WEBVTT 00:08.974 --> 00:10.546 - [Loudspeaker] Go! 00:10.546 --> 00:11.945 - [Voiceover] The Missouri National Guard 00:11.945 --> 00:14.386 held its annual 2016 TAG Match, 00:14.386 --> 00:16.929 a statewide marksmanship competition, 00:16.929 --> 00:20.304 that takes place at Camp Crowder, in Neosho, Missouri. 00:20.304 --> 00:22.377 (gunfire) 00:22.377 --> 00:24.921 During the competition, Missouri Guardsmen compete 00:24.921 --> 00:29.088 against one another, individually, and as four-person teams. 00:33.136 --> 00:36.521 The top three marksmen are each awarded with a trophy, 00:36.521 --> 00:38.528 and the top 20 marksmen earn the right 00:38.528 --> 00:42.695 to wear the coveted Adjutant General's 20 Combat Badge. 00:43.782 --> 00:45.433 - And if you're number one, 00:45.433 --> 00:47.543 and everybody knows you're number one, 00:47.543 --> 00:50.522 there's a great deal of respect that goes with that, 00:50.522 --> 00:52.166 not only respect in your individual unit, 00:52.166 --> 00:53.968 but across the entire state, 00:53.968 --> 00:56.184 because every senior command is represented, 00:56.184 --> 00:57.817 the Air Guard is represented, 00:57.817 --> 01:01.650 and they all know who the best of the best is. 01:03.299 --> 01:04.814 - [Voiceover] The three-day competition 01:04.814 --> 01:07.276 evaluates the Guardsmen's marksmanship skills 01:07.276 --> 01:10.109 with a pistol, shotgun, and rifle. 01:11.734 --> 01:13.901 (gunfire) 01:17.289 --> 01:18.997 (soldier yells) 01:18.997 --> 01:22.529 The competition includes timed events, moving targets, 01:22.529 --> 01:26.696 and firing while wearing a chemical protective mask. 01:27.015 --> 01:30.437 Mogar TV was embedded with a four-person team 01:30.437 --> 01:34.014 from the 110th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 01:34.014 --> 01:37.344 Higher Headquarters Company, based in Kansas City, 01:37.344 --> 01:39.037 and followed them during the final two days 01:39.037 --> 01:40.299 of the competition. 01:40.299 --> 01:41.132 - Two fives? 01:41.132 --> 01:43.503 - Sergeant Major Barnes was the most experienced shooter 01:43.503 --> 01:46.538 on the team, with more years of experience 01:46.538 --> 01:49.167 than a majority of his competitors have been alive. 01:49.167 --> 01:50.366 - I been shooting about 37 years 01:50.366 --> 01:51.873 with the Guard, and different disciplines. 01:51.873 --> 01:53.039 - [Standing Soldier] Well, if it'll do it for the next-- 01:53.039 --> 01:54.335 - [Prone Soldier] Hey, just go with it. 01:54.335 --> 01:55.252 Go with it. 01:55.669 --> 01:57.186 - [Standing Soldier] Yeah. 01:57.186 --> 01:58.731 - [Prone Soldier] You get 'em all there, you're good. 01:58.731 --> 02:00.186 [Standing Soldier] Yeah, I'd like that. 02:00.186 --> 02:01.644 - Master Sergeant Belt's our team captain, 02:01.644 --> 02:04.362 has been since I've been shooting with him, for two years. 02:04.362 --> 02:06.705 - You're the one that gathers the information 02:06.705 --> 02:08.686 disseminates the information, 02:08.686 --> 02:11.244 and then learns from each one of your team members. 02:11.244 --> 02:12.533 As a team leader you gotta be willin' 02:12.533 --> 02:15.390 to listen to those who've been doin' it for a while. 02:15.390 --> 02:18.253 How else can you get smarter in what you're doin'? 02:18.253 --> 02:20.147 - [Voiceover] Master Sergeant Belt was responsible 02:20.147 --> 02:22.607 for selecting the team members, 02:22.607 --> 02:26.256 two of which, Major Payton and Sergeant Major Barnes, 02:26.256 --> 02:29.494 have a higher military rank than a master sergeant. 