Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Second Lt. Tucker Sears, the 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron material management officer in charge, shoots a .22-caliber pistol during Team Camp March 24, 2015, at Fort Benning, Ga. At Team Camp, Sears earned a spot on the Air Force National Pistol Team and has already competed in two competitions and placed first on the Air Force’s Silver Team at the NRA National Outdoor Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Hugh M. Ragland)Dover Airman earns spots on AF pistol team alongside brother
                        
                        
                        Second Lt. Tucker Sears, the 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron material management officer in charge, shoots a .22-caliber pistol during Team Camp March 24, 2015, at Fort Benning, Ga. At Team Camp, Sears earned a spot on the Air Force National Pistol Team and has already competed in two competitions and placed first on the Air Force’s Silver Team at the NRA National Outdoor Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Hugh M. Ragland)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Second Lt. Tucker Sears (right), a 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron material management officer in charge, and his brother, Staff Sgt. Terrence Sears, the Air Force National Pistol Team NCO in charge, speak between matches at the Annual Interservice Pistol Championships June 8, 2015, at Fort Benning, Ga. The team placed fifth out of 13 teams and was Tucker’s first competition while on the team. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee)Dover Airman earns spots on AF pistol team alongside brother
                        
                        
                        Second Lt. Tucker Sears (right), a 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron material management officer in charge, and his brother, Staff Sgt. Terrence Sears, the Air Force National Pistol Team NCO in charge, speak between matches at the Annual Interservice Pistol Championships June 8, 2015, at Fort Benning, Ga. The team placed fifth out of 13 teams and was Tucker’s first competition while on the team. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Dover Airman earns spots on AF pistol team alongside brotherPublished Sept. 21, 2015
                    
                    By Airman 1st Class William Johnson
                    
                    
                    436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
            **DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (ANFS) --***(This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story.)*As a child, Tucker Sears grew up in Graham, Texas, with his three older brothers learning how to shoot BB guns and eventually moving up to .22-caliber rifles.This love of guns led to plenty of hunting trips with his brothers and grandfather, but when Sears was 12 his oldest brother, Terrence, enlisted into the Air Force after graduating from high school.Fast forward 10 years and Sears is graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy and earning his commission as a second lieutenant. However, Sears didn't let his skills with firearms rust while at the Academy."I was really fortunate and they had a range out there and I was able to be a range safety officer," Sears said.In his junior and senior years, Sears frequently shot at the range with his own firearms including a Smith & Wesson M&P 9, a Sig Sauer P938 and an AR-15.While Sears was attending the Academy, his brother, now Staff Sgt. Terrence Sears, earned a spot on the Air Force National Pistol Team, and in three years, he became the NCO in charge of the team.In March 2015, 2nd Lt. Sears was given his chance to make the team when he was invited to the team camp. The camp serves as a recruitment tool for potential shooters to showcase their skill set and see if they have what it takes to make the team. Much like his older brother, Sears's knowledge and ability to handle and shoot pistols earned him a much coveted spot on the team."A lot of it is your dedication to the team and to the sport," Sears said. "We are limited in numbers, but for the most part if you show decent aptitude with shooting, the team will keep working with you and help you out in any way they can until you improve."Since members of the team are stationed across the U.S. and still have their Air Force jobs to perform, practicing and training relies mainly on the shooters. Guns and parts, range fees, and ammunition are paid for out of pocket by the competitors."Practice time is essentially all on our own so I try to get to the range for an hour or two after work when I can." Sears said. "The whole sport itself is about consistency so I try to lay out my magazines in the same spot every time, set up my gear the same way and go through the shot plan, even when I'm practicing."Although the competitors have to eat a majority of the training cost associated with shooting, there are also other forms of training that keeps the shooters a step above the rest."Strength training is a big part of training for the competitions," Sears said. "If you're holding a three or four pound pistol straight out one-handed for a day, strength becomes a factor. The slightest bit of movement of your pistol while shooting at a target 50 yards away can send your bullet two to three inches off target."Since making the team, Sears has competed in two matches; the Annual Interservice Pistol Championships at Fort Benning, Georgia, where they took fifth place out of 13 teams and at the NRA National Outdoor Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio, where Sears competed on the Air Force’s Silver Team and took first place in the Sharpshooter Class.Although Sears found early success in his first two matches, he said just being on the team is enough."Before I got on the team I would only get to see my brother maybe once or twice a year," Sears said. "But this past summer I got to spend three weeks with him while we competed. It's one of my favorite parts about being on the team."Sears said there is no question about who the better shooter is, but the competition is all for the better."I would certainly say my brother is better at this than me, for now," Sears said. "We all want to beat each other but at the same time we're going to help each other because of the team aspect of the sport. It's all about the friendly competition to makes us all better."Dover AFB 



AMC 



rifle 



competition 



team 



TAE

Related Links
        More "Through Airmen's Eyes" stories Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil