Photo By Staff Sgt. Bradley Cooney | Members of the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard participate in the Governor's...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP GRUBER, Okla. - Oklahoma National Guardsmen compete to become the top 20 elite shooters at the annual “Governor’s Twenty Competition” hosted by the Adjutant General for Oklahoma on Sept. 23-24.
The Governor’s Twenty tests Oklahoma National Guardsmen’s marksmanship skills in a battlefield-focused environment by having them compete in a series of events, challenging their ability to move quickly, assess the terrain and accurately shoot targets within an allotted time.
More than 60 competitors from Oklahoma took aim using a Colt 5.56 caliber M16 rifle and Beretta M9 9mm handgun. They fired at targets from distances of 15 meters up to 400 meters in hopes to be named to the 2017 Oklahoma Governor’s Twenty list, a high honor, according to the Oklahoma National Guard marksmanship coordinator, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Roger Farley.
“The thing about doing a competition like this tends to bring out the best in an individual,” Farley said. “If you just go to the zero range and shoot at the pop-up range, it’s not really a competition, versus shooting shoulder-to-shoulder next to your fellow Guardsman.”
This two-day competition offered a chance for guardsmen to share in the camaraderie and improve their marksmanship skills in a friendly but competitive environment.
“This weekend is a fun time at the range,” said first-time competitor Staff Sgt. Harry Hannah, an Avionics Integrated Technician in the 138th Fighter Wing from Tulsa, Oklahoma. “We all get to practice our marksmanship training and this is something every guardsman needs. This is a perishable skill.”
Farley said the Governor’s Twenty started to have a strong following in Oklahoma in the 1970s and then declined participation starting with the Gulf War, and again recently with the large numbers of guardsmen deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.
“In recent years, our leadership has seen the value in restoring competitive events like this among our guardsmen,” Farley said.
Sgt. Sam Soutter is an Infantryman with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, located in Sands Springs, Oklahoma. He is also a police officer with the Osage Nation Police Department, where he is a certified sniper.
“I don’t get to shoot using only iron sights that much, so this helps me keep my skills up without the aid of a scope,” Soutter said. “I have competed in this event two other times in the past and didn’t make the cut. This year, I am hoping to get my Governor’s Twenty tab.”
The top 20 finalists in both the pistol and rifle competitions will be eligible to compete at the national level against other Guard states.
In the 2017 Governor’s Twenty Pistol Awards, the top three winners were Staff Sgt. Michael Hall of the 137th Special Operations Wing, Staff Sgt. Erik Mortenson of the 189th Regional Training Institute and Lt. Col. Tim Gibson from the Camp Gruber Training Center.
In the 2017 Governor’s Twenty Rifle Awards, the top three winners were Staff Sgt. Harry Hannah of the 138th Fighter Wing, Master Sgt. William Burkhart from the 189th Regional Training Institute and Master Sgt. Michael Jarreau of the 138th Fighter Wing.
A complete list of winners in all the categories can be found at http://ok.ng.mil/pages/governors-twenty
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.16.2017 16:22 |
| Story ID: | 249454 |
| Location: | BRAGGS, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 924 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Oklahoma Guardsmen compete in the Governor’s Twenty Marksmanship Competition, by SSG Jason Lay, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT