Pennsylvania shooters make their mark

December 2008 -- The 38th Annual Winston P. Wilson National and International Marksmanship Championships were recently held in Little Rock, Ark. The Alpha Team, which represented the State of Pennsylvania, consisted of Gregory Neiderhiser and Bill Foster both from the PA Army National Guard/Fort Indiantown Gap, Chris Fusco from PA Air National Guard/Willow Grove and Edward Altmeyer from PA Air National Guard/Pittsburgh. Twenty-three states, Guam, Puerto Rico, Canada, Spain, Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom participated in the matches. The Alpha Team from Pennsylvania placed 3rd Overall, behind Missouri (2nd) and Texas (1st). The aggregate score of all matches is factored into 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. The Pennsylvania Alpha Team placed 2nd in the Fallen Comrade Match, which consists of running through a 100-yard obstacle course, firing at targets 200 yards away and then carrying a 180-pound dummy back to the starting line for time. The team also placed 2nd in the Combined Arms Team Match, which consists of firing the rifle & pistol at various yard lines between 200 and 300 yards. Gregory Neiderhiser, Chris Fusco and Edward Altmeyer received the Chief's 50 Award, which means they rank in the top 10% of all National Guard shooters. Gregory Neiderhiser and Edward Altmeyer were chosen to the United States All Guard Team, which competed in the Armed Forces Skill-At-Arms Match, immediately following the conclusion of the Winston P. Wilson Championships. The United States All Guard Team finished in 1st Place winning the Lexington-Green Trophy. The Lexington-Green Trophy is awarded to the team with the highest aggregate score. The All Guard Team finished ahead of teams from the British Army, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force, U.S. Army Reserve, Canadian Army, United States Marine Corps, Royal Dutch Army, Royal Netherlands Army and Spanish Infantry. Along the way to winning the International Championship, Gregory Neiderhiser and Edward Altmeyer were awarded the Commander in Chief, Canadian Forces, and Razorback Trophies as well as finishing in 2nd place on the Machine Gun POW match.
The Bravo Team (first time or novice shooters) consisted of Chief Warrant Officer Gregory Kupar (PA Army National Guard/Fort Indiantown Gap), Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Riley (PA Air National Guard/Pittsburgh), Staff Sgt. Josh Honick (PA Air National Guard/Pittsburgh), and Shenandoah Welsh (PA Air National Guard/Pittsburgh). In the Novice Category, the Bravo Team placed 1st in the Fallen Comrade Match and 2nd in the Rapid Fire Engagement Match. Staff Sgt. Josh Honick from the 171st Security Forces Squadron placed 3rd overall in Match RI304, which consists of firing from the 500, 400, 300, 200 and 100 yard line.
Sgt. Ryan Dewire (PA Army National Guard/Fort Indiantown Gap) and Lt. Col. Joseph Olszewski (PA Air National Guard/Pittsburgh) competed in the match as individuals placing 77th and 52nd respectively of 291 total shooters.