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188th sharp shooters top state at TAG marksmanship matches

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman John Hillier
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  The 188th Fighter Wing's marksmanship team dominated competitors from around the state of Arkansas at the 2013 Arkansas Adjutant General's Marksmanship Exercise, or "TAG Match," as it is also informally dubbed. The event was held at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Ark.

The 14 Airmen from the 188th were the only Air National Guardsmen represented in the field of 141 shooters, but they walked away with the lion's share of accolades, said Master Sgt. Greg Palmer, 188th base marksmanship coordinator.

"This year we had three four-man teams, and two additional shooters who competed as individuals only," said Master Sgt. Brian Detherage, a squad leader with 188th Security Forces Squadron.

Detherage said all competitors shot both both disciplines - rifle and pistol.

"They've been designed to be a more combat-oriented type of match, so it's mainly rapid-fire matches," Detherage said. "It's all iron sights, and you're shooting at very small targets that have bull's-eye rings. You get scored based on the ring that your round hits. There's some stress added in; there's a time factor added in. You've got guys shooting on [your] left and right. There's brass hitting you in the face."

The 188th took top honors in the Overall Team Pistol and Overall Team Aggregate competitions. Additionally, Detherage won all three individual competitions: Excellence in Competition Rifle, Excellence in Competition Pistol, and Individual Overall Rifle/Pistol. 188th Airmen had several other top 10 finishers in match events.

"The 188th has always gone down there and done really well," Detherage said. "There have been years in the past, where we've taken two or three teams and we've won every event across the board. This year, we didn't have quite the numbers that we've had in the past, but [our shooters] all did really well."

Although many of the 188th's team members are security forces Airmen, the TAG Match is open to all members of the Army and Air National Guard. The exercise is designed to promote small arms training interest, improve marksmanship training techniques, and assist in the improvement of weapons and equipment for the combat Soldier or Airman.

"Like everything else, we're limited on ammo. We're limited on time." Detherage said. "We had one day of train-up out at Fort Chaffee before we went to shoot this match. Each shooter got maybe 10 rounds at each distance. It was really fast and furious. That's where the TAG Matches are more of a training [experience] for our guys. So they can say, 'hey, I can hit a target at 400 yards with iron sights on this rifle.' Or 'OK, my pistol skills are a little bit lacking right now, so maybe that's something we need to work on.' So the training aspect has really been pushed. "

Detherage also stressed that the competition was open to all wing members

" There are a lot of people who work in different sections who may be civilian law enforcement, for example, or just folks who enjoy shooting," Detherage said. "This is a good way to show up and compete against not only your fellow Guard members, but also against the Army side. It always feels good to beat them up a little bit, too, especially when their commander's there."

Tech. Sgt. Seth Bagby was competing in his second TAG match.

"I think we all felt like we could have shot better, but it was a lot of fun and a good chance to meet and talk with members from the Army, as well as a good way to get to know other people from the 188th," said Bagby, a flight line avionics technician with 188th Maintenance Group. "Overall, it was a very good experience and lots of valuable training."

Although experience with competition shooting may prove beneficial to some, it's certainly not a necessity in order to do well in the TAG Match. Staff Sgt. Derek Nietert, a fire team leader with the 188th Security Forces Squadron, and member of the championship team, was new to the event.

"This was my first year to go," Nietert said. "Of course I was nervous, I didn't know exactly what to expect. I enjoyed that it was more combat oriented, with magazine changes and getting your sights back on target to fire accurate rounds. Once we got down there, they explained the different matches and it just came down to hitting my targets. I'm definitely looking forward to the next match."



188th sharp shooters top state at TAG marksmanship matches

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman John Hillier
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  The 188th Fighter Wing's marksmanship team dominated competitors from around the state of Arkansas at the 2013 Arkansas Adjutant General's Marksmanship Exercise, or "TAG Match," as it is also informally dubbed. The event was held at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Ark.

The 14 Airmen from the 188th were the only Air National Guardsmen represented in the field of 141 shooters, but they walked away with the lion's share of accolades, said Master Sgt. Greg Palmer, 188th base marksmanship coordinator.

"This year we had three four-man teams, and two additional shooters who competed as individuals only," said Master Sgt. Brian Detherage, a squad leader with 188th Security Forces Squadron.

Detherage said all competitors shot both both disciplines - rifle and pistol.

"They've been designed to be a more combat-oriented type of match, so it's mainly rapid-fire matches," Detherage said. "It's all iron sights, and you're shooting at very small targets that have bull's-eye rings. You get scored based on the ring that your round hits. There's some stress added in; there's a time factor added in. You've got guys shooting on [your] left and right. There's brass hitting you in the face."

The 188th took top honors in the Overall Team Pistol and Overall Team Aggregate competitions. Additionally, Detherage won all three individual competitions: Excellence in Competition Rifle, Excellence in Competition Pistol, and Individual Overall Rifle/Pistol. 188th Airmen had several other top 10 finishers in match events.

"The 188th has always gone down there and done really well," Detherage said. "There have been years in the past, where we've taken two or three teams and we've won every event across the board. This year, we didn't have quite the numbers that we've had in the past, but [our shooters] all did really well."

Although many of the 188th's team members are security forces Airmen, the TAG Match is open to all members of the Army and Air National Guard. The exercise is designed to promote small arms training interest, improve marksmanship training techniques, and assist in the improvement of weapons and equipment for the combat Soldier or Airman.

"Like everything else, we're limited on ammo. We're limited on time." Detherage said. "We had one day of train-up out at Fort Chaffee before we went to shoot this match. Each shooter got maybe 10 rounds at each distance. It was really fast and furious. That's where the TAG Matches are more of a training [experience] for our guys. So they can say, 'hey, I can hit a target at 400 yards with iron sights on this rifle.' Or 'OK, my pistol skills are a little bit lacking right now, so maybe that's something we need to work on.' So the training aspect has really been pushed. "

Detherage also stressed that the competition was open to all wing members

" There are a lot of people who work in different sections who may be civilian law enforcement, for example, or just folks who enjoy shooting," Detherage said. "This is a good way to show up and compete against not only your fellow Guard members, but also against the Army side. It always feels good to beat them up a little bit, too, especially when their commander's there."

Tech. Sgt. Seth Bagby was competing in his second TAG match.

"I think we all felt like we could have shot better, but it was a lot of fun and a good chance to meet and talk with members from the Army, as well as a good way to get to know other people from the 188th," said Bagby, a flight line avionics technician with 188th Maintenance Group. "Overall, it was a very good experience and lots of valuable training."

Although experience with competition shooting may prove beneficial to some, it's certainly not a necessity in order to do well in the TAG Match. Staff Sgt. Derek Nietert, a fire team leader with the 188th Security Forces Squadron, and member of the championship team, was new to the event.

"This was my first year to go," Nietert said. "Of course I was nervous, I didn't know exactly what to expect. I enjoyed that it was more combat oriented, with magazine changes and getting your sights back on target to fire accurate rounds. Once we got down there, they explained the different matches and it just came down to hitting my targets. I'm definitely looking forward to the next match."