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LAKE, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – North Dakota marksmen are gearing up for another year of shooting compeitions with the start of the 2016 Adjutant General’s Combat Marksmanship Match.
Nearly 65 Soldiers and Airmen representing North Dakota National Guard units from across the state tested their abilities during multiple pistol, rifle and shotgun shooting events July 8-10 at the firing complex on Camp Grafton’s southern training area.
“This annual marksmanship competition always is one of my favorite events to attend,” said Maj. Gen. Alan S. Dohrmann, North Dakota adjutant general, who recognized the shooters’ performances during the competition’s awards ceremony. “It’s exciting to see how much you all, as marksmen and members of the North Dakota National Guard, share a common passion. The shooting expertise you develop here is an invaluable skill you can pass onto fellow unit members — Soldiers and Airmen alike — to strengthen individual readiness across our organization.”
When the winners were announced during the final day of competition, four shooters from the Jamestown-based 817th Engineer Company (Sapper) again came out on top as the best overall team with the highest aggregate score from multiple shooting matches. The team members are Sgt. Evan Messer, of Mandan, North Dakota; Sgt. Jordan Gehlhar, of Lauderdale, Minnesota; Sgt. Andrew Maley, of Enderlin, North Dakota; and Spc. Drew Topp, of Jamestown. This is the 32nd year in a row the Jamestown unit has secured first place at the state match.
They were followed by a team from the Fargo-based 119th Wing from the N.D. Air National Guard. The second place winners were Tech. Sgt. Josh VonBank, Senior Master Sgt. Brian Rook, Airman 1st Class Gavin Rook and Staff Sgt. Matthew Jasper.
Maj. Michael Champagne, the state’s marksmanship coordinator, said the group of North Dakota marksmen were able to form 15 teams this year for competition, a significant uptick in participation from previous matches.
“This is the most teams we’ve had compete here in a while. Seeing that many new people interested in the program is really good, so that they can get that training and bring it back to their units, and show people that there’s not only just a typical marksmanship qualification to participate in every year. There are different types of shooting events available to make everyone better at what they do,” he said.
In individual competition, Messer was named the best overall marksman, or “top gun.” He was followed by Spc. Bryce Solie, of Fertile, Minnesota, also a member of the 817th Engineer Company, in second, and Staff Sgt. Jason Dittus, of Bismarck, a member of the 818th Engineer Company (Sapper), based in Williston, North Dakota, who came in third.
A veteran marksman, Messer recently returned in late June from the British Army Reserve Operational Shooting Competition, an international shooting match at the Army Training Centre Pirbright in Woking, England. While there, he competed as a member of the All-Guard Marksmanship Team, which is comprised of the top marksman across the country. The team shot a number of rifle and pistol matches against 200 shooters from various nationalities to earn the coveted Fortuna Trophy, based on its aggregate scores. The National Guard team won the honor for the first time in 15 years after not competing at the match since 2006.
Messer said he gained insight into the competition by visiting over the phone with his mentor and a member of the N.D. National Guard’s Marksmanship Hall of Fame retired Sgt. First Class Gary Varberg, who won the Fortuna Trophy with All-Guard teams three times during his shooting career.
A “double distinguished” competitor, Messer also holds Distinguished Marksmanship Badges for both rifle and pistol, which is a significant accomplishment for military shooters. The achievement is earned by accruing compounded “leg points” during state, regional and national marksmanship competitions. A marksman acquires “leg points” by finishing in the top 10 percent of shooters in rifle and pistol “Excellence-in-Competition” matches. Fewer than 5 percent of all shooters ever reach “Double Distinguished” status. At the Adjutant General’s Combat Marksmanship Match, Messer was able to share his experiences and gained skill with other North Dakota marksmen to enhance their performances.
“Everyone was receptive to the information I was putting out. They weren’t afraid to ask questions and I gave them every bit of useful knowledge that I could. They were really appreciative,” he said.
According to competition planners, “the Adjutant General’s Combat Marksmanship Match is held to promote battle-focused marksmanship training and to enhance overall marksmanship proficiency. The event also is designed to test and improve the capabilities of the state’s National Guard forces in a tactically-oriented environment.”
“This is a stepping stone for determining who our better shooters are, so we can put forward teams to compete in the regional tournament and Winston P. Wilson (WPW) where we go up against all the other states,” Champagne said. “We have a program here in North Dakota that is top-notch and everyone wants to be part of an elite team. When our guys took the WPW this year, a lot of other people wanted to throw their hats in the ring to be a part of it.”
Winners from the state competition now will advance to the regional competition Aug. 18-21 at Camp Guernsey, Wyoming, which includes National Guard shooters from North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska and Oregon. From there, the North Dakota Soldiers and Airmen will compete at the national level next spring at the 46th Annual Winston P. Wilson Championship.
All photos are courtesy of Staff Sgt. Eric W. Jensen, Joint Force Headquarters
