In Memoriam: Joe DeCosta, National Matches Icon

April 3, 2024

Civilian Marksmanship Program▸The First Shot▸In Memoriam: Joe DeCosta, National Matches Icon

By Matt Sandwisch, CMP Safety Officer/National Match Foreman

On Thursday, March 21, Joseph M. DeCosta passed away. He was 91.

For 30 years, Mr. D. was the man who made the National Matches happen. He would arrive in May, two months before the Matches started, and leave in September, a month after they ended. When he left to go back home to Florida, he would be exhausted. By the time I was talking to him on the phone in October, he was ready to come back to Camp Perry. He always had a feeling that the coming summer was going to be a good year. He loved Camp Perry and the National Matches.

I had the privilege of working on Joe DeCosta’s crew for 16 years. During those years, he was in charge of constructing and maintaining the ranges for the National Matches – supplying targets, and whatever else needed to be done to make the National Matches a success. To the crew, he was known as Mr. D., and he commanded great respect.

He wanted to instill in his workers a strong work ethic and sense of patriotism. He prided himself so much that in all his years as Range Engineer, we never missed a start time. When difficult times came – storms, difficult range conditions, problems with equipment – he was up for the challenge. He maintained a “can-do” attitude. For Mr. D., the shooters always came first.

He was always loyal to those who worked for him. I remember him saying, “Loyalty is a two-way street.” He would stick up for his kids when he thought they were in the right and insisted they get paid weekly in a timely fashion. If the paychecks didn’t arrive on time, he was known to “raise hell” with the higher ups. He wanted to do a good job, but he also wanted to make sure that we had fun while we were doing it.

Every month, he would buy a birthday cake, and we would celebrate four months’ worth of birthdays with it. Range Change Day was a long, grueling day of work, but it was also always one of the most memorable and fun. He was proud of the work of his crew, and he was dedicated to putting on the best National Matches possible. For him, the National Matches was more than a summer gig – it was a lifelong passion.

Mr. D was born in Massachusetts on May 12, 1932. He proudly served in the United States Marine Corps for 26 years. From 1969 to 1974, he shot on the Marine Corps Shooting Team. He earned his Distinguished Badge in pistol in 1972 and in rifle in 1973. I remember him telling me that once, while shooting, a Marine came to assist him and give him shooting advice. He didn’t have the heart to tell him the Marine he was double Distinguished!

Upon retirement from the Marine Corps, Mr. D returned to Camp Perry to volunteer for the National Rifle Association (NRA). He volunteered in several capacities including Chief Range Officer and Range Director.

In 1983, he was the assistant to Col. Lloyd O. Williams, the NRA Range Engineer. He took over Col. Williams position in 1984 and remained Range Engineer for 31 years before retiring in 2014 at the age of 82.

But, his love for the shooting sports would not let him stay retired for long. He returned to the NRA in 2017 to be Range Engineer for the new NRA National Matches at Camp Atterbury. He returned to Camp Perry again in 2018 and 2019 to serve on the Pistol Protest Committee and as Team Adjutant for the Mayleigh Cup Team. He also found time during those years to shoot in the National Matches Small Arms Firing School (SAFS).

During Mr. D.’s last year as Camp Perry’s Range Engineer, Gary Anderson gave the First Shot speech. He said:

“The founding purpose of the National Matches was to prepare U.S. citizens to defend our country. But from the very beginning, National Matches participants also enjoyed the fellowship, camaraderie and friendships that came from shooting in the Matches; they too became a unique COMMUNITY…

But the National Matches are not about marksmanship only for the best; they are about marksmanship for all. The National Matches are unique because the competitions are open to shooters of all skill levels. And National Matches participants include more than just competitors. They are Ohio National Guard soldiers, CMP and NRA staff members, volunteers who the ranges running, the Range Engineer crew…all of them are participants in our national shooting festival. PARTICIPATION FOR ALL is an especially important value today because we live in a culture that strives to turn us into spectators.

National Matches participation is important because it’s not about spectating, it’s about all of us getting out on the field and playing.”

During his many years at Camp Perry, Joe DeCosta loved and contributed to the community at Camp Perry – first as competitor, then as volunteer and staff, and finally as competitor again. More than any other person, Joe DeCosta exemplified the spirit and love of the National Matches at Camp Perry.