New York, Massachusetts Guard Soldiers Compete in Logan-Duffy Rifle Match

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Twelve National Guard Soldiers representing New York and Massachusetts took to the firing line Sept. 18 at the United States Military Academy for the annual Logan-Duffy Rifle Match, a friendly marksmanship competition between the two battalions.

The Massachusetts Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment won this year’s match, returning the coveted five-gallon silver Logan-Duffy Cup to Massachusetts after a day of competition against the New York Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment.

The annual event dates to June 1936 during the 75th anniversary celebration of what was then the 101st Infantry – the predecessor of the 182nd. Col. Francis Logan of the 101st proposed an annual rifle match to Col. Alexander Anderson, the commander of New York’s 165th Infantry – the designation given to the 69th Infantry during World War I – to foster marksmanship and camaraderie.

The match and the trophy are named for Brig. Gen. Lawrence Logan and Brig. Gen. Edward Duffy, who commanded the two regiments during the Spanish-American War. Logan commanded the Massachusetts unit, and Duffy led the 69th Infantry.

Individual honors were split evenly between both states, with Sgt. 1st Class Sonny Rodriguez of the 182nd Infantry earning the top shot award for Massachusetts. Sgt. Peter Pena of the 69th Infantry claimed the top shot honor for New York. Both marksmen were recognized during an evening awards banquet hosted by the 69th Infantry at the West Point Club overlooking the Hudson River.

The competition tested foundational shooting skills without modern optical sights. The Soldiers fired standard-issue M4 carbines equipped only with iron sights. The six-man squads engaged targets from 200 yards in the prone, standing and sitting positions.

To ensure an authentic test of individual marksmanship, team captains restricted coaching on the firing line. Each squad was permitted a single spotting scope, which was reserved exclusively for rare instances when a shot fell significantly off-target.

The day began with the battalion commanders marching onto the range to bagpipe music. New York’s Lt. Col. Andrew Prior and Massachusetts’ Lt. Col. Michael Lutkevich then took positions on the firing line together to discharge ceremonial first shots downrange, officially launching the contest.

Col. Mathew Kilgore, commander of the Troy-based 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, delivered opening remarks highlighting the match’s storied lineage and noting his personal history and ties to the Military Academy.

Massachusetts team captain Sgt. John Field said his squad entered the contest with high expectations and a focused drive after dedicating considerable time to practice.

The relationship between the 69th Infantry and the 182nd Infantry began during the Civil War, according to Capt. Joseph Alleva, the assistant operations officer for the 69th. In July 1861, the commander of the 69th, Col. Michael Corcoran, paid a visit to Col. Thomas Cass, the commander of what was then the 9th Massachusetts Regiment at nearby Fort Cass. Both militia units were composed of Irish-American immigrants.

A 1936 agreement drawn up by the regimental commanders at the time specifies that the silver bowl and matching tray that serve as the trophy are owned by both units. The document also specifies that the winner of the last shooting match holds the bowl.

The inaugural match was held Oct. 12, 1936, at Camp Curtis Guild in Reading, Massachusetts, with the 101st claiming the first victory. In 1937, the 69th Infantry won the trophy.

The competition was suspended in 1940 when both units were mobilized and went on to fight in World War II. The matches were reinstated in 1958 and ran until 1996, when the 101st was merged into the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry. The matches were reinstated, and then halted again after Sept. 11, 2001, when both battalions went to war again. The competition resumed, uninterrupted, in 2010.