07/08/2025
Please join us in congratulating two outstanding Blackjack Troopers, SGT Garrison and SGT Phillips, for their solid performance at the Winston P. Wilson Machine Gun Championship. Below is a message from the VT Marksmanship Coordinator:
"The Winston P. Wilson (WPW) Machine Gun Championships concluded this past weekend. The event was held at Camp Robinson, AR and lasted a week. Competitors had to fire their M240’s as a two-man team, with the gunner competing in additional matches with the M17, and the assistant gunner participating in additional matches with the M4. Vermont sent one team consisting of the following individuals:
SGT Nataniel Garrison (B Troop, 1-172 CAV)
SGT Austin Phillips (B Troop, 1-172 CAV)
This was the first time both SGT Garrison and SGT Phillips competed outside of TAG Matches. While tough to go from the state-level to the national-level, both individuals performed well and learned a lot. Most of the matches they finished about middle of the pack, but they did have a couple of solid performances throughout the week. During the Blind Shoot Match, they finished 7th overall and during the Field Fire 1 Match they finished 4th overall.
Normally we hold a train-up prior to sending our teams to these events, but IR25 and funding prevented us from doing so this year. That said, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of either Soldier at these events. SGT Garrison was invited to the MAC I Regional Combat Championships in August, but will be at Ranger school instead. SGT Phillips (who remains the only Soldier or Airman in the state to have earned the Governor’s Twenty tab in rifle, pistol and machine gun at TAG Matches) was offered his slot."
