Robert Aylward passed away on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at the age of 74, following a courageous battle with throat cancer.
He was born on August 27, 1951, in San Francisco. Aylward began his lifelong journey in marksmanship at the age of eight through BB gun programs sponsored by the NRA and the YMCA. A few years later, he advanced to gallery smallbore shooting and trained at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club of San Francisco. It was there that he first encountered the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), through club president Dr. Horner, whose son Jack was a member of the USAMU shotgun team.
During his high school years, Aylward competed as part of the rifle team at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco—a time when every public high school in the city supported active rifle competition programs. Carrying a rifle through school halls en route to the range was a common and accepted practice.
As he approached graduation, Paul Collins—formerly assigned to the International Rifle Section at USAMU and then serving as an ROTC Instructor at Tennessee Tech University (TTU)—received word from Gary Anderson that TTU might want to take a chance on offering Aylward a scholarship. It was yet another connection to USAMU in a career that would grow into a distinguished legacy in competitive shooting.
After graduating high school, Aylward received a scholarship to Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee, where he became a four-time All-American and a key contributor to the school’s first National Collegiate Rifle Team Championship win in 1971. His years at TTU were defined not just by athletic achievement, but by enduring friendships with teammates who were as committed to excellence in the classroom and on the range as they were to supporting one another. Many of those same friends continued to be a source of encouragement during Aylward’s later battles with cancer.
Aylward graduated from TTU in 1973 as a Distinguished Military Graduate and was commissioned into the U.S. Army Signal Corps, with hopes of joining the USAMU. However, the Army first assigned him to Korea. Determined to continue practicing, he borrowed an air rifle from Olympian Jim McNally and stayed sharp through relentless dry firing. In late 1974, Aylward was finally assigned to the USAMU’s International Rifle Section, joining a cohort of elite shooters that included Ray Carter, Ed Etzel, Dick Floyd, Diana Timberlake Zimmerman, Ernie Vande Zande, Wanda Jewell, Ron Plumb and Rich Taber.
His first USAMU match took place on the 50-foot indoor range on Edwards Street, where his competitors included Olympic medalists and world champions such as Lones Wigger, Jack Foster, Margaret Murdock, Lanny Bassham, Jack Writer and Tommy Pool. The scorekeeper was Martin Gunnarson.
In 1975, Aylward was a firing member of the Army’s winning National Trophy Rifle Team at Camp Perry and earned the prestigious Pershing Trophy as the high shooter in the National Trophy Team Rifle Match. That same year, he completed USAMU’s Sniper/Counter-Sniper Course, taught by MSG Clinton Stephens at Maerten’s Range. His career as a competitive shooter and team leader took him around the world, including to the 1981 World Match Crossbow Championships in Arosa, Switzerland, where he helped secure the USA’s first team medal in the event’s history.
From 2012 to 2024, he served on the ISSF Technical Committee, continuing his contributions to the sport on an international level.
Aylward’s military career was equally distinguished. The Army assigned him to posts around the world, including Fort Gordon (Georgia), Korea (1/31st Infantry and later 8th Army J6), Germany (2/87th Infantry), ROTC at Lafayette College and multiple tours at the USAMU. He represented the United States in the 1983 Pan American Games, the 1985 Championships of the Americas and the 1986 World Shooting Championships. After attending the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, he returned once more to the USAMU, eventually serving as its Deputy Commander and Executive Officer.
He retired from the military in 1993 as a Lieutenant Colonel and returned a few months later to continue serving as Deputy Commander/Executive Officer as a Department of the Army Civilian for another 30 years. In total, he dedicated over 51 years to federal service.
Throughout his career, Aylward received numerous honors and recognitions, including induction into the USAMU International Rifle Hall of Fame, the USAMU Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
Decorations and Badges
- Legion of Merit
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal
- Meritorious Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
- Army Commendation Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
- Army Achievement Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
- Army Service Ribbon
- Overseas Service Ribbon
- Parachutist Badge
- U.S. Distinguished International Shooter Badge
- Bronze Excellence in Competition Badge (Rifle)
More than his many titles and medals, Robert Aylward was proudest of his family. He met his wife and best friend, Jennie, along the way, and together they raised six wonderful children and were blessed with 10 grandchildren.
He will be deeply missed.
His service will be conducted on Thursday, September 18, at 11:00 a.m. at Central Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia. Address is 8303 Whitesville Road, Columbus, Ga., 31904.
Rest in peace to a legend of the shooting sports.
Legends: Robert Aylward
August 27, 1951 – September 14, 2025
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