ANNISTON, Ala. – Eighteen National Guardsmen from across the country competed in the All Guard Marksmanship Team tryouts hosted by the Alabama National Guard’s Lethality Group at Fort McClellan Training Center’s Clarke Range Sept. 5-8.
The National Guard Marksmanship Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, holds the event annually to build the National Guard’s premier competitive shooting team. This was the first time another organization hosted.
The NGMTC focuses on developing a team of Soldiers and Airmen who compete with service rifles and pistols and encourage Guardsmen to improve their expertise by participating in competitive shooting.
“The NGMTC maintains active working relationships with a myriad of training organizations across the 54 states and territories,” said Capt. Garret Miller, NGMTC program manager.
Miller said the ALNG’s Lethality Group has long been recognized as a flagship organization known for its subject matter experts.
“The ALNG’s Lethality Group was selected to host the competition because of the facilities on Fort McClellan and having our full-time staff to facilitate the entire match,” said Staff Sgt. James Ruddick, the Lethality Group’s noncommissioned officer in charge.
Ruddick said marksmanship training units are dying out due to a lack of funding and support for their craft.
“The Alabama National Guard has been very supportive of the Lethality Group with our manning requirements and because of our engagement with other units and assisting with their qualifications,” said Ruddick.
Ruddick said supporting competitive shooting enables Guardsmen to refine their skills and then train their peers.
“Competition breeds excellence,” said Ruddick. “We’re breeding hundreds of shooters that take lessons learned back to their units.”
Traditionally, marksmanship competitions have required competitors to wear an Army combat helmet, a vest to carry magazines and a belt to carry a pistol. However, the NGMTC is pushing to make competitions more combat-related by adding more physically demanding matches.
“Starting next year, the idea is that we will go to full plate carriers, and the fighting load on the body will meet a certain minimum weight to ensure that it is realistic training,” said Ruddick.
This year’s competition alluded to the big push for physical fitness by including matches that involved throwing sandbags, carrying weights and running between firing berms.
“These competitions serve as a crucible to forge relevant tactics, techniques and procedures as well as important professional networks,” said Miller.
Soldiers and Airmen from states as far away as Colorado, Vermont and New Mexico traveled to Alabama to compete in this year’s All Guard Marksmanship Team tryouts.
“The ALNG support staff were incredibly professional, and we look forward to hosting more events in Anniston,” said Miller.
The ALNG’s Lethality Group also hosts the state marksmanship competition every year and will host the southeastern region’s next marksmanship competition.
“We want people to know who we are,” said Ruddick, “I think this event definitely had a huge part of that.”