Photo By Lt. Col. Michelle Lunato | The Overall Team Champions at the 2025 U.S. Army Small Arms Championships are the...... read more read more
FORT BENNING, Ga. – Outscoring 45 other teams, Alabama Alpha of the Alabama National Guard rose to the top, claiming the 2025 U.S. Army Small Arms Championships held on March 9-15, 2025, at Fort Benning, Georgia.
After firing more than 500 rounds across 11 matches, Alabama Alpha impressively scored an aggregate of 4401-60x. Scores from the rifle, pistol, and multi-gun matches determined the overall champions. This remarkable victory marks the 10th consecutive year the National Guard team has taken home the championship, a testament to their consistent dedication and skill.
Alabama Alpha team members Sgt. Maj. Stephen Murchison (coach), Master Sgt. Joseph Spradlin, Sgt. Gavin Blackwood, and Spc. Cameron Drake competed against more than 200 marksmen from across the Army including Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard units, and ROTC cadets.
“Winning All Army showcases the Guard’s ability to compete and excel alongside Active Duty and Reserve forces at the highest level,” said Murchison.
Alabama National Guard also claimed the Rifle Team Champion title.
Not far behind the Alabama Alpha, the Michigan Blue of the Michigan National Guard also made a strong showing, securing 3rd place of the overall U.S. Army Small Arms Team Championship, further proving the exceptional talent and commitment within the National Guard’s marksmanship ranks.
The U.S. Army Small Arms Championship is a week-long, live-fire training event, which is commonly known as All Army. This marksmanship event is held annually and hosted by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) at the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) in Fort Benning, Georgia. The event culminated in the multi-gun match, a high-paced challenge that tested competitors’ ability to engage targets with both rifle and pistol under dynamic conditions.
“The All Army brings together experienced and new shooters from all COMPOs, providing a chance to share knowledge and refine marksmanship skills to enhance both soldiers and their units,” said Sgt. Maj. Murchison.
“The more I learn from shooters across the Army, the more I can bring back to my soldiers, my home unit, and my entire state,” said Staff Sgt. Hunter McDowell of the Michigan National Guard.
12 National Guard teams who represented the Alabama National Guard, Delaware National Guard, Kentucky National Guard, Michigan National Guard (2 teams), New Hampshire National Guard, New Mexico National Guard, Ohio National Guard, Pennsylvania National Guard, South Dakota National Guard, Texas National Guard, and Vermont National Guard, competed in service rifle, pistol, and multi-gun matches.
National Guard teams and individuals brought home 16 of the possible 33 top awards, including taking 1st place in six of the 11 categories.
The training platform used by the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center (NGMTC) has been tested and proven to remain focused on precision through lethality. The goal of NGMTC is to produce humble competitors who can teach others the value of marksmanship through their own level of proficiency. The soldiers associated with NGMTC will constantly seek to be and remain the best version of themselves possible.
About Us: Established in 1968, the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center (NGMTC) is the National Guard Home of Marksmanship. NGMTC is the National Guard Bureau’s center for managing marksmanship training courses and competitive marksmanship programs with the intent to advance small arms lethality, demonstrate National Guard marksmanship capability, and enhance marksmanship effectiveness in combat. NGMTC serves all 54 states and territories and is located on Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas. NGMTC is headquarters for the “All Guard” competitive shooting teams: service rifle, service pistol, multi-gun, and international combat teams. The NGMTC is also home of the annual Winston P. Wilson National Championships, where guardsmen may earn the NGB Chief’s 50 Marksmanship Badge. For more information call 501-212-4520 or find us on www.facebook.com/NGMTC, https://www.instagram.com/ngmtc/, and https://www.flickr.com/photos/ngmtc/.
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.18.2025 16:07 |
| Story ID: | 493149 |
| Location: | FORT BENNING, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 449 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Decade of Dominance: National Guard Claims Victory 10 Years Straight, by CPT Janice Rintz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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