Military Fencing

[Mergs]

"Army Times" just came out with a two-page article on fencing within the military. Good article, seems we have some top-flight (please excuse the pun, Air Force fencers!) talent out there. Suprising that the Air Force Academy is leading the way as having the only Varsity team and Army only having a club, and the Navy/Marines, alas and alack, discontiued their program almost 10 years ago.

Good to note that there are a number of Reservists active on the team, too.

How many other AC/RC (active component/reserve component) fencers are out there?

PS If you've seen the article, several people have already called in to point out the errors (which were suprisingly few, as compared to other articles I've seen Army Times do!).


[This message has been edited by Mergs (edited 03-15-2001).]

[Tyrantraxus]

Hi Mergs,

I'm one,i'm going to attend the next NATO fencing tournament in Verona Italy.

I'm a reserve officer form the Italian army,i spent my active duty period in the 3rd Bersaglieri regiment.

Hope to see many allied fencers in Verona.

Ciao,

P.S.

Fencing is mandatory in the Italian military academies.

[Clean Touch]

I'm in the National Guard (six years reserve Marine before I transferred "to the Dark Side") and needless to say there's no fencing team for the Guard. What with the Nationals in my own home towqn I wonder if it's be worth trying to make a big deal about it to promote our sport?

[Mergs]

Clean, it's ALWAYS appropriate to promote the sport!

Tyrantraxus, I wish that when I was in Bosnia I could have gotten over for the Military Games, but...... Anyway, there is a guy I fenced with over there that is stationed in Germany and may be interested. Please send me the details so I can forward them on to him. Our Italian Liason Officer (from Multi-National Division, Southwest) told me about the Academy requirement. I wish our academies had the same requirement.

[RC]

I've been in the Canadian Forces Army Reserve for quite while. Only been fencing for just over a year. Has this idea of organizing a tournament just for military types but I don't know what the turnout would be like. It would be kind of cool to step onto the piste representing the honour of your regiment, squadron, battery, ship or whatever.

[swordsen]

Army National Guard. Fenced on the all military team at Summer Nationals a few years back.. Not my best day.

[FencerInUS]

I'm not in the military, but I did see an article put out by Westpoint newspaper. Prolly the one Mergs mentioned. The one huge flaw that immediatly slaped me in the face was they swiched the foil and epee targets.

[Mergs]

Yeah, that was the main problem I saw in it, too and called the paper about it.

Woudl love to get folks together for a tournamnet. But would also like to know how we can get the interest back into the military circles for the sport. Ideas?

[saberwillie]

hey i am active army and i try to attend those events as much as possible the soliders made a good showing at last year's NAC in greensboro GO ARMY! as any one else at the event in CO ?

[Drew42]

Hi all!
I'm active duty U.S. Air Force and began fencing a year ago (OK I'm backwards. I learned to 2 step in Europe and fence in the U.S.) The U.S. military has a military fencing championship (held at the AF Academy in Feb. this year) each year. There are also a couple of military fencing websites, which due to my recent computer crash I have yet to reacquire. While at the the KC NAC this weekend I met an Army Cadet and an AD AF guy. Even though the official support of the sport at most of the academies has lapsed, there are plenty of us out there. We may even be growing in number!

Drew

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"Thank God we are neither boxers nor wrestlers." Aldo Nadi