Soldiers from the Kansas Army National Guard fire M4’s during the 2017 TAG Marksmanship Match. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
By Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs, 184th Public Affairs
More than 80 Soldiers and Airmen from across Kansas took aim downrange at the Kansas National Guard Weapons Range in Salina, Kansas, on Sept. 14. They competed for top honors in the annual Kansas Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match, commonly known as the TAG Match.
The TAG Match is a marksmanship competition that tests the skill of using pistols and rifles.
“We were expecting 150 to 200 shooters, but due to budget cuts and the hurricanes that hit Texas and Florida, our turn-out wasn’t what we hoped it would be,” said Sgt. Joseph Romans, noncommissioned officer in charge of the TAG Match.
Kansas National Guard shooters, both Army and Air Force, took part in individual and team contests to prove their marksmanship skills.
Competitions consisted of shooting from varying distances and positions with the M-9 pistol and the M-4/M-16 rifle.
During the Excellence in Competition legs of the match, individuals vied for the top spot among all shooters for a chance to earn the Governor’s Twenty tab; a state-level award presented to the top 20 shooters in the state. Recipients of the award may wear the tab on their uniform to signify their excellent marksmanship.
The TAG Match isn’t just a competition; it is a way for Kansas Guardsmen to build morale and hone their marksmanship skills.
“It enables Soldiers and Airmen to come out and work on a fundamental skill like marksmanship, and show off their talent, in addition to having fun shooting together,” said Romans.
Over the years, the Kansas National Guard has made improvements to the range that have made the competition even better.
“The upgrades that they have made to the range are phenomenal,” said Tech Sgt. Treg White, NCOIC pistol range. “We are able to use several different courses of fire because of the improvements and it has made the TAG Match better and better every year.”
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- An Airman fires his M16 at a 200 meter target during the TAG Marksmanship Competition. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- An Airman lines up his sights on a target during the rifle portion of the TAG Marksmanship Match. During the timed rifle competition, Airmen and Soldiers fired a specific number of rounds at three targets. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- An Airman fires his M16 at a 200 meter target during the TAG Marksmanship Competition. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- Chief Master Sgt. Ken Steadman of the Kansas Air National Guard lines his sights up as he prepares to fire at a target. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- An Airman fires his M4 at a 75 meter target. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- An Airman fires his M16 at a 200 meter target at the TAG Marksmanship Competition. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- An Airman from the Kansas Air National Guard readies his M4 rifle to fire on a target. Airman and Soldiers fired from various distances during the rifle portion of the TAG Marksmanship Match. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- A shell casing ejects from an Airman’s M9 pistol during the 2017 TAG Marksmanship Match. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- Airmen and Soldiers Fire M9 pistols in Excellence in Competition portion of the TAG Marksmanship Match on Sept. 16, 2017. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- A Soldier with the Kansas Army National Guard fires his M9 pistol during the pistol Excellence in Competition portion of the TAG Marksmanship Match. Competitors were required to wear a vest and helmet while competing in the EIC portions of the match. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- An Airman from the 284 ASOS fills out his Excellence in Competition score card prior to shooting the pistol EIC portion of the competition. Airman and Soldiers compete in the rifle and pistol EIC matches to earn points toward a distinguished rifleman’s badge. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- A Soldier with the Kansas Army National Guard records the score of a fellow competitor. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- An Airman from the 284th Air Support Operations Squadron asks for another participant to score his targets. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- A Soldier from the Kansas Army National Guard fires an M9 pistol from the prone position during the TAG Marksmanship Match on Sept. 16, 2017. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- An Airman fires an M9 pistol at targets during the TAG Marksmanship Match. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- Airmen and Soldiers score targets together after a round of firing. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- An Airman from the 284th Air Support Operations Squadron scores a target at the 2017 TAG Marksmanship Match. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- A Soldier from the Kansas Army National Guard fires his M4 rifle during the 2017 TAG Marksmanship Match. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- A Kansas Army National Guard Soldier looks downrange at his target after completing a round of firing. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- Soldiers from the Kansas Army National Guard fire M4 rifles during the 2017 TAG Marksmanship Match. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- A Kansas Army National Guard Soldier loads rounds into a magazine for his M4 rifle. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs)
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- Members of the Kansas Army and Air National Guard score their targets for the rifle range at the 2017 TAG Marksmanship Match. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Jacobs, 184th Public Affairs)