Oklahoma Guardsmen shoot for the top

Photo By Staff Sgt. Bradley Cooney | Army Spc. Coltan Armstrong, combat engineer with the 545th Brigade Engineer Battalion inspects his pistol targets after firing during the Governor's 20 marksmanship competition Saturday at Camp Gruber Training Center in Braggs, Oklahoma. The Governor's 20 competition is held each year to showcase the marksmanship of the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard. This also gives service members the opportunity to gain knowledge from other shooters from across the state. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Bradley A. Cooney)  

BRAGGS, OK, UNITED STATES

09.23.2018

Story by Sgt. Bradley Cooney 

145th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

BRAGGS, Okla. -- Since 1991, the Oklahoma National Guard has held the Governor’s 20 Marksmanship Competition. Oklahoma Army and Air National Guardsmen have competed against one another, side-by-side in a series of events to showcase the best of the best in the state. This year, at Camp Gruber Training Center in Braggs, Oklahoma, the tradition lives on.

In the rain-soaked valleys of the Cookson Hills, Soldiers and Airmen competed in a 3-day event, which tested their proficiency and knowledge of the weapons used in combat.

“The intent of this event is to elevate the skill level of everyone who attends, with the goal of them taking their knowledge and passing it on back to their unit,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Roger Farley, match director of the Governor’s 20 Marksmanship Competition. “This helps to improve the capability and skill level of the entire state.”

While many participants are returning competitors, several Soldiers and Airmen are competing for the first time.

“I’ve never done anything like this, so I’m getting a lot of good training out of this competition,” said Army Spc. Coltan Armstrong, Edmond, OK, combat engineer with Alpha Company, 545th Brigade Engineer Battalion. “There are a lot of people here with more experience than me, so it kind of shines a light on the importance of training on your own before you come to events like these.”

While there is a lot of competition during this event, it also gives newer service members a chance to pick the brains of seasoned marksmen in order to become more proficient in their craft.

“Everybody brings something different to it, different experiences,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Troy Chaddon of Oklahoma City, unit deployment manager of the 137th Special Operations Support Squadron. “Even though we have two different branches involved, there are a lot of different techniques that everyone shares. When you get exposed to different ways of doing things, you learn something that may work better for you.”

In the evenings between events, Chaddon, a 13-year competitor in these events, held classes on marksmanship and techniques for his fellow competitors.

Along with the in-depth knowledge being shared across ranks and branches, Guardsmen are getting a great deal of hands-on experience.

“People are getting time with the pistol that [they] don’t normally get to shoot the pistol,” Chaddon said. “That’s really the point of this competition. You get more trigger time and more time behind the gun than you get with the normal training schedule.”

This is also a rare event where Soldiers and Airmen get to work alongside one another.

“It’s pretty fun competing against different branches, it’s more competitive,” Armstrong said smiling. “You get to talk some smack. It’s definitely a more fun environment and you get to see a different culture in different branches.”

Competitors are scored as teams but also as individuals, but only 20 Governor’s 20 patches for rifle and pistol can be awarded. The coveted Gus Hadwiger award is also given to the highest scoring novice and open shooter for rifle or pistol.

This year, the Gus Hadwiger award for open rifle went to Army Staff Sgt. Nathan Powell, Broken Arrow, Golf Company, 700th Brigade Support Battalion. The Gus Hadwiger award for open pistol went to Air Force Tech. Sgt. Troy Chaddon, Oklahoma City, 137th Special Operations Support Squadron. The Gus Hadwiger award for both novice rifle and pistol were awarded to Army Sgt. Daniel Twist, Tulsa, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment.

While not everyone could receive an award or Governor’s 20 patch, all walked away having gained some knowledge and experience while getting to share in the camaraderie among fellow Guardsmen.

• Date Taken: 09.23.2018
• Date Posted: 09.27.2018 16:56
• Story ID: 294246
• Location: BRAGGS, OK, US