GERMAN SHOOTING COMPETITION
By SFC Jonathan FERNANDEZ ( ESP ), LANDCOM Public Affairs Office .
The German contingent posted to LANDCOM organized the 31 May inaugural German shooting competition or SCHUETZENSCHNUR , where 13 nations competed . The competition was held on the shooting camp in Gaziemir Garrison , Izmir . It consisted of a running course . Each team , formed by three men or women from each nation : ran from the starting point to the P8 pistol to shoot three shots at a target 20 meters of distance ; ran to the G36 rifle range to shoot three shots from 200 meters ; ran back to the pistols range to shoot three shots from 10 meters ; and finally ran back to the rifle range to shoot three more shots from 100 meters . When they finished the shooting part , they ran directly to the finish line , where they received deductions to their score based on their errors , they will discount their errors during the shooting .
Among 39 participants , the top three winners were : Italy , Germany , and Spain , in this order . The three top teams were within a second of each other , showing the high level of competition among them .
Once the competition finished , all the participants travelled to the LANDCOM HQ where they enjoyed a barbecue , and Deputy Commander , LTG Paolo Ruggiero , presented the awards .
This kind of activity allows Soldiers to work with other nations closesely and to train and test some skills they have not used on a daily basis for some time . The goals of this event are to promote good relations and integration among the different nations .
38 LAND POWER