Edward James Land Jr. or Jim Land (born 4 June 1935 in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

), is a retired

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

officer who was instrumental in starting the Marine

Scout Sniper United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper ( MOS 0317, formerly 8541) was a secondary MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have graduated from a U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sn ...

program.

United States Marine Corps

Edward James Land, Jr. was born on June 4, 1935 in

. He enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 17 in 1953. Land went on to become a

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...

and a

Drill Instructor A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Aust ...

before attending

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. H ...

(OCS) in 1959. Upon graduating OCS, Land was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the

4th Marine Regiment The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Mission 4th Marine Regiment conducts littoral ...

. As an officer, Land demonstrated an aptitude for competitive shooting and was selected for the Marine Corps Rifle Team. In 1961, Land founded the first modern sniper course for the Marine Corps. In

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, Land was the commanding officer of

Carlos Hathcock Carlos Norman Hathcock II (May 20, 1942 – February 22, 1999) was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a l ...

, whom he had trained in one of his early Sniper Courses. Land was assigned as Commanding Officer of the

Marine Security Guard A Marine Security Guard (MSG), also known as a Marine Embassy Guard, is a member of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group (formerly Marine Security Guard Battalion), a brigade-sized organization of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) whose de ...

detachment at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam in November 1971. He was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

for his service at the Embassy under Ambassador

Ellsworth Bunker Ellsworth F. Bunker (May 11, 1894 – September 27, 1984) was an American businessman and diplomat who served as ambassador to Argentina, Italy, India, Nepal and South Vietnam. He is perhaps best known for being a hawk on the war in Vietnam and S ...

. After the Vietnam War, Land along with Major

Richard O. Culver Jr. Richard Otis "Dick" Culver Jr. (April 9, 1936 – February 24, 2014) was a decorated United States Marine Corps officer who was one of the founders of the United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper#Scout Sniper Course, Marine Corps Scout Sniper Scho ...

established the first permanent Marine Corps Scout Sniper school in Quantico, Virginia. After Vietnam, Land served as the Marine Corps Marksmanship coordinator.

Community life

Land was active in the community, and from 1977 until 1980, held the position of scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 1183 in Triangle, Virginia. During his tenure he mentored many Scouts, several to the rank of

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

. He was also instrumental in spearheading a newspaper recycling program, years before such recycling practices were commonplace. Newspaper from the local community was collected once a month by the Scouts and sold to an insulation company, with the proceeds to benefit the scout troop. From September 16 through 29, 1978, funds from these efforts sent 12 Scouts and 3 leaders to

Brownsea Island Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust with the northern half managed by the Do ...

, England, the location of

Lord Baden Powell Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Scout Association, The Boy Scou ...

's first Boy Scout camping trip in 1907.

After military service

Land retired from the Marine Corps as a major in 1977. Land was elected as Secretary of the

National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

in 1994. He retired from this position in April 2015.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Land, Edward James 1935 births Living people United States Marine Corps officers United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Legion of Merit American military snipers Sniper warfare Guerrillas Military personnel from Lincoln, Nebraska

United States Marine Corps

Community life

After military service

See also

References

External links