Smearing Snipers: What Many Americans Don’t Get about Our Warrior Elite

National Review ^ | January 16, 2015 | Chris Mark

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

It’s not the serviceman’s psychology I was referring to, but that of the general public in relation to the vets.

And yes, a drone pilot would elicit stares in some quarters, but they are not as scrutinized as are many of the other jobs, at least yet.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Feh. Snipers are overrated.
“Why are you dodging like this? They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance.” - Gen John Sedgwick

Uh...that would be the late Gen. Sedgwick.

---

Moral of the story: Do not mock southern boys with squirrel guns.

[BluH2o]

The modern sniper is an oft-maligned and largely misunderstood individual ...

During the early years in Iraq a journalist asked a Marine sniper what he felt when he sighted in on a enemy target and took the shot ... his response ... recoil.

[Chainmail]

I was in Vietnam from January '66 to mid-May '67. My MOS was a 3531 Motor Vehicle Operator, which in an artillery battery means that when you're not actually driving, you're part of your gun section. I was in Gun Section 5, Battery B, 1st Bn, 11th Marines and eventually worked my way up to Gunner as a Lance Corporal and then in quick succession, and FDC man, the Battery recorder (the guy who passes the fire missions to the guns for firing) and part of the local security patrol section. Most of this was in the vicinity of Hill 55, south and west of Danang with some operations near Cam Lo and Khe Sanh during operations Hastings and Prairie. It was during that point up near the DMZ that we took all those casualties and I volunteered to be a Scout observer and was assigned to Echo Company and sometime Golf Company, 2nd, Bn, 1st Marines. That was a quantum leap up in violence and activity and I really don't remember any single one of those infantry Marines who hadn't been wounded at least once. Nearly everybody had grenade frags wounds from your own grenades. You can't thrown an M26 far enough not to get hit yourself. Most of the grunts just pulled the bits of steel out, rubbed in some Johnson and Johnson First Aid cream into the hole and kept going. Never met any finer people through my long and fortunate career.

I got hit dragging a badly wounded Marine from the middle of an open field and just as I got him to some reasonable cover, I got shot while I was bending over him trying to keep him breathing. The bullet shattered my right thighbone and nicked my femoral artery. I was able to get a tourniquet on around my crotch and thanks to an incredibly brave UH-34D pilot, they got me to Charlie Med Danang very quickly.

I know a gift when I see one and so I have tried to continue my life as the gift that it really was and to pass on to my younger Marines all of the lessons I learned.

[Lumper20]

Sorry about the femoral artery wound. You were as lucky as I was to be able to get out fast. The grenade accidents are surprising as my montagnards learned to throw that grenade. I also had extra cases of LAWS which every montagnard had learned to fire. Of course having men who make crossbows and have brass bracelets makes good trading material for LAWS and extra grenades. In 72-73 after Vietnam I went through the Infantry Officers Advanced Course at Benning. A Marine Captain became a dear friend and classmate. Buck CC Coffman was a Marine Corps Force Recon legend having fought in Korea at 17 years of age and he had received the Navy Cross in Vietnam with Force Recon.Sadly he is deceased. He had 26 ribbons.

[Chainmail]

Were you hit too? How bad?
I like the Montagnards too - good honest and brave bunch of people.

Sorry about the loss of Buck Coffman - we’re losing more and more of them every day that goes by. We will all be together again soon.
Semper Fi,
Chainmail

[Lumper20]

I was shot twice on 27 April 69. I was hit in the right ankle with an AK round. It went in the front and shattered the small bone (fibula) and blew out the lower 1/3 of my calf muscle. The next round felt like I was being pounded on with a 16 LB sledge hammer that kept pounding me.It went through the right thigh large rear hamstring muscle complex (large thigh muscle in back)and it blew a hole out the size of a quarter or larger two inches below the right hip bone.It missed the artery and femur bone. It just hit a large vein. Very fortunate.

[Chainmail]

Really happy you made it. I’m extremely proud of us and how we conducted our war. We really were the best our country had and I still marvel that I was graced by God to live up the standards of all of you around me.