| Sherri Jo Gallagher | |
| Birth Date: | 1984 |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Unit: | U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team |
| Awards: | United States Army Soldier of the Year (2010) |
Sgt. Sherri Jo Gallagher is an American soldier who holds 22 United States national rifle records.[1] In 2010, she was named the U.S. Army Soldier of the Year.[2]
Sherri Gallagher was born in 1984 in California USA.[3] Her mother is Nancy Tompkins who in 1998 was the first woman to win the High Power Rifle Championship,[3] and her step-father is Mid Tompkins, who has won the honor six times in a row.[4] Gallagher was able to shoot a rifle for the first time at the age of five years.[3] Her step-cousin half removed, Patrick Kelly, is a clay pigeon shooter.
In 2003, Gallagher was the World Long Range Shooting Champion, and had already been named National Rifle Champion twice by the National Rifle Association.[5] Following her awards, Gallagher was invited to guest jump with the U.S. Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team. Following the jump, the team invited Gallagher to enlist.[5]
In 2010, Gallagher was nominated for Soldier of the Quarter based on her marksmanship,[6] and traveled to Fort Lee, Virginia to compete for Soldier of the Year.[6] Gallagher went on to compete nationally and was the first woman to win the U.S. Army's Soldier of the Year award.[7]
In August 2010, Gallagher was the second woman to win the NRA's National High Power Rifle Championship.[8] The first woman in history had been her mother.[8] Of the twelve awards available at the 2010 NRA Championships, Gallagher was given eight.[9]
In October 2010, Gallagher studied at the Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia, and took the Warriors Leaders Course.[3]
In 2013, Gallagher was profiled by Business Insider as one of the "Most Impressive Women in the U.S. Military".[10]
As of July 2014, Gallagher is stationed in Arizona.[11]