Jeff Gurwitch
– Has been a competitive shooter for the last 10 years: USPSA, IDPA, and 3-Gun.
– U.S. Army 3rd Special Forces Group, Ft. Bragg, NC.
– Spent 3 years as an instructor at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
– Spent 8 years with U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Group, Ft. Campbell KY and did 3 tours in Iraq.
– Graduated the U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification course in 1998 as a Weapons Sergeant.
– Spent 7 years in the mechanized infantry and Airborne.
– Served in First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) in Iraq with the 1st Armored Division.|
– Joined the U.S. Army in June of 1990 as an infantryman.

Here is his endorsement of competitive shooting.

Benefits of Competitive Shooting

Now, I know there are some shooters out there, both military and civilian, who believe competing in any shooting sport, USPSA 3-Gun, even IDPA, is not only unnecessary, but can even hurt your shooting skills. I believe this view is totally wrong. As long as you keep your training in the proper context and know that shooting in matches is not the same as the “real thing”, the benefits of competition cannot be overlooked. [Of course, no form of training is truly the “real thing.”-Ed.] …

Thankfully, today, shooting in competition is widely recognized and accepted in Special Operations as an enhancement to training and a good way of enforcing good marksmanship and weapon handling skills. Shooting in Competition has grown so much so that I was lucky enough to compete as a member of a 3-Gun team representing the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) out of Fort Bragg along with a few other SF members for a period of about 2 years. We traveled around the East Coast hitting a lot of the major 3-Gun events, like the Ft. Benning 3-Gun Challenge, for example.

http://www.defensereview.com/military-marksmanship-training-versus-competitive-shooting-training-the-matchup/