RCAF officer "double-taps" top shooting award

News Article / October 24, 2012

by Lieutenant(N) Al Blondin

For the first time, a Royal Canadian Air Force officer has won the Canadian Forces’ top marksman award twice in a row.

Captain Ken Barling, NORAD headquarters air combat systems officer, was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Champion Shot (Regular) for the second year in a row at this year’s Canadian Forces Small Arms Concentration (CFSAC) competition, held September 9 to 22 at the Connaught Ranges in Ottawa, Ont.

The Queen’s Medal for Champion Shot has only been won three times by someone who is not an Army member: Capt Barling in 2012 and 2011 and Petty Officer 1st Class Martin Cashin, a member of the Navy, in 2009.

The Queen’s Medal for Champion Shot (Reserve) went to Corporal David Ferguson, a member of 1st Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders (North), who was part of the Land Force Atlantic Team. It’s also the second time Cpl Ferguson has won the Queen’s Medal; he took it home in 2010.

Capt Barling works as an air domain crew member in the NORAD command centre in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was posted to NORAD in August 2011.

“I feel very fortunate to have done as well as I did,” said Capt Barling. “There are a lot of other first rate marksmen out there, and the competition was very close.”

Training for the competition while at NORAD was a challenge. “That’s the funny part of it,” said Capt Barling, “I didn’t do any training down here for rifle because we don’t have the equipment or resources here to practice with. There were no military rifles, ammunition or ranges available for me to use.

“I’m very grateful for the support I received through my chain of command at the NORAD and USNORTHCOM command center,” he continued. “They gave me the time off and financial support to attend CFSAC. I was also very lucky to have help from my former teammates from the Aerospace Telecommunications Engineering Support Squadron Small Arms Team out of Trenton. Without them, I wouldn’t have had any equipment.

“Finally, I was very fortunate to have had my parents in attendance at the final awards ceremony. They made a memorable day all the more special by being there.”

In terms of future competitions, the airman was unequivocal, “I would very much like to attend CFSAC next year,” he said. “It would be great if we could send a small four-man team to represent NORAD, although getting the kit and equipment would be a challenge. Personally, I would really like to win both the rifle and pistol competitions at the same time. I’ve come very close to doing this in the past, so I think it’s a realistic goal to have.”

The top marksmen at this year’s competition will represent the CF Combat Shooting Team in Australia, at the National Shooting Centre at Bisley in the United Kingdom and at the International Military Marksmanship Competition in Arkansas next year.

About CFSAC and the Queen’s Medal

The Canadian Forces Small Arms Concentration competition is Canada’s number one military skill-at-arms contest. It evolved from competitions held by the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association (DCRA), which was founded in 1869, the same year the Queen’s Medal for Champion Shot was authorized in Britain by Queen Victoria. The DCRA still runs a number of competitions that also involve civilian shooters. The DCRA’s National Service Arms Competition is conducted jointly with CFSAC every year.

The only countries that still compete for the British Queen’s Medal for Champion Shot are the United Kingdom, Jamaica and New Zealand. On August 28, 1991, a new Canadian Queen's Medal was introduced, replacing the British award, and was first awarded in the summer of 1992.

For a few years, the Royal Canadian Air Force competed for its own Queen’s Medal, granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, separately from the Army’s competition. However, this disappeared with unification in 1968 and the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force now compete for CFSAC’s highest awards: The Queen’s Medal for Champion Shot (Regular) and the Queen’s Medal for Champion Shot (Reserve). The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canadian Rangers compete for the Reserve Force medal.

The competition was not held in the summers of 2003 to 2006 because the commander of the Army ordered a comprehensive review of all Army participation in competitions, including military skills and marksmanship competitions. In 2007, CFSAC was reaffirmed as an essential part of marksmanship training in the Canadian Forces and competitions resumed. During the hiatus, DCRA continued to run advanced marksmanship competitions.