Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Harley Jelis | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Kapela, with the 152nd Engineer Support Company, New York...... read more read more
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CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, CORTLANDT MANOR, N.Y. – For New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Michael Kapela, his seventh Adjutant General’s marksmanship competition—known as the “TAG Match” —was more meaningful than his first.
Ten years ago Kapela, who has served in the Guard for 16 years, won a clean sweep of all the events during his first TAG Match as a novice, and he has competed twice at regional National Guard shooting matches and once at the national level.
This year Kapela took top honors in the individual rifle match and was also part of the rifle team that won first place.
Helping the team from his unit, the 152nd Engineer Support Company, earn first place in the rifle marksmanship event is what made this time around special, Kapela said.
Training for the match was an opportunity to teach marksmanship skills while continuing to learn new tips and techniques from other service members, Kapela explained.
He’s not in it for the trophy or the recognition; he’s in it to help the next generation of Soldiers, Kapela added.
“There are 101 theories out there on how to be a great shooter, but not everything will work for you,” Kapela said. “It’s about trying and implementing new tips until you get it right, and that’s what the TAG Match gives you an opportunity to do.”
Kapela has a significant amblyopia (lazy eye) and that would deter most people from pursuing both a hobby and profession that relies heavily on ocular accuracy. But he said it only strengthened his resolve to learn and try even harder.
Kapela said he uses the mantra that his father, a 35-year Army veteran combat engineer, gave to him when he was eight years old: “If you’re going to show someone what you can do, first you need to show them how to get it done.”
Kapela was one of 68 service members who participated in the 38th Annual "TAG Match" Combat Sustainment Training Exercise here from June 1-4, 2017.
The TAG Match is a 3-day event conducted by the New York Army National Guard to promote excellence in marksmanship training and offers Soldiers and Airmen the opportunity to test their skills and weapon systems in a battle-focused environment.
Members of the New York Naval Militia and the New York Guard, the state’s volunteer self-defense force, are also invited to participate in the competition.
These skills and techniques are forged during four high-tempo and high-pressure marksmanship events, each designed to test the knowledge of weapon systems and accuracy during battle-like conditions.
The four advanced marksmanship events are the Sgt. Henry Johnson Individual Combat Rifle Match, the Sgt. Reidar Waaler Team Combat Rifle Match, the Sgt. Thomas Baker Individual Combat Pistol Match, and the Lt. Col. William Donovan Team Combat Pistol Match.
Each event is named in honor of a past Medal of Honor recipient from New York Army National Guard units.
The matches are a mix of both team and individual timed events that combine three different firing positions, quick movements to varying locations and short sprints, all of which simulate combat scenarios.
Aside from improved marksmanship techniques, one of the benefits to participating in the TAG Match is that everyone from the supporting staff to the competitors gets a chance to network with peers outside of their military branches.
Sgt. Michael Ryan, a Soldier with the New York Army National Guard’s 827th Horizontal Engineer Company, has been a part of the TAG Match support staff in the past and was a competitor this year.
“The best asset that staff and participants come away with is the people,” said Ryan. “There’s Soldiers, Airmen and militia competing together; we’ll end up working together and seeing each other out there when responding to state active duty missions.”
The collaboration at the TAG Match helps to build relationships among competitors, while the peer instruction and coaching allows Soldiers to hone their craft and bring new knowledge to their units.
“The TAG Match trains Soldiers to first gain individual proficiency and then gauge proficiency in others,” said Maj. Christopher Culpepper, the officer-in-charge of the TAG Match and deputy operations officer of the 53rd Troop Command. “This is an important skill that improves every level of the organization from the individual Soldier to the unit and ultimately the New York National Guard.”
The overall match champion, based on a summary of scoring across all categories, were Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry.
The winners for this year’s match were:
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
The Sgt. Henry Johnson Individual Rifle Match
1st Place: Staff Sgt. Michael A. Kapela - 152nd Engineer Company
2nd Place: Spc. Nick S. Austin - 145th Maintenance Company
3rd Place: Senior Airman Shannon Carr - 107th Security Forces Squadron
Novice: Spc. Nicholas K. Jenkins - 204th Engineer Battalion
The Sgt. Thomas Baker Individual Combat Pistol Match
1st Place: Staff Sgt. Blake H. Alexander - 1108th Ordnance Company (EOD)
2nd Place: Staff Sgt. Michael A. Kapela - 152nd Engineer Company
3rd Place: Senior Airman Shannon Carr - 107th Security Forces Squadron
Novice: Sgt. Gabor Kolman – Headquarters Company, 1-69th Infantry
TEAM AWARDS
The Sgt. Reidar Waaler Team Combat Rifle Match
1st Place: The Gravediggers (The 152nd Engineer Company)
Staff Sgts. Michael Kapela and Raphael Ramos, Spc. Tyler Studd and 1st Lt. Christopher Tornabene
2nd Place: Fighting 69th (1st Battalion, 69th Infantry)
Spc. Felipe Diaz, Staff Sgt. Matthew Flower, Sgt. Gabor Kolman and Staff Sgt. Matthew Melendez
3rd Place: Team Niagara (107th Security Forces Squadron)
Senior Airmen Shannon Carr and Anthony Capizzi, Technical Sgt. Michael Bauer and Airman First Class Colin King
The Lt. Col. William Donovan Combat Team Pistol Match
1st Place: Fighting 69th (1st Battalion, 69th Infantry)
2nd Place: Team Niagara (107th Security Forces Squadron)
3rd Place: The Gravediggers (152nd Engineer Company)
Combat Match Champions
1st Place: Fighting 69th (1st Battalion, 69th Infantry)
2nd Place: Team Niagara (107th Security Forces Squadron)
3rd Place: The Gravediggers (152nd Engineer Company)
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| Date Taken: | 06.04.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2017 11:51 |
| Story ID: | 236693 |
| Location: | CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE , NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 153 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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