40 years ago, I taught point men, FAC’s and snipers to NEVER look at the individual enemy directly. Always look past them. You can still tell what he’s doing, where he’s going but you can’t tell if he shaved that morning.
Excellent teaching! Many many times, inside, but usually outside, I’d hear others coming, step off a little ways, not having to really seek very good camouflage, but just stay motionless, clear my head, and go into sort of a gazing without focusing attention on the approaching others. I have a hard time recalling any incident where the others, being so into their own heads and where they are going, that they ever saw me or even sensed me.
I read an excellent book recently called “Neptunes Inferno” which is specifically about the naval battles that occurred between the U.S. Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy in the Summer and fall of 1942.
One of the passages in the book talked about the lessons that had to be learned the hard way, and one of those lessons was “if you feel as if you are being observed, you probably are.”
Like a Larry Bird no-look pass or a Joe Montana receiver look-off.
The only reason to look right at them is to determine rank.