AFRC wins trophies and Allies during international shooting competition

  • Published
  • By Capt. Amanda Reeves
  • Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Among members of the Profession of Arms, there is an unwritten rule that the best way to build camaraderie and morale is to spend time together getting dirty and shooting guns.

Seven security forces Reserve Citizen Airmen from across the Air Force Reserve Command had the opportunity to put this to practice while participating in the International Bavarian Military Competition in Lagerlechfeld, Germany, in July. The competition, hosted by the German Bundeswehr (military) and organized by the Southern Germany Branch of the Air Force Engineering Training Center, brought 29 teams from nine nations together for two full days of marksmanship courses.

Participating countries were Germany, Italy, France, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Poland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Teams included active-duty and reserve military members, police force members, and civil servants. AFRC contributed two teams to the event, and their members were the first and only U.S. participants in the competition’s history.

Representing AFRC were Capt. Nicholas Megyesi, 910th Security Forces Squadron, Youngstown Air Reserve Base, Ohio; Tech. Sgt. Jared Jeppsen, Tech. Sgt. Trevor McClelland, Staff Sgt. Joe McGrath and Staff Sgt. Shawn Carter, 419th SFS, Hill Air Force Base, Utah; and Tech. Sgt. David Bowersox, 914th SFS, Niagara Falls International Airport Air Reserve Station, New York.

Over two days, the teams competed in six courses of fire using six different weapons systems -- German weapons systems the AFRC members had never touched before. The AFRC teams proved their expertise and professionalism by taking second and third place overall. In individual courses, they took third in the MP7 machine gun, second in the village clearing scenario, first in the P8 pistol, first in the G36 rifle and first in the air rifle.

Senior Master Sgt. Aaron Doss, combat arms functional manager at Headquarters AFRC, Robins AFB, Georgia, planned and coordinated AFRC’s participation in the event, and attended on behalf of the HQ. He explained the teams’ exceptional performance.

“Here in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, we have an elite group of security forces Citizen Airmen who continually strive to improve combat readiness and advanced weapons skills,” Doss said. “The highlight of this event is the fact that our Airmen had never fired these weapons prior to the competition. This speaks volumes to our weapons skills and diversity as an Air Force Reserve entity.”

The six competitors were chosen from applicants throughout AFRC based on current marksmanship and fitness scores. Four of the six are full-time civilian police officers, and most are Reserve combat arms instructors.

Before the competition, team members participated in five days of training at Hill AFB where they practiced various courses of fire with similar U.S. weapons and honed their communication skills – an element they all agreed was critical to their success in the actual competition.

“I am extremely proud of our team,” said Col. Michael Rothermel, chief of security forces at HQ AFRC. “Their performance in the competition validates our Air Force Reserve security forces training initiatives are headed in the right direction.”

More important than their trophy wins, however, the team members served as international ambassadors, building relationships with partner military units and paving the way for future cooperation and collaboration. There was plenty of time for socializing after the long competition days, and the team members found it was easier than expected to find common ground. By sharing war stories and competition strategies, everybody came away with a better understanding and appreciation of the others’ forces.

For AFRC, the competition contributed to strengthening alliances and provided the opportunity to leverage partnerships and share resources. Not only was the command invited to participate in next year’s competition, but it also received invitations to competitions hosted by the Danish, Italians and Swiss. Doss hopes these relationships will eventually lead to opportunities to conduct joint training exercises and exchanges, increasing the Reserve security forces’ interoperability and better preparing them to operate in a joint environment.

At home, AFRC’s new trophies are also opening doors for more advanced combat arms training for Citizen Airmen defenders. By proving the value of participation, security forces hopes to be able to prepare more Airmen for future competitions, not only sharpening their skills, but also providing opportunities to keep reservists motivated and involved. Competition and winning are strong incentives and will hopefully encourage Citizen Airmen with unique skills to share them with their brothers and sisters in arms.

AFRC’s success at the International Bavarian Military Competition demonstrated the clear link between strategy and tactics, proving that even something as small as a shooting competition can have far-reaching effects for the entire command.