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© 2013 KentuckyGuard
By Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Kentucky National Guard Airmen and Soliders compete in a rifle match at Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. The Guardsmen fired M4 rifles and M9 pistols in a variety of events during the annual Adjutant General Marksmanship Match. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
FORT KNOX, Ky. — Annually, the top shooters in the Kentucky National Guard gather to prove their skills and compete for the exclusive Governor’s Twenty patch. More than 50 Soldiers and Airmen took to the firing line at Fort Knox, Ky., July 25-26 for the Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match.
“This event showcases what the Kentucky National Guard has to offer as far as marksmanship is concerned,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Dean, Kentucky Marksmanship coordinator. “Shooting, I think, is in a Kentuckian’s DNA.”
An Airman fires during a pistol event at The Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match in Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
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The Kentucky Guard awards the “Governor’s Twenty” tab only to the top 20 participants who have accumulated enough points over the two days of matches. Those that have earned the tab must also out perform those that may have already earned it, meaning if 18 of the participants currently ranked in the top 20 have previous been awarded the tab then only two will be awarded, which happened this year.
Master Sgt. Edwin Garcia of Joint Force Headquarters, and Staff Sgt. Shahid Iqbal of the 238th Training Regiment were the only two awarded the tab this year.
Kentucky Guardsmen compete in a pistol event during The Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match at Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
“When all the many things we as Soldiers and Airmen have to do to satisfy yearly training obligations are complete, we still have to be a confident and competent operator of small-arms,” said Dean. “Thankfully the Kentucky National Guard’s leadership has already seen the importance of these events and once again stepped up to ensure its success.”
Guardsmen also compete for the “Top Gun” award, which is given to the participant who achieves the highest point total over the two days. This year there were five individual matches that created the aggregate score. Staff Sgt. Jacob Fuller of 123rd Civil Engineering Squardron, 123rd Air Wing was the winner of the award. Fuller was also the top rifle marksman for the weekend, while Dean brought home top honors for pistol competition.
A Soldiers fires during a rifle event at The Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match at Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
Capt. William Wilford, Kentucky’s senior marksmanship coordinator said the Small Arms Readiness Training Section’s (SARTS) mission is to stand ready to be a combat multiplier to commanders across the state via clinics, or by sending SARTS NCO’s to their training events to assist in training Soldiers.
“From basic qualifications of individual weapons, to training in the live-fire Shoot-house, we have the tools available to meet a commander’s intent,” said Wilford. “This yearly training event allows a wealth of knowledge to gather to assist new soldiers and airmen in some of the finer arts of marksmanship and to simply become better at their jobs.”
Kentucky Guardsmen review their targets at The Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match in Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
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Story by Sgt. Dale Elliott, 75th Troop Command UPAHR
NOTE: Each week kentuckyguard.com publishes stories by Kentucky National Guard unit public affairs historian representatives, also known as UPAHRs. This is an additional duty taken on by a Soldier or Airmen with the intent of telling their unit’s story. This is one such story ….
CAMP BUTNER, NC. (June 20, 2011) - The Kentucky National Guard Marksmanship team returned from the Marksmanship Advisory Council III Regional Match in Camp Butner, N.C. with several trophies.
The combined team of Army and Air Guard members has consistently been major contenders in both regional and national competitions, said Capt. Aaron Grimm, one of the team’s members.
Staff Sgt. Jefferey Ice firing his pistol. He placed in the top ten percent of the EIC Pistol competition(Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood, National Guard Marksmanship Training Center)
“We’ve proven that Kentuckians still have the knack for the kind of shooting that made the Bluegrass State famous,” he said.
“The Kentucky National Guard team places in the top three in just about event we participate in. This supports our reputation as marksmen throughout history.”
Other team members included 1st Lt. Brian Stafford, Senior Master Sgt. Jonathan Seibert, Master Sgt. Darryl Loafman, Staff Sgt. James Dean, Staff Sgt. Jonathan Goatley, Staff Sgt. Randall Ford, Tech. Sgt. Erick Smith, Tech. Sgt. Bryan Hunt, Sgt. Jeffery Ice and Sgt. Matthew Ward.
The competition was made of several events. In the Team Events, they took first place in Team Pistol and second place in Team Grand Aggregate.
Master Sgt. Darryl Loafman firing his rifle. He placed in the top ten percent of the EIC Rifle competition. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood, National Guard Marksmanship Training Center)
There were also Individual Events that each competed in and several received awards.
- Loafman won the open class pistol match, and placed second overall in the individual pistol category. He also placed second overall in the Individual Grand Aggregate (pistol and rifle aggregate).
- Ice took third in the open pistol match.
- Smith took second in the novice pistol class.
- Grimm and Loafman placed in the top ten percent of the EIC Rifle competition and were awarded rifle “leg” points which put them closer to their Distinguished Rifle badge.
- Hunt along with Ice placed in the top ten percent of the EIC Pistol competition thus awarded pistol “leg” points putting them closer to their Distinguished Pistol Badge.
- Loafman also finished in the top ten percent but has already been awarded the Distinguished Pistol Badge.
Kentucky National Guardsmen Tech Sgt. Bryan W. Hunt, left, Master Sgt. Darryl Loafman, Sgt. Jefferey T. Ice and Staff Sgt. James E. Dean won the 2011 MAC III General George Patton Combat Pistol Team Match and placed second in the Combined Team Match. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood, National Guard Marksmanship Training Center)
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Story by Maj. Dale Greer, Chief of Public Affairs, 123d Airlift Wing
The U.S. Air Force Distinguished Rifleman Badge has been awarded to fewer than 350 shooters in Air Force History. The individually numbered badges are made of 10-karat solid gold. (Courtesy photo)
Louisville, Ky. (April 28, 2011) – A member of the Kentucky Air National Guard has earned one of the military’s highest honors for marksmanship, the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Rifleman Badge.
Senior Master Sgt. John Siebert, captain of the Kentucky Air Guard Rifle Team, won the honor for consistently scoring in the top 10 percent of all marksmen participating in multiple Excellence In Competition combat matches at the local, regional and national level, and for logging a cumulative 30 points in a career of shooting.
“This is a major achievement for any marksman,” said Master Sgt. Darryl Loafman, captain of the Kentucky Air Guard Pistol Team and a shooting colleague of Siebert’s. “The Distinguished Rifleman Badge is the kind of honor that truly must be earned through years of discipline and dedication.”
Senior Master Sgt. John Siebert, captain of the Kentucky Air National Guard Rifle Team, has been awarded the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Rifleman Badge, one of the top marksmanship honors in the U.S. military. Sergeant Siebert was presented with his badge during the recent Winston P. Wilson National Guard Combat Matches at Camp J.T. Robinson, Ark. (Courtesy photo)
Siebert, who received his individually numbered badge during the Winston P. Wilson National Guard Combat Matches at Camp J.T. Robinson, Ark., now joins an elite fraternity of just 324 other Distinguished Riflemen in Air Force history. The distinctive badge is made of 10-karat solid gold and is more strictly regulated than the Medal of Honor, according to military regulations.
“It’s a real honor to be recognized among such a talented group of competitors,” Siebert said. “These are some of the top marksmen in the entire United States military.”
The Kentucky Air Guard Marksmanship Team, which includes both the Rifle and Pistol Teams, has a long tradition of excellence, having earned more than two-dozen local, regional and national awards in the past decade, Loafman said.
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