Marksmanship team competes in Arkansas
Four Soldiers take home honors from the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center
by Maj. Theresa Austin
National Guard Marksmanship Training Center
Sept. 22, 2021
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Fifty-three four-person teams from across the National Guard competed in the 50th Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol Championship on Aug. 28-Sept. 2.
“We are truly honored to have teams from across the nation at the 2021 WPW Rifle and Pistol Championship,” said U.S. Army Col. Andy Bussell, commander of the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, which hosted the event here at the Robinson Maneuver Training Center.
Out of the 42 National Guard states and territories in attendance this year, Arkansas and North Dakota Guardsmen walked away with the highest honors.
The Arkansas National Guard received the Overall State Team Trophy.
The Pennsylvania National Guard team placed second.
Alabama guardsmen finished third overall and all earned the prestigious Chief’s 50 Marksmanship Badge for the first time.
Staff Sgt. Gavin Rook, North Dakota National Guard, is the Individual Grand Aggregate Champion and recipient of the Lloyd Nelson Trophy.
Staff Sgt. John Jordan, South Carolina National Guard, earned second place overall and is a new recipient of the Chief’s 50 Marksmanship Badge.
Staff Sgt. Erik Vargas, California National Guard, is the third-place WPW champion, and earlier this year, he represented the National Guard on the All Guard Sniper Team who won the Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting Sniper Championships.
Rook and Vargas are previous recipients of the Chief’s 50 Marksmanship Badge and were recognized again, this year in both pistol and rifle. Rook first earned his badge in the pistol discipline and Vargas’ was in sniper.
This badge is the highest marksmanship badge given by the National Guard and each year, only 50 total shooters, shared between rifle, pistol, sniper and machine gun disciplines, are recognized as the Chief’s 50 top national-level shooters.
Each badge, which can only be received once, is unique to the recipient and has a discipline-specific serial number, their name and the year they earned it engraved on the back.
This year at the rifle and pistol championship there were only 19 new badges given but four of the new recipients earned recognition in both rifle and pistol. The other 23 slots were filled by previous recipients, nine of who earned recognition in both pistol and rifle this year.
“The training value is immense,” said 1st Lt. Parker Deese, the Novice Individual Grand Aggregate Champion from the Texas National Guard. “You have shooters here who've been in this competition for 20 years or more. Those individuals are a wealth of knowledge…that needs to be passed on to new shooters.”
The competition is steep at these matches and leads to better readiness, which is the key priority of the NGMTC.
“The National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, as the home to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau’s marksmanship program, tries to ensure that each member of his Army and Air National Guard is fully capable of employing his/her assigned weapon,” said Bussell.
Soldiers and Airmen enjoy the competition and the training they receive while here.
“The competition is great…awesome place for soldiers to come out and test their marksmanship abilities,” said Deese. “I think it makes a better fighting force overall. I couldn't ask for anything more.”
The NGMTC sponsors the WPW Championships at no cost to state commanders, and encourages them to send their service members.
“These competitions add value to commanders,” said Stapp, Arkansas Alpha team captain. “Commanders can support their troops, let them attend these matches and they get excellent marksmanship sustainment training.”
It is the National Guard Bureau’s center for managing marksmanship training courses and competitive marksmanship programs with the intent to advance small arms lethality, demonstrate National Guard marksmanship capability, and enhance marksmanship effectiveness in combat.
Established in 1968, the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center is the National Guard Home of Marksmanship.
NGMTC is headquarters for the “All Guard” competitive shooting teams: service rifle, service pistol, sniper, multi-gun, tactical athlete, and international combat teams.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Erik Vargas, right, of the California National Guard and an All Guard Combat Team member, checks and scores his team’s targets following a pistol match on Aug. 31 during the 50th Winston P. Wilson & 30th Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting Rifle and Pistol Championships at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center in Arkansas. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Hunnisett)
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Erik Vargas, right, of the California National Guard and an All Guard Combat Team member, checks and scores his team’s targets following a pistol match on Aug. 31 during the 50th Winston P. Wilson & 30th Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting Rifle and Pistol Championships at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center in Arkansas. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Hunnisett)
Vargas prepares for a rifle match on Sept. 3 during the 30th Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center. Established in 1991, the Armed Forces Skills at Arms Meeting is a multinational and interservice competition that was created to promote marksmanship training and competition between the different components and services of United States military forces and allied nations. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Hunnisett)
Vargas prepares for a rifle match on Sept. 3 during the 30th Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center. Established in 1991, the Armed Forces Skills at Arms Meeting is a multinational and interservice competition that was created to promote marksmanship training and competition between the different components and services of United States military forces and allied nations. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Hunnisett)
Vargas is announced as the 50th Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol overall individual third place champion and is presented a plaque by Col. Andy Bussell, commander of the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, during an awards ceremony at the Professional Education Center on Sept. 2. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Charles D. Davis)
Vargas is announced as the 50th Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol overall individual third place champion and is presented a plaque by Col. Andy Bussell, commander of the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, during an awards ceremony at the Professional Education Center on Sept. 2. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Charles D. Davis)
COMPETITION RESULTS
Overall State Champions
Champions Trophy: Arkansas
Second Place: Pennsylvania
Third Place: Alabama
Combat Rifle Team Aggregate Champions
Trophy: Pennsylvania
Second Place: Arkansas
Third Place: Texas
Combat Pistol Team Aggregate Champions
Trophy: California
Staff Sgt. Erik Vargas
Sgt. 1st Class Henry Miller
Sgt. Howard Hall
Sgt. Gage Young
Second Place: Arkansas
Third Place: Nebraska
Individual Grand Aggregate Champion
Third Place: Vargas
Combat Rifle Individual Aggregate Champion
Trophy: Vargas
Combat Pistol Individual Aggregate Champion
Third Place: Hall
High Individual New Shooter
& Recipient of the SSG Millard Butler Team Leader award
Hall
Individual Grand Aggregate Champion-Novice
Third Place: Young
Combat Pistol Individual Aggregate Champion-Novice
Trophy: Young
New Chief’s 50 Recipients
Pistol
Hall & Young
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