Security Forces capture Top Gun Award
By Airman 1st Class Lillian Chatwin, 151st ARW/PA
/ Published October 04, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY --
Eight members of the 151st Security Forces Squadron, Utah Air National Guard, recently won the Top Gun Team Award in the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center competition at Camp Butner, NC conducted September 14-17.
The purpose of the competition is to support the ANG marksmanship programs, and provide relevant full-distance designated marksman training for security forces.
"I'm proud of the team," said Lt. Col. David Meyer, commander of the 151st SFS. "They went out there - the least equipped of the teams - and won. That tells you the caliber of the men we have."
The 151st SFS competed against eight other ANG SF squadrons from around the country in the training program's first competition. The Top Gun Team Award tallied the three-day scores of each competing individual, and the team with the highest overall score was awarded.
Staff Sgt. Stuart Mackey assisted as an instructor of the team, and also won third place in the individual Top Shooter contest. Staff Sgt. Gatherum placed eighth, and Senior Airman David Defriez placed ninth in the Top Shooter awards. The team also includes Staff Sgt. Michael Beckwith, Staff Sgt. Thomas Carpenter, Staff Sgt. Dominick LaGiglia, Staff Sgt. Jared Kidman, and Staff Sgt. Alan Robins.
Sergeant Mackey stated that as one of the instructors he is also proud of the team, and as a participant, the course was a good refresher for him.
"It was an eye-awakening experience," said Sergeant Mackey. "For some team members, it was their first time practicing distance shooting and engaging targets at 200 to 500 meters. Some people only get to train once a year, so this was also an excellent training opportunity."
The course included a 25-meter designated marksman qualification, a four-point entry level combat rifle fire course, a night fire portion, and training on target detection and range estimation. The distances fired at ranged from 100 meters to 500 meters using both the Back-Up Iron Sight and the Advanced Compact Optical Gunsight for the M-4 Carbine weapon system.
The National Guard Bureau hopes to continue the program annually as part of the Security Forces training.