Adjutant General State Combat Match Rife and Pistol Championship
By: Alisha Culbertson
Updated: March 15, 2013
NEOSHO, MO.--- The Missouri National Guard are in Neosho to take part in 3 days of training and competition. Almost 130 of the guard's best marksmen will shoot both pistols and rifles. It is called the Adjutant General State Combat Match Rife and Pistol Championship, and it begins today.
"We'll get the best shooters with the pistol and the rifle throughout the state and they have the opportunity to move on to higher competitions later in the year," states Joe Payton, Captain.
"Some of them are novelists, some of them have been doing this for over 30 years," states Phil Marlowe, Sergeant 1st Class.
The annual contest is designed to promote marksmanship training for the guard members by testing their skills and weapons in a battle-focused competition.
"Any time you can prove your superiority over one group or another individual, you're at the same time training them also. You're setting a good example," says Marlowe.
Today is the pistol contest. 30 teams of 4 had 45 seconds to hit targets ranging from 4 stages...30...25...20...and 15 yards.
"It's a different method and experience. Moving up and down the range is different than what we normally do. It's just an overall training effect out of the competition," says Payton.
Sergeants say the event is a great way to build camaraderie while practicing shooting techniques
"We come down here and have a lot of good fellowship and see some old buddies that they maybe went overseas with," says Marlowe.
Tomorrow the guardsmen will participate in an all day rifle competition. Sunday's schedule includes a final, face-paced multi-gun match. It will end with an awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
"We'll get the best shooters with the pistol and the rifle throughout the state and they have the opportunity to move on to higher competitions later in the year," states Joe Payton, Captain.
"Some of them are novelists, some of them have been doing this for over 30 years," states Phil Marlowe, Sergeant 1st Class.
The annual contest is designed to promote marksmanship training for the guard members by testing their skills and weapons in a battle-focused competition.
"Any time you can prove your superiority over one group or another individual, you're at the same time training them also. You're setting a good example," says Marlowe.
Today is the pistol contest. 30 teams of 4 had 45 seconds to hit targets ranging from 4 stages...30...25...20...and 15 yards.
"It's a different method and experience. Moving up and down the range is different than what we normally do. It's just an overall training effect out of the competition," says Payton.
Sergeants say the event is a great way to build camaraderie while practicing shooting techniques
"We come down here and have a lot of good fellowship and see some old buddies that they maybe went overseas with," says Marlowe.
Tomorrow the guardsmen will participate in an all day rifle competition. Sunday's schedule includes a final, face-paced multi-gun match. It will end with an awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
