Edward James Land | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Jim, EJ |
| Born | June 4, 1935 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1953–1977 |
| Rank |  Major |
| Unit | 1st Marine Division |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Legion of Merit |
| Other work | NRA Secretary (1994–2015) |
Edward James Land Jr. or Jim Land (born 4 June 1935 in Lincoln, Nebraska), is a retired Marine Corps officer who was instrumental in starting the Marine Scout Sniper program. [1] [2]
Land was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1935.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 17 in 1953. Land went on to become a Staff Sergeant and a Drill Instructor before attending Officer Candidate School in 1959. Upon graduating OCS, Land was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 4th Marine Regiment. As an officer, Land demonstrated an aptitude for competitive shooting and was selected for the Marine Corps Rifle Team. [3]
In 1961, Land founded the first modern sniper course for the Marine Corps. [4]
In Vietnam, Land was the commanding officer of Carlos Hathcock, whom he had trained in one of his early Sniper Courses. [3]
Land was assigned as Commanding Officer of the Marine Security Guard detachment at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam in November 1971. [5] Major Land was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service at the Embassy under Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker.
After the Vietnam War, Land along with Major Richard O. Culver Jr. established the first permanent Marine Corps Scout Sniper school in Quantico, Virginia. [6]
After Vietnam, Land served as the USMC Marksmanship coordinator. [4]
Land was active in the community and from 1977 until 1980 held the position of scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 1183 in Triangle, Virginia. During his tenure he mentored many Scouts, several to the rank of Eagle. He was also instrumental in spearheading a newspaper recycling program years before such recycling practices were commonplace. Newspaper from the local community was collected once a month by the Scouts and sold to an insulation company to benefit the troop. From September 16 through the 29, 1978 funds from these efforts sent 12 Scouts and 3 leaders to Brownsea Island, England, the location of Lord Baden Powell's first Boy Scout camping trip in 1907.
Land retired from the Marine Corps as a major in 1977.
Land was elected as Secretary of the National Rifle Association of America in 1994. [4] He retired from this position in April 2015. [7]
Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) is the seventh enlisted rank in the United States Marine Corps, above staff sergeant and below master sergeant and first sergeant, and is a senior non-commissioned officer (SNCO). It has a pay grade of E-7.
Carlos Norman Hathcock II was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was honored by having a rifle named after him: a variant of the M21 dubbed the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather, for the nickname "White Feather" given to Hathcock by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).
The M40 rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle used by the United States Marine Corps. It has had four variants: the M40, M40A1, M40A3, and M40A5. The M40 was introduced in 1966. The changeover to the A1 model was completed in the 1970s, the A3 in the 2000s, and the A5 in 2009.
In the United States (U.S.), a marksmanship badge is a U.S. military badge or a civilian badge which is awarded to personnel upon successful completion of a weapons qualification course or high achievement in an official marksmanship competition. The U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps are the only military services that award marksmanship qualification badges. However, marksmanship medals and/or marksmanship ribbons are awarded by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Air Force for weapons qualifications. For non-military personnel, different U.S. law enforcement organizations and the National Rifle Association (NRA) award marksmanship qualification badges to those involved in law enforcement. Additionally, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) and the NRA award marksmanship qualification badges to U.S. civilians. Most of these organizations and the U.S. National Guard award marksmanship competition badges to the people they support who succeed in official competitions.
Charles McMahon and Darwin Lee Judge were the last two United States servicemen killed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The two men, both U.S. Marines, were killed in a rocket attack one day before the Fall of Saigon.
A Marine Security Guard (MSG), also known as a Marine Embassy Guard, is a member of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, a brigade-sized organization of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) whose detachments provide security at American embassies, consulates, and other official U.S. government offices, such as the United States Mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium.
United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper is a secondary MOS designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have graduated from a U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper School. Scout Snipers must earn the rank of Lance Corporal, be selected by their battalion to join the scout-sniper platoon, and complete an approved scout-sniper course in order to receive this designation.
Radio Battalions are tactical signals intelligence units of Marine Corps Intelligence. There are currently three operational Radio Battalions in the Marine Corps organization: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. In fleet operations, teams from Radio Battalions are most often attached to the command element of Marine Expeditionary Units.
Charles Benjamin Mawhinney was a United States Marine who holds the Corps' record for the most confirmed sniper kills, having recorded 103 confirmed kills and 216 probable kills in 16 months during the Vietnam War.
Hill 55 is a hill 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) southwest of Da Nang, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. The hill is located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) northeast of the confluence of the Yen, Ai Nghia, and La Tho Rivers and was a United States Marine Corps base during the Vietnam War.
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combined arms, implementing its own infantry, artillery, aerial, and special operations forces. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.
Master Sergeant Eric Roy England was a sniper for the United States Marine Corps 3rd Marine Division during the Vietnam War. He had 98 confirmed kills with many more unconfirmed. Joining the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) in 1950, England was a Nationals rifle shooting champion by age 19 in 1952, and a long-range champion by 1968. He received his first competitive training in USMC bootcamp from his cousin, Dr. James Harry Turner, at that time a Marine weapons instructor. This led to a 24-year career on the USMC rifle team, winning national and international competitions as participant and coach.
Charles William Henderson is a retired Marine Corps Warrant Officer and an author based in Colorado. Henderson is best known for his 2 biographies, Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills and Silent Warrior about Marine Corps Sniper Carlos Hathcock.
William John Whaling was a highly decorated Major general in the United States Marine Corps and an expert in jungle warfare during the Pacific War. He also competed as a sport shooter in the 1924 Summer Olympics, where he finished in 12th place in the 25 m rapid fire pistol competition.
Unertl Optical Company, Inc. was a manufacturer of telescopic sights in the United States from 1928 until 2008. They are known for their 10× fixed-power scopes that were used on the Marine Corps' M40 rifle and made famous by Marine Corps Scout Sniper Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War.
United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper AssociationSSA is a non-profit & veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for veterans of the United States Marine Corps who served as a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper. It operates as a non-profit 501(c)(19) organization.
Richard Otis "Dick" Culver Jr. was a decorated United States Marine Corps officer who was one of the founders of the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School in Quantico, Virginia. Culver served in combat in Vietnam and was awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions during a firefight in 1967.
Edward Hanna Forney was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. He is most noted for his part during the Hungnam evacuation during the Korean War, the largest U.S. amphibious evacuation of civilians, under combat conditions, in American history.
The Tet offensive attack on the US Embassy took place on the early morning of 31 January 1968 when a 19-man Vietcong (VC) sapper team attempted to seize the US Embassy in Saigon at the start of the VC's Tet offensive. While the VC successfully penetrated the embassy compound, they were unable to enter the chancery building and were pinned down by security forces, with the lone survivor eventually surrendering to US forces. Notwithstanding the attack's failure it had a profound political and psychological impact in the United States.
The task of organizing a First Marine Division sniper program was assigned to Capt. Edward J. "Jim" Land Jr., an accomplished marksman and member of several championship Marine Corps shooting teams.
[R]etired Marine Corps Maj. Edward J. Land....was elected as the Secretary of the NRA in 1994, where he served in that capacity until retiring in 2015.