Tinker sergeant a top marksman

“Your heart’s pumping and you’re breathing hard, but you’ve got to calm down and aim your shots,” explains Mike Henderson. “Techniques vary, but it all comes down to three things: concentration, keeping your sight picture clear and trigger squeeze.”

It’s not combat that the staff sergeant is talking about. It’s competition. And it’s tough. “It’s very, very competitive,” he says. “There are some good shooters out there.” And he should know. He’s one of them.

A combat arms instructor with the 72nd Security Forces Squadron, Henderson is the top competitive military police shooter in the country, winning the National Rifle Association’s National Police Shooting Championship in the military category two years running. Not bad, considering this is only his second year of competing. 

“I never thought I’d be doing it,” he says.