Camp Perry is a National Guard training facility located on the shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton. In addition to its regular mission as a military training base, Camp Perry also boasts the largest outdoor rifle range in the world. The firing is done in the direction of the open water of the lake, and guard boats must warn off pleasure craft from behind the firing line.

Camp Perry has been the host of the NRA-sponsored National Rifle Matches since 1907. The National Matches, considered America's "World Series of the Shooting Sports", attracts shooting sports competitors from all across the nation, to compete in matches of all multitudes. The reservation is also home to the Small Arms Firing School, which provides shooters with expert training and facilities for improving their shooting ability.

The original land for Camp Perry was purchased in 1906, and the reservation was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the American naval commander who won the Battle of Put-in-Bay during the War of 1812. Rudimentary structures were constructed for use by competitors in the National Matches, and for transient personnel. During World War I, Camp Perry served as a training center for Army officers and marksmanship instructors. During the Second World War, Camp Perry served as a POW camp for German and Italian prisoners. After the war, prisoner quarters were converted back to use by transient personnel who were at Perry for training. Many of Camp Perry's original structures are still in use, in one form or another. At present, Camp Perry is the home of the 213th Ordinance Company (Missile Support, Corps), the 372d Missile Maintenance Company (DS) Detachment 1, and the 200th Red Horse Civil Engineering Squadron (Ohio Air National Guard).

External links

• Camp Perry webpage