The secret of the sharpshooters in Nghe An's "green uniform"

Female sharpshooter with a preference for left-handed shooting.

Over the years, during the annual training ceremonies of the armed forces of Nghe An province, many people have been impressed by the synchronized martial arts combat demonstrations using daggers and nunchucks by the Border Guard forces of Nghe An province.

Among those officers and soldiers, Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Tra My (born in 1999) stands out with her extremely powerful, decisive, and skillful movements. Few people know that Tra My is also a talented sharpshooter of the Nghe An Border Guard force.

Sharing about this exceptional female shooter, Major Nguyen Canh Tuan - Assistant Operations Officer, Staff Department, Border Guard Command of Nghe An province, said that Tra My had just excellently won second place in the individual shooting event of the K54 pistol for women at the 2024 Military Shooting Competition in the Border Guard Force, Region I.

Having directly accompanied and guided Tra My throughout this tournament, Mr. Tuan said that due to the age requirements and many other strict criteria set by the Command, only 3 female officers from the Nghe An Border Guard Force met the standards. To outsiders, shooting is often considered a leisurely sport, but in reality, it requires very strenuous training, both physically and mentally.

Despite being women, during training, each comrade must prioritize mastering the techniques and movements, achieving proficient shooting, and fulfilling four elements: "balance, firmness, consistency, and endurance," meaning: maintaining balance and stability in the rifle; ensuring even pressure on the rifle (right hand, left hand, breathing rhythm); and maintaining stable health and mental fortitude. Simultaneously, they must adhere to the "four correct" principles: "correct aiming line, correct aiming point, correct posture and movement, and correct breath control combined with trigger pull."

After a month of intensive training, Tra My demonstrated her outstanding abilities by excelling in all aspects of the competition. Her practice shooting scores sometimes reached nearly 270, a very high score in this sport, leading to her selection as the province's sole representative for the sports festival.

Facing dozens of competing teams from Region 1, Tra My remained calm and performed well in the shooting competition using both her left and right hands. What surprised many was her high score in the left-handed shooting section. Good left-handed shooting demonstrates stable hand strength and accurate aiming. Considering she has only been in the military for just over two years, achieving this result shows her remarkable efforts.

Currently, Tra My is the only female representative from the Nghe An Provincial Border Guard Force participating in the 2024 All-Army Military Shooting Competition (including border guard, navy, army, air defense - air force, coast guard, etc.) which will take place in the near future.

The border guard commander is a real "gunner" on the border.

On the borderland of Phuc Son, Major Hoang Van Giang, the commander of the Phuc Son Border Guard Post (Anh Son district), always earns the admiration of many for his exceptional marksmanship.

Despite being born in 1984, Major Hoang Van Giang's impressive record is marked by a series of gold medals and top awards even during his time as a student at the Border Guard Academy. For example, in 2006, while still a second-year student at the Border Guard Academy, he won second place in the entire academy in a three-event combined competition: grenade throwing, shooting, and a 3,000m armed run.

In 2007, Hoang Van Giang was selected by his school to participate in the All-Army Military Sports Competition in the triathlon event organized by the Ministry of National Defense, where he excellently won a Silver Medal in the individual category and a Bronze Medal in the team category. In 2008, he participated in the All-Army Advanced Military Shooting Competition in the AK submachine gun shooting event. He achieved an excellent score and ranked 15th out of 125 participants, despite being only a fourth-year student.

In 2010, Hoang Van Giang graduated from the Border Guard Academy and was assigned to work at Dien Thanh Border Guard Station (Dien Chau). Since then, wearing the green uniform of the Nghe An Border Guard force, he has continued to work, train, and bring glory to his homeland with many high awards at shooting competitions.

Notably, in 2011, he continued to participate in the Military Shooting Competition for Border Guards organized by the Border Guard Command, competing in the four combined military events for officers and winning third place in the team category. In 2013, he again participated in this competition in the team shooting event and won third place in the team category. In 2016, he excellently won first place overall; becoming a prominent name among the sharpshooters wearing "green uniforms".

Now, after nearly 14 years of service in the provincial Border Guard force, Comrade Hoang Van Giang holds the position of Commander of Phuc Son Border Guard Station and focuses on training many border guard officers and soldiers in the province.

When asked, "What factors have helped you achieve so much success in this challenging sport?", Major Hoang Van Giang stated that, in addition to natural talent and persistent training, continuous learning is crucial. He added that the best way to learn is through sports competitions and challenges against other competitors.

In addition, a thorough understanding of different types of firearms and the appropriate circumstances for their use is necessary. For example, shooting in sunny or humid conditions, at the beginning of the day or at noon, all require different considerations. This knowledge is accumulated through training.

According to Major Hoang Van Giang, when it comes to shooting, nothing can replace serious and rigorous training. For example, just for aiming, shooters sometimes have to practice with... bricks. That is, holding a brick pointed straight forward for hours. A normal person would get tired after a few minutes, but shooters have to practice for tens of minutes each time.

"

The moment a shooter is quietest is the moment they expend the most energy. Outwardly, it seems like just a few simple actions like holding the gun, getting into position, aiming, and firing. But in reality, at this moment, almost all of the shooter's strength and mind are focused on accurately aiming, keeping the gun steady without shaking, hitting the target, minimizing recoil… all to achieve absolute precision.

Major Hoang Van Giang