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The
Michael Jordan of shooting, Captain Glenn Dubis Retires
by
Paula
J. Randall
U.
S. Army Marksmanship Unit Public Affairs Office
FORT BENNING,
Georgia -
He has held many titles - officer, infantryman, war veteran, and
Olympian. But after 20 years of service to his country, an
international rifle shooter with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit has
put down his gun and said goodbye to the Army.
Capt. Glenn A.
Dubis, a Desert Storm veteran and four-time Olympian, retired from
the Army in March, after serving for more than 20 years. During his
shooting career, Dubis won the World Rifle Championship three times,
won the the Rifle Championship five times at the Conseil
International du Sport Militaire Championships (known as CISM or the
Military World Championships) and set or tied six world records. He
represented the United States in the CISM Military World Games - more
than a dozen times. He is a member of the USAMU International Rifle
Hall of Fame as well as his hometown's Athletic Hall of Fame.
"I am proud
to have served as an Army officer," Dubis said. "I will
miss my Army teammates and U.S. Shooting Team colleagues and the
friends I have made from around the world. I will also miss the pride
and satisfaction that comes with representing the U.S. Army and the
United States of America. I have traveled over most of the world and
made friends from many places all while doing something I had the
fortune to be good at and that I also love. It has been an honor and
a privilege to serve the Army and our nation. It has been a blessing
to be able to pursue my goals and dreams in such a way.
"The Army and
the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit were critical to my success,"
Dubis continued. "They provided me with the time, resources and
infrastructure to achieve my full potential as a rifle shooter. If it
were not for the Army, it is unlikely that I would have succeeded. I
would certainly recommend the Army as a career to others." Dubis
thanked the commanders, past and present, of the USAMU who helped him
throughout his career, as well as members of his Army Rifle Team.
"I owe the most to Bill Krilling, my coach on the Army Team for
19 of my 20 years of service," Dubis said. "He helped me
build my position and monitor my progress; together we made
adjustments, then he just let me do the shooting."
"Dubis was
the greatest military CISM shooter in the world and a big asset to
the Army team," Krilling said. "He was just a special
shooter, easy to work with and had a very positive outlook. Although
he was a real champion, he was a humble person. He meant a lot to the
team and to me. "He was quite popular in Europe; he'd win a
match and his fans would cheer for him," Krilling continued.
"He so dominated the CISM matches that his scores would
intimidate other shooters. When Dubis showed up to a match, his
competitors figured the best they could do was take second place."
Raised in Bethel
Park, Pa., Dubis graduated from Bethel Park High School in 1977 and
received a bachelor's degree in agronomy from Pennsylvania State
University in 1981. In 1989, he completed a master's degree in sports
management at the U.S. Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala. He is the son
of David Dubis of Morgantown, W.Va. His mother, Joan Dubis, is deceased.
"At Bethel
Park High School, my coaches Karl Kirschner, Dean Johnson and Buddy
Ridge, and Penn State varsity coaches Joe Dilkes, Dick Kummer and Bob
Strong and Army ROTC coach Dave Soncek were key to my development.
They contributed to my success and I owe my thanks to them,"
Dubis said.
Dubis joined the
Army February 1982, at which time he started shooting with the Army
Marksmanship Unit. From 1984 to 1985, he was a platoon leader on
Kelley Hill for 1st Battalion, 58th Infantry Regiment, 197th Infantry
Brigade (Separate), which is now the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.
After completing
the Infantry Officers Advanced Course at Fort Benning in 1985, Dubis
came back to the USAMU as a shooter. In 1989, he attended the
Combined Arms Services and Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.,
and then returned to the USAMU as the assistant operations and
training officer.
Next, Dubis
received an assignment for Germany where he served as adjutant with
the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry, 2nd Armored Division. In 1990, he
moved to brigade level as the officer in charge of the Emergency
Operations Center. Dubis deployed with the brigade for Operation
Desert Storm and served as the assistant operations officer. In 1991,
he returned to USAMU International Rifle Team.
