www.military.ie the defence forces magazine
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interviewee: Member of the winning team
at the International Sniper Competition, Fort
Benning, 2015
tell us about your experience in winning the
international Sniper Competition.
I have competed in a number of sniper
competitions at home and abroad, including
the 2012 International Sniper competition in
Fort Benning where we placed second overall
from 33 teams, many of which were SF teams,
so it was a big achievement. In 2015, we went
back to the same competition, but this time
we won, becoming the first non-US team to
ever win it. It was a phenomenal achieve-
ment that was based on hard work and good
performances from the entire team. It rein-
forced my belief that we had trained well and
learned from our mistakes from the
last time. However, my highlight wasn't
winning the competition but the recep-
tion we received when we returned
home to the Compound (SJC) where
the entire unit was present to welcome
us home and congratulate us. It was a
phenomenal experience to see the unit
ethos and camaraderie in full effect.
It filled me with so much pride for my
unit and that I could add to the unit's
distinction. For me, that was my career
highlight, being able to return home
having added to the unit's prestige and
enjoy it with friends.
Information on Special Operations Forces Qualification
(SOFQ) is contained on the ARW IKON page, which can be
found in Operations Division under the DFHQ heading.
Module 1 of SOFQ Zulu 1 will commence 11th September
2016 and will be of four weeks duration. The course will be
advertised on unit notice boards in July.
the prelims for Module 1 of SOFQ Zulu 1 will be from 30th
May to 3rd June 2016. Course notification and joining in-
structions will be out shortly. Although it is not compulsory,
it is highly recommended that serious candidates do pre-
lims. For additional information or queries regarding SOFQ
zulu 1 contact: arwsofq@defenceforces.ie
