Western New York Air National Guard Team Wins New York National Guard Shooting Match for Fifth Time

Team from the 107th Airlift Wing at Nigara Falls Air Reserve Station Wins Adjutant General's Match Trophy

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Winners of the annual NY National Guard shooting match from the 1097th Airlift Wing are:Senior Master Sgt. Edward Stefik, Sgt. Ryan Mang, Staff Sgt. Johnathen Wagner,and Tech Sgt.Warren Jones.

CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, CORTLANDT MANOR, N.Y (06/02/2014)(readMedia)-- For the fifth year in a row, a team from the New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing has won the annual "TAG (The Adjutant General) Match," held here May 31 to June 1.

The winning team consists of Senior Master Sgt. Edward Stefik, from Lewiston; Sgt. Ryan Mang, from Niagara Falls; Staff Sgt. Johnathen Wagner, from Buffalo and Tech Sgt. Warren Jones, from Rochester.

The four were among 125 New York Army and Air National Guard members who competed in the annual shooting event that tests service members' ability to fire the M-9 pistol, the M-4 carbine, and the M-249 squad automatic weapon.

The modern TAG Match requires participants to employ the weapons used on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The match consists of eight timed events that include the use of those weapons during close-quarters combat, casualty, and nuclear biological chemical (NBC) drills.

Stefik, who has headed the 107th Airlift Wing team for the last five years, stressed that the match is mostly about training -- and winning in combat.

"We're in a real-world situation, we've been at war for over 10 years," Stefik said. "This isn't just a competition, it's a training experience."

A video interview with Senior Master Sgt. Edward Stefik, done at the start of the competition on Friday, May 30, can be seen here:

https://www.dvidshub.net/video/340304/senior-master-sgt-edward-stefik-tag-match-interview