Mathew Carmack loved living in Alaska and enjoying the great outdoors. He served as a contracting officer for the M-1 maintenance contract at Eielson Air Force Base. Every spare moment of his time was spent with nature. Carmack welcomed the Southern way of living when he had a permanent change of station to Columbus Air Force Base. He embraced the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors in a warmer climate. As a newcomer to Columbus, he sought out events offered by the base and discovered the Skeet and Trap Range.
“I was so excited to see the Columbus Skeet and Trap Range because I’ve been shooting for over twenty years.”
Carmack discovered that the skeet and trap range needed someone to bring it back to life. He set out to restore the range in his spare time, with some help from volunteers. In October of 2023, Carmack initiated the process by collaborating with the 14th Security Forces Squadron, with one of their volunteers overseeing the legal aspects of transporting, storing, and registering firearms for use on the base. Subsequently, range certification was mandated for operating and managing the range during sessions. Active-duty volunteers from diverse units across the base, including the 14th Security Forces and the 14th Student Squadron, gathered to clean and refurbish the range.
“This project took about 10 volunteers to clean up. It took a couple of hours to pull weeds, sweep, vacuum the broken clays out of the trap houses, mow, knock down a metric ton of dirt dobber nests, and then clean and lube the machines. Every week a few of us end up putting in a couple of hours behind the scenes for upkeep and maintenance,” Carmack says.
With the groundwork laid, the next step was to generate interest within the community. Carmack collaborated with the Force Support Squadron’s Marketing Team, Public Affairs, and Wing leadership to promote small shooting events during the week, leading up to the grand reopening event in January of 2024. On the chilly morning of the reopening, with temperatures at a frosty eighteen degrees following a recent storm, Carmack arrived at the range.
“After I made a quick trip back to Outdoor Recreation for final supplies, I returned to find twenty cars in the parking lot and a large crowd eager to participate, and I was so excited! I realized the resurgence was evident, and I can see a future with regular tournaments every quarter and open shooting sessions every Friday night and Saturday morning,” Carmack states.
Reflecting on the journey, Carmack emphasized the collective effort involved.
“I acknowledge the volunteer team’s dedication, recognizing their crucial role in revitalizing the program. I want the volunteers to know the time spent is appreciated.” He expressed gratitude and shared, “Going forward, we are hoping to get the attendance up enough to allow us to purchase rental shotguns, purchase additional machines to expand the range, and upgrade existing machines for more reliable shooting. We are always looking for different groups of people to come out and shoot whether it’s youth groups, brand new shooters, or seasoned veterans; it doesn’t matter to us as long as the members continue to find enjoyment in sport shooting.”
Please contact Outdoor Recreation for more information at 662.434.2505.
