NH Army National Guard Members Compete for Top Marksmanship

As a boy growing up in southern New Hampshire, Joe Wyner enjoyed shooting in the woods, a passion that stayed with him into adulthood. Now he competes in national marksmanship competitions as a member of the New Hampshire Army National Guard.

Sergeant First Class Joe Wyner previously served in the regular Army for a few years before he decided to come home to the Granite State as a member of the New Hampshire Army National Guard. During his first year in the Guard, he heard they participated in small arms marksmanship competitions, and he was immediately drawn to them.

“I’ve always liked shooting. I’ve been shooting in small competitions since I was a little kid, and I thought it was cool that the Army was doing something," Wyner says.

He ended up doing very well, so much so that he was asked to join the team that competed at statewide and national competitions. This past March, Wyner, Col. Brooks Hayward, the commander of the Recruitment and Retention Battalion in Concord and the team’s coach, two other members of the Army National Guard and one Air National Guard member represented New Hampshire at the All-Army Marksmanship Competition in Fort Benning Georgia.

It was the first time in 10 years that the New Hampshire Army National Guard had sent a team, and Wyner served as team captain. He serves as a senior instructor at the Regional Training Center in Pembroke.

The competitions give the soldiers a chance to showcase their skills with weapons that range from M17 pistols and M4 rifles and shotguns. When Wyner took over the New Hampshire Army National Guard’s Marksmanship program in 2019, his goal was to make the soldiers proficient with pistols and rifles.

Both weapons require different skill sets, Wyner says.

“They both have their pros and cons. I think it’s harder to get proficient with a pistol. The rifle becomes harder when you start pushing the distances that we’re shooting,” Wyner says. “At the Army competition, we shot out to 600 yards with our rifles, which is not typical of a normal Guardsman. They typically would only get out to roughly 300 yards.”

The marksmanship competitions represent a great opportunity for young people who are interested in shooting, Wyner says. In additional to their regular Guard duty, they can get paid to compete in these statewide, regional and national events and hone their shooting skills.

Guard soldiers who become proficient marksmen with their pistols and rifles can go back to their units and help their fellow soldiers improve their skills, Wyner says. “It’s also a lot of fun,” he adds.

As a potential recruitment tool, Wyner would like to see the Army National Guard support soldiers who want to participate in civilian shooting competitions. If they are wearing New Hampshire Army National Guard polo jerseys or other gear and they perform well, Wyner believes this could inspire people to consider the Guard.

With the right training, instruction and the ability to hone their skills, Wyner believes Guard soldiers who are afforded this opportunity can become valued marksmen.

“I found over the years of teaching is that these new individuals that show an interest, but maybe don’t have the experience, need to be openminded and listen to the instructors that we have within our group,” Wyner says. “So as long as they come into training with us with an open mind, we’re going to be able to make them more proficient.”

The New Hampshire Air National Guard Airman who competed with his team at the All-Army Marksmanship competition in Fort Benning is a great example, he says.

After training in Wyner’s program, the Airman placed third overall out of a field of 260 Guard soldiers and airmen in the novice division. “He’s kind of my poster child, as he didn’t have a lot of experience. He trained with us and he was open-minded and listened to the advice that we gave him, and now three years later he’s sitting on a podium when he goes to these matches,” Wyner says.

Wyner also enjoys the camaraderie he has built with many other soldiers and airmen at these competitions over the years. “The people that I’ve met across the nation and the knowledge that I gained from people that I never would have met had I not taken part in these competitions is a huge thing to me,” he adds.

The Guard’s marksmanship program helped Wyner find a direction that he never knew existed before he joined. He believes one of the Guard’s greatest strengths is how it can help young people discover their hidden talents and passions, so they can find out who they are.

“The opportunities that I’ve been afforded within the Guard not only as it relates to the shooting on the marksmanship side but just in general, have really kind of molded me into the person I am today,” Wyner says.