Courtesy Photo | Team California soldiers (from left to right) Spc. Demetrios Iannios, Sgt. Jose...... read more read more
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Countless hours of dedication and focus paid off for the four marksmen of “Team California” as they took the stage Feb. 8 at the 2013 U.S. Army Small Arms Championship on Fort Benning, Ga., to receive top honors in both the team and individual categories.
The team clinched the Overall Team Championship and the Combined Arms Team Championship titles, while team member Sgt. 1st Class Geoffrey Applegate was named champion of the Overall Individual, Combined Arms and Open Class competitions, and Spc. Demetrios Iannios took second place in the Overall competition for the Novice Class.
“We went out there to put California on the map, with a focus on staying positive and working as a team, and we did just that,” said Team California member Sgt. Jose Moreno, a three-year member of the team and a training noncommissioned officer with Company A, 40th Brigade Support Battalion. “We’re very proud of what we were able to accomplish, and it was humbling to be recognized amongst some of the Army’s finest.”
Team California was not the only group of Guardsmen to make a big showing at the Army-wide championship. Of the 27 teams competing, only seven were National Guard teams. Yet, Guard teams swept each of the three part competition’s team pistol, rifle and combined arms titles and held a tight group for the overall championship title, seizing 1st through 4th place, followed closely by an Army Reserve and an active duty special forces team.
While Team California made its mark as whole, Applegate was truly a force to be reckoned with in the individual events, even dethroning defending four-time champion Master Sgt. Russell Moore as the competition’s Overall Individual champion.
Along the way Applegate also earned the coveted Distinguished Rifleman's Badge and was awarded a Secretary of the Army M1 Garand Trophy Rifle for his strong showing overall.
“I am still a bit overwhelmed,” said Applegate, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment and a native of Weed, Calif. “I love this competition. I have a competitive spirit — (marksmanship) is what I love to do, and to win at the All-Army is awesome.”
Each team in the competition comprises four shooters and a coach. By regulation, three of the soldiers may be an “old shooter,” or someone who has competed at the national level before, while the fourth team member must be a “new shooter,” who is competing at the national level for the first time.
“As an organization, we’ve been in the mix (for the championship) for the last couple years, but this year we were able to perfect our recipe,” said Staff Sgt. Leif Devemark, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment, and a three-year member of the team. “We really gelled as a team and focused on keeping each other positive.”
The two-week event includes competitions in three focused areas: pistol, rifle and combined arms. At the start, the members of Team California made a pact not to tally their scores during the matches and to keep their minds honed on the next set of targets.
However, as results were announced and the team learned it had taken third and fourth place in the pistol and rifle portions of the competition, respectively, they knew they needed every shot to count in the combined arms segment.
“The multi-gun portion is where we were going to make our money,” Applegate said. “It was worth more than both the rifle and pistol portions combined.”
Teams’ combined arms scores were based on both time elapsed and targets hit at each station. Every target competitors missed added an increment of time to their final tally, stripping points from their score.
This was the third year Applegate had toed this line and he reminded his teammates, “Go slow, make your shots count. You can’t miss fast enough to win.”
Team California’s “slow is smooth, smooth is fast, fast is lethal” logic pushed their shooters to the front of the pack.
Competition Breeds Excellence
The Army Small Arms Championship is just one of several annual events hosted by the Army Marksmanship Unit, which was established in 1956 to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the Army. Since its inception the AMU has assembled, trained and funded many of the Army’s finest marksmen to compete globally, with resounding success. The unit also serves as a center of excellence, developing and standardizing Army small arms training and working tirelessly to innovate new platforms and systems to enhance combat effectiveness.
On the operational front, the unit serves as a center of excellence; developing and standardizing Army small arms training, and working tirelessly to innovate new platforms and systems to intensify the combat effectiveness at the war fighter level Army-wide. The unit’s specialized staff coupled with their gunsmiths, machinists, range technicians and ammunition loaders were instrumental in developing, testing and fielding today’s M21 and M24 Sniper Systems, Special Purpose Rifles and Squad Designated Marksman Rifles.
Competitions enable the AMU to bring together many of the top shots from across the Army. This year’s Small Arms Championship pulled soldiers from many active duty units, including special forces and Ranger battalions, as well as National Guard and Reserve units.
“I’ve been to this match twice before, and I’m always impressed by the level of competition,” Applegate said. “There are always some outstanding shooters.”
The Small Arms Championship is designed to push soldiers beyond the sterilized protocol and layout of a standard Army range. Each match is varied in its focus and stressors, forcing shooters to engage a variety of targets from traditional and improvised positions as they navigate a range laid out to simulate a combat situation. Technique and focus are critical.
“Competitions like this allow us to figure out what works under pressure and bring those tested methods back to soldiers here in our home state for their benefit,” Devemark said.
Though no soldier makes it to this level of competition without a proven record, many see their education as ongoing, and the cross-pollination of expertise and enthusiasm was evident at the competition.
“Every time I go to a competition, I learn something I would have never learned otherwise,” Applegate said. “The majority of the competitors are NCOs, so training is second nature, and it’s a great environment to learn from one another and perfect our craft.”
Long Range Target
Team California hopes its Overall win will highlight the members’ level of seriousness and dedication, and generate interest and support for California’s marksmanship program for years to come.
“We’d like to maintain the momentum from an accomplishment like this and use it as a foundation to build upon for future successes,” said Moreno a native of Pacoima, Calif. “This program brings great accolades to the (CNG) as an organization and a great training value back to individual units and soldiers.”
The team members recognize that competing at this level requires dedication and sacrifice from those who support the marksmen as well.
“There are a lot of key players outside the ranks of our small team, like our families and our home units, who were critical in getting us to (Fort) Benning,” said Devemark an Oxnard, Calif. native. “We couldn’t have brought it all together without them backing us.”
Despite the amount of personal time and sacrifice it requires to keep their expertise honed, the team members share a deep belief in the importance of their trade and the community that surrounds it.
“The three Army pillars are shoot, move and communicate. … What comes first, and why?” Applegate asked. “Because it needs to be the foremost,” he answered, “and we’ve got a lot of passionate people in the state working toward that end. Our success is a product of those professionals and their dedication. Now we’ve just got to keep this momentum. ”
| Date Taken: | 02.08.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 02.14.2013 14:25 |
| Story ID: | 102005 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO , CA, US |
| Hometown: | OXNARD, CA, US |
| Hometown: | PACOIMA, CA, US |
| Hometown: | WEED, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 361 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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