PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. —
Surrounded by a sea of recruits and the smell of hot brass, it's easy to spot Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Estefania Patino's campaign cover and trademark green marksmanship instructor jacket as she patrols Chosin rifle range's firing line here, inspecting weapons and encouraging shooters as they sight in on their targets.
As a primary marksmanship instructor, Patino is charged to make riflemen out of the recruits. To them, she is a shooting guru. But they would never guess that Patino had never fired a weapon before she joined the Marines.
A Laredo, Texas, native, Patino first developed her interest in shooting during recruit training, where she fired a weapon for the first time in her life. It was not a natural experience for Patino, who struggled at first.
“In boot camp, I was actually really bad. I got sharpshooter,” she said. “All I remember about the first time shooting was that it was cold and it was December. It wasn't natural to me and took a lot of practice and reiteration for me to learn how to shoot. Once I got comfortable with it, I loved it.”
Honing Marksmanship Skills
While stationed in Okinawa, Patino volunteered to go through the Combat Marksmanship Coach Course, where she honed her rifle marksmanship skills and learned to shoot a pistol for the first time. Patino excelled, and her…
