Photo By Staff Sgt. Israel Sanchez | Sgt. Andres Diaz (left) and Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Melendez, both assigned to the New...... read more read more
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LATHAM, N.Y. -- Two New York National Guard Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry finished eighth out of 35 teams during the sniper competition held at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas Dec. 4-10.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Melendez and Sgt. Andreas Diaz, both New York City police officers who served together in Afghanistan and in the 69th’s sniper section, competed against 23 National Guard state teams and 12 active duty military units in the Armed Forces Skill at Arms Sniper Match.
Diaz was the shooter, using a bolt action M-2010 enhanced sniper rifle with range of one kilometer. Melendez was his spotter, armed with the M110—a larger caliber version of the M-16A2—used to engage closer targets.
While they finished eighth overall, they came in at fourth place among the National Guard Teams.
That part of the competition is known as the William P. Winston Sniper Competition, named for a former chief of the National Guard Bureau who encouraged marksmanship training.
Their performance was impressive enough that there is a chance they will get invited to the annual International Sniper Competition head at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic international travel is shut down, so there is a chance the Army will invite some of the top performing National Guard teams to fill all the slots, Diaz explained.
“I think we outperformed most people’s expectations,” Melendez said. “I am actually really proud of how well we did.”
“That competition has some of the best shooters and snipers in the country. You have Special Forces teams, Marine Recon and Special Operations guys there, “Melendez added.
“As far as the sniper community it is the ‘who’s who’ of the best guys. It is pretty cool to feel you can hang with them at that level,” he said.
The sniper competition tested the Soldiers’ ability to acquire and engage targets using sniper rifles and pistols, their physical fitness and their ability to approach and engage a target undetected.
Diaz and Melendez also learned that the competition tests snipers ability to plan for a mission and cope with the unexpected.
The two friends, who attended the New York Police Department academy together, prepared for the contest by shooting at a private range in the Catskills. The range is used by the NYPD long-range shooting team to hone their skills.
If they could redo their train-up, Melendez and Diaz agreed, they would focus on night shooting. That was the toughest part of the competition for them.
They did their best when it came to the unusual firing positions they had to use for some engagements, Diaz said.
In one case they were on a platform known as a “boat” that was elevated on four sides but not on the fifth.
“The second you got on, it moved constantly,” he recalled. “We just decided to lay down on the boat and alternate shooting.”
The two also did well on a “stalk lane.” That task involved executing a “ruck march” with all their gear, getting into position unobserved, shooting a target and then remaining hidden when a “walker” came looking for them.
Shooting, though, was only part of the challenge, Diaz said.
“Getting through the mission is just as important as shooting,” he said.
The teams would be told what their mission was. But they were not told what equipment they would need, or whether getting there would require a road march. They had to decide what to bring and what to leave behind so a potential ruck march would not exhaust them, he explained.
The most challenging event literally involved tying one arm behind his back, Melendez said.
The competitors flipped a coin to decide if they would lose the use of their right or left arm. He’s right handed so he got lucky when his left arm was tied behind his back.
But all of the firing data he need to engage the target with his M110 was on written on his left sleeve. So Diaz had to read the data off to him so he could shoot successfully, Melendez recalled.
Melendez, who led the 69th sniper section and has now become an infantry platoon leader, said participating in the event was “bittersweet” for him.
“I wish I had an opportunity to do this sooner in my sniper career. I learned so much about potential sniper training I would have altered my section training plan,” he said.
Diaz, who took over as head of the battalion sniper section, said he came away with lots of great information to share.
He would like to see the New York Army National Guard hold a similar sniper competition for other Soldiers in those positions across the 69th, the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, and the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry.
That would be great training and it would be great way to pick contestants for the National Guard’s annual event, Diaz said.
| Date Taken: | 12.22.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2020 12:36 |
| Story ID: | 385616 |
| Location: | NEW YORK , NY, US |
| Web Views: | 408 |
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