 USAMU Olympian Named 2001 Army Athlete of the Year |
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Paula J. Randall Pagan U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Public Affairs Office FORT BENNING, Ga. — Staff Sgt. Jason A. Parker of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit has been named as the 2001 U.S. Army Male Athlete of the Year. Parker will receive his award at the Pride of the Nation banquet hosted by the U.S. Military Sports Association March 22 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va., along with Spc. Kara Salmela, a 2002 Olympic biathlete with the Army National Guard of Duluth, Minn., who won the Female Athlete of the Year title. Parker, a 2000 Olympian and world-record setter, won the World Military Rifle Championship at the 2001 Conseil International du Sport Militaire Shooting Championships in Lahti, Finland, as well as being a member of the overall winning U.S. CISM Team. He was also a member of the CISM Rifle Team that won the Gold Medal for the USA and set a new world record in the Standard Rifle Three Position Match and the team that won the Silver Medal in the Military Rapid Fire Match, in which Parker was awarded the individual Silver Medal. Some of Parker's other accomplishments this year included: a Gold Medal in Free Rifle at the Milan, Italy, World Cup; a Team Gold Medal in Free Rifle at the National Championships; individual and team Gold Medals in Air Rifle and Free Rifle at the Masters de France; Gold Medals in Air Rifle and Free Rifle at the Rocky Mountain Shooting Championships; two Silver Medals in Air Rifle at the Stavanger, Norway, Championships; and a Silver Medal in Air Rifle at the National Sectionals. He was also named as the 2001 Military Marksmanship Association Soldier of the Year. "It's a nice feeling to be chosen as Army Athlete of the Year," Parker said. "I know a lot of the past recipients and it's an honor to be thought of in the same class as they are. This award ranks among the best awards I've received." Parker, who attributes his success to his parents, was raised in Omaha, Neb., and graduated from Bryan High School of Omaha in 1992. He received a degree in psychology from Xavier University of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1996, where he shot on the university's rifle team. He enlisted in the Army in January 1997 and was assigned to the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit International Rifle Team in April 1997 after he completed Basic and Infantry Training at Fort Benning. "I couldn't be where I am today without the Army or the Army Marksmanship Unit," Parker said. "They provided every resource I needed to be where I'm at. To me, being a soldier means doing the right thing, and I would recommend the Army as a career to others." In 1998, Parker set two world records in Air Rifle and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. At the 2000 Olympics, the soldier competed in the Air Rifle competition and was one of the few shooters to make it to the finals. He ended up in fifth place, just missing an Olympic Medal by seven-tenths of a point. "My three greatest shooting achievements are setting two world records, being the best CISM shooter and becoming an Olympian, and my present goal is to make the 2004 Olympic Team," Parker said. "Becoming an Olympian had been a dream of mine since I was a teen-ager and the Army gave me everything I needed to attain this goal. I tell young people who want to make it to the Olympics, "Once you have a dream of what you want to be, make a plan and stick with it, and remember it takes hard work and a lot of discipline.'" (Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the U.S. Army, the Army Marksmanship Unit has been a part of the U. S. Army Recruiting Command since October 1999. The Marksmanship Unit trains its soldiers to win competitions and enhances combat readiness through train-the-trainer clinics, research and development. The world-class soldier-athletes of the USAMU also promote the Army and assist recruiters in attracting young Americans to enlist in the Army. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, paula.pagan@usarec.army.mil or http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/amu/.) |
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