NY State Defense Force Volunteers field combat pistol team for skills competition

Photo By Edward Shevlin | New York Guard Cpl. Joseph Baldwin takes aim before taking a target under fire during the 2023 New York Army National Guard Combat Marksmanship Skills Competition, held Sept. 6-10, 2023 at the Camp Smith Training Site in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. Baldwin, a volunteer with the New York State Defense Force, participated with seven other New York Guard members as a combat pistol team. U.S. Army National Guard photo by 1st Lt. Ed Shevlin.  

CAMP SMITH, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

09.07.2023

Story by Edward Shevlin 

New York National Guard

CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, Cortlandt Manor, New York - The New York Guard fielded an eight-person combat pistol team at the 2023 New York Army National Guard Combat Marksmanship Skills Competition, Sept. 6-10 at Camp Smith Training Site.

Known as the Adjutant’s General Match, or just the TAG Match, the competition focuses primarily on Army and Air Guard rifle and pistol marksmanship skills.

But the New York Guard, the state volunteer defense force supporting the New York National Guard during state emergencies, maintains a pistol team that competes annually in the TAG Match.

The New York Guard team participated in three pistol matches: the Sgt. Thomas Baker Individual Combat Pistol Match, the Combat Pistol Excellence-in-Competition Individual Match, and the Lt. Col. William Donovan Combat Team Pistol Match.

The eight participants included senior officers, junior officers, senior enlisted, and junior enlisted from across the state, according to the team Officer in Charge, Col. John Mechmann.

Last year, during the 43rd Annual TAG Match, organizers introduced the "Excellence-in-Competition (EIC)" program, recognizing competitors who excel in specific individual competitions involving service rifles and pistols.
This program added intensity to this year's competition with timed target exposures and varying distances between firing points and targets, Mechmann said.

Despite facing temperatures reaching 93 degrees on Thursday, September 7, the New York Guardsmen enjoyed the competition.

Cpl. Joseph Baldwin, of the 88th Area Command, performed well in both the Sgt. Thomas Baker Individual Pistol Match and the EIC Individual Pistol Match, securing 5th place in each.

Baldwin did not participate in the rifle portion of the EIC competition however, and was ineligible to place in the overall EIC match.

Still, he praised the competition and the challenges to competitors.

"I thoroughly enjoy our team practices, and competing at the TAG Match is a lot of fun,” Baldwin said. “It looks like we will field a rifle team next year, which will make the EIC aspect of the TAG Match meaningful to us."

Baldwin's positive sentiment was shared by others on the team, including the team's novice, 2nd Lt. Julien Wolfe.

"The match exceeded my expectations, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm already looking forward to next year's competition and will be better prepared,” Wolfe said.

• Date Taken: 09.07.2023
• Date Posted: 09.28.2023 14:10
• Story ID: 454577
• Location: CAMP SMITH, NEW YORK, US