Iowa Guardsman compete in the 44th Annual Winston P. Wilson Championship

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Matt Hoffman and Staff Sgt. Daniel Ter Haar
  • 185th Air Refueling Wing
Members of the Iowa National Guard competed in the 44th Annual Winston P. Wilson Championship held at Camp Robinson in Little Rock, Arkansas week from April 25 to May 1, 2015. 

The Iowa shooting team sent eight members from Army and Air National Guard units from across the state to compete.  The Members from the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, Iowa were Senior Master Sgt. Matt Hoffman, Tech. Sgt. Mike Simoni, and Staff Sgt. Micah Larson.  The Championship had teams in attendance from 47 states and over 240 individual marksmen competing.

The Iowa teams represented well during the Championship and finished in the top 10 teams overall for the pistol shooters. The Alpha team placed 2nd overall in pistol matches and placed 3rd in the Patton match. The Bravo team placed 4th in the steel plate challenge match.

The 185th ARW's Staff Sgt. Micah Larson took 1st place overall for novice shooter in combined rifle and pistol,  1st place Novice Anti-body armor match, 2nd overall novice pistol shooter, and 2nd place novice pistol barricade match.

Two Shooters from the Iowa teams received The Chief's 50 Badge. This award for the top 23 rifle shooters, top 23 pistol shooters, and the top four snipers in all the combined Army and Air National Guard.  General Grass presented the badges and it is one of the pinnacle achievements in a shooters career. Staff Sgt. Micah Larson and to the Iowa Army National Guard's Sgt. 1st Class Paul Deugan received badges for their performance and placement in the top 23. 

The members of the Iowa Guard shooting teams dedicate long hours to prepare for competition in National Matches. Their efforts have helped them compete well and represent the Iowa National Guard as skilled marksmen in national competition.

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