Military
Marksmanship
Association
Formerly
AMUA
- Army
Marksmanship Unit Association
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Joe Klues firing a "Hard Ball" .45 caliber service pistol |
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The
Remarkable Master Sergeant Joe Klues The following account is not about individual accomplishments in marksmanship but about a man who dedicated his Army career to the improvement of marksmanship throughout the Army and touched the lives of thousands of soldiers and marksmen. I first met MSG Joseph Klues in 1961 when I was assigned to the Fort Lewis, Washington, Marksmanship Unit, where he was NCOIC. This unit was like no other marksmanship unit that I had ever seen in the Army. The unit headquarters was located in a large building consisting of 25 firing points, a CO's office, 1SG's office, a large meeting room with a coffee pot, troop sleeping quarters, and toilets for men and women. It also contained an observation deck with mounted spotting scopes where one could observe marksmen firing. What really impressed me was the fact that the building was immaculate. Who ever heard of an indoor range with waxed and polished floors, including the range floor. This range became a reality when MSG Klues was assigned to Fort Lewis in 1955 with the mission of developing a rifle and pistol marksmanship program. At the time, Fort Lewis had no indoor range and only a token marksmanship unit. MSG Klues was given the job of finding a suitable building on Post to be made into an indoor range. He found a no longer used basketball gym in very poor condition, located in an obscure area. The Post Engineers asked Joe what he wanted and they gave it to him. DEH started the project in 1955, and the abandoned gym became the indoor range, opening for business in 1957. In 1955 the army had embarked on a program to really boost marksmanship throughout the service, and to develop marksmen to compete at the national level. In the early stages of this program, the Army had very few men that knew how to teach marksmanship as we know it today. From this humble beginning in 1955, MSG Klues began to develop the marksmanship program. It was a slow and difficult process. The turning point came in 1960, when the Fort Lewis CG, General McGee visited the range. He studied the results of weekly Post Matches and questioned SGT Klues about units that did not appear on the scoreboard. The CG learned that these units had not entered any teams. The General left without saying anything. About an hour later, the range began to fill with more high ranking officers than one would expect to see in a lifetime. General McGee returned and delivered a very strong lecture about the importance of range training. From that day on, the outdoor rifle and pistol ranges were filled with soldiers developing their skills. When I arrived in 1961, I counted 125 soldiers on the rifle range receiving training from their unit coaches. This was marksmanship training at its best. About a week after my arrival, I stopped by the indoor range to visit Joe Klues. Several soldiers were present and shooting under the supervision of SGT Klues. I learned that SGT Klues had made the range available seven days a week, with a closing time of 9:00 PM. This meant that any soldier wanting to shoot, could stop by the range in the evening, check out a rifle or pistol with 50 rounds of ammo and practice. I learned that MSG Klues had been doing this since the range was completed in 1957. One can only wonder how many thousands of soldiers took advantage of this opportunity. Joe Klues was an Infantryman who had seen his share of action. Joe at age 20 was with the 27th Infantry "Wolfhounds" at Schofield Barracks, HI on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. His barracks was strafed and two men in his unit were wounded. The one thing he remembers best about that day was the Regimental Bugler sounding the call to arms during the attack. Asked what he did during the strafing runs, Joe said he took cover in the well-built concrete and brick barracks. Joe remained with the 25th Infantry Division and was later wounded during the retaking of the Philippine Islands. Joe earned his second Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) with the 45th Infantry Division in Korea while serving as a Platoon Sergeant, Platoon Leader, First Sergeant and acting Company Commander. MSG Joe Klues was an impressive man. He stood 6' 7" and weighed 280 lb. He had a hand like a mitt, and a hand shake grip with the strength of a mule. He was called "Big Joe." I would like to comment that MSG Klues became a Distinguished Pistol Shot in 1958. He was double distinguished, rifle and pistol. He was advised to shoot pistol full time to attain maximum potential. He was considered to be a likely candidate for international pistol shooting, if he would give total focus to that effort. MSG Klues decided that he would be of more value to the Army marksmanship program by training rifle and pistol marksmen, rather than competing himself. Joe truly set a great example by supporting the Army goals first, rather than shooting for personal recognition. There can be no doubt in anyone's mind, that MSG Joseph Klues fed more marksman into the Army program than any other individual. This is to mean from raw recruits to accomplished marksmen. "Big Joe" Klues remained NCOIC of Fort Lewis AMU until 1963. He transferred to Sixth Army AMU and then to Korea, as NCOIC of I Corps AMU. He returned to Sixth Army AMU in 1964 and retired from the Army to Hannibal, Missouri in 1965. He worked as a Certified Federal Officer in nearby Springfield, Missouri until retiring in 1982. I will close by saying thanks on behalf of thousands of marksmen whose lives you touched Joe. You were truly one of a kind. Webmaster's Note: Master Sergeant Joe Klues, died January 21, 2001, in Quincy, Illinois. Please click here for more information. |
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