FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – More than 100 Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen competed in the annual Governor’s Twenty marksmanship competition here May 9-10.
The event, in which 103 service members competed, determines the top 20 marksmen in the state. They earn the right to wear the coveted Governor’s Twenty tab on their uniform.
“I’d like to thank all of you because without people coming out to shoot none of this would be possible,” said Sgt. 1st Class Luke Heim, Individual Training Branch noncommissioned officer-in-charge. “Even if you had no idea what you were doing, hopefully you have a better idea now.”
The Governor’s Twenty tab, worn on the left shoulder, is a state-level National Guard award presented annually and reflected on a service member’s official personnel record. Both the Army and Air Force recognize it.
Each Guardsman needed to be proficient with rifles and pistols to be competitive. The test consisted of each competitor firing an M17 pistol and M4 carbine. It also included an M17 pistol 30-yard slow fire match and an M4 carbine 400-yard slow fire match.
The competition allows Guardsmen to apply marksmanship fundamentals. That was one of the motivators for Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Costello, who also finished in the top three. He also described his participation in the competition as “an honor.”
“I would love to see this match continue to grow,” Costello said. “I get to see friends that I don’t often get to see, I have an opportunity to pass knowledge on to new shooters and I always learn something new myself. The amount of knowledge that is shared is invaluable and its knowledge that Soldiers and Airmen can take back to their units.”
The competition is organized and run by the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Marksmanship Training Unit.
In addition to the Governor’s Twenty tabs, Staff Sgt. Adam Rohacek won the High New Shooter Award.
Top 20 results:
1. Sgt. Ryan Ilich
2. Staff Sgt. Glenn Knight
3. Staff Sgt. Jason Goodling
4. Staff Sgt. Josef Volk
5. Staff Sgt. Zack Paff
6. Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Costello
7. Staff Sgt. Andrew Scalice
8. Sgt. Caleb Summers
9. Senior Airman Scott Berardinelli
10. Staff Sgt. Adam Rohacek
11. Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Brick
12. Sgt. Sedullo Fayz
13. Sgt. William Perez
14. Sgt. Jack Repyneck
15. Spc. Kraigym Blemle
16. Capt. Donald Yestrepsky
17. Sgt. Brandon Shanley
18. Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Weidow
19. Spc. Adam Sensenig
20. Tech. Sgt. Patrick Michael