Combat Arms Team/Sandhurst

Solomon

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Jul 26, 2015
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I have a question about Combat Arms Team. How the selection happen and how competitive is the selection? Who gets to go to a Sandhurst challenge?
 
I have a question about Combat Arms Team. How the selection happen and how competitive is the selection? Who gets to go to a Sandhurst challenge?


My son served on the combat arms team beginning in 2008 for 4 years. He thoroughly enjoyed it.



The application process began early November after the students had settled down into their classes and studies. At that time the team generally added 4 new members each year. Occasionally additional members were added to replace members that had either dropped out or failed to maintain their academic grades.



After applying to the team, all applicants were given classroom training followed by target practice supervised by a safety officer. The applicant’s performance was reviewed and the new team members were selected. It did not matter if the applicant had ever fired a gun before or had prior gun training and practice. Most of those appointed to the team had little or no prior gun usage. New members were selected for their ability to follow strict safety procedures, along with their ability to hold the gun steady while pulling the trigger without jerking the gun while firing it. Gun safety is always emphasized. Some applicants with prior gun experience had trouble adjusting to the strict safety procedures. I believe back then there were in the range of 12 to 15 applicants of which 4 were selected for the team.



Once on the team continued education on gun safety was emphasized and provided and team members were expected to practice regularly. Originally they worked mostly with 9 mm Beretta’s but those were changed later on to a different pistol. They also worked to a lesser extent with automatic rifles and shotguns. During his 4 years on the team my son qualified as expert on both rifles and pistols as most team members did.



I believe they competed against West Point once a year. The remainder of the competitions were open competitions with a mix composed of civilians, SWAT team members from various police departments, FBI agents etc. The team traveled to Hartford Connecticut as well as locations in Massachusetts and New York. The team is considered a club sport not a varsity sport.



Good luck with your career in the Coast Guard. I can tell you that my son is extremely happy and expects to spend a career with the Coast Guard.
 
My son served on the combat arms team beginning in 2008 for 4 years. He thoroughly enjoyed it.



The application process began early November after the students had settled down into their classes and studies. At that time the team generally added 4 new members each year. Occasionally additional members were added to replace members that had either dropped out or failed to maintain their academic grades.



After applying to the team, all applicants were given classroom training followed by target practice supervised by a safety officer. The applicant’s performance was reviewed and the new team members were selected. It did not matter if the applicant had ever fired a gun before or had prior gun training and practice. Most of those appointed to the team had little or no prior gun usage. New members were selected for their ability to follow strict safety procedures, along with their ability to hold the gun steady while pulling the trigger without jerking the gun while firing it. Gun safety is always emphasized. Some applicants with prior gun experience had trouble adjusting to the strict safety procedures. I believe back then there were in the range of 12 to 15 applicants of which 4 were selected for the team.



Once on the team continued education on gun safety was emphasized and provided and team members were expected to practice regularly. Originally they worked mostly with 9 mm Beretta’s but those were changed later on to a different pistol. They also worked to a lesser extent with automatic rifles and shotguns. During his 4 years on the team my son qualified as expert on both rifles and pistols as most team members did.



I believe they competed against West Point once a year. The remainder of the competitions were open competitions with a mix composed of civilians, SWAT team members from various police departments, FBI agents etc. The team traveled to Hartford Connecticut as well as locations in Massachusetts and New York. The team is considered a club sport not a varsity sport.



Good luck with your career in the Coast Guard. I can tell you that my son is extremely happy and expects to spend a career with the Coast Guard.
Thank you sir for you response. Despite trying i was not able to find any information about Combat Arms Team. This information is really useful and i will definetely use it.
 
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