EXCHANGE OF EXPERTISE

Soldiers from across the United States and American Territories compete in the 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship. The 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship takes place at the National Guard Marksmanship Training center April 7 through 13, 2019, at the Robinson Maneuver Training Center, Ark. (U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Pfc. Emma Anderson, National Guard Marksmanship Training Center)

48TH ANNUAL WINSTON P. WILSON RIFLE AND PISTOL COMPETITION

BY PFC. EMMA ANDERSON, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST, NATIONAL GUARD MARKSMANSHIP TRAINING CENTER

ROBINSON MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Arkansas – Approximately 350 competitors from around the Nation compete in the 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship which takes place at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center April 7 through 13, 2019, at the Robinson Maneuver Training Center. The event is hosted by the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center and offers service members an opportunity to test marksmanship. It also offers them an opportunity to become better Soldiers by learning from fellow competitors.

When Soldiers leave the WPW they have the opportunity to share with their unit the information they learned from discussions with other WPW teams and improve their unit’s overall readiness.

Staff Sgt. Christopher Gracia, with the New Jersey National Guard, loads his pistol for a match during the 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship. The 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship takes place at the National Guard Marksmanship Training center April 7 through 13, 2019, at the Robinson Maneuver Training Center, Ark. (U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Pfc. Emma Anderson, National Guard Marksmanship Training Center)

“The biggest benefit is being able to meet people and just have those conversations, because you’re not going to learn everything in this competition.” said Staff Sgt. Tanisha Mercado, a member of the D.C. National Guard. “Another benefit is you can exchange information and reach out to them afterward and pick the things you know you’re weak in and get that opportunity to learn more.”

The 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship is an event that creates an exchange of expertise. The end of the competition is marked by the award ceremony, but there is never an end to learning once the competition is done.

Soldiers from across the United States and American Territories compete in the 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship. The 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship takes place at the National Guard Marksmanship Training center April 7 through 13, 2019, at the Robinson Maneuver Training Center, Ark. (U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Pfc. Emma Anderson, National Guard Marksmanship Training Center)

“Although the WPW is considered a competition, the true value of the matches is the cross learning between teams. WPW is the largest weapons competition/training event in the Army. The only ones who lose when they leave here are those who refused to learn from others,” said Col. Marty Curtwright, National Guard Marksmanship Training Center Commander.

Staff Sgt. Tanisha Mercado, with the Washington D.C. National Guard, poses with her team as they compete in the 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship. The 48th Winston P. Wilson Championship takes place at the National Guard Marksmanship Training center April 7 through 13, 2019, at the Robinson Maneuver Training Center, Ark. (U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Pfc. Emma Anderson, National Guard Marksmanship Training Center)

Winston Peabody Wilson was a United States Air Force major general who served as Chief of the National Guard Bureau. In 1950, Wilson was deputy to the Air National Guard where he emphasized the importance of readiness and training for units deploying during the Korean War. The WPW Championship was established in 1971 to promote growth and development of state level marksmanship. The Winston P. Wilson offers an opportunity to increase readiness, overall lethality and battlefield survivability by having competitors challenge each other in the skill of marksmanship, but also learn from each other’s expertise.