02:29.494 --> 02:30.777 - What he says goes. 02:30.777 --> 02:32.810 But then on the other hand, too, they do know that, 02:32.810 --> 02:34.147 hey, sergeant major says something 02:34.147 --> 02:35.450 or the major says something, 02:35.450 --> 02:37.301 we all take it into consideration. 02:37.301 --> 02:39.037 Major Payton is our officer. 02:39.037 --> 02:40.513 He's a good officer, knows how to shoot, 02:40.513 --> 02:42.907 and just brings a nice even keel to the team. 02:42.907 --> 02:44.811 - [Voiceover] The lowest-ranking member of the team 02:44.811 --> 02:46.828 was Staff Sergeant Dement. 02:46.828 --> 02:48.627 - Staff Sergeant Dement, he's our quiet, 02:48.627 --> 02:49.613 steady, rock-solid one. 02:49.613 --> 02:50.876 He never has a bad score, 02:50.876 --> 02:52.624 and he just stays good and even, 02:52.624 --> 02:55.334 which is what you need, team-wise: good even shooters. 02:55.334 --> 02:58.615 - It's always a pleasure to learn from Sergeant Major. 02:58.615 --> 03:01.782 He's just a wealth of knowledge there. 03:01.801 --> 03:03.517 He's been doing this a long time. 03:03.517 --> 03:05.726 It's just great to be able to spend this time with him 03:05.726 --> 03:07.309 and learn from him. 03:07.626 --> 03:09.331 - We bring our individual skills 03:09.331 --> 03:11.275 and our individual experiences. 03:11.275 --> 03:12.881 But even at the basic level, 03:12.881 --> 03:14.805 teamwork isn't everything we do. 03:14.805 --> 03:18.010 The sum of the team is stronger than the individual parts. 03:18.010 --> 03:22.177 - [Soldier] 75 yards cover fire, kneeling position. 03:23.435 --> 03:25.602 (gunfire) 03:26.248 --> 03:27.081 - Threes. - Three. 03:27.081 --> 03:28.884 - Two threes. - Two twos. 03:28.884 --> 03:30.052 - [Voiceover] Throughout TAG Match, 03:30.052 --> 03:32.877 points are tallied for each individual Guardsman, 03:32.877 --> 03:35.127 and their four-person team. 03:37.452 --> 03:40.319 Many of the Guardsmen chose to dedicate their own time 03:40.319 --> 03:44.096 and money to hone their skills for the competition. 03:44.096 --> 03:45.756 - A lot of time and effort, 03:45.756 --> 03:48.673 a lot of practice in the last year. 03:49.238 --> 03:50.154 (horn blares) 03:50.154 --> 03:52.457 - [Voiceover] The main event for the four-person teams 03:52.457 --> 03:54.874 is the three-gun competition. 04:00.534 --> 04:02.701 (gunfire) 04:16.467 --> 04:17.654 Our team did not make it 04:17.654 --> 04:21.062 past the second round of the three-gun event. 04:21.062 --> 04:22.259 (applause) 04:22.259 --> 04:24.315 But in the individual competition, 04:24.315 --> 04:27.609 both Sergeant Major Barnes and Staff Sergeant Dement 04:27.609 --> 04:31.776 were awarded the Adjutant General's 20 Combat Badge. 04:33.522 --> 04:36.272 The 139th Airlift Wing Maintenance Squadron 04:36.272 --> 04:39.355 was the top overall four-person team. 04:40.053 --> 04:42.288 And the top individual overall winner 04:42.288 --> 04:46.335 for TAG Match 2016 was Staff Sergeant Michael Richie, 04:46.335 --> 04:50.502 with the 1139th Military Police Company, Combat Support. 04:51.376 --> 04:52.488 TAG Match will continue 04:52.488 --> 04:54.737 to serve the Missouri National Guard 04:54.737 --> 04:57.071 in improving marksmanship skills, 04:57.071 --> 05:01.203 team camaraderie, bragging rights, and healthy competition. 05:01.203 --> 05:02.618 - I'm gonna be better next year. 05:02.618 --> 05:03.451 Every year. 05:03.451 --> 05:06.017 I wanna be competitive for those, 05:06.017 --> 05:08.267 that top three, definitely.