OSS Academy History

Tactical Training Experience: Three Generations of Trainers

64 Years of Service

The roots of the OSS Academy® staff go deep, and it all began with Master Sergeant Mack Salmon, who in 1956 became one of the first team of instructors and coaches assigned to the newly created U.S. Army Advanced Marksmanship Unit (USAAMU) formed at Fort Benning Georgia. For 11 years, Mack served as head coach and developed advanced marksmen skills for the military and federal enforcement agencies. During his career, he earned a Distinguished Pistol Gold Medal, which is the top award any marksman can earn from the U.S. Government. Over his more than 32 years of service, Mack’s pistol teams would go on to repeatedly win both individual and team national and international competitions. Some of the advanced handgun techniques he developed are still in use today.

In 1957, his son David Salmon was awarded a Marksmanship Instructor Certificate by the U.S. Army at the National Matches. He was 16 years old at the time. During his military service, David earned the Excellence in Competition Award. He served as both a non-commissioned and commissioned officer in U.S. Military Intelligence, with combat tours in Viet Nam. His first police experience was as an MP, and he would go on to serve as a U.S. Marshal, and Provost Marshal under contract to the U.S. Navy. During his police career, he earned five gold NRA Distinguished Rifle & Pistol Awards. David has been a TCOLE Classroom and Firearms Instructor since 1977, and now serves as our Academy Administrator. His advanced tactical training includes Blackwater, long-range rifle, jungle warfare, weapons of mass destruction, nuclear deployment, and riot control.

David Salmon II, continues this three-generation U.S. Army and instructor tradition. He is the designated Training Coordinator for the OSS Academy® and has been a TCOLE Law Enforcement Classroom and Firearms Instructor since 1999. David is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. He is also a member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Corps and served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In addition to his other instructor experiences, he has successfully completed advanced tactical training with Blackwater, Thunder Ranch, Gunsite, NRA Headquarters, and Bob Bondurants School of High Performance Driving.

As Training Coordinator, David oversees a group of law enforcement and correctional instructors and instructional designers who have designed and presented 1,000’s of law enforcement, corrections, and counter-terrorist courses to professionals throughout the U.S., and Latin America. In addition to local and state agencies, some of the more recognizable entities we have served include:

  • Arkansas Highway Police
  • Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association
  • Central Intelligence Agency
  • Georgia Highway Patrol
  • Dominican Republic
  • Kansas County Association Multi-line Pool
  • Mississippi Department of Education
  • Mississippi Department of Public Safety
  • Sheriffs Association of Texas
  • National Archives
  • Puerto Rico, Office of Attorney General
  • Sheriffs Association of Texas
  • Texas Department of Public Safety
  • United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees
  • U.S. Army
  • U.S. Customs & Border Patrol
  • U.S. Department of Energy, Sandia Laboratory
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • U.S. General Services Administration
  • U.S. Marshals Service
  • U.S. Navy
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • And many other local enforcement and corrections agencies.

In each of these projects, training was designed and presented to reach a specific client objective through improved officer or agent performance. To learn more about OSS Academy, and what we can do to advance your education or meet your agency needs with high impact, cost effective online or instructor led training contact our Training Coordinator.