FORT BENNING, Ga., - Guardsmen from 11 different states, together with over 200 Army active duty, reserve and cadet components, competed in the annual All-Army Small Arms Championships here from Feb. 21-27.
More than 80 members of the Army and Air National Guard participated in the 24-event exercise that was mainly designed to evaluate novice shooters in matches, which involved disciplines such as pistol, rifle, long-range and combined arms capabilities.
The National Guard Marksmanship Training Center (NGMTC), located at Camp Robinson, Ark., used the results of this past October's Winston P. Wilson (WPW) Matches to select teams to represent the National Guard.
"Last year, we brought two teams with eight overall shooters to the competition and with increased funding that we received, it helped us in sending more shooters to receive excellent training," said Capt. Tommy Edwards, the NGMTC program manager.
"Because of deployments and other commitments, most of the individuals who shot here did not participate at the Wilson Matches, thus giving them valuable experience and marksmanship knowledge that they can take back home to their states to expand their programs."
The team from Louisiana, who won the All States Trophy as the top team at WPW, was one of the teams who used different shooters for All-Army.
"The All-Army provided a great experience for us, since this was the first time for some of the team to shoot at a match such this," said Sgt. 1st Class Chris Letendre. "We were able to pick up a lot of different things to help us shoot better and now we can take this knowledge back to our own unit."
Prior to All-Army, the teams trained for a week at Camp Robinson and the All Guard team helped them prepare for some of the events.
"The train-up that the NGMTC provided helped tremendously and without staff support and assistance, we would not have had the opportunity to participate in the All-Army," said Sgt. 1st Class Jose Garcia of Team California. "This is the first time in 15 years that we have been able to shoot in a match other than WPW and even though we performed well, I would like for us to come back to see if we can do better."
Throughout the week, the weather played havoc as shooters had to endure windy and cold temperatures as well as rain and sleet.
"We had some good days and bad ones because of the extra stress that the weather placed on our team," said Sgt. Joseph Sellers of Team South Carolina Blue. "The marksmen who do well are the ones who accept the conditions and shoot the way they would in combat situations instead of trying to adapt to the rules."
Incorporating events that involve running and combined arms, competitions such as the All Army provide a truer test of shooting ability than just basic qualification.
"The event provided a realistic assessment of how someone shoots under combat conditions and performing under duress," said Sgt. 1st Class Garcia. "Qualification just doesn't cut it when it comes to shooting capability - the extra stresses make it tougher."
What makes competitions like the All-Army pertinent is the relevance they provide to training and being prepared for combat deployment.
"There are a lot of units that don't place a lot of emphasis on marksmanship, but luckily our adjutant general really supports what we do and if you can show leadership that training is relevant, then they can support events like this," said Tech. Sgt. Edward Altmeyer, Jr., of Team Pennsylvania.
This premise was echoed by the commander of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) at the awards ceremony.
"We use the phrase 'Competition to combat' to describe the phenomena of taking lessons learned through competition to enhance the capability and lethality of the Soldier in combat," said Lt. Col. Daniel Hodne. He followed up by saying that the lessons learned at these types of competitions are designed as the ultimate train-the-trainer concept and that it raises the Army's overall combat readiness in theatres such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
The following National Guard Soldiers were honored at the awards ceremony:
Overall Novice Class - 3rd - Sgt. Andrew Garza, California NG
4th - Staff Sgt. Tim Brewer, Nebraska NG
5th - Spc. Evan Messer, North Dakota NG
Overall Open Class - 1st - Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Wall, California NG
2nd - Sgt. William Bratcher, South Carolina NG
Overall Combined Arms - 3rd - Staff Sgt. Linwood Watford, South Carolina NG
High National Guardsmen (E1-E4) -Messer
Distinguished Rifle EIC Badge - Sgt. 1st Class Marc Sheehan, Nebraska NG