brad Anderson, with the idea of hosting the competition on base, the commander was all for it. Anderson felt the event would be not only challenging, but an opportunity for Soldiers to improve their weaponshandling abilities in an invigorating and exciting arena.

"In a firefight with the enemy, you only have seconds to change a magazine, seconds to move from one fighting position to the next," Anderson said. "Time is of the essence and this competition fully encompasses that."

The competitors were put through a thorough weapons proficiency test before they were allowed to compete. Each member was required to perform proper functions checks on all three weapons as well as fully explain the procedures to the range safety cadre.

The competition was comprised of four stages. Each stage was a timed event consisting of four different sections. Each competitor had to successfully place two kill shots in the hostile target or three shots in the target's non-lethal areas. The scoring system rewarded shooters for a combination of speed and accuracy, while penalizing competitors for safety violations. Each section was strategically designed, placing non-hostile targets in close vicinity to the hostile threats, forcing each competitor to hone their tactical focus and eliminate all threats without any collateral damage.

"This training was much different than anything that I've ever encountered. My heart rate was up and my adrenaline was pumping from all the running," said Sgt. Curt R. Hensen, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, from Green Bay. "Fundamentals played a huge part because it only takes one slow magazine change or one costly penalty in a competition. With this many skilled competitors, that can change everything." Henson placed third overall in the competition.

With a mere 3.3 seconds separating the first place from third place, Benzshawel admitted that along with his skill he needed a little more to push him pass the rest of the competition.

"I was very confident in my abilities and I practiced my magazine changes, but when you're dealing with a field of competitors that are this evenly matched, you're going to need a little luck on your side," said Benzshawel. "Winning this means a lot to me. It's a big accomplishment and something I'm going to be proud of forever, but more importantly, this competition helped all of us become better prepared for the situations that we as troops may have to face in the future."

Click To View High-Res Photo Trying to shed precious seconds from their time, competitors dash to different sections during the competition in hopes of placing first among the 70 competitors at Camp Bucca's 3-Gun Competition Oct. 17. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Maurice A. Galloway

Click To View High-Res Photo Staff Sgt. Zachary Zuehlsdorf, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, 17th Fires Brigade, 3-Gun Competition organizer presents a first place certificate to Camp Bucca's first place winner, Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Benzshawel, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Oct. 17. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Maurice A. Galloway