"The USAMU,
while small in size, brings many things to the Army's table, such as
a positive image to the U.S. public, ambassadorship to the world and
support in the Army's recruiting effort," Dubis said.
"Besides these, the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit brings an
institutional knowledge of weapons and marksmanship that is unique in
the Army and that translates directly into combat effectiveness of
troops in the field, particularly our Ranger, Special Forces and
Delta soldiers. I hope the Army never loses sight of the
effectiveness of well-trained and equipped rifle marksmen."
Dubis has been
awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, 10 Army Commendation medals,
four Army Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the
Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Southwest Asia
Medal with three battle stars, the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, the Army
Superior Unit Award, the President's Hundred Tab and the
Distinguished Rifleman Badge. Dubis, who began shooting in 1975, has
numerous marksmanship accomplishments. He has enough trophies,
plaques and Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals to fill a small museum.
The only prize that ever eluded him was an Olympic Medal. In 1997,
Dubis won individual Silver and Team Gold Medals at the Championship
of the Americas, a Silver Medal in the Seoul, Korea, World Cup, three
national championships and was a CISM team member. He was also named
as the 1997 USA Shooting Male Rifle Shooter of the Year. USA Shooting
of 1 Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, Colo., is the national
governing body for Olympic shooting sports in the United States.
Dubis held two slots on the 1996 U.S. Olympic Shooting Team in Free
Rifle and Air Rifle, as well as winning the World Military Rifle
Championship and setting new military and world records that year.
He won three
national championships in 1995 and was a member of the Gold Medal
winning team in Air Rifle at the Pan-American Games. Dubis also won a
Silver Medal in 300-Meter Military Rapid Fire Rifle Match at CISM and
a Bronze Medal in Air Rifle at the Pan-American Games.
In 1993 and 1994,
he was the World Military Rifle Champion and set a world record in
300-Meter Three Position Free Rifle in 1994. He also won Gold Medals
in 300-Meter Prone and Three-Position Free Rifle at the Interservice
International Championships and a Gold Medal in Three-Position Free
Rifle at the 1994 USA National Shooting Championships.
Dubis was a World
Military Championships Team member in 1992, the World Rifle Champion
in 300-Meter Three Position and set a world record in 300-Meter Three
Position standing in 1990. In 1989, he won a Silver Medal in
Three-Position Free Rifle at the Pan-American Games, was the World
Military Rifle Champion and a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic
Shooting Team, placing fifth in Three-Position Free Rifle.
He was the 1987
World Military Rifle Champion and won a Gold Medal in Three-Position
Free Rifle and a Silver Medal in Air Rifle at the Pan-American Games.
He set two world records - 300-Meter Free Rifle and 50-Meter Free
Rifle kneeling - in 1986, as well as being the World Rifle Champion.
He placed sixth in Three-Position Free Rifle at the 1984 Olympics and
was the Military Rifle Slow Fire World Champion that year.
"In Europe,
Dubis is quite a celebrity," said Robert W. Aylward, USAMU
deputy commander. "He's the Michael Jordan of the shooting
world. People call the CISM rifle trophy the 'Dubis Trophy' because
his name is engraved on it so many times; he's won the CISM Rifle
Championship more times than everyone else in the world combined."
After this year's
World Championships, Dubis said he will be hanging up his gun. He
said he wants to travel, get a coaching position, and marry his long-time
sweetheart Melanie Libby of USA Shooting.
"I recently
heard it said that the most likely candidate for the title of 'Man of
the Century' is the American GI. The American GI has influenced
events in more places around the world during the last century than
any other person," Dubis said. "I was once an American GI,
but now I'm out, happy to join the ranks of the retired veterans. I'm
looking forward to the rest of my life. It is impossible for me to
have any regrets. I stayed true to my calling and I am happy for the
way things turned out."
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/ |