Leatherneck Marksmanship was founded with the sole purpose of teaching the fundamentals of rifle and pistol marksmanship to young men & women enlisting in the United States Armed Forces and instilling in them the skills and confidence necessary to succeed throughout their military careers.

We have outlined a $10,000 start-up budget that will equip us with the tools & equipment necessary to begin training. Working directly with recruiters to identify enlistees, our goal is to provide training to 20 young men & women by the end of 2026, at no cost to them.

UPDATE 7/5/26 - We've just received a matching gift of up to $5,000 meaning our first $5,000 in donations will be doubled!

From our Primary Instructor:

“A number of years after I was medically retired from the USMC, having served as a Primary Marksmanship Instructor and Armorer, a Vietnam-veteran asked me to teach his grandson, a poolee for the USMC, how to shoot. So I did. I taught him enough to be a rifle coach (MOS 0933) before he went to recruit training. He shot company high in boot camp and was promoted ahead of his peers.

When someone commits to being in the military, it’s stressful. There is this large volume of knowledge you are expected to learn and you are leaving your family, your support system. Your life is completely about to change; 100%. I have these skills that the military instilled in me, as an instructor, and I want to pass them on…selectively. I recognize the challenges facing military trainees, regardless of enlisted or officer. I think it would be great to give these trainees a competitive advantage; a leg-up, if you will. Progressively introduce them to the AR platform, the different optics, positions, etc. Teach them to shoot in their combat gear. Teach them a stressful skill in-advance. They will still have a lot to learn, but I can help give them a jump-start.

I’ve done it before, and I’d really like to keep doing it. And I’d like to do so at no cost to the trainee. Hence the idea of starting Leatherneck Marksmanship as a non-profit. And why we’re asking for your support.

Semper Fidelis,”

Michael J Chiolero

SSgt, USMC, Retired

Support Our Mission

Fund our launch! Marksmanship training for young men & women enlisting in the US Armed Forces.