New Hampshire National Guard Adjutant General’s Combat Marksmanship Match Welcomes International Competitors

Photo By Sgt. Bei Simmons | Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities, New Hampshire Adjutant General, presents an Adjutant General’s coin to Subteniente Roberto Alfaro, El Salvador Army Special Forces at the end of the New Hampshire National Guard Adjutant General (NHNG TAG)’s 2023 Combat Marksmanship Match, Sept. 8, Ft. Devens, Mass. Team El Salvadoran competed for the first time in the NHNG TAG match and won the Remington “Vulcan” Trophy as the Team Grand Aggregate Champion at the 3-day event from September 6 to 8. Photo by Sgt. Bei Simmons, 114th Public Affairs Detachment.  

DEVENS, MA, UNITED STATES

09.10.2023

Story by Sgt. Bei Simmons 

114th Public Affairs Detachment

Shoot to Win

Soldiers and Airmen from the New Hampshire National Guard, alongside military representatives from El Salvador, Cabo Verde and Canada competed at the New Hampshire National Guard Adjutant General’s Combat Marksmanship Match from Sept 8-10, 2023.

As the blazed down on the ranges of Fort Devens, Massachusetts, 66 competitors from four different countries engaged their targets, shooting to win.

"It's more than just shooting,” said Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities, NHNG TAG. “It's maintaining that profession of arms and professional marksmanship skills so that we are able to share and collaborate with our partners on best practices of tactics, techniques and procedures."

The annual competition is comprised of 11 pistols and rifle marksmanship skill events.

This year the match was pushed to a new level of multicultural collaboration when an El Salvadoran military team competed for the first time in the history competition.

"What's really unique about this event is that we have our allies and partners here,” said Mikolaities. “It is a true international event, and a great opportunity to train with them."

The winners this year were Team El Salvador, with the Remington “Vulcan” Trophy as Team Grand Aggregate Champion and Capt. Robert Matzelle, commander of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), won the First Lieutenant Wheeler Award for Individual Pistol Excellence.

Subteniente (Second Lieutenant) Alejandro Vesquez, a competitor and member of the El Salvador Army Special Forces, expressed the same sentiment and gratitude for the opportunity to participate with their State Partners.

“We're very happy to be here and the people are so warm to us,” said Vesquez. “I would like to say ‘thank you’ for all the efforts to make us feel welcome.”

He added that, while the Devens ranges are much more complex than the ones in El Salvador, he finds the challenge exciting and he hopes to incorporate the idea within his own unit training.

Although the TAG match is a comprehensive combat marksmanship assessment where champion shooters from national level compete, novice shooters are encouraged to take their first step towards mastery.

“Soldiers and Airmen get this rare opportunity to talk to each other with all different skill levels. They get to pick each other's brains,” said Staff Sgt. Wayne Comtois, a senior marksmanship instructor in Joint Force Headquarters and TAG match support staff. "The TAG match is also always creating great networking.”

First-time contestant and avid shooter in his civilian capacity, Sgt. Nathaniel Sanborn, couldn’t hide his excitement to start the match.

"I love shooting and this is one of the biggest reasons that I joined the Guard.” said the supply sergeant with 3643rd Brigade Support Battalion, “I didn't really have the ability to practice shooting in my personal life, so I want to take up any opportunities to build up my shooting skills.”

He added, “what better start than the TAG match to learn from people who have done it for several years?"

• Date Taken: 09.10.2023
• Date Posted: 09.10.2023 20:29
• Story ID: 453104
• Location: DEVENS, MA, US