Posted on 11/30/2004 2:32:35 AM PST by iso
FALLUJAH, Iraq (Nov. 27, 2004) -- A U.S. Marine sniper waited patiently inside a one-story house deep within the city. Lying in the prone position for several hours, he scanned the area through his scope before he finally found the three insurgents responsible for two previous mortar attacks.
Sgt. Memo M. Sandoval, a platoon sergeant with Scout Sniper Platoon, Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, needed to positively identify the insurgents before he could take his shot.
Sandoval, 26, saw that one of the men was about to place a mortar in a mortar tube. He knew he had to make a well-aimed shot before the insurgent gunner launched the deadly round. Sandoval cleared his thoughts and slowed his breathing as he gently squeezed the trigger of his M-40A3 sniper rifle. The 7.62 mm round covered the 950 yards in a flash, slamming into the chest of the first insurgent.
"The battalion (executive officer) ordered me to 'make the mortars stop,'" said Sandoval, a native of El Paso, Texas. "I took it personally and went out specifically to stop the insurgents."
With two more insurgents still alive and ready to continue the mortar attack, Sandoval composed himself for the next shot at the assistant gunner. The last two shots took out the driver of the vehicle that carried the weapon.
"When I finally spotted them along a tree line, I realized how far they were but it was surprising how easy it was," said Sandoval.
Those four shots were the longest in Sandoval has taken since he became a scout sniper.
"It was very impressive of Sandoval to shoot from so far away and be on target with all four shots," said 1st Lt. Samuel Rosales, a platoon commander with Scout Sniper Platoon, H&S Co., 3/5.
"When you are being mortared you never know where they will land, to be able to stop them from shooting anymore felt good," said Sandoval.
He joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school in 1997 and has been with 3/5 since April. His leadership ability has reflected on the Marines around him and allowed Sandoval to accomplish his mission.
"(Sandoval) is filling a staff noncommissioned officer's billet, He is a great Marine to work with," said Rosales, 32, a native of San Clemente, Calif.
After recently reenlisting for four more years, Sandoval, who has been in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since September, hopes to represent the United States in the Olympics in competition shooting.
Sandoval says a fellow Marine, Staff Sgt. Jared M. Casanova, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, helped him improve his skills with the rifle, which has become a valuable commodity in Iraq.
"We have always been in competitions against each other, one day he would win and the next day I would win," said Sandoval. "Out here in Iraq it is a two way rifle range, with insurgents shooting at you. You have to make well aimed shots."
bttt
Reminds me of back in 1963 or so when we made the switch from the good ole M-1 to that new fangled thumb biting M-14.
Me, I liked the 20 round clips, so the M-14 and I became fast friends real quick.
When I read the headline, I said, "Bet he's a Texan!" Lots of Latino surnames in this article, too. They make great soldiers, and El Paso and San Antonio have good reason to be proud of their sons.
Tax dollars well-spent, bump.
Agreed, and I think that articles such as this help to improve public awareness of what our armed forces do, and with this greater understanding comes a greater willingness to support our troops. Hopefully we can rebuild our armed forces back to pre-Clinton levels without endless budget cuts....our armed forces are a GREAT investment and I think that more and more people are realizing this.
It's a great rifle, and in this case I'm glad that it's in the hands of a good guy :-)
Only thing missing...video! I love to see our service men and women in action!
Indeed they do!..
Texas mourns the deaths of over a hundred Texans who have died serving our country in the war...and among those who gave all are those with names from Mexico and other countries south of the US.
Indeed they do!..
Texas mourns the deaths of over a hundred Texans who have died serving our country in the war...and among those who gave all are those with names from Mexico and other countries south of the US.
Me, I liked the 20 round clips, so the M-14 and I became fast friends real quick.
I think that in recent decades, our military has been more open to change and quickly adopting new technologies than they may have been in times past. Sometimes you need to carry some extra band-aids while you get used to the new things though :-)
Thank you for serving our country :-)
No, close, but the Canadians have it in Afghanistan
2430 Meters or 7987.5 feet as opposed to 7500 feet for the Gunny.
Still impressive both ways!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/713521/posts
You mean having girls with guns?
Yeah, I'm game!
Check out past medalists. You'll find a very healthy representation from the Army and Army Reserve.
There have been some Olympics where the Army alone won more gold medals than some countries, and not just in shooting competitions.
Get 'er done!
Raw footage of Fallujah Fighting